Volatile organic sulfide compounds (VOSCs) are usually resistant to biodegradation, thereby limiting the performance of traditional biotechnology dealing with waste gas containing such pollutants especially in mixture. In this study, a solid composite microbial inoculant (SCMI) was prepared to remove dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and propanethiol (PT). Given that the DMS degradation activity of Alcaligenes sp. SY1 is inducible and the PT-degradation activity of Pseudomonas putida S-1 is constitutive, different strategies are designed for cell cultivation to obtain high VOSC removal rates of SCMI. Compared with the microbial suspension, the prepared SCMI exhibited better storage stability at 4 and 25 degrees C. Inoculation of the SCMI in biotrickling filters (BTFs) could effectively shorten the start-up period and enhance the removal performance. Microbial analysis by Illumina MiSeq indicated that Alcaligenes sp. SY1 and P. putida S-1 might be dominant and persistent among the microbial communities of the BTF during the operation. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.