Correlations between microbial population dynamics, bamA gene abundance and performance of anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) treating increasing concentrations of phenol.

The relevant microorganims driving efficiency changes in anaerobic digestion of phenol remains uncertain. In this study correlations were established between microbial population and the process performance in an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) treating increasing concentrations of phenol (from 120 to 1200 mg L-1). Sludge samples were taken at different operational stages and microbial community dynamics was analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. In addition, bamA gene was quantified in order to evaluate the dynamics of anaerobic aromatic degraders. The microbial community was dominated by Anaerolineae, Bacteroidia, Clostridia, and Methanobacteria classes. Correlation analysis between bamA gene copy number and phenol concentration were highly significant, suggesting that the increase of aromatic degraders targeted by bamA assay was due to an increase in the amount of phenol degraded over time. The incremental phenol concentration affected hydrogenotrophic archaea triggering a linear decrease of Methanobacterium and the growth of Methanobrevibacter. The best performance in the reactor was at 800 mg L-1 of phenol. At this stage, the highest relative abundances of Syntrophorhabdus, Chloroflexus, Smithella, Methanolinea and Methanosaeta were observed and correlated positively with initial degradation rate, suggesting that these microorganisms are relevant players to maintain a good performance in the ASBR.

Key microbial populations involved in anaerobic degradation of phenol and p-cresol using different inocula

Background: Anaerobic digestion is an alternative bioprocess used to treat effluents containing toxic compounds such as phenol and p-cresol. Selection of an adequate sludge as inoculum containing an adapted microbial consortium is a relevant factor to improve the removal of these pollutants. The objective of this study is to identify the key microorganisms involved in the anaerobic digestion of phenol and p-cresol and elucidate the relevance of the bamA gene abundance (a marker gene for aromatic degraders) in the process, in order to establish new strategies for inocula selection and improve the system's performance. Results: Successive batch anaerobic digestion of phenol and p-cresol was performed using granular or suspended sludge. Granular sludge in comparison to suspended sludge showed higher degradation rates both for phenol (11.3 ± 0.7 vs 8.1 ± 1.1 mg l-1 d-1) and p-cresol (7.8 ± 0.4 vs 3.7 ± 1.0 mg l-1 d-1). After three and four re-feedings of phenol and p-cresol, respectively, the microbial structure from both sludges was clearly different from the original sludges. Anaerobic digestion of phenol and p-cresol generated an abundance increase in Syntrophorhabdus genus and bamA gene, together with hydrogenotrophic and aceticlastic archaea. Analysis of results indicates that differences in methanogenic pathways and levels of Syntrophorhabdus and bamA gene in the inocula, could be the causes of dissimilar degradation rates between each sludge. Conclusions: Syntrophorhabdus and bamA gene play relevant roles in anaerobic degradation of phenolics. Estimation of these components could serve as a fast screening tool to find the most acclimatized sludge to efficiently degrade mono-aromatic compounds.

Active and total microbial community dynamics and the role of functional genes bamA and mcrA during anaerobic digestion of phenol and p-cresol.

The aim of the present work was to investigate the dynamics of microbial community at DNA and RNA level and the role of bamA and mcrA gene during anaerobic digestion of phenol and p-cresol. Anaerobic digestion was conducted in batch reactors and microbial community dynamics was analysed. Results showed that active microbial community was quite dissimilar in comparison to the total microbial community. Syntrophorhabdus and Bacillus were the dominant active bacterial genera whereas Methanosaeta together with Methanobacterium showed the highest potential activity in the Archaea domain indicating a relevant role of these microorganisms in the anaerobic process. Ecological Networks revealed dissimilar interactions at DNA and RNA level, being the latter a better descriptor of the known roles of dominant OTUs. QRT-PCR results showed that expression of bamA gene correlated positively with instantaneous degradation rate proving for first time its functionality and its relationship with the kinetics of the process.

Influence of phenylacetic acid pulses on anaerobic digestion performance and archaeal community structure in WWTP sewage sludge digesters.

The effect of phenylacetic acid (PAA) pulses on anaerobic digestion (AD) performance and archaeal community structure was evaluated in anaerobic digesters treating sewage sludge from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Four pilot-scale continuous stirred tank reactors were set up at a full-scale municipal WWTP in Santiago de Chile, and fed with either primary or mixed sewage sludge. AD performance was evaluated by volatile fatty acid (VFA) and biogas production monitoring. Archaeal community structure was characterized by 16S rRNA denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and band sequencing. In the primary sludge digester, a single PAA pulse at 200 mg L(-1) was sufficient to affect AD performance and archaeal community structure, resulting in long-term VFA accumulation, reduced biogas production and community shift from dominant acetoclastic (Methanosaeta concilii) to hydrogenotrophic (Methanospirillum hungatei) methanogens. By contrast, AD performance and archaeal community structure in the mixed sludge digester were stable and resistant to repeated PAA pulses at 200 and 600 mg L(-1). This work demonstrated that the effect of PAA pulses on methanogenic activity and archaeal community structure differed according to AD substrate, and suggests that better insights of the correlations between archaeal population dynamics and functional performance could help to better face toxic shocks in AD.

Anaerobic sequencing batch reactor as an alternative for the biological treatment of wine distillery effluents.

The goal of this study was to assess the effect of different modes of operation and configurations of Anaerobic Sequencing Batch Reactors (ASBRs) treating phenolic wastewater. Several lab-scale reactors were used in the mesophilic range. The reactors were fed with synthetic wastewater with a COD of 5 g/L using phenol as a carbon source (variable concentration) and glucose as a co-substrate. One and two-phase (hydrolytic/acidogenic-methanogenic) systems in batch and fed-batch operation were evaluated. The one-stage reactor operated by the fed batch (which was the only configuration using phenol as a sole carbon source), presented better results for the removal of phenol, reaching 100% removal in 10 days at a concentration of 210 mg/L. The two-stage configuration had removal percentages near 100%, but the methanogenic reactor presented greater degradation of the remaining phenol not removed in the hydrolytic/acidogenic reactor. ASBRs might be a feasible alternative to treat this type of effluent due to their operational flexibility.