Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The effect of anaerobic–aerobic and feast–famine cultivation pattern on bacterial diversity during poly-β-hydroxybutyrate production from domestic sewage sludge

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Environmental Science and Pollution Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The main objective of this work was to investigate the influence of different oxygen supply patterns on poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) yield and bacterial community diversity. The anaerobic–aerobic (A/O) sequencing batch reactors (SBR1) and feast–famine (F/F) SBR2 were used to cultivate activated sludge to produce PHB. The mixed microbial communities were collected and analyzed after 3 months cultivation. The PHB maximum yield was 64 wt% in SBR1 and 53 wt% in SBR2. Pyrosequencing analysis 16S rRNA gene of two microbial communities indicated there were nine and four bacterial phyla in SBR1 and SBR2, respectively. Specifically, Proteobacteria (36.4 % of the total bacterial community), Actinobacteria (19.7 %), Acidobacteria (14.1 %), Firmicutes (4.4 %), Bacteroidetes (1.7 %), Cyanobacteria/Chloroplast (1.5 %), TM7 (0.8 %), Gemmatimonadetes (0.2 %), and Nitrospirae (0.1 %) were present in SBR1. Proteobacteria (94.2 %), Bacteroidetes (2.9 %), Firmicutes (1.9 %), and Actinobacteria (0.7 %) were present in SBR2. Our results indicated the SBR1 fermentation system was more stable than that of SBR2 for PHB accumulation.

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
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • APHA (2001) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 21st ed. American Public Health Association, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang HF, Chang WC, Tsai CY (2012) Synthesis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate/3-hydroxyvalerate) from propionate-fed activated sludge under various carbon sources. Bioresour Technol 113:51–57

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen G (2010) Plastics from bacteria: natural functions and applications. In: Chen G (ed) Plastics completely synthesized by bacteria: polyhydroxyalkanoates. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg, pp 17–37

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chen GQ, Hajnal I, Wu H, Lv L, Ye JW (2015) Engineering biosynthesis mechanisms for diversifying polyhydroxyalkanoates. Trends Biotechnol 33(10):565–574

  • Choi J, Lee SY (1999) Efficient and economical recovery of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) from recombinant Escherichia coli by simple digestion with chemicals. Biotechnol Bioeng 62:546–553

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ciesielski S, Możejko J, Pisutpaisal N (2014) Plant oils as promising substrates for polyhydroxyalkanoates production. J Clean Prod. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.040

    Google Scholar 

  • Dai J, Gliniewicz K, Settles ML, Coats ER, McDonald AG (2015) Influence of organic loading rate and solid retention time on polyhydroxybutyrate production from hybrid poplar hydrolysates using mixed microbial cultures. Bioresour Technol 175:23–33

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dalal J, Priyangshu MS, Lavania M, Mandal AK, Lal B (2013) Evaluation of bacterial strains isolated from oil-contaminated soil for production of polyhydroxyalkanoic acids (PHA). Pedobiologia 54:25–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dietrich D, Illman B, Crooks C (2013) Differential sensitivity of polyhydroxyalkanoate producing bacteria to fermentation inhibitors and comparison of polyhydroxybutyrate production from Burkholderia cepacia and Pseudomonas pseudoflava. BMC Res 219:1–4

    Google Scholar 

  • Fradinho JC, Oehmen A, Reis MAM (2014) Photosynthetic mixed culture polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from individual and mixed volatile fatty acids (VFAs): substrate preferences and co-substrate uptake. J Biotechnol 185:19–27

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haba E, Vidal-Mas J, Bassas M, Espuny MJ, Llorens J, Manresa A (2007) Poly 3-(hydroxyalkanoates) produced from oily substrates by Pseudomonas aeruginosa 47T2 (NCBIM 40044): effect of nutrients and incubation temperature on polymer composition. Biochem Eng J 35(2):99–106

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Helena MG, Robbert K, Anuska MC, Mark CM, Loosdrecht (2013) Impact of oxygen limitation on glycerol-based biopolymer production by bacterial enrichments. Water Res 47:1209–1217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Y, Marang L, Kleerebezem R, Muyzer G, Loosdrecht M (2011) Polyhydroxybutyrate production from lactate using a mixed microbial culture. Biotechnol Bioeng 108:2022–2035

  • Johnson K, Kleerebezem R, Mark CML (2010) Influence of ammonium on the accumulation of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) in aerobic open mixed cultures. J Biotechnol 147:73–79

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lemos P, Levantesi C, Serafim L, Rossetti S, Reis M, Tandoi V (2008) Microbial characterization of polyhydroxyalkanoates storing populations selected under different operating conditions using a cell-sorting RT-PCR approach. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 78:351–360

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lim CP, Zhang S, Zhou Y, Ng WJ (2015) Enhanced carbon capture biosorption through process manipulation. Biochem Eng J 93:128–136

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu C, Wang H, Xing W, Wei L (2013) Composition diversity and nutrition conditions for accumulation polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) in a bacterial community from activated sludge. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 97(21):9377–9387

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mohan SV, Srikanth S, Velvizhi G., Babu ML (2013) Microbial fuel cells for sustainable bioenergy generation: principles and perspective applications. Biofuel Technol. 335–368

  • Moita R, Lemos PC (2012) Biopolymers production from mixed cultures and pyrolysis by-products. J Biotechnol 157:578–583

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moita R, Freches A, Lemos PC (2014) Crude glycerol as feedstock for polyhydroxyalkanoates production by mixed microbial cultures. Water Res 58:9–21

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan SF, Hjort M, Cirne D (2015) Integrated production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) with municipal wastewater and sludge treatment at pilot scale. Bioresour Technol 181:78–89

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Queiros D, Rossetti S, Serafim LS (2014) PHA production by mixed cultures: a way to valorize wastes from pulp industry. Bioresour Technol 157:197–205

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reddy MV, Mohan SV (2012) Effect of substrate load and nutrients concentration on the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) production using mixed consortia through wastewater treatment. Bioresour Technol 114:573–582

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schloss PD, Westcott SL (2009) Introducing Mothur: open-source, platform independent, community supported software for describing and comparing microbial communities. Appl Environ Microbiol 75:7537–7541

  • Takaichi S, Takashi M, Kazuto T, Satoshi H (2010) Carotenoids of Gemmatimonas aurantiaca (Gemmatimonadetes): identification of a novel carotenoid, deoxyoscillol 2-rhamnoside, and proposed biosynthetic pathway of oscillol 2,2-dirhamnoside. Microbiol 156:757–763

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tanaka K, Miyawai K, Yamaguchi A, Khosravi-Darani K, Matsusaki H (2011) Cell growth and P(3HB) accumulation from CO2 of a carbon monoxide-tolerant hydrogen-oxidizing bacterium, Ideonella sp. O-1. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 92:1161–1169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thuoc DV, Quillaguaman J (2014) Improving culture conditions for poly(3-hydroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate) production by Bacillus sp. ND153, a bacterium isolated from a mangrove forest in Vietnam. Ann Microbiol 64:991–997

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Geng J, Guo G, Wang C, Liu S (2011) N2O production in anaerobic/anoxic denitrifying phosphorus removal process: the effects of carbon sources shock. Chem Eng J 172:999–1007

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang DB, Chen YG, Zheng X, Li X, Feng LY (2013a) Short-chain fatty acid production from different biological phosphorus removal sludges: the influences of PHA and gram-staining bacteria. Environ Sci Technol 47(6):2688–2695

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang YP, Cai JY, Lan JH, Liu ZG, He N, Shen L, Li QB (2013b) Biosynthesis of poly(hydroxybutyrate-hydroxyvalerate) from the acclimated activated sludge and microbial characterization in this process. Bioresour Technol 148:61–69

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang DB, Zeng GM, Chen YG, Li XM (2015a) Effect of polyhydroxyalkanoates on dark fermentative hydrogen production from waste activated sludge. Water Res 73:311–322

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang DB, Zhao JW, Zeng GM, Chen YG, Bond PL, Li XM (2015b) How does poly(hydroxyalkanoate) affect methane production from the anaerobic digestion of waste-activated sludge? Environ Sci Technol 49(20):12253–12262

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y, Quensen J, Mathieu J, Wang Q, Wang J, Li M, James MT, Pedro JJ (2014) Alvarez Pyrosequencing reveals higher impact of silver nanoparticles than AgD on the microbial community structure of activated sludge. Water Res 48:317–325

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoram B, Jaap R (2000) Atypical polyphosphate accumulation by the denitrifying bacterium Paracoccus denitrificans. Appl Environ Microbiol 66(3):1209–1212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zakaria MM, Ariffin H, Hassan MA (2014) Bio-based production of crotonic acid by pyrolysis of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) inclusions. J Clean Prod 83:463–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NEFU biology base scientific research training and ability project (J1210053, J0106).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Changli Liu & Min Zhao

  2. Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Di Liu

  3. College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Yingjie Qi

  4. Key laboratory of forest plant ecology, ministry of education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Ying Zhang

  5. School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Xi Liu

Authors
  1. Changli Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Di Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yingjie Qi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ying Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xi Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Min Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Min Zhao.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Gerald Thouand

Highlights

• The maximum PHB yields were 64 wt% in SBR1 and 53 wt% in SBR2.

• The stability of microbial community in SBR1 was better than SBR2.

• The diversity of microbial community in SBR1 was richer than SBR2.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Liu, C., Liu, D., Qi, Y. et al. The effect of anaerobic–aerobic and feast–famine cultivation pattern on bacterial diversity during poly-β-hydroxybutyrate production from domestic sewage sludge. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 12966–12975 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6345-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-6345-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation