scholarly journals Characterisation of the microbial communities present in an anaerobic baffled reactor utilising molecular techniques

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Tharnija Lalbahadur

The provision of safe and sanitary water is a constitutional right and above all, a necessity of life. As a result of the rapid urbanisation and the past policies of apartheid, a large population of South Africa dwell in informal settlements, where there is very little hope of development, as the government does not possess the resources that are necessary for a full-scale sanitation programme. Therefore, on-site treatments have been considered to provide sanitation in these dense peri-urban areas. The anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) is one such sanitation system. This reactor utilises the phenomenon of anaerobic digestion to degrade substrates. One of the major disadvantages of any anaerobic treatment processes is the extreme sensitivity of the bacterial communities, thus inducing slow recovery rates following toxic shocks. Therefore, an understanding of these microbial consortia is essential to effectively control, operate and optimise the anaerobic reactor. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, 4’,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining and DNA sequencing techniques were applied to determine the microbial consortium, as well as their reactions to daily operating conditions. With an understanding of these populations and their responses to perturbations within the system, it is possible to construct an anaerobic system that is successful in its treatment of domestic wastewater. In situ hybridizations were conducted for three operating periods, each characterised by specific flow rates. Results showed Eubacterial population dominance over the Archaeal population throughout both of the operating periods investigated. However, these cells cumulatively consisted of 50% of the total biomass fraction, as determined by DAPI staining. Group-probes utilised revealed a high concentration of fermentative acidogenic bacteria, which lead to a decrease in the pH values. It was noted that the ABR did not separate the acidogenic and methanogenic phases, as expected. Therefore, the decrease in pH further inhibited the proliferation of Archaeal acetoclastic methanogens, which were not present in the second operating period. DNA sequencing results revealed the occurrence of the hydrogenotrophic Methanobacterium and Methanococcus genera and confirmed the presence of Methanosarcina. Sequencing of the bacterial DNA confirmed the presence of the low G+ C Gram Positives (Streptococcus), the high G+C Gram Positives (Propionibacterium) and the sulfate reducing bacteria (Desulfovibrio vulgaris). However, justifications were highly subjective due to a lack of supportive analytical data, such as acetate, volatile fatty acids and methane concentrations. Despite this, findings served to add valuable information, providing details on the specific microbial groups associated with ABR treatment processes.

Author(s):  
E.D. Boyes ◽  
P.L. Gai ◽  
D.B. Darby ◽  
C. Warwick

The extended crystallographic defects introduced into some oxide catalysts under operating conditions may be a consequence and accommodation of the changes produced by the catalytic activity, rather than always being the origin of the reactivity. Operation without such defects has been established for the commercially important tellurium molybdate system. in addition it is clear that the point defect density and the electronic structure can both have a significant influence on the chemical properties and hence on the effectiveness (activity and selectivity) of the material as a catalyst. SEM/probe techniques more commonly applied to semiconductor materials, have been investigated to supplement the information obtained from in-situ environmental cell HVEM, ultra-high resolution structure imaging and more conventional AEM and EPMA chemical microanalysis.


1996 ◽  
Vol 34 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 249-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong-Ying Hu ◽  
Mamie Nozawa ◽  
Koichi Fujie ◽  
Tsuyoshi Makabe ◽  
Kohei Urano

The population dynamics of microbes in the biological wastewater treatment processes such as a submerged biofilter was investigated to obtain basic information to determine the optimal operating conditions. The effects of coexistence of biodegradable substances such as glucose and peptone on the acclimation of microbes in the biofilm to hard chemicals such as acrylonitrile (AN), which is poorly biodegradable and a volatile substance, was investigated on the basis of the respiratory quinone profile. Kinetic study of the removal of AN in the course of acclimation of microbes was investigated using a laboratory-scale submerged biofilter as well. It was ascertained that the acclimation of the microbes to AN was accelerated by coexistence of biodegradable substances, and the microbial phase after acclimation differed from those with the coexistence of glucose and peptone. The quinone profiles in the acclimation showed that Brevibacterium sp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, of which the predominant quinone of the respiratory chain is menaquinone-8(H2) and ubiquinone-9, respectively, multiplied selectively in the acclimation course without and with the coexistence of glucose and peptone, respectively. It was also made clear that there were few kinds and number of protozoa and metazoa in the biofilter treating the wastewater containing AN.


Author(s):  
Tachung Yang ◽  
Wei-Ching Chaung

The accuracy of stiffness and damping coefficients of bearings is critical for the rotordynamic analysis of rotating machinery. However, the influence of bearings depends on the design, manufacturing, assembly, and operating conditions of the bearings. Uncertainties occur quite often in manufacturing and assembly, which causes the inaccuracy of bearing predictions. An accurate and reliable in-situ identification method for the bearing coefficients is valuable to both analyses and industrial applications. The identification method developed in this research used the receptance matrices of flexible shafts from FEM modeling and the unbalance forces of trial masses to derive the displacements and reaction forces at bearing locations. Eight bearing coefficients are identified through a Total Least Square (TLS) procedure, which can handle noise effectively. A special feature of this method is that it can identify bearing coefficients at a specific operating speed, which make it suitable for the measurement of speed-dependent bearings, like hydrodynamic bearings. Numerical validation of this method is presented. The configurations of unbalance mass arrangements are discussed.


Reproduction ◽  
2003 ◽  
pp. 279-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Hulten ◽  
S Dhanjal ◽  
B Pertl

Molecular techniques have been developed for prenatal diagnosis of the most common chromosome disorders (trisomies 21, 13, 18 and sex chromosome aneuploidies) where results are available within a day or two. This involves fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and microscopy analysis of fetal cells or quantitative fluorescence polymerase chain reaction (QF-PCR) on fetal DNA. Guidance is provided on the technological pitfalls in setting up and running these methods. Both methods are reliable, and the risk for misdiagnosis is low, although slightly higher for FISH. FISH is also more labour intensive than QF-PCR, the latter lending itself more easily to automation. These tests have been used as a preamble to full chromosome analysis by microscopy. However, there is a trend to apply the tests as 'stand-alone' tests for women who are at relatively low risk of having a baby with a chromosome disorder, in particular that associated with advanced age or results of maternal serum screening programmes. These women comprise the majority of those currently offered prenatal diagnosis with respect to fetal chromosome disorders and if introduced on a larger scale, the use of FISH and QF-PCR would lead to substantial economical savings. The implication, on the other hand, is that around one in 500 to one in 1000 cases with a mentally and/or physically disabling chromosome disorder would remain undiagnosed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakshith Naik ◽  
Yetzirah Urthaler ◽  
Scot McNeill ◽  
Rafik Boubenider

Abstract Certain subsea jumper design features coupled with operating conditions can lead to Flow Induced Vibration (FIV) of subsea jumpers. Excessive FIV can result in accumulation of allowable fatigue damage prior to the end of jumper service life. For this reason, an extensive FIV management program was instated for a large development in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) where FIV had been observed. The program consisted of in-situ measurement, modeling and analysis. Selected well and flowline jumpers were outfitted with subsea instrumentation for dedicated vibration testing. Finite Element (FE) models were developed for each jumper and refined to match the dynamic properties extracted from the measured data. Fatigue analysis was then carried out using the refined FE model and measured response data. If warranted by the analysis results, action was taken to mitigate the deleterious effects of FIV. Details on modeling and data analysis were published in [5]. Herein, we focus on the overall findings and lessons learned over the duration of the program. The following topics from the program are discussed in detail: 1. In-situ vibration measurement 2. Overall vibration trends with flow rate and lack of correlation of FIV to flow intensity (rho-v-squared); 3. Vibration and fatigue performance of flowline jumpers vs. well jumpers 4. Fatigue analysis conservatism Reliance on screening calculations or predictive FE analysis could lead to overly conservative operational limits or a high degree of fatigue life uncertainty in conditions vulnerable to FIV. It is proposed that in-situ vibration measurements followed by analysis of the measured data in alignment with operating conditions is the best practice to obtain a realistic understanding of subsea jumper integrity to ensure safe and reliable operation of the subsea system. The findings from the FIV management program provide valuable insight for the subsea industry, particularly in the areas of integrity management of in-service subsea jumpers; in-situ instrumentation and vibration measurements and limitations associated with predictive analysis of jumper FIV. If learnings, such as those discussed here, are fed back into design, analysis and monitoring guidelines for subsea equipment, the understanding and management of FIV could be dramatically enhanced compared to the current industry practice.


1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Lazarova ◽  
Danièle Bellahcen ◽  
Jacques Manem ◽  
David A. Stahl ◽  
Bruce E. Rittmann

TURBO N® is a circulating-bed biofilm reactor that provides stable operation and high N removal for a wide range of N and BOD loadings. This paper describes the influence of operating conditions on biofilm composition and population dynamics when the TURBO N® is operated to achieve tertiary nitrification, simultaneous carbon and ammonia oxidation and total nitrogen removal when coupled with a pre-denitrification fixed floating bed reactor. In situ specific nitrification rates and respiration tests showed that ammonium and nitrite oxidizers became less active in the biofilm once oxidation of influent BOD became important. Analyses of community structure with oligonucleotide probes targeted to the 16S rRNA showed the same general trends for nitrifiers, but also suggested shifts in the makeup of the ammonium and nitrite oxidizers that could not be detected with respirometry or specific nitrification rates.


1997 ◽  
Vol 7 (C2) ◽  
pp. C2-871-C2-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Sankar ◽  
J. M. Thomas ◽  
G. N. Greaves ◽  
A. J. Dent

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Victoria Pérez ◽  
Leandro D. Guerrero ◽  
Esteban Orellana ◽  
Eva L. Figuerola ◽  
Leonardo Erijman

ABSTRACTUnderstanding ecosystem response to disturbances and identifying the most critical traits for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning are important goals for microbial community ecology. In this study, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and metagenomics to investigate the assembly of bacterial populations in a full-scale municipal activated sludge wastewater treatment plant over a period of three years, including a period of nine month of disturbance, characterized by short-term plant shutdowns. Following the reconstruction of 173 metagenome-assembled genomes, we assessed the functional potential, the number of rRNA gene operons and thein situgrowth rate of microorganisms present throughout the time series. Operational disturbances caused a significant decrease in bacteria with a single copy of the ribosomal RNA (rrn) operon. Despite only moderate differences in resource availability, replication rates were distributed uniformly throughout time, with no differences between disturbed and stable periods. We suggest that the length of the growth lag phase, rather than the growth rate, as the primary driver of selection under disturbed conditions. Thus, the system could maintain its function in the face of disturbance by recruiting bacteria with the capacity to rapidly resume growth under unsteady operating conditions.IMPORTANCEIn this work we investigated the response of microbial communities to disturbances in a full-scale activated sludge wastewater treatment plant over a time-scale that included periods of stability and disturbance. We performed a genome-wide analysis, which allowed us the direct estimation of specific cellular traits, including the rRNA operon copy number and the in situ growth rate of bacteria. This work builds upon recent efforts to incorporate growth efficiency for the understanding of the physiological and ecological processes shaping microbial communities in nature. We found evidence that would suggest that activated sludge could maintain its function in the face of disturbance by recruiting bacteria with the capacity to rapidly resume growth under unsteady operating conditions. This paper provides relevant insights into wastewater treatment process, and may also reveal a key role for growth traits in the adaptive response of bacteria to unsteady environmental conditions.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uedson Pereira Jacobina ◽  
Marcelo de Bello Cioffi ◽  
Luiz Gustavo Rodrigues Souza ◽  
Leonardo Luiz Calado ◽  
Manoel Tavares ◽  
...  

The cobia,Rachycentron canadum, a species of marine fish, has been increasingly used in aquaculture worldwide. It is the only member of the family Rachycentridae (Perciformes) showing wide geographic distribution and phylogenetic patterns still not fully understood. In this study, the species was cytogenetically analyzed by different methodologies, including Ag-NOR and chromomycin A3(CMA3)/DAPI staining, C-banding, early replication banding (RGB), andin situfluorescent hybridization with probes for 18S and 5S ribosomal genes and for telomeric sequences (TTAGGG)n. The results obtained allow a detailed chromosomal characterization of the Atlantic population. The chromosome diversification found in the karyotype of the cobia is apparently related to pericentric inversions, the main mechanism associated to the karyotypic evolution of Perciformes. The differential heterochromatin replication patterns found were in part associated to functional genes. Despite maintaining conservative chromosomal characteristics in relation to the basal pattern established for Perciformes, some chromosome pairs in the analyzed population exhibit markers that may be important for cytotaxonomic, population, and biodiversity studies as well as for monitoring the species in question.


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