Microbial Survey of a Full-Scale, Biologically Active Filter for Treatment of Drinking Water

White, Colin; DeBry, Ronald W.; Lytle, Darren A.

doi:10.1128/aem.00308-12

Cited by 54 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…At the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Nitrospirae dominate bulk sample communities with a relative abundance of 18.93% ± 1.31% and 9.22% ± 4.72%, respectively; in the top of the filter these phyla were also dominant, with Nitrospirae most abundant (26.08% ± 0.94%), followed by Proteobacteria (14.47% ± 1.07%; Figure 1). These results are inline with other observations of very high Nitrospira abundances (13% to 50% of all community 16S rRNA amplicons or clones) in similar oligotrophic water treatment and distribution systems (Martiny et al, 2005;White et al, 2012;LaPara et al, 2015;Gülay et al, 2016).…”

Section: Metagenomic Assembly and Taxonomysupporting

confidence: 91%

Metagenomic analysis of rapid gravity sand filter microbial communities suggests novel physiology ofNitrospiraspp.

et al. 2016

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Rapid gravity sand filtration is a drinking water production technology widely used around the world. Microbially catalyzed processes dominate the oxidative transformation of ammonia, reduced manganese and iron, methane and hydrogen sulfide, which may all be present at millimolar concentrations when groundwater is the source water. In this study, six metagenomes from various locations within a groundwater-fed rapid sand filter (RSF) were analyzed. The community gene catalog contained most genes of the nitrogen cycle, with particular abundance in genes of the nitrification pathway. Genes involved in different carbon fixation pathways were also abundant, with the reverse tricarboxylic acid cycle pathway most abundant, consistent with an observed Nitrospira dominance. From the metagenomic data set, 14 near-complete genomes were reconstructed and functionally characterized. On the basis of their genetic content, a metabolic and geochemical model was proposed. The organisms represented by draft genomes had the capability to oxidize ammonium, nitrite, hydrogen sulfide, methane, potentially iron and manganese as well as to assimilate organic compounds. A composite Nitrospira genome was recovered, and amo-containing Nitrospira genome contigs were identified. This finding, together with the high Nitrospira abundance, and the abundance of atypical amo and hao genes, suggests the potential for complete ammonium oxidation by Nitrospira, and a major role of Nitrospira in the investigated RSFs and potentially other nitrifying environments.

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Section: Metagenomic Assembly and Taxonomysupporting

confidence: 91%

Metagenomic analysis of rapid gravity sand filter microbial communities suggests novel physiology ofNitrospiraspp.

et al. 2016

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“…For example, the NOB/AOB ratios were reported to be from as low as 2.5 (21) to as high as 195 (34) using qPCR; using FISH, other researchers have reported NOB/AOB ratios ranging from 10 to 30 (48,49). In a library of cloned, nearly complete 16S rRNA genes, this ratio was 5 from a drinking water biofilter (50). In conclusion, thermodynamic calculations suggest that AOB should outnumber NOB in bacterial communities, which contradicts empirical evidence in which the NOB are often more prominent than AOB.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 67%

The Bacterial Communities of Full-Scale Biologically Active, Granular Activated Carbon Filters Are Stable and Diverse and Potentially Contain Novel Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms

LaPara

Wilkinson

Strait

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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The bacterial community composition of the full-scale biologically active, granular activated carbon (BAC) filters operated at the St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) was investigated using Illumina MiSeq analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. These bacterial communities were consistently diverse (Shannon index, >4.4; richness estimates, >1,500 unique operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) throughout the duration of the 12-month study period. In addition, only modest shifts in the quantities of individual bacterial populations were observed; of the 15 most prominent OTUs, the most highly variable population (a Variovorax sp.) modulated less than 13-fold over time and less than 8-fold from filter to filter. The most prominent population in the profiles was a Nitrospira sp., representing 13 to 21% of the community. Interestingly, very few of the known ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB; <0.07%) and no ammonia-oxidizing Archaea were detected in the profiles. Quantitative PCR of amoA genes, however, suggested that AOB were prominent in the bacterial communities (amoA/16S rRNA gene ratio, 1 to 10%). We conclude, therefore, that the BAC filters at the SPRWS potentially contained significant numbers of unidentified and novel ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms that possess amoA genes similar to those of previously described AOB. P ublic water utilities use surface water to produce high-quality, potable drinking water for almost 70% of the people residing in the United States (1). The conventional process for treating surface water involves a series of unit operations that include coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection (2). The application of these technologies has generally proven effective for protecting public health (2), although numerous exceptions have been reported (3). Given the presumptive safety of public water supplies, water consumers are increasingly concerned about the taste and odor of public water supplies as well as other esthetic concerns (4).Public water utilities, therefore, have begun to augment their treatment processes to specifically remove taste-and odor-causing compounds, such as geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (5-7). Although a few alternative technologies can be used, filtration using biologically active, granular activated carbon (BAC) has proven successful because of its simplicity (i.e., it is easily retrofitted into preexisting operations) and effectiveness (8, 9). Filtration with BAC differs from filtration with conventional granular media (e.g., sand and anthracite) because of its high sorptive capacity (6, 8) as well as the active biofilm that grows on its surface (10-13). The biofilm on the BAC filter medium provides direct biodegradation of dissolved geosmin as well as biological regeneration of the filter medium by metabolizing the initially sorbed geosmin as it desorbs from the carbon (8,14).In this study, we investigated the bacterial community dynamics of the full-scale BAC filters at the Saint Paul Regional Water Surfaces (SPRWS) in St. Pau...

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“…Therefore, final conclusions have to await the isolation of these NOB and the availability of pure cultures to confirm the results. The preferred incubation temperature of 17°C, in contrast to the higher preferred incubation temperatures of the other cultures (28 to 37°C), shows why Nitrotoga is apparently widely distributed in cold-affected environments (24,26), in particular, in pristine soils (69) or freshwater systems (25). Nevertheless, Nitrotoga is not restricted to nutrient-limiting habitats, since it is also abundant in sewage (27,29).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An open question is the relevance of the new candidate genus Nitrotoga (24) for the treatment of wastewaters. These NOB were detected primarily in soils (24) but also occur in cave biofilm (25), freshwater (26), and activated sludge (27)(28)(29).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Oxidation Kinetics of Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria: Nitrite Availability as a Key Factor in Niche Differentiation

Nowka

Daims

Spieck

2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

293

208

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Nitrification has an immense impact on nitrogen cycling in natural ecosystems and in wastewater treatment plants. Mathematical models function as tools to capture the complexity of these biological systems, but kinetic parameters especially of nitriteoxidizing bacteria (NOB) are lacking because of a limited number of pure cultures until recently. In this study, we compared the nitrite oxidation kinetics of six pure cultures and one enrichment culture representing three genera of NOB (Nitrobacter, Nitrospira, Nitrotoga). With half-saturation constants (K m ) between 9 and 27 M nitrite, Nitrospira bacteria are adapted to live under significant substrate limitation. Nitrobacter showed a wide range of lower substrate affinities, with K m values between 49 and 544 M nitrite. However, the advantage of Nitrobacter emerged under excess nitrite supply, sustaining high maximum specific activities (V max ) of 64 to 164 mol nitrite/mg protein/h, contrary to the lower activities of Nitrospira of 18 to 48 mol nitrite/mg protein/h. The V max (26 mol nitrite/mg protein/h) and K m (58 M nitrite) of "Candidatus Nitrotoga arctica" measured at a low temperature of 17°C suggest that Nitrotoga can advantageously compete with other NOB, especially in cold habitats. The kinetic parameters determined represent improved basis values for nitrifying models and will support predictions of community structure and nitrification rates in natural and engineered ecosystems.A erobic nitrite oxidation is the second microbially mediated part of nitrification, a key process in the global nitrogen cycle, catalyzed by autotrophic, slow-growing nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Under nitrifying conditions, the growth of NOB is directly linked to the nitrite production rate and the kinetics of nitrite oxidation (1). Nitrification occurs in almost every aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem, in natural as well as in artificial environments like wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). The intermediate nitrite hardly accumulates, but local or temporary peaks might appear especially when conditions suddenly change or adverse conditions like alkaline pH values impair NOB activity (2). In WWTPs, disturbances can cause nitrite peaks after destabilization of the NOB guild (3). In soils, nitrite concentrations can vary from ϳ0.01 to ϳ100 g of nitrogen g of soil Ϫ1 , with the highest values measured in fertilized samples (4). Therefore, the concentration of nitrite as the substrate of NOB varies and is regarded as one major factor providing niche differentiation (5). In the ecological context, field studies are important to characterize nitrifying communities with specific activities and affinities for nitrite, but for a better understanding of wastewater treatment processes, mathematical models are required (6). Such models include ecophysiological kinetic data, which are known primarily for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) (7). They provide the substrate nitrite for the second major step of nitrification. However, the development of two-step nitrification models also ...

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Microbial Survey of a Full-Scale, Biologically Active Filter for Treatment of Drinking Water

Abstract: ABSTRACTThe microbial community of a full-scale, biologically active drinking water filter was surveyed using molecular techniques.Nitrosomonas,Nitrospira,Sphingomonadales, andRhizobialesdominated the c… Show more

Cited by 54 publications

References 41 publications

Metagenomic analysis of rapid gravity sand filter microbial communities suggests novel physiology ofNitrospiraspp.

Metagenomic analysis of rapid gravity sand filter microbial communities suggests novel physiology ofNitrospiraspp.

The Bacterial Communities of Full-Scale Biologically Active, Granular Activated Carbon Filters Are Stable and Diverse and Potentially Contain Novel Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms

Comparison of Oxidation Kinetics of Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacteria: Nitrite Availability as a Key Factor in Niche Differentiation

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