title: Changes in bacterial community structure in a full-scale membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment.
abstract: This study investigated changes in the structure and metabolic capabilities of the bacterial community in a full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating municipal wastewater. Microbial monitoring was also conducted for a parallel-running conventional activated sludge (CAS) process treating the same influent. The mixed-liquor suspended solid concentration in the MBR reached a steady-state on day 73 after the start-up. Then the MBR maintained higher rates of removal of organic compounds and nitrogen than the CAS process did. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis revealed that the bacterial community structure in the MBR was similar to that in the CAS process at the start-up, but it became very different from that in the CAS process in the steady state. The bacterial community structure of the MBR continued to change dynamically even after 20 months of the steady-state operation, while that of the CAS process was maintained in a stable condition. By contrast, Biolog assay revealed that the carbon source utilization potential of the MBR resembled that of the CAS process as a whole, although it declined transiently. Overall, the results indicate that the bacterial community of the MBR has flexibility in terms of its phylogenetic structure and metabolic activity to maintain the high wastewater treatment capability.
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: kurumi33@hiroshima-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Kurumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirofumi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsutsui
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kousuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazunari
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sei
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soda
authors.affiliation: Wastewater Treatment R&D Division, Technological Strategy Department, Japan Sewage Works Agency, 2-31-27 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan.
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.affiliation: Wastewater Treatment R&D Division, Technological Strategy Department, Japan Sewage Works Agency, 2-31-27 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.affiliation: Wastewater Treatment R&D Division, Technological Strategy Department, Japan Sewage Works Agency, 2-31-27 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0034, Japan.
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Division of Sustainable Energy and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Michihiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ike
mesh_terms: D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D009584:Nitrogen; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Activated sludge; Bacterial community; Biolog assay; Membrane bioreactor (MBR); Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP); Wastewater treatment plant