Community shifts within anaerobic digestion microbiota facing phenol inhibition: Towards early warning microbial indicators?. (1st September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Poirier, Simon; Bize, Ariane; Bureau, Chrystelle; Bouchez, Théodore; Chapleur, Olivier
• Is Part Of: Water research. Volume 100(2016)
• Page Start: 296
• Page End: 305
• Publication Date: 2016-09-01
• Subjects: Phenol -- ARISA -- 16S rRNA gene sequencing -- Microbial indicators -- Methanization; Water -- Pollution -- Research -- Periodicals; 363.7394
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2016.05.041
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0043-1354

Abstract

Abstract: Performance stability is a key operational issue for anaerobic digestion (AD) and phenolic compounds are regularly mentioned as a major cause of digester failures. To get more insights into AD microbiota response to a wide range of inhibition levels, anaerobic batch toxicity assays were conducted with ten phenol concentrations up to 5.00 g/L. Final AD performance was not impaired up to 1.00 g/L. However, progressive shifts in microbial community structure were detected from 0.50 g/L. The methanogenic function was maintained along with increasing initial phenol concentrations up to 2.00 g/L thanks to the emergence of genus Methanoculleus at the expense of Methanosarcina . Within syntrophic populations, family Syntrophomonadaceae proportion was gradually reduced by phenol while Synergistaceae gained in importance in the microbiome. Moreover, at 2.00 g/L, the relative abundance of families belonging to order Clostridiales dropped, leading to the predominance of populations assigned to order Bacteroidales even though it did not prevent final AD performance deterioration. It illustrates the high level of adaptability of archaeal and bacterial communities and suggests the possibility of determining early warning microbial indicators associated with phenol inhibition. Graphical abstract: Highlights: Final AD performance was impaired by initial phenol concentrations above 1.00 g/L. Beyond an initial phenol concentration of 2.00 g/L methanogenesis was totally blocked. Methanosarcina and Syntrophomonadaceae proportions declined from 0.50 g/L of phenol. Methanoculleus and Synergistaceae proportions increased from 0.50 g/L of phenol. Phenol was totally degraded up to an initial concentration of 1.50 g/L.