Skip to main content

Effect of microwave irradiation on cellular disintegration of Gram positive and negative cells

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology volume 87, pages 765–770 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

This research investigated the effect of microwave irradiation (MWI) on cell disintegration in municipal secondary sludge (MSS). A representative MSS Gram-positive bacterium (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were pure cultured separately and treated using MWI. Compared to untreated controls, MWI significantly increased the soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD) (1.8–4.0-fold), soluble protein concentration (1.1–1.8-fold), and soluble carbohydrate concentration (3.2–14.1-fold), with greater increase in the Gram-negative bacteria. After MSS was MWI-treated with different irradiation times, from 0 to 9 min, soluble COD increased gradually from 0.14 to 2.38 g/L (i.e., 72-fold). Effective disintegration of Gram-negative cell walls and of MSS by MWI was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. These findings suggest that MWI could be an effective pretreatment method for MSS that is dominated by Gram-negative microorganisms.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price includes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

References

  • Ahn J-H, Shin SG, Hwang S (2009) Effect of microwave irradiation on the disintegration and acidogenesis of municipal secondary sludge. Chem Eng J 153:145–150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Amann R, Lemmer H, Wagner M (1998) Monitoring the community structure of wastewater treatment plants: a comparison of old and new techniques. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 25:205–215

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • APHA, AWWA, and WEF (2005) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater. American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation, Washington

    Google Scholar 

  • Bougrier C, Carrere H, Delgenes JP (2005) Solubilisation of waste-activated sludge by ultrasonic treatment. Chem Eng J 106:163–169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Climent M, Ferrer I, Baeza MdM, Artola A, Vázquez F, Font X (2007) Effects of thermal and mechanical pretreatments of secondary sludge on biogas production under thermophilic conditions. Chemical Engineering Journal 133:335–342

    Google Scholar 

  • Dubois M, Gilles KA, Hamilton JK, Rebers PA, Smith F (1956) Colorimetric method for determination of sugars and related substances. Anal Chem 28:350–356

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott A, Mahmood T (2007) Pretreatment technologies for advancing anaerobic digestion of pulp and paper biotreatment residues. Water Res 41:4273–4286

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eskicioglu C, Droste RL, Kennedy KJ (2007) Performance of anaerobic waste activated sludge digesters after microwave pretreatment. Water Environ Res 79:2265–2273

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foladori P, Laura B, Gianni A, Giuliano Z (2007) Effects of sonication on bacteria viability in wastewater treatment plants evaluated by flow cytometry—fecal indicators, wastewater and activated sludge. Water Res 41:235–243

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Forster S, Snape JR, Lappin-Scott HM, Porter J (2002) Simultaneous fluorescent Gram staining and activity assessment of activated sludge bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:4772–4779

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Garrett RH, Grisham CM (1999) Biochemistry, 2nd edn. Saunders College Publishing, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Goris J, Boon N, Lebbe L, Verstraete W, Vos P (2003) Diversity of activated sludge bacteria receiving the 3-chloroaniline-degradative plasmid pC1gfp. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 46:221–230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ivanov VN, Wang JY, Stabnikova OV, Tay STL, Tay JH (2004) Microbiological monitoring in the biodegradation of sewage sludge and food waste. J Appl Microbiol 96:641–647

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jones DA, Lelyveld TP, Mavrofidis SD, Kingman SW, Miles NJ (2002) Microwave heating applications in environmental engineering—a review. Resour Conserv Recycl 34:75–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madigan MT, Martinko JM, Parker J (2003) Brock biology of microorganisms 10th edition. Prentice Hall, Inc, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Manefield M, Griffiths RI, Leigh MB, Fisher R, Whiteley AS (2005) Functional and compositional comparison of two activated sludge communities remediating coking effluent. Environ Microbiol 7:715–722

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mehandjiyska L (1995) Microbiological analysis of activated sludge in municipal wastewater treatment plant at "KREMIKOVTZI" holding. Journal of Culture Collections 1:18–22

    Google Scholar 

  • Müller JA (2001) Prospects and problems of sludge pre-treatment processes. Water Sci Technol 44(10):121–128

    Google Scholar 

  • Muyima NYO, Cloete TE (1995) Phosphate uptake by immobilized Acinetobacter calcoaceticus cells in a full scale activated sludge plant. J Ind Microbiol Biotech 15:19–24

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nowak O (2006) Optimizing the use of sludge treatment facilities at municipal WWTPs. J Environ Sci Health, Part A 41:1807–1817

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nsabimana E, Bohatier J, Belan A, Pepirr D, Charles L (1996) Effects of the herbicide atrazine on the activated sludge process: microbiology and functional views. Chemosphere 33:479–494

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Park B, Ahn JH, Kim J, Hwang S (2004) Use of microwave pretreatment for enhanced anaerobiosis of secondary sludge. Water Sci Technol 50:17–23

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Quintela JC, Caparros M, Pedro MA (1995) Variability of peptidoglycan structural parameters in gram-negative bacteria. FEMS Microbiol Lett 125:95–100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rajan RV, Lin JG, Ray BT (1989) Low-level chemical pretreatment for enhanced sludge solubilization. J Water Pollut Control Fed 61:1678–1683

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rivard CJ, Nagle NJ (1996) Pretreatment technology for the beneficial biological reuse of municipal sewage sludges. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 57:983–991

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shokrollahzadeh S, Azizmohseni F, Golmohammad F, Shokouhi H, Khademhaghighat F (2008) Biodegradation potential and bacterial diversity of a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant in Iran. Bioresour Technol 99:6127–6133

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sidat M, Bux F, Kasan HC (1999) Polyphosphate accumulation by bacteria isolated from activated sludge. Water SA 25:175–179

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Toreci I, Kennedy KJ, Droste RL (2009) Evaluation of continuous mesophilic anaerobic sludge digestion after high temperature microwave pretreatment. Water Res 43:1273–1284

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valo A, Carrère H, Delgenès JP (2004) Thermal, chemical and thermo-chemical pre-treatment of waste activated sludge for anaerobic digestion. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 79:1197–1203

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe K, Futamata H, Harayama S (2002) Understanding the diversity in catabolic potential of microorganisms for the development of bioremediation strategies. Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek 81:655–663

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weemaes MPJ, Verstraete WH (1998) Evaluation of current wet sludge disintegration techniques. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 73:83–92

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wennberg M, Ekvall J, Olsson K, Nyman M (2006) Changes in carbohydrate and glucosinolate composition in white cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) during blanching and treatment with acetic acid. Food Chem 95:226–236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Woo IS, Rhee IK, Park HD (2000) Differential damage in bacterial cells by microwave radiation on the basis of cell wall structure. Appl Environ Microbiol 66:2243–2247

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Korea Ministry of Knowledge and Economy (MKE) as a Manpower Development Program for Energy & Resources and by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) as a Human Resource Development Project for Waste to Energy. This work was also supported by the Korea Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) through the BK-21 program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyeongbuk, 790-784, South Korea

    Bi Wen Zhou, Seung Gu Shin, KwangHyun Hwang & Seokhwan Hwang

  2. Division of Environmental and Geosystem Engineering, College of Engineering, Kangwon National University, Hyoja 2-Dong, Chuncheon, Kangwon, 200-701, South Korea

    Johng-Hwa Ahn

Authors
  1. Bi Wen Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seung Gu Shin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. KwangHyun Hwang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Johng-Hwa Ahn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Seokhwan Hwang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Seokhwan Hwang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhou, B.W., Shin, S.G., Hwang, K. et al. Effect of microwave irradiation on cellular disintegration of Gram positive and negative cells. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 87, 765–770 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2574-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2574-7

Keywords

  • Acinetobacter calcoaceticus
  • Bacillus subtilis
  • Cell disintegration
  • Microwave irradiation
  • Municipal secondary sludge
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa