Regular Article

Microbial population dynamics during start-up and overload conditions of anaerobic digesters treating municipal solid waste and sewage sludge

  1. Katherine D. McMahon1,†,
  2. Dandan Zheng1,‡,
  3. Alfons J.M. Stams3,
  4. Roderick I. Mackie2,
  5. Lutgarde Raskin1,*

Article first published online: 23 AUG 2004

DOI: 10.1002/bit.20192

Issue

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Biotechnology and Bioengineering

Volume 87, Issue 7, pages 823–834, 30 September 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

McMahon, K. D., Zheng, D., Stams, A. J.M., Mackie, R. I. and Raskin, L. (2004), Microbial population dynamics during start-up and overload conditions of anaerobic digesters treating municipal solid waste and sewage sludge. Biotechnol. Bioeng., 87: 823–834. doi: 10.1002/bit.20192

Author Information

  1. 1

    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3221 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801; telephone: 217-333-6964; fax: 217-333-6968

  2. 2

    Department of Animal Sciences, 132 Animal Sciences Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois

  3. 3

    Department of Microbiology, Wageningen Agricultural University, Wageningen, The Netherlands

  1. †

    Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Wisconsin–Madison, 3204 Engineering Hall, 1415 Engineering Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1691

  2. ‡

    Grifols Biologicals Inc., 2450 Lillyvale Avenue, Los Angeles, California 90032

*Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 3221 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory, 205 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801; telephone: 217-333-6964; fax: 217-333-6968

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 23 AUG 2004
  2. Article first published online: 23 AUG 2004
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 8 APR 2004
  4. Manuscript Received: 9 SEP 2003

Funded by

  • Office of Solid Waste Research. Grant Number: OSWR-12-013
  • University of Illinois
  • U.S. National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship (Katherine D. McMahon)

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Keywords:

  • anaerobic digestion;
  • microbial population dynamics;
  • sewage sludge;
  • solid waste;
  • methanogens;
  • syntrophic bacteria;
  • ribosomal RNA

Abstract

Microbial population dynamics were investigated during start-up and during periods of overload conditions in anaerobic co-digesters treating municipal solid waste and sewage sludge. Changes in community structure were monitored using ribosomal RNA-based oligonucleotide probe hybridization to measure the abundance of syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria (SPOB), saturated fatty acid-beta-oxidizing syntrophs (SFAS), and methanogens. These changes were linked to traditional performance parameters such as biogas production and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations. Digesters with high levels of Archaea started up successfully. Methanosaeta concilii was the dominant aceticlastic methanogen in these systems. In contrast, digesters that experienced a difficult start-up period had lower levels of Archaea with proportionally more abundant Methanosarcina spp. Syntrophic propionate-oxidizing bacteria and saturated fatty acid-beta-oxidizing syntrophs were present at low levels in all digesters, and SPOB appeared to play a role in stabilizing propionate levels during start-up of one digester. Digesters with a history of poor performance tolerated a severe organic overload event better than digesters that had previously performed well. It is hypothesized that higher levels of SPOB and SFAS and their methanogenic partners in previously unstable digesters are responsible for this behavior. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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