Methanotrophic microbial communities were enriched under different conditions to investigate how community divergence influences the degradation of organic micropollutants (OMPs).
This study investigated how methanotrophic microbial community divergence influences the biodegradation of organic micropollutants (OMPs) under different environmental and operational conditions. Methanotrophic enrichment cultures were established from three distinct inoculum sources: a methane-fed fermenter for microbial protein production, a membrane bioreactor treating hospital wastewater, and groundwater-derived biomass from a drinking water treatment plant. Cultures were cultivated in nitrate- or ammonium-based mineral media under varying methane loading, solids retention time (SRT), copper supplementation, and OMP exposure conditions. Batch assays were performed to evaluate methane oxidation, microbial growth, nutrient uptake, and OMP biodegradation performance. Microbial community composition was characterized using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing targeting the V4 region. Sequence data were processed using the DADA2 pipeline and taxonomically assigned against the SILVA v138.2 database. Community analyses revealed strong divergence between inoculum-derived methanotrophic communities. Fermenter- and hospital-derived enrichments were dominated by type II methanotrophs, whereas waterwork-derived communities were enriched in type I methanotrophs. Growth dynamics, biomass yields, and gas stoichiometry varied substantially among inocula and operational conditions, reflecting distinct metabolic strategies and community responses to methane loading, nitrogen source, copper concentration, and SRT. OMP biodegradation assays demonstrated strong condition- and inoculum-dependent degradation patterns.  The dataset provides insight into the ecological and functional diversity of methane-oxidizing microbiomes and their role in organic micropollutant biodegradation under environmentally relevant conditions.
This study investigated how methanotrophic microbial community divergence influences the biodegradation of organic micropollutants (OMPs) under different environmental and operational conditions. Methanotrophic enrichment cultures were established from three distinct inoculum sources: a methane-fed fermenter for microbial protein production, a membrane bioreactor treating hospital wastewater, and groundwater-derived biomass from a drinking water treatment plant. Cultures were cultivated in nitrate- or ammonium-based mineral media under varying methane loading, solids retention time (SRT), copper supplementation, and OMP exposure conditions. Batch assays were performed to evaluate methane oxidation, microbial growth, nutrient uptake, and OMP biodegradation performance. Microbial community composition was characterized using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing targeting the V4 region. Sequence data were processed using the DADA2 pipeline and taxonomically assigned against the SILVA v138.2 database. Community analyses revealed strong divergence between inoculum-derived methanotrophic communities. Fermenter- and hospital-derived enrichments were dominated by type II methanotrophs, whereas waterwork-derived communities were enriched in type I methanotrophs. Growth dynamics, biomass yields, and gas stoichiometry varied substantially among inocula and operational conditions, reflecting distinct metabolic strategies and community responses to methane loading, nitrogen source, copper concentration, and SRT. OMP biodegradation assays demonstrated strong condition- and inoculum-dependent degradation patterns.  The dataset provides insight into the ecological and functional diversity of methane-oxidizing microbiomes and their role in organic micropollutant biodegradation under environmentally relevant conditions.
Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering