Linking performance and microbial ecology in a biological sulphate reducing reactor system with biomass retention developed for the treatment of acid rock drainage

Hessler, Tomas; Harrison, Susan T.L.; Huddy, Robert J.

doi:10.1016/j.hydromet.2020.105471

Cited by 7 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Desulfovibrio and Sulfurospirillum were also found by Giordani et al ( 2019 ) in an operational phase with high sulfate loading rate and no supplied nutrients, although larger bacterial groups were represented by Syntrophobacter , Longilinea and Geobacter , which were non-existent in our study. Interestingly, Hessler et al ( 2020 ) found that Desulfovibrio decreased as they increased sulfate loading rate, whereas in our study the relative abundance of this genus first increased through the operation during slow increase in sulfate loading rate, and then slightly diminished during the stress test. Completely different SRB genera were also found by Icgen and Harrison ( 2006 ), who studied the effect of high sulfate concentration on a mixed bacterial culture, and identified groups such as Desulfonema , Desulfobacterium , Desulfobacter and Desulfococcus .…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

“…By taking effluent samples from the bioreactor, we acknowledge that some microbial information might be left undiscovered. As reported by Hessler et al ( 2020 ), microbial communities in the free-floating phase can greatly differ from those attached or associated to a biofilm. However, continuous sampling offers the opportunity to observe long-term bioreactor operation and correlations between biological and chemical parameters, while keeping the bioreactor mostly undisturbed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…A broad range of studies in BSR have been published, but the relation between the process performance and changing conditions in the bioreactors to microbial communities inside the reactor in question has not been studied as extensively. This creates a gap in the understanding between the bioreactor operation and microbial consortia inhabiting the reactors (Hessler et al 2020 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sulfate-reducing bioreactors subjected to high sulfate loading rate or acidity: variations in microbial consortia

Salo

Bomberg

2022

AMB Expr

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Sulfate-reducing bioreactors are used in e.g. the mining industry to remove sulfate and harmful metals from process waters. These bioreactors are expected to be run for extended periods of time and may experience variations in the influent quality, such as increasing sulfate loading rate and decrease in pH, while being expected to function optimally. In this study we followed the sulfate removal rate and variation in microbial communities over a period of up to 333 days in three different up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactors being submitted to increasing sulfate loading rate or decreasing pH. Sodium lactate was used as the sole carbon source and electron donor. All three bioreactors contained highly diverse microbial communities containing archaea, fungi and bacteria. Sulfurospirillum and Desulfovibrio were the most prominent bacterial genera detected in the bioreactors receiving the highest sulfate loading rates, and the greatest relative abundance of methanogenic archaea and the fungal genus Cadophora coincided with the highest sulfate reduction rates. In contrast, Sulfuricurvum was dominant in the bioreactor receiving influent with alternating pH, but its relative abundance receded in response to low pH of the influent. All bioreactors showed excellent sulfate removal even under extreme conditions in addition to unique responses in the microbial communities under changing operational conditions. This shows that a high diversity in the microbial consortia in the bioreactors could make the sulfate removal process less sensitive to changing operational conditions, such as variations in influent sulfate loading rate and pH.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 59%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Sulfate-reducing bioreactors subjected to high sulfate loading rate or acidity: variations in microbial consortia

Salo

Bomberg

2022

AMB Expr

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“…The observed sulfate reduction was putatively linked to the oxidation of various quantified VFAs. Some of these reactor performance data have been previously reported (Hessler et al, 2018(Hessler et al, , 2020 and can be found in the supplementary data (Table S1). Duplicate samples were taken from the acetate-and the lactate-supplemented CSTRs for metagenomic analysis.…”

Section: Bioreactor Operation and Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syntrophic H₂ production enhances the performance of primarily acetate-supplemented reactors treating sulphate contaminated solutions

Hessler

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Biological sulfate reduction (BSR) represents a promising bioremediation strategy, yet the impact of metabolic interactions on performance has been largely unexplored. Here, genome-resolved metagenomics was used to characterise 17 microbial communities associated with reactors operated with defined sulfate-contaminated solutions. Pairs of reactors were supplemented with lactate or with acetate plus a small amount of fermentable substrate. At least thirty draft quality genomes, representing all the abundant bacteria, were recovered from each metagenome. All of the 22 SRB genomes encode genes for H2 consumption. And of the total 163 genomes recovered, 130 encode 321 NiFe and FeFe hydrogenases. The lactate-supplemented packed-bed bioreactor was particularly interesting as it resulted in stratified microbial communities that were distinct in their predominant metabolisms. Pathways for fermentation of lactate and hydrogen production were enriched towards the inlet whereas increased autotrophy and acetate-oxidizing SRB were evident towards the end of the flow path. We hypothesized that high sulfate removal towards the end of the flow path, despite acetate being an electron donor that typically sustains low SRB growth rates, was stimulated by H2 consumption. This hypothesis was supported by sustained performance of the predominantly acetate-supplemented stirred-tank reactor, which was dominated by diverse fermentative, hydrogen-evolving bacteria and low-abundance SRB capable of acetate and hydrogen consumption. We conclude that the performance of BSR reactors supplemented with inexpensive acetate can be improved by the addition of a low concentration of fermentable material due to stimulation of syntrophic relationships among hydrogen-producing non-SRB and dual hydrogen- and acetate-utilising SRB.

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“…In addition to the two UAPBRs which are described in the current study, we simultaneously inoculated and operated two continuous stirred-tank reactors and two linear flow channel reactors. Some of these data have been described previously ( Hessler et al, 2020 ). The predominant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) identified in the two described UAPBRs were further investigated by assessing their distribution in characterizable environments across all six BSR reactors in order to discern the conditions in which these microorganisms were most prevalent.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrated Kinetic Modelling and Microbial Profiling Provide Insights Into Biological Sulfate-Reducing Reactor Design and Operation

Hessler

Harrison

Huddy

2022

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

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Biological sulfate reduction (BSR) is an attractive approach for the bioremediation of sulfate-rich wastewater streams. Many sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM), which facilitate this process, have been well-studied in pure culture. However, the role of individual members of microbial communities within BSR bioreactors remains understudied. In this study we investigated the performance of two up-flow anaerobic packed bed reactors (UAPBRs) supplemented primarily with acetate and with lactate, respectively, during a hydraulic retention time (HRT) study set up to remediate sulfate-rich synthetic wastewater over the course of 1,000 + days. Plug-flow hydrodynamics led to a continuum of changing volumetric sulfate reduction rates (VSRRs), available electron donors, degrees of biomass retention and compositions of microbial communities throughout these reactors. Microbial communities throughout the successive zones of the reactors were resolved using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing which allowed the association of features of performance with discrete microorganisms. The acetate UAPBR achieved a maximum VSRR of 23.2 mg.L−1. h−1 at a one-day HRT and a maximum sulfate conversion of the 1 g/L sulfate of 96% at a four-day HRT. The sulfate reduction reactions in this reactor could be described with a reaction order of 2.9, an important observation for optimisation and future scale-up. The lactate UAPBR achieved a 96% sulfate conversion at one-day HRT, corresponding with a VSRR of 40.1 mg.L−1. h−1. Lactate was supplied in this reactor at relatively low concentrations necessitating the subsequent use of propionate and acetate, by-products of lactate fermentation with acetate also a by-product of incomplete lactate oxidation, to achieve competitive performance. The consumption of these electron donors could be associated with specific SRM localised within biofilms of discrete zones. The sulfate reduction rates in the lactate UAPBR could be modelled as first-order reactions, indicating effective rates were conferred by these propionate- and acetate-oxidising SRM. Our results demonstrate how acetate, a low-cost substrate, can be used effectively despite low associated SRM growth rates, and that lactate, a more expensive substrate, can be used sparingly to achieve high VSRR and sulfate conversions. We further identified the preferred environment of additional microorganisms to inform how these microorganisms could be enriched or diminished in BSR reactors.

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Linking performance and microbial ecology in a biological sulphate reducing reactor system with biomass retention developed for the treatment of acid rock drainage

Cited by 7 publications

References 34 publications

Sulfate-reducing bioreactors subjected to high sulfate loading rate or acidity: variations in microbial consortia

Sulfate-reducing bioreactors subjected to high sulfate loading rate or acidity: variations in microbial consortia

Syntrophic H₂ production enhances the performance of primarily acetate-supplemented reactors treating sulphate contaminated solutions

Integrated Kinetic Modelling and Microbial Profiling Provide Insights Into Biological Sulfate-Reducing Reactor Design and Operation

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Linking performance and microbial ecology in a biological sulphate reducing reactor system with biomass retention developed for the treatment of acid rock drainage

Cited by 7 publications

References 34 publications

Sulfate-reducing bioreactors subjected to high sulfate loading rate or acidity: variations in microbial consortia

Sulfate-reducing bioreactors subjected to high sulfate loading rate or acidity: variations in microbial consortia

Syntrophic H2 production enhances the performance of primarily acetate-supplemented reactors treating sulphate contaminated solutions

Integrated Kinetic Modelling and Microbial Profiling Provide Insights Into Biological Sulfate-Reducing Reactor Design and Operation

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Syntrophic H₂ production enhances the performance of primarily acetate-supplemented reactors treating sulphate contaminated solutions