Bioaugmentation of Thauera mechernichensis TL1 for enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoate production in mixed microbial consortia for wastewater treatment
Issued Date
2024-03-15
Resource Type
ISSN
00489697
eISSN
18791026
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85183456173
Journal Title
Science of the Total Environment
Volume
916
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Science of the Total Environment Vol.916 (2024)
Suggested Citation
Jantharadej K., Jaroensawat J., Matanachai K., Limpiyakorn T., Tobino T., Thayanukul P., Suwannasilp B.B. Bioaugmentation of Thauera mechernichensis TL1 for enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoate production in mixed microbial consortia for wastewater treatment. Science of the Total Environment Vol.916 (2024). doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170240 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/95640
Title
Bioaugmentation of Thauera mechernichensis TL1 for enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoate production in mixed microbial consortia for wastewater treatment
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) is a fully biodegradable bioplastic. To foster a circular economy, the integration of PHA production into wastewater treatment facilities can be accomplished using mixed microbial consortia. The effectiveness of this approach relies greatly on the enrichment of PHA-accumulating microorganisms. Hence, our study focused on bioaugmenting Thauera mechernichensis TL1 into mixed microbial consortia with the aim of enriching PHA-accumulating microorganisms and enhancing PHA production. Three sequencing batch reactors—SBRctrl, SBR2.5%, and SBR25%—were operated under feast/famine conditions. SBR2.5% and SBR25% were bioaugmented with T. mechernichensis TL1 at 2.5%w/w of mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (MLVSS) and 25%w/w MLVSS, respectively, while SBRctrl was not bioaugmented. SBR2.5% and SBR25% achieved maximum PHA accumulation capacities of 56.3 %gPHA/g mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) and 50.2 %gPHA/gMLSS, respectively, which were higher than the 25.4 %gPHA/gMLSS achieved by SBRctrl. The results of quantitative polymerase chain reaction targeting the 16S rRNA gene specific to T. mechernichensis showed higher abundances of T. mechernichensis in SBR2.5% and SBR25% compared with SBRctrl in the 3rd, 17th, and 31st cycles. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, together with fluorescent staining of PHA with Nile blue A, confirmed PHA accumulation in Thauera spp. The study demonstrated that bioaugmentation of T. mechernichensis TL1 at 2.5%w/w MLVSS is an effective strategy to enhance PHA accumulation and facilitate the enrichment of PHA-accumulating microorganisms in mixed microbial consortia. The findings could contribute to the advancement of PHA production from wastewater, enabling the transformation of wastewater treatment plants into water and resource recovery facilities.