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Molecular identification of the microbial diversity in two sequencing batch reactors with activated sludge

  • Environmental Biotechnology
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Abstract

The diversity of the microbial community was identified in two lab-scale, ideally mixed sequencing batch reactors which were run for 115 days. One of the reactors was intermittently aerated (2 h aerobically/2 h anaerobically) whereas the other was consistently aerated. The amount of biomass as dry matter, the degradation of organic carbon determined by chemical oxygen demand and nitrogen-degradation activity were followed over the operation of the two reactors and did not show significant differences between the two approaches at the end of the experiment. At this point, the composition of the microbial community was determined by a terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism approach using multiple restriction enzymes by which organisms were retrieved to the lowest taxonomic level. The microbial composition was then significantly different. The species richness was at least five-fold higher in the intermittently aerated reactor than in the permanently kept aerobic approach which is in line with the observation that ecosystem disturbances result in higher diversity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Waste and Urban Water Management, Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstraße 15, 45141, Essen, Germany

    Martin Denecke, Sascha Eilmus & Nadine Röder

  2. Botanical Institute, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Str 47b, 50923, Cologne, Germany

    Christopher Roesch & Hermann Bothe

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  1. Martin Denecke
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  2. Sascha Eilmus
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  3. Nadine Röder
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  4. Christopher Roesch
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  5. Hermann Bothe
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Correspondence to Martin Denecke.

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Denecke, M., Eilmus, S., Röder, N. et al. Molecular identification of the microbial diversity in two sequencing batch reactors with activated sludge. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 93, 1725–1734 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3474-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3474-1

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