Proteolytic bacterial dominance in a full-scale municipal solid waste anaerobic reactor assessed by 454 pyrosequencing technology.

Biomethanization entails a good means to reduce the organic fraction (OF) derived from municipal solid wastes (MSW). The bacterial diversity of a full scale MSW anaerobic reactor located in Madrid (Spain) was investigated using high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing. Even though the proteolytic bacteria prevailed throughout all of the process, community shifts were observed from the start-up to the steady-state conditions, with an increasing biodiversity displayed over time. The Bacteroidetes and the Firmicutes were the majority phyla: 55.1 and 40.2% (start-up) and 18.7 and 78.7 (steady-state) of the total reads. The system's lack of evenness remains noteworthy as the sequences affiliated to the proteolytic non-saccharolytic Proteiniphylum, Gallicola and Fastidiosipila genera, together with the saccharolytic Saccharofermentans, were predominant on the system and this predominance appears to correlate with the presence of a high ammonium concentration. The 454 pyrosequencing revealed a great diversity of rare organisms which seemingly do not sustain any metabolic roles in the course of the OF-MSW degradation. However, this scarce and unique microbiota can confer great resilience to the system as a buffer against nutritional and environmental changing conditions, thus opening the door to increase the current knowledge about the bacterial community dynamics taking place during MSW treatment processes.

Anaerobic degradation of alcohol ethoxylates and polyethylene glycols in marine sediments.

This research is focused on alcohol polyethoxylates (AEOs), nonionic surfactants used in a wide variety of products such as household cleaners and detergents. Our main objective in this work was to study the anaerobic degradation of these compounds and their main aerobic degradation products and precursors (polyethylene glycols, PEGs, which are also used for many other applications) in marine sediments, providing the first data available on this topic. First, we observed that average AEO sediment-water partition coefficients (Kd) increased towards those homologs having longer alkyl chains (from 257 L/kg for C12 to 5772 L/kg for C18),which were less susceptible to undergo biodegradation. Overall, AEO and PEG removal percentages reached up to 99.7 and 93%, respectively, after 169 days of incubation using anaerobic conditions in sediments ([O2] = 0 ppm, Eh = -170 to -380 mV and T = 30 °C). Average half-life was estimated to be in a range from 10 to 15 days for AEO homologs (C12AEO8-C18AEO8), and 18 days for PEGEO8.Methanogenic activity proved to be intense during the experiment, confirming the occurrence of anaerobic conditions. This is the first study showing that AEOs and PEGs can be degraded in absence of oxygen in marine sediments, so this new information should be taken into account for future environmental risk assessments on these chemicals.

Reactivity and fate of secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS) in marine sediments.

This research is focused on secondary alkane sulfonates (SAS), anionic surfactants widely used in household applications that access aquatic environments mainly via sewage discharges. We studied their sorption capacity and anaerobic degradation in marine sediments, providing the first data available on this topic. SAS partition coefficients increased towards those homologues having longer alkyl chains (from up to 141 L kg(-1) for C14 to up to 1753 L kg(-1) for C17), which were those less susceptible to undergo biodegradation. Overall, SAS removal percentages reached up to 98% after 166 days of incubation using anoxic sediments. The degradation pathway consisted on the formation of sulfocarboxylic acids after an initial fumarate attack of the alkyl chain and successive ß-oxidations. This is the first study showing that SAS can be degraded in absence of oxygen, so this new information should be taken into account for future environmental risk assessments on these chemicals.

Screening of anaerobic activities in sediments of an acidic environment: Tinto River.

The Tinto River (Huelva, Spain) is a natural acidic rock drainage environment produced by the bio-oxidation of metallic sulfides from the Iberian Pyritic Belt. A geomicrobiological model of the different microbial cycles operating in the sediments was recently developed through molecular biological methods, suggesting the presence of iron reducers, methanogens, nitrate reducers and hydrogen producers. In this study, we used a combination of molecular biological methods and targeted enrichment incubations to validate this model and prove the existence of those potential anaerobic activities in the acidic sediments of Tinto River. Methanogenic, sulfate-reducing, denitrifying and hydrogen-producing enrichments were all positive at pH between 5 and 7. Methanogenic enrichments revealed the presence of methanogenic archaea belonging to the genera Methanosarcina and Methanobrevibacter. Enrichments for sulfate-reducing microorganisms were dominated by Desulfotomaculum spp. Denitrifying enrichments showed a broad diversity of bacteria belonging to the genera Paenibacillus, Bacillus, Sedimentibacter, Lysinibacillus, Delftia, Alcaligenes, Clostridium and Desulfitobacterium. Hydrogen-producing enrichments were dominated by Clostridium spp. These enrichments confirm the presence of anaerobic activities in the acidic sediments of the Tinto River that are normally assumed to take place exclusively at neutral pH.