Psychrophilic and mesophilic anaerobic treatment of synthetic dairy wastewater with long chain fatty acids: Process performances and microbial community dynamics

• Published in: Bioresource technology Vol. 380; p. 129124
• Main Authors: Liu, Yu-Chen, Ramiro-Garcia, Javier, Paulo, Lara M., Braguglia, Camilla Maria, Gagliano, Maria Cristina, O'Flaherty, Vincent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2023
• Subjects: Anaerobiosis; Biofilm; Bioreactors - microbiology; Core microbiome; Fatty Acids; Fungi; Lipid; Methane; Microbiota; Sewage - microbiology; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Fungi; Biofilm; Core microbiome; Wastewater treatment; Lipid
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129124

[Display omitted] •Biomass acclimation to cold condition is necessary for efficient treatment at 15 °C.•Putative syntrophic fatty acid bacteria were the key player of the microbiome.•Methanocorpusculum was the dominant archaea at 37 °C and 15 °C.•Fungal-bacterial biofilm was essential for efficient psychrophilic treatment. Facilitating the anaerobic degradation of long chain fatty acids (LCFA) is the key to unlock the energy potential of lipids-rich wastewater. In this study, the feasibility of psychrophilic anaerobic treatment of LCFA-containing dairy wastewater was assessed and compared to mesophilic anaerobic treatment. The results showed that psychrophilic treatment at 15 ℃ was feasible for LCFA-containing dairy wastewater, with high removal rates of soluble COD (>90%) and LCFA (∼100%). However, efficient long-term treatment required prior acclimation of the biomass to psychrophilic temperatures. The microbial community analysis revealed that putative syntrophic fatty acid bacteria and Methanocorpusculum played a crucial role in LCFA degradation during both mesophilic and psychrophilic treatments. Additionally, a fungal-bacterial biofilm was found to be important during the psychrophilic treatment. Overall, these findings demonstrate the potential of psychrophilic anaerobic treatment for industrial wastewaters and highlight the importance of understanding the microbial communities involved in the process.