Abstract
In this study, two parallel lab-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs), one of which was dosed with polyaluminum chloride (PAC) for membrane fouling control, were operated for treating excess activated sludge collected from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). The AnMBRs were inoculated with anaerobic digested sludge collected from an anaerobic digester of another WWTP. The microbial community of digested sludge and cake layer in AnMBRs, as well as that of excess sludge, was analyzed through polymerase chain reaction coupled with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and Illumina MiSeq. The dynamic variation of archaeal community in AnMBRs was not as obvious as that of bacterial community based on the PCR-DGGE results. Under the circumstance of stable operation, Cloacimonetes, Chloroflexi, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Ignavibacteriae were observed as the predominant phyla in digested sludge based on the Illumina results. In addition to that, the cake layer possessed similar predominant phyla with the digested sludge but owned a higher diversity. Furthermore, overlapping bacterial communities were discovered between the excess sludge and digested sludge. However, the abundance of aerobic bacteria was substantially reduced, while the abundance of anaerobic microorganisms like phylum Cloacimonetes and Smithella was enriched in digested sludge over time. Additional PAC dosing, on the one hand, affected the bioavailable substrate, thus further changing the microbial community structure; on the other hand, aluminum itself also affected specific microbial communities. Besides, PAC dosing indirectly influenced the bacterial diversity in AnMBR as well.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anders HJ, Kaetzke A, Kämpfer P, Ludwig W, Fuchs G (1995) Taxonomic position of aromatic-degrading denitrifying pseudomonad strains K 172 and KB 740 and their description as new members of the genera Thauera, as Thauera aromatica sp. nov., and Azoarcus, as Azoarcus evansii sp. nov., respectively, members of the beta subclass of the Proteobacteria. Int J Syst Bacteriol 45(2):327–333. https://doi.org/10.1099/00207713-45-2-327
APHA (1998) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 20th ed. American Public Health Association, Washington
Appels L, Baeyens J, Degrève J, Dewil R (2008) Principles and potential of the anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge. Prog Energ Combust 34(6):755–781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2008.06.002
Bacosa HP, Inoue C (2015) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) biodegradation potential and diversity of microbial consortia enriched from tsunami sediments in Miyagi, Japan. J Hazard Mater 283:689–697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2014.09.068
Bacosa HP, Suto K, Inoue C (2013) Degradation potential and microbial community structure of heavy oil-enriched microbial consortia from mangrove sediments in Okinawa, Japan. J Environ Sci Health A 48(8):1–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/10934529.2013.761476
Beals EW (1984) Bray-Curtis ordination: an effective strategy for analysis of multivariate ecological data. Adv Ecol Res 14:1–55. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2504(08)60168-3
Boon N, De Windt W, Verstraete W, Top EM (2002) Evaluation of nested PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) with group-specific 16S rRNA primers for the analysis of bacterial communities from different wastewater treatment plants. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 39(2):101–112. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2002.tb00911.x
Bray JR, Curtis JT (1957) An ordination of the upland forest communities of southern Wisconsin. Ecol Monogr 27(4):325–349. https://doi.org/10.2307/1942268
Cabirol N, Barragán EJ, Durán A, Noyola A (2003) Effect of aluminium and sulphate on anaerobic digestion of sludge from wastewater enhanced primary treatment. Water Sci Technol 48(6):235–240
Chen SY, Niu LL, Zhang YX (2010) Saccharofermentans acetigenes gen. nov., sp. nov., an anaerobic bacterium isolated from sludge treating brewery wastewater. Int J Syst Evol Micr 60(12):2735–2738. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.017590-0
Chinese N.E.P.A (2002) Water and wastewater monitoring methods. Chinese Environmental Science Publishing House, Beijing
de Bok FAM, Stams AJ, Dijkema C, Boone DR (2001) Pathway of propionate oxidation by a syntrophic culture of Smithella propionica and Methanospirillum hungatei. Appl Environ Microb 67(4):1800–1804. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.67.4.1800-1804.2001
Demirel B, Scherer P (2008) The roles of acetotrophic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens during anaerobic conversion of biomass to methane: a review. Rev Environ Sci Biotechnol 7(2):173–190. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-008-9131-1
Duan L, Moreno-Andrade I, Huang CL, Xia SQ, Hermanowicz SW (2009) Effects of short solids retention time on microbial community in a membrane bioreactor. Bioresour Technol 100(14):3489–3496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.02.056
Duan N, Dong B, Wu B, Dai X (2012) High-solid anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge under mesophilic conditions: feasibility study. Bioresour Technol 104:150–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2011.10.090
Durban N, Juzan L, Krier J, Gillot S (2016) Control of Microthrix parvicella by aluminium salts addition. Water Sci Technol 73(2):414–422. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2015.456
Ersahin ME, Tao Y, Ozgun H, Spanjers H, van Lier JB (2016) Characteristics and role of dynamic membrane layer in anaerobic membrane bioreactors. Biotechnol Bioeng 113(4):761–771. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.25841
Faoro H, Alves AC, Souza EM, Rigo LU, Cruz LM, Al-Janabi SM, Monteiro RA, Baura VA, Pedrosa FO (2010) Influence of soil characteristics on the diversity of bacteria in the southern Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Appl Environ Microb 76(14):4744–4749. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.03025-09
Gao WJ, Lin HJ, Leung KT, Schraft H, Liao BQ (2011) Structure of cake layer in a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor. J Membrane Sci 374(1):110–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2011.03.019
Gao WJ, Qu X, Leung KT, Liao BQ (2012) Influence of temperature and temperature shock on sludge properties, cake layer structure, and membrane fouling in a submerged anaerobic membrane bioreactor. J Membrane Sci 421:131–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2012.07.003
Grabowski A, Tindall BJ, Bardin V, Blanchet D, Jeanthon C (2005) Petrimonas sulfuriphila gen. nov., sp. nov., a mesophilic fermentative bacterium isolated from a biodegraded oil reservoir. Int J Syst Evol Micr 55(3):1113–1121. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.63426-0
Hammer Ø, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontolog Electron 4(1):9
Ho J, Sung S (2010) Methanogenic activities in anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR) treating synthetic municipal wastewater. Bioresour Technol 101(7):2191–2196. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2009.11.042
Hwang B, Lee W, Park P, Lee C, Chang I (2007) Effect of membrane fouling reducer on cake structure and membrane permeability in membrane bioreactor. J Membrane Sci 288(1):149–156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2006.11.032
Khan ST, Fukunaga Y, Nakagawa Y, Harayama S (2007) Emended descriptions of the genus Lewinella and of Lewinella cohaerens, Lewinella nigricans and Lewinella persica, and description of Lewinella lutea sp. nov. and Lewinella marina sp. nov. Int J Syst Evol Micr 57(12):2946–2951. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.65308-0
Liao BQ, Kraemer JT, Bagley DM (2006) Anaerobic membrane bioreactors: Applications and research directions. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 36(6):489–530. https://doi.org/10.1080/10643380600678146
Lim JH, Baek SH, Lee ST (2009) Ferruginibacter alkalilentus gen. nov., sp. nov. and Ferruginibacter lapsinanis sp. nov., novel members of the family ‘Chitinophagaceae’ in the phylum Bacteroidetes, isolated from freshwater sediment. Int J Syst Evol Micr 59(10):2394–2399. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.009480-0
Lin HJ, Gao WJ, Leung KT, Liao BQ (2011) Characteristics of different fractions of microbial flocs and their role in membrane fouling. Water Sci Technol 63(2):262–269. https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2011.047
Liu C, Li J, Wang S, Nies L (2016) A syntrophic propionate-oxidizing microflora and its bioaugmentation on anaerobic wastewater treatment for enhancing methane production and COD removal. Front Environ Sci Eng 10(4):13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-016-0856-8
Ma JX, Wang ZW, Zou XX, Feng JJ, ZC W (2013) Microbial communities in an anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (AnDMBR) for municipal wastewater treatment: comparison of bulk sludge and cake layer. Process Biochem 48(3):510–516. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2013.02.003
McCurdy K, Carlson K, Gregory D (2004) Floc morphology and cyclic shearing recovery: comparison of alum and polyaluminum chloride coagulants. Water Res 38(2):486–494. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2003.10.005
Mehlig L, Petzold M, Heder C, Günther S, Müller S, Eschenhagen M, Röske K (2013) Biodiversity of polyphosphate accumulating bacteria in eight WWTPs with different modes of operation. J Environ Eng 139(8):1089–1098. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)EE.1943-7870.0000711
Muyzer G, De Waal EC, Uitterlinden AG (1993) Profiling of complex microbial populations by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis of polymerase chain reaction-amplified genes coding for 16S rRNA. Appl Environ Microbiol 59(3):695–700
Nelson MC, Morrison M, Yu Z (2011) A meta-analysis of the microbial diversity observed in anaerobic digesters. Bioresour Technol 102(4):3730–3739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2010.11.119
Pan Y, Cassman N, de Hollander M, Mendes LW, Korevaar H, Geerts RH, van Veen JA, Kuramae EE (2014) Impact of long-term N, P, K, and NPK fertilization on the composition and potential functions of the bacterial community in grassland soil. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 90(1):195–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/1574-6941.12384
Qiu YL, Hanada S, Ohashi A, Harada H, Kamagata Y, Sekiguchi Y (2008) Syntrophorhabdus aromaticivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., the first cultured anaerobe capable of degrading phenol to acetate in obligate syntrophic associations with a hydrogenotrophic methanogen. Appl Environ Microb 74(7):2051–2058. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02378-07
Smith AL, Stadler LB, Love NG, Skerlos SJ, Raskin L (2012) Perspectives on anaerobic membrane bioreactor treatment of domestic wastewater: a critical review. Bioresour Technol 122:149–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.04.055
Song K, Kim Y, Ahn K (2008) Effect of coagulant addition on membrane fouling and nutrient removal in a submerged membrane bioreactor. Desalination 221(1–3):467–474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2007.01.107
Tang X, Zheng H, Gao B, Zhao C, Liu B, Chen W, Guo J (2017) Interactions of specific extracellular organic matter and polyaluminum chloride and their roles in the algae-polluted water treatment. J Hazard Mater 332:1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2017.02.060
Wan CY, De Wever H, Diels L, Thoeye C, Liang JB, Huang LN (2011) Biodiversity and population dynamics of microorganisms in a full-scale membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment. Water Res 45(3):1129–1138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2010.11.008
Wei Y, Van Houten RT, Borger AR, Eikelboom DH, Fan Y (2003) Minimization of excess sludge production for biological wastewater treatment. Water Res 37(18):4453–4467. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(03)00441-X
Wu C, Liu X, Dong X (2006b) Syntrophomonas cellicola sp. nov., a spore-forming syntrophic bacterium isolated from a distilled-spirit-fermenting cellar, and assignment of Syntrophospora bryantii to Syntrophomonas bryantii comb. nov. Int J Syst Evol Micr 56(10):2331–2335. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.64377-0
Wu C, Xu X, Liang J, Wang Q, Dong Q, Liang W (2011) Enhanced coagulation for treating slightly polluted algae-containing surface water combining polyaluminum chloride (PAC) with diatomite. Desalination 279(1):140–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2011.06.007
Wu J, Chen F, Huang X, Geng W, Wen X (2006a) Using inorganic coagulants to control membrane fouling in a submerged membrane bioreactor. Desalination 197(1–3):124–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2005.11.026
Xie Z, Wang Z, Wang Q, Zhu C, Wu Z (2014) An anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor (AnDMBR) for landfill leachate treatment: performance and microbial community identification. Bioresour Technol 161:29–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.03.014
Yamada T, Imachi H, Ohashi A, Harada H, Hanada S, Kamagata Y, Sekiguchi Y (2007) Bellilinea caldifistulae gen. nov., sp. nov. and Longilinea arvoryzae gen. nov., sp. nov., strictly anaerobic, filamentous bacteria of the phylum Chloroflexi isolated from methanogenic propionate-degrading consortia. Int J Syst Evol Micr 57(10):2299–2306. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.65098-0
Yamada T, Sekiguchi Y, Hanada S, Imachi H, Ohashi A, Harada H, Kamagata Y (2006) Anaerolinea thermolimosa sp. nov., Levilinea saccharolytica gen. nov., sp. nov. and Leptolinea tardivitalis gen. nov., sp. nov., novel filamentous anaerobes, and description of the new classes Anaerolineae classis nov. and Caldilineae classis nov. in the bacterial phylum Chloroflexi. Int J Syst Evol Micr 56(6):1331–1340. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.64169-0
Yan M, Wang D, Yu J, Ni J, Edwards M, Qu J (2008) Enhanced coagulation with polyaluminum chlorides: role of pH/alkalinity and speciation. Chemosphere 71(9):1665–1673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2008.01.019
Yang Z, Gao B, Yue Q (2010) Coagulation performance and residual aluminum speciation of Al2 (SO4)3 and polyaluminum chloride (PAC) in Yellow River water treatment. Chem Eng J 165(1):122–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2010.08.076
Young CC, Kämpfer P, Ho MJ, Busse HJ, Huber BE, Arun AB, Shen FT, Lai WA, Rekha PD (2007) Arenimonas malthae sp. nov., a gammaproteobacterium isolated from an oil-contaminated site. Int J Syst Evol Micr 57(12):2790–2793. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.64975-0
Yu DW, Li C, Wang LN, Zhang JY, Liu J, Wei YS (2016a) Multiple effects of trace elements on methanogenesis in a two-phase anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating starch wastewater. Appl Microbiol Biot 100(15):6631–6642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-016-7289-y
Yu HW, Wang ZW, ZC W, Zhu CW (2016b) Enhanced waste activated sludge digestion using a submerged anaerobic dynamic membrane bioreactor: performance, sludge characteristics and microbial community. Sci Rep 6(1):20111. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20111
Yu ZY, Song ZH, Wen XH, Huang X (2015) Using polyaluminum chloride and polyacrylamide to control membrane fouling in a cross-flow anaerobic membrane bioreactor. J Membrane Sci 479:20–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2015.01.016
Yu ZY, Wen XH, Xu M, Qi M, Huang X (2012) Anaerobic digestibility of the waste activated sludge discharged from large-scale membrane bioreactors. Bioresour Technol 126:358–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2012.09.024
Zhang J, Gu T, Zhou Y, He J, Zheng LQ, Li WJ, Huang X, Li SP (2012) Terrimonas rubra sp. nov., isolated from a polluted farmland soil and emended description of the genus Terrimonas. Int J Syst Evol Micr 62(11):2593–2597. https://doi.org/10.1099/ijs.0.036079-0
Funding
This research was supported by the International Program of MOST of China (No. 2016YFE0118500) and Beijing Natural Science Foundation (8164073).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Electronic supplementary material
ESM 1
(PDF 691 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Zheng, W., Yu, Z., Xia, Y. et al. Influence of polyaluminum chloride on microbial characteristics in anaerobic membrane bioreactors for sludge digestion. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 102, 1005–1017 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8613-x
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-017-8613-x