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Is aceticlastic methanogen composition in full-scale anaerobic processes related to acetate utilization capacity?

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

In this study, biomass samples were obtained from six municipal and nine industrial full-scale anaerobic processes to investigate whether the aceticlastic methanogen population composition is related to acetate utilization capacity and the nature of the wastewater treated, i.e. municipal sludge or industrial wastewater. Batch serum bottle tests were used to determine the specific acetate utilization rate (AUR), and a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction protocol was used to enumerate the acetate-utilizing Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina populations in the biomass samples. Methanosaeta was the dominant aceticlastic methanogen in all samples, except for one industrial wastewater-treating anaerobic process. However, Methanosarcina density in industrial biomass samples was higher than the Methanosarcina density in the municipal samples. The average AUR values of municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plant biomass samples were 10.49 and 10.65 mg CH3COO−/log(aceticlastic methanogen gene copy).d, respectively. One-way ANOVA test and principle component analysis showed that the acetate utilization capacities and aceticlastic methanogen community composition did not show statistically significant correlation among the municipal digesters and industrial wastewater-treating processes investigated.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to late Dr. John F. Ferguson and his research group from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, for kindly providing the plasmids with the target genes for Methanosaeta and Methanosarcina. We also thank Dr. Daniel Zitomer and Dr. Kaushik Venkiteshwaran from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, for the supply of biomass samples P and R. Dr. Vedat Yilmaz and Dr. Ebru Ince-Yilmaz were visiting scholars at Villanova. Dr. Vedat Yilmaz was supported by a scholarship from The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey. Partial funding for this study was provided by Villanova Center for Advancement of Sustainability in Engineering.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Engineering Department, Akdeniz Univerity, Antalya, Turkey

    Vedat Yilmaz

  2. Biology Department, Dicle University, Diyarbakir, Turkey

    Ebru Ince-Yilmaz

  3. Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, Villanova University, Villanova, PA, USA

    Yasemin Dilsad Yilmazel & Metin Duran

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  1. Vedat Yilmaz
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  2. Ebru Ince-Yilmaz
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Correspondence to Metin Duran.

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Yilmaz, V., Ince-Yilmaz, E., Yilmazel, Y.D. et al. Is aceticlastic methanogen composition in full-scale anaerobic processes related to acetate utilization capacity?. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98, 5217–5226 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5597-7

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