The impact of multispecies biofilm on the bioaugmentation of a cyanotoxin-degrader in drinking water biological filters for MC-LR biodegradation.
Start Date
23-5-2022 5:45 PM
End Date
23-5-2022 7:00 PM
Abstract
Recently, biological filtration systems (BFS) have received much attention for safe drinking water production, as they can potentially treat many emerging contaminants like harmful cyanotoxins including microcystin-LR (MC-LR). In order to enhance the performance of BFS for emerging contaminant removal, bioaugmentation (injection of contaminant-degrading microorganisms) has been evaluated. However, it is not well-understood how the presence of multispecies bacterial biofilms (MSB) might affect the bioaugmentation and subsequent biodegradation of MC-LR in BFS. Accordingly, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of endogenous MSB in BFS on bioaugmentation and MC-LR biodegradation. Lab-scale column reactors were constructed and initially operated with MSB from biofilters at a local water treatment plant to simulate BFS conditions. Then, a MC-LR degrader was bioaugmented to these reactors. The performance of BFS (natural organic matter and MC-LR removals) was monitored. Biofilm formation and MC-LR degradation activity of the bioaugmented degrader were also monitored using Adenosine triphosphate analyses and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for bacterial gene expression associated with MC-LR degradation. Our results indicated that there was enhanced MC-LR removal by the MC-LR degrader in presence of MSB, which might be due to attachment of bioaugmented MC-LR degrader to preformed multispecies biofilms.
Keywords: Bioaugmentation, multispecies bacterial community, biological sand filters, Adenosine triphosphate analyses
The impact of multispecies biofilm on the bioaugmentation of a cyanotoxin-degrader in drinking water biological filters for MC-LR biodegradation.
Recently, biological filtration systems (BFS) have received much attention for safe drinking water production, as they can potentially treat many emerging contaminants like harmful cyanotoxins including microcystin-LR (MC-LR). In order to enhance the performance of BFS for emerging contaminant removal, bioaugmentation (injection of contaminant-degrading microorganisms) has been evaluated. However, it is not well-understood how the presence of multispecies bacterial biofilms (MSB) might affect the bioaugmentation and subsequent biodegradation of MC-LR in BFS. Accordingly, the main goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of endogenous MSB in BFS on bioaugmentation and MC-LR biodegradation. Lab-scale column reactors were constructed and initially operated with MSB from biofilters at a local water treatment plant to simulate BFS conditions. Then, a MC-LR degrader was bioaugmented to these reactors. The performance of BFS (natural organic matter and MC-LR removals) was monitored. Biofilm formation and MC-LR degradation activity of the bioaugmented degrader were also monitored using Adenosine triphosphate analyses and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) for bacterial gene expression associated with MC-LR degradation. Our results indicated that there was enhanced MC-LR removal by the MC-LR degrader in presence of MSB, which might be due to attachment of bioaugmented MC-LR degrader to preformed multispecies biofilms.
Keywords: Bioaugmentation, multispecies bacterial community, biological sand filters, Adenosine triphosphate analyses