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Community level physiological profiling of microbial electrochemical-based constructed wetlands
Carlos A Ramírez-Vargas1, Carlos A Arias1, Liang Zhang1
1Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark; WATEC, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.
The Science of the Total Environment
|March 13, 2020
Summary
Constructed wetlands enhanced with METland systems show varied microbial activity based on material type, not plant presence. Coke-A materials foster more uniform microbial biofilms, impacting pollutant removal efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
- Water Treatment Technologies
Background:
- Constructed wetlands (CW) show enhanced pollutant removal with microbial electrochemical technologies (METs), specifically METland systems.
- Understanding microbial activity and pollutant removal in novel METland systems is crucial but challenging due to complex genetic analysis.
- Community-level physiological profiling (CLPP) offers a functional alternative to genetic analysis for assessing microbial diversity via carbon utilization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To functionally characterize the microbial communities in laboratory-scale METland systems using CLPP.
- To investigate the influence of electroconductive materials (Coke-A, Coke-LSN) and plant presence on microbial activity.
- To correlate microbial metabolic profiles with water quality parameters and pollutant removal.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Community-Level Physiological Profiling (CLPP) to assess microbial functional diversity based on carbon source utilization.
- Analyzed planted and non-planted METland systems with Coke-A and Coke-LSN electroconductive materials, compared to sand-filled columns.
- Measured water quality parameters and correlated them with microbial activity indexes like Average Well Color Development (AWCD), richness, and diversity.
Main Results:
- Microbial metabolic activity was primarily influenced by the characteristics of the substrate material, not by the presence of plants.
- Coke-A systems exhibited lower AWCD, richness, and diversity compared to Sand and Coke-LSN systems, indicating more homogeneous microbial communities.
- Established correlations between specific carbon source utilization patterns and the removal efficiency of pollutants in the METland systems.
Conclusions:
- The choice of electroconductive material significantly impacts microbial community structure and function in METland systems.
- Coke-A material supports the development of specialized, homogeneous microbial biofilms, potentially optimizing pollutant degradation.
- CLPP provides valuable insights into the spatial dynamics of microbial activity, aiding in the design and optimization of METland systems for wastewater treatment.
