Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Development of Sulfidogenic Sludge from Marine Sediments and Trichloroethylene Reduction in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor
Published on: October 15, 2015
Deciphering synergistic mechanism of coupled mediation of signaling molecule and sulfate-reducing bacteria for
Yimin Jing1, Shuli Liu1, Qianxu Li1
1Department of Water Supply and Drainage, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China.
Abstract:
The restricted bioconversion of C3-C5 short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) to acetate due to thermodynamic limitations is the main bottleneck during sludge fermentation. To alleviate this constraint, this study developed an optimized approach by integrating quorum sensing regulation with incomplete-oxidation sulfate-reducing bacteria (io-SRB) to improve the selective conversion of carbon towards acetate. The results revealed that the addition of 5 μM C8-HSL combined with io-SRB led to the highest SCFAs and acetate production at 141.9 mg COD/g VSS and 87.2 mg COD/g VSS at 5 d, which was 37% and 37% higher than the group without C8-HSL addition, while increase the C8-HSL dosage had no significant promotion of SCFAs production. C8-HSL effectively accelerated the efficient utilization of soluble carbohydrates and proteins during sludge fermentation, and functional group analysis further confirmed its promotional effect on the biotransformation of macromolecular organic matter throughout the fermentation process. Functional microbes, i.e., hydrolytic bacteria, acid-producing bacteria, and io-SRB (e.g., Desulfobulbus and Desulfovibrio), were enriched in the 5 μM C8-HSL system. The molecular ecological network and Mantel analysis revealed cooperative interactions among these functional microorganisms. Moreover, the synergistic effects of exogenous C8-HSL with io-SRB enhanced the expression of key functional genes involved in glycolysis, amino acid metabolism, and acetate synthesis pathways. These findings may improve the understanding of the biological transformation mechanisms of sludge organic matter, and provide useful theoretical support for the efficient production of value-added products from sludge fermentation.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Sulfur Assimilation
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Microbes and the Sulfur Cycle
Microbes and Methanogenesis
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Bioreactor Controls-III

