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Effects of Elevated Tetracycline Concentrations on Aerobic Composting of Human Feces: Composting Behavior and Microbial Community Succession

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Abstract

The effects of antibiotics on aerobic composting are investigated by dosing of tetracycline (TC) in fresh human feces with sawdust as biomass carrier. Variability in process parameters such as temperature, pH, water-soluble carbon, germination index (GI) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) are evaluated at TC dosages of 0, 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg in a 21-day composting. Moreover, microbial community succession is examined by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Findings indicate significant impacts to the process parameters with the increase of TC concentration such as inhibition of temperature increases during aerobic composting, lowering of pH, increasing of water-soluble carbon residue, a decrease of GI, and hindering of DHA. Furthermore, elevated TC concentrations significantly alter the microbial community succession and reduce the community diversity and abundance. Therefore, interference in microbial community structures and a hindrance to biological activity are believed to be the main adverse effects of TC on the composting process and maturity of the composting products.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 2010116062) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2016M602781).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. International Science and Technology Cooperation Center for Urban Alternative Water Resources Development, Xi’an, China

    Honglei Shi, Xiaochang C. Wang, Qian Li & Shanqing Jiang

  2. Key Lab of Northwest Water Resource Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi’an, China

    Honglei Shi, Xiaochang C. Wang, Qian Li & Shanqing Jiang

  3. Engineering Technology Research Center for Wastewater Treatment and Reuse, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China

    Honglei Shi, Xiaochang C. Wang, Qian Li & Shanqing Jiang

  4. Key Lab of Environmental Engineering, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China

    Honglei Shi, Xiaochang C. Wang, Qian Li & Shanqing Jiang

  5. Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, No. 13, Yanta Road, Xi’an, 710055, China

    Honglei Shi, Xiaochang C. Wang, Qian Li & Shanqing Jiang

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  1. Honglei Shi
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  2. Xiaochang C. Wang
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Correspondence to Xiaochang C. Wang.

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Shi, H., Wang, X.C., Li, Q. et al. Effects of Elevated Tetracycline Concentrations on Aerobic Composting of Human Feces: Composting Behavior and Microbial Community Succession. Indian J Microbiol 58, 423–432 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12088-018-0729-x

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