Molecular and physiological characterization of thiosulphate-oxidizing microbial associations prior to use in hydrogen sulphide biofiltration.
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Date
2000
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Abstract
Interacting microbial associations capable of utilizing thiosulphate as an energy
source were enriched/isolated from activated sludge, landfill site [mal covering soil and
soil from an acid mine water drainage site. The isolates were designated Lf-I, Ws-2 and
Am-3, respectively. Although hydrogen sulphide was the target molecule for gas
biofiltration, thiosulphate, which is a key oxidized intermediate, was used in this study
due to the difficulty of working with a toxic gas. Together with thiosulphate oxidation,
the microbial associations were assessed for their abilities to oxidize dissolved sulphide
to elemental sulphur. Physiological analyses (temperature, pH and substrate
concentration optimization) were made with closed and open cultures while
morphological characterization and species compositional changes were monitored by
light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). To investigate further functional and
structural responses to physiological changes, denaturing-gradient gel electrophoresis
(DGGE) separation of PCR-amplified 16S DNA gene fragments and Biolog GN
microtitre plates were used. The associations were found to be active metabolically
between 0 and 35°C, 15 and 50°C, and 15 and 45°C, with optimum temperatures of 25, 40
and 35°C for Lf-l, Ws-2 and Am-3, respectively. The optimum pH range for microbial
association Lf-l was between 3 and 4. The maximum specific growth rates of
associations Lf-l , Ws-2 and Am-3 were 0.08, 0.06 and 0.03 h~l , respectively.
Components of all three Gram negative rod-dominated associations were motile and
displayed anaerobiosis. During open culture cultivation the species complement of Lf-l ,
as determined by morphological analysis, changed. The same association oxidized
sulphide (40 ppm) to sulphur although Ws-2 and Am-3 did not have this capacity.
Biolog GN plates detected pH-effected species compositional changes in Lf-l and
these were confirmed by DGGE. The same technique showed that enrichment had
occurred in the Biolog GN wells. Species composition changes also resulted in response
to different pH values (2 to 9), temperatures (5 to 40°C) and dilution rates (0.003 to 0.09
h-1
), but activity changes were not always accompanied by population profile changes.
Description
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2000.
Keywords
Microbial biotechnology., Bioremediation., Biodegradation., Air--Pollution--Biotechnology., Air quality management., Anaerobic bacteria--Industrial applications., Theses--Microbiology.