Monitoring bacterial and archaeal community shifts in a mesophilic anaerobic batch reactor treating a high-strength organic wastewater

• Published in: FEMS microbiology ecology 2008-09, Vol.65 (3), p.544-554
• Main Authors: Lee, Changsoo, Kim, Jaai, Shin, Seung Gu, Hwang, Seokhwan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acetic acid; Anaerobic digestion; Anaerobic processes; Anaerobic treatment; Anaerobiosis; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Archaea - genetics; Archaea - growth & development; Archaea - metabolism; Bacteria; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - growth & development; Bacteria - metabolism; Bacteriology; Batch reactors; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Bioreactors; Carbohydrates; Communities; Community structure; Dairying; denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE); DNA, Archaeal - genetics; DNA, Bacterial - genetics; Ecology; Electrophoresis; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Ethanol; Fermentation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Archaeal; Genes, Bacterial; Genes, rRNA; Homoacetogenesis; Lactic acid; Methane - metabolism; microbial community structure; Microbial ecology; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Molecular Sequence Data; Monitoring; nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS); Organic chemistry; Organic wastes; Oxygen Consumption; Phylogeny; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Population Dynamics; Populations; Propionic acid; Reactors; real-time PCR; Regrowth; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Statistical analysis; Substrates; Various environments (extraatmospheric space, air, water); Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewater treatment; Water Microbiology; Whey
• ISSN: 0168-6496; 1574-6941
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2008.00530.x

Shifts in bacterial and archaeal communities, associated with changes in chemical profiles, were investigated in an anaerobic batch reactor treating dairy-processing wastewater prepared with whey permeate powder. The dynamics of bacterial and archaeal populations were monitored by quantitative real-time PCR and showed good agreement with the process data. A rapid increase in bacterial populations and a high rate of substrate fermentation were observed during the initial period. Growth and regrowth of archaeal populations occurred with biphasic production of methane, corresponding to the diauxic consumption of acetate and propionate. Bacterial community structure was examined by denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) targeting 16S rRNA genes. An Aeromonas-like organism was suggested to be mainly responsible for the rapid fermentation of carbohydrate during the initial period. Several band sequences closely related to the Clostridium species, capable of carbohydrate fermentation, lactate or ethanol fermentation, and/or homoacetogenesis, were also detected. Statistical analyses of the DGGE profiles showed that the bacterial community structure, as well as the process performance, varied with the incubation time. Our results demonstrated that the bacterial community shifted, reflecting the performance changes and, particularly, that a significant community shift corresponded to a considerable process event. This suggested that the diagnosis of an anaerobic digestion process could be possible by monitoring bacterial community shifts.