Open AccessStability and reproducibility of low‐temperature anaerobic biological wastewater treatment
Author(s) -
Collins Gavin,
Mahony Thérèse,
O'Flaherty Vincent
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2005.00034.x
Subject(s) - terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism , biology , bioreactor , effluent , wastewater , anaerobic exercise , chemical oxygen demand , microbial population biology , sewage treatment , anaerobic digestion , pulp and paper industry , microbiology and biotechnology , food science , biochemistry , restriction fragment length polymorphism , bacteria , ecology , methane , environmental science , environmental engineering , botany , gene , physiology , polymerase chain reaction , genetics , engineering
The reproducibility of low‐temperature anaerobic biological wastewater treatment trials was evaluated. Two identical anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed bioreactors were used to treat synthetic volatile fatty acid‐based industrial wastewater under ambient conditions (18–20°C) and to investigate the effect of various environmental perturbations on reactor performance and microbial community dynamics, which were assessed by chemical oxygen demand removal or effluent volatile fatty acid determination and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis, respectively. Methanogenic activity was monitored using specific methanogenic activity assays. Reactor performance and microbial community dynamics were each well replicated between Reactor 1 and Reactor 2. Archaeal dynamics, in particular, were associated with reactor operating parameters. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism data suggested dynamic acetoclastic and hydrogenophilic methanogenic populations and were in agreement with temporal specific methanogenic activity data. Putative psychrophilic populations were observed in anaerobic bioreactor sludge for the first time.