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Correlations between molecular and operational parameters in continuous lab-scale anaerobic reactors

  • Biotechnological Products and Process Engineering
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Abstract

In this study, the microbial community characteristics in continuous lab-scale anaerobic reactors were correlated to reactor functionality using the microbial resource management (MRM) approach. Two molecular techniques, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), were applied to analyze the bacterial and archaeal communities, and the results obtained have been compared. Clustering analyses showed a similar discrimination of samples with DGGE and T-RFLP data, with a clear separation between the meso- and thermophilic communities. Both techniques indicate that bacterial and mesophilic communities were richer and more even than archaeal and thermophilic communities, respectively. Remarkably, the community composition was highly dynamic for both Bacteria and Archaea, with a rate of change between 30% and 75% per 18 days, also in stable performing periods. A hypothesis to explain the latter in the context of the converging metabolism in anaerobic processes is proposed. Finally, a more even and diverse bacterial community was found to be statistically representative for a well-functioning reactor as evidenced by a low Ripley index and high biogas production.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the project Sewage Plus 180B12A7 (MIP project, Milieu- & Energietechnologie–Innovatieplatform, Berchem, Belgium), the Geconcerteerde Onderzoeksactie (GOA) of Ghent University contract grant (BOF09/GOA/005), the fellowship of CSIC-UdelaR (Uruguay) for Dr. Claudia Etchebehere, and by a postdoctoral contract for Dr. Marta Carballa from the Xunta de Galicia (Isidro Parga Pondal program, IPP-08-37). The authors acknowledge Dr. Jingxing Ma and Varvara Tsilia for their support and cooperation with the lab work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Rúa Lope Gómez de Marzoa s/n, E-15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

    Marta Carballa

  2. Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology (LabMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, University Ghent, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium

    Marta Carballa, Marianne Smits, Nico Boon & Willy Verstraete

  3. Microbiology Department, School of Science and School of Chemistry, University of the Republic, General Flores 2124, Montevideo, Uruguay

    Claudia Etchebehere

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  1. Marta Carballa
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  2. Marianne Smits
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  3. Claudia Etchebehere
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  4. Nico Boon
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  5. Willy Verstraete
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Correspondence to Marta Carballa.

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Marta Carballa and Marianne Smits have equally contributed to this paper.

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Carballa, M., Smits, M., Etchebehere, C. et al. Correlations between molecular and operational parameters in continuous lab-scale anaerobic reactors. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 89, 303–314 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-010-2858-y

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