Vignola, M. , Lenselink, J., Quinn, D., Ijaz, U. Z. , Pereira, R., Sloan, W. T. , Connelly, S. , Moore, G., Gauchotte-Lindsay, C. and Smith, C. J. (2023) Differential utilisation of dissolved organic matter compound fractions by different biofilter microbial communities. AQUA: Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society, 72(10), pp. 1837-1851. (doi: 10.2166/aqua.2023.036)
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Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a complex mixture of carbon-based compounds present in natural aquatic systems, which significantly affects drinking water treatment processes. Biofiltration, utilising biologically active beds of porous medium, offers a low-energy and low-chemical solution for controlling bioavailable DOM. However, the impact of microbial community composition on DOM degradation in biofilters remains poorly understood. This study aimed to explore the abilities of microbial communities from the top, middle, and bottom (TOP, MID, and BOT) of a biofilter to process DOM. We showed varying growth rates on the DOM, with bottom community exhibiting the highest cell abundance at the end of the experiment (1.83 × 106 ± 9 × 103; 2.06 × 106 ± 1 × 104; 2.15 × 106 ± 7 × 103 cells/mL for the TOP, MID, and BOT, respectively). The three communities showed different preferences for utilising specific DOM fractions, with the bottom community targeting more complex ones. The microbial communities from the bottom of the biofilter had a higher relative abundance of the Curvibacter genus, suggesting it could play a crucial role in degrading complex DOM fractions. These findings highlight the influence of microbial community composition on DOM degradation in biofilters, providing valuable insights for optimising their performance.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | This work is supported by Royal Academy of Engineering-Scottish Water Research Chair (RCSRF171864); M.V. was supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering under the Research Fellowship scheme (RF\201819\18\198); U.Z.I. is supported by NERC, UK, NE/L011956/1. R.P. acknowledges financial support to the European Research Council BOOGIE project under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (grant number 949495). W.S. acknowledges financial support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for the Decentralised Water Technologies project (EPSCR/V030515/1). |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | Smith, Professor Cindy and Connelly, Dr Stephanie and Lenselink, Jeanine and Quinn, Mr Dominic and Gauchotte-Lindsay, Professor Caroline and Vignola, Dr Marta and Sloan, Professor William and Ijaz, Dr Umer |
| Authors: | Vignola, M., Lenselink, J., Quinn, D., Ijaz, U. Z., Pereira, R., Sloan, W. T., Connelly, S., Moore, G., Gauchotte-Lindsay, C., and Smith, C. J. |
| College/School: | College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Infrastructure and Environment |
| Journal Name: | AQUA: Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society |
| Publisher: | IWA Publishing |
| ISSN: | 2709-8028 |
| ISSN (Online): | 2709-8036 |
| Published Online: | 08 September 2023 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2023 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in AQUA: Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society 72(10):1837-1851 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons license |
| Data DOI: | 10.5525/gla.researchdata.1506 |
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