Two-phase integrated sludge thickening and digestion (TISTD) reactor microbial diversity and community structure...

A two-phase integrated sludge thickening and digestion (TISTD) reactor composed of an inner and an outer reactor was developed. Acidification of natural organic material was the primary process in the outer reactor, whilst methane production was the dominant bioreaction occurring in the inner one. The special structure of TISTD thus enables the effective separation of the acid production phase and methane production phase during sludge processing. Molecular biological technology, including 16S rRNA gene and PCR-TGGE, was utilized to investigate the overall microbial community structure and diversity, as well as the processes of dynamic change. Analysis was also conducted on succinate dehydrogenase and coenzyme F420 change trends at each dosing ratio. The microbial community structure of the system exhibited disorder gradually and led to collapse when the dosing ratio increased above 30 %.