Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effect of volatile fatty acids on the inactivation of Clostridium perfringens in anaerobic digestion

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The application of sludge digestion systems to remove pathogens has been employed to generate biosolids suitable for reuse in agriculture. Traditionally, temperature is considered the principal agent responsible for pathogen reduction in anaerobic digestion. However, other substances such as volatile fatty acids may also have an antimicrobial effect. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of fatty acid mixtures on the inactivation of C. perfringens over a range of digestion temperatures. An equimolar mixture of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid was applied to digester effluent for a period of 24 h at temperatures of 35 °C, 42 °C, 49 °C and 55 °C. C. perfringens inactivation in digester effluents, when dosed with volatile organic acids, was found to depend on pH, acid concentration and temperature. Temperatures above 55 °C appeared to increase the inhibitory effects of the organic acids at higher concentrations. An interaction between temperature and pH on survival of C. perfringens was observed. The results suggest that high concentrations of organic acids at a pH value of 4.5–5.5 during thermophilic digestion substantially reduce concentrations of C. perfringens in municipal sludge.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

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

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abdul P, Lloyd D (1985) Pathogen survival during anaerobic digestion: fatty acids inhibit anaerobic growth of Escherichia coli. Biotechnol Lett 7:125–128

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aitken MD, Walters GW, Crunk PL, Willis JL, Farrell JB, Schafer PL, Arnett C, Turner BG (2005) Laboratory evaluation of thermophilic-anaerobic digestion to produce Class A biosolids. 1. Stabilization performance of a continuous-flow reactor at low residence time. Water Environ Res 77(7):3019–3027

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • American Public Health Association (1999) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 19th edn. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson GK, Yang G (1992) Determination of bicarbonate and total volatile acid concentration in anaerobic digesters using a simple titration. Water Environ Res 64:53–59

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bitton G (1994) Wastewater microbiology. Wiley-Liss, Inc., New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrington EG, Harman SA, Pike EB (1982) Inactivation of Salmonella during anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge. J Appl Bacteriol 53:331–334

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chauret C, Springthorpe S, Sattar S (1999) Fate of Cryptosporidium oocysts, Giardia cysts, and microbial indicators during wastewater treatment and anaerobic sludge digestion. Can J Microbiol 45(3):257–262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Demeyer DI, Henderickx HK (1967) The effects of unsaturated fatty acids on methane production in vitro by mixed rumen bacteria. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta 137:484–497

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fukushi K, Babel S, Burakrai S (2003) Survival of Salmonella spp. in a simulated acid-phase anaerobic digester treating sewage sludge. Bioresour Technol 86:53–57

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goepfert JM, Hicks R (1969) Effect of volatile fatty acids on Salmonella typhimurium. J Bacteriol 97:956–958

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kashket ER (1987) Bioenergetics of lactic acid bacteria: cytoplasmic pH and osmotolerance. FEMS Microbiology Rev 46:233–244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Merck KGaA (2003) Merck index [online] Available from http://emdchemicals.com/nSearch/TransView.aspx?fn = 1.10235_1.10235.0500.htm&Sku = 1.10235.0500

  • Padan I, Zilberstein D, Schuldiner S (1981) pH homeostasis in bacteria. Biochimia Biophysica Acta 650:151–166

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Puchajda B, Oleszkiewicz J (2003) Single and two-stage anaerobic digestion: hydrolysis, acidification and pathogen inactivation. In: Proceedings of WEFTEC 03, Los Angeles, California, LA, USA, 12–15 October 2003

  • Puchajda B, Oleszkiewicz J (2004) Pathogen inactivation through organic acids in anaerobic digestion. In: Proceedings of WEFTEC 04, New Orleans, LA, USA, 2–6 October 2004

  • Salsali HR, Parker WJ, Sattar SA (2006) Impact of concentration, temperature, and pH on inactivation of Salmonella spp. by volatile fatty acids in anaerobic digestion. Can J Microbiol 52(4):279–286

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer PL, Farrell JB (2000) Turn up the heat. Water Environ Technol 12:27–35

    Google Scholar 

  • Taherzadeh MJ, Niklasson C, Linden G (1997) Acetic acid - friend or foe in anaerobic batch conversion of glucose to ethanol by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Chem Eng Sci 52:2653–2659

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe H, Kitamura T, Ochi S, Ozaki M (1997) Inactivation of pathogenic bacteria under mesophilic and thermophilic conditions. Water Sci Technol 36:25–32

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Hamidreza Salsali

    Present address: Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, 651 Colby Drive, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2V 1C2

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Hamidreza Salsali

  2. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Wayne J. Parker

  3. Centre for Research on Environmental Microbiology (CREM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    Syed A. Sattar

Authors
  1. Hamidreza Salsali
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wayne J. Parker
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Syed A. Sattar
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hamidreza Salsali.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Salsali, H., Parker, W.J. & Sattar, S.A. The effect of volatile fatty acids on the inactivation of Clostridium perfringens in anaerobic digestion. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 24, 659–665 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9514-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-007-9514-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation