Air-side ammonia stripping coupled to anaerobic digestion indirectly impacts anaerobic microbiome

Post-hydrolysis versus side-stream ammonia stripping in semi-continuous two-stage anaerobic digestion of high nitrogen feedstock

With the increased popularity of two-stage anaerobic digesters, post-hydrolysis ammonia stripping (PHAS) has resurfaced as a new possible treatment configuration. This study discusses for the first time the semi-continuous operation of PHAS and compares it with the most used stripping configuration nowadays, side-stream ammonia stripping (SSAS), under similar conditions using air or renewable natural gas (RNG) as stripping mediums. Ammonia stripping operating conditions were set to pH 9.5, 55 °C, and flowrate of 100 L gas/L/hour. RNG removed 50-58% of ammonia while air removed 70-78%. Interestingly, the PHAS system showed more flexibility and resilience than the SSAS system when testing parameters were changed. Volumetric and specific biogas production from PHAS and SSAS scenarios averaged up to 1.91 and 1.26 L/L/day and 831 and 701 L biogas/ kg VS/day under organic loading rates of 2.61 and 1.8 g VS/L/day, respectively.

Novel approach to ammonia recovery from anaerobic digestion via side-stream stripping at multiple pH levels

Ammonia recovery from anaerobic digesters via side-stream stripping is a technique to recover nitrogen from manure wastes. This study demonstrated a novel approach to determining ammonia recovery to maintain total ammonia concentrations in the digester in the range of 1.7-2.1 gN/L. Increasing the pH during stripping from 8, 8.5 to 9.5 did not affect the stability of the digester. Methane yields of 60-80 mL/(gVS.d) and volatile fatty acid concentrations of 0-500 mg/L were reported throughout its operation. The low solubilisation increase upon recirculation of the digestate explained the lack of change in methane yields due to side-stream stripping. Increasing the pH during stripping also did not affect the digester's operating pH, which was attributed to the neutralising effect of biogas as stripping gas. Therefore, total ammonia concentrations in the digester can be controlled by determining the extent of ammonia recovery, and the pH during stripping can be increased without compromising the digester's stability.

Impact of combined biological hydrolysis and anaerobic digestion temperatures on the characteristics of bacterial community and digestate quality in the treatment of wastewater sludge

This work investigated the impact of temperature on the digestate water quality and bacterial community in the treatment of wastewater sludge using biological hydrolysis (BH)-anaerobic digestion (AD). The results showed that the BH 55 °C followed by AD 35 °C or 42 °C was the optimal temperature combination in terms of methane yield and digestate water quality. High-throughput sequencing revealed the key differences in bacterial communities for different BH-AD temperature combinations. Microbial source tracking showed only minor microbial migration from raw sludge and BH pre-treated sludge to the AD stage. Strong correlations between the residual sCOD, BH-AD temperature conditions, and dominant bacteria were identified. Clostridiales, Bacteroidales, Cloacimonadales, Thermotogales, and Anaerolineales were closely related to the digestate water quality and methane yield. Overall, the results showed that AD temperature exerted a dominant impact on methane yield, digestate water quality, and bacterial compositions in the BH-AD of wastewater sludge.

The absolute concentration and bioavailability of trace elements: Two vital parameters affecting anaerobic digestion performance of chicken manure leachate

It is currently unclear whether trace elements (TEs) deficiency is due to low bioavailability or low absolute TEs concentrations, especially in high-pH anaerobic digestion (AD) systems. A mixed solution of TEs and EDTA-Na₂ were used separately in mono-AD of chicken manure (CM) leachate to investigate this research gap. The results showed relatively low bioavailability of Fe, Mn, and Zn. The bioavailability of all TEs remained stable along with a gradual increase in total ammonia nitrogen concentration. Both TE and EDTA-Na₂ supplementation improved the bioavailability of TEs, but TEs supplementation also gave a high proportion of soluble TEs. Adding TEs improved methane production efficiency (+38.3%) and decreased the H₂S content. The exchangeable fraction of specific TE (Mo) in H₂/CO₂ pathway was higher in the TEs treatment. TEs bioavailability and absolute concentrations of available TEs are critical aspects that need to be scrutinized to assess the risk of TEs deficiency.

Time-course analysis of metabolomic and microbial responses in anaerobic digesters exposed to ammonia

Omics longitudinal studies are effective experimental designs to inform on the stability and dynamics of microbial communities in response to perturbations, but time-course analytical frameworks are required to fully exploit the temporal information acquired in this context. In this study we investigate the influence of ammonia on the stability of anaerobic digestion (AD) microbiome with a new statistical framework. Ammonia can severely reduce AD performance. Understanding how it affects microbial communities development and the degradation progress is a key operational issue to propose more stable processes. Thirty batch digesters were set-up with different levels of ammonia. Microbial community structure and metabolomic profiles were monitored with 16 S-metabarcoding and GCMS (gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry). Digesters were first grouped according to similar degradation performances. Within each group, time profiles of OTUs and metabolites were modelled, then clustered into similar time trajectories, evidencing for example a syntrophic interaction between Syntrophomonas and Methanoculleus that was maintained up to 387 mg FAN/L. Metabolites resulting from organic matter fermentation, such as dehydroabietic or phytanic acid, decreased with increasing ammonia levels. Our analytical framework enabled to fully account for time variability and integrate this parameter in data analysis.

Similar Methanogenic Shift but Divergent Syntrophic Partners in Anaerobic Digesters Exposed to Direct versus Successive Ammonium Additions

During anaerobic digestion (AD) of protein-rich wastewater, ammonium (NH4+) is released by amino acid degradation. High NH4+ concentrations disturb the AD microbiome balance, leading to process impairments. The sensitivity of the AD microbiome to NH4+ and the inhibition threshold depend on multiple parameters, especially the previous microbial acclimation to ammonium stress. However, little is known about the effect of different NH4+ acclimation strategies on the differential expression of key active microbial taxa. Here, we applied NH4+ inputs of increasing intensity (from 1.7 to 15.2 g N-NH4+ liters-1) in batch assays fed with synthetic wastewater, according to two different strategies: (i) direct independent inputs at a unique target concentration and (ii) successive inputs in a stepwise manner. In both strategies, along the NH4+ gradient, the active methanogens shifted from acetoclastic Methanosaeta to Methanosarcina and eventually hydrogenotrophic Methanoculleus. Despite shorter latency times, the successive input modality led to lower methane production rate, lower soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) removal efficiency, and lower half maximal inhibitory concentration, together with higher volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation, compared to the independent input modality. These differential performances were associated with a drastically distinct succession pattern of the active bacterial partners in both experiments. In particular, the direct exposure modality was characterized by a progressive enrichment of VFA producers (mainly Tepidimicrobium) and syntrophic VFA oxidizers (mainly Syntrophaceticus) with increasing NH4+ concentration, while the successive exposure modality was characterized by a more dynamic succession of VFA producers (mainly Clostridium, Sporanaerobacter, Terrisporobacter) and syntrophic VFA oxidizers (mainly Tepidanaerobacter, Syntrophomonas). These results bring relevant insights for improved process management through inoculum adaptation, bioaugmentation, or community-driven optimization. IMPORTANCE Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an attractive biotechnological process for wastewater bioremediation and bioenergy production in the form of methane-rich biogas. However, AD can be inhibited by ammonium generated by protein-rich effluent, commonly found in agro-industrial activities. Insights in the microbial community composition and identification of AD key players are crucial for anticipating process impairments in response to ammonium stress. They can also help in defining an optimal microbiome adapted to high ammonium levels. Here, we compared two strategies for acclimation of AD microbiome to increasing ammonium concentration to better understand the effect of this stress on the methanogens and their bacterial partners. Our results suggest that long-term cumulative exposure to ammonia disrupted the AD microbiome more strongly than direct (independent) ammonium additions. We identified bioindicators with different NH4+ tolerance capacity among VFA producers and syntrophic VFA oxidizers.

Synergistic ammonia and fatty acids inhibition of microbial communities during slaughterhouse waste digestion for biogas production

The slaughterhouse waste (SHW) contains high organics which makes SHW a feasible feedstock for anaerobic digestion (AD). The present study systematically assessed the microbiome response and biomethanation along with the production of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and ammonia under 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% (w v^-1) loadings of SHW in AD. The optimum loading was 2% SHW which resulted in maximum biomethane production and VFAs consumption. A higher SHW concentration (4% and 6%) resulted in a prolonged lag-phase and decreased biomethane production. High VFAs (28.88 g L^-1) and ammonia nitrogen (>4 g L^-1) accumulation were observed at 8% SHW leading to permanent inhibition of biomethane and methanogenic archaea. An increase in ammonia and VFAs concentration, at 4% and 6% SHW loadings, shifted the methanogenic pathway from acetoclastic to hydrogenotrophic lead by Methanoculleus. Acetoclastic Methanosaeta (77.15%) dominated the reactors loaded with 2% SHW resulting in the highest biomethane production.

Biomethanation and microbial community response during agricultural biomass and shrimp chaff digestion

Anaerobic digestion, a promising technology for waste utilization and bioenergy generation, is a suitable approach to convert the shrimp waste to biomethane, reducing its environmental impact. In this study, shrimp chaff (SC) was co-digested corn straw (CS), wheat straw (WS), and sugarcane bagasse (SB). In co-digestion, SC enhanced biomethane production of CS by 8.47-fold, followed by SC + WS (5.67-folds), and SC + SB (3.37-folds). SC addition to agricultural biomass digestion also promoted the volatile solids removal up to 85%. Microbial community analysis of SC and CS co-digestion presented the dominance of phylum Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Euryarchaeota. Proteolytic bacteria were dominant (18.02%) during co-digestion of SC and CS, with Proteiniphilum as major bacterial genera (14%) that converts complex proteinaceous substrates to organic acids. Among the archaeal community, Methanosarcina responsible for conversion of acetate and hydrogen to biomethane, increased up to 70.77% in SC and CS digestion. Addition of SC to the digestion of agricultural wastes can significantly improve the biomethane production along with its effective management to reduce environmental risks.

Obstacles faced by methanogenic archaea originating from substrate-driven toxicants in anaerobic digestion

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is used to treat waste and produce bioenergy. However, toxicants, which originate from the substrate, can inhibit or damage the digestion process. Methanogenic archaea (MA), which are the executor in the methanogenesis stage, are more sensitive than bacteria to these toxicants. This review discusses the effects of substrate-driven toxicants, namely, antibiotics, H₂S and sulfate, heavy metals (HMs), long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), and ammonia nitrogen, on the activity of MAs, methanogenic pathways, and the inter-genus succession of MAs. The adverse effects of these five toxicants on MA include effects on pH, damages to cell membranes, the prevention of protein synthesis, changes in hydrogen partial pressure, a reduction in the bioavailability of trace elements, and hindrance of mass transfer. These effects cause a reduction in MA activity and the succession of MAs and methanogenic pathways, which affect AD performance. Under the stress of these toxicants, succession occurs among HA (hydrogenotrophic methanogen), AA (acetoclastic methanogen), and MM (methylotrophic methanogen), especially HA gradually replaces AA as the dominant MA. Simultaneously, the dominant methanogenic pathway also changes from the aceticlastic pathway to other methanogenic pathways. A comprehensive understanding of the impact of toxicants on MA permits more specific targeting when developing strategies to mitigate or eliminate the effects of these toxicants.

Microbial invasions in sludge anaerobic digesters

Among processes that control microbial community assembly, microbial invasion has received little attention until recently, especially in the field of anaerobic digestion. However, knowledge of the principles regulating the taxonomic and functional stability of microbial communities is key to truly develop better predictive models and effective management strategies for the anaerobic digestion process. To date, available studies focus on microbial invasions in digesters feed with activated sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants. Herein, this review summarizes the importance of invasions for anaerobic digestion management, the ecological theories about microbial invasions, the traits of activated sludge microorganisms entering the digesters, and the resident communities of anaerobic reactors that are relevant for invasions and the current knowledge about the success and impacts of invasions, and discusses the research needs on this topic. The initial data indicate that the impact of invasions is low and only a small percentage of the mostly aerobic microorganisms present in the activated sludge feed are able to become stablished in the anaerobic digesters. However, there are still numerous unknowns about microbial invasions in anaerobic digestion including the influence of anaerobic feedstocks or process perturbances that new approaches on microbial ecology could unveil. KEY POINTS: • Microbial invasions are key processes to develop better strategies for digesters management. • Knowledge on pathogen invasions can improve anaerobic digestion microbial safety. • To date, the number of successful invasions on anaerobic digesters from activated sludge organisms is low. • Feed organisms detected in digesters are mostly inactive residual populations. • Need to expand the range of invaders and operational scenarios studied.

Simultaneous Stripping of Ammonia from Leachate: Experimental Insights and Key Microbial Players

Air stripping is commonly used to remove the ammonia in multistage treatment systems for municipal landfill leachate (LFL). This paper proposes a novel approach combining the process of stripping with biological removal of ammonia, based on simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) in a single hybrid sequencing batch reactor (HSBR). To avoid the accumulation of free ammonia (N-FAN), the shallow aeration system was used for the treatment of raw LFL with N-TAN level of 1520 mg/L and pH 9.24. The mean N-FAN removal efficiency of 69% with the reaction rate of 55 mg L−1 h−1 and mean ammonium (N-NH4+) removal efficiency of 84% with the reaction rate of 44 mg L−1 h−1 were achieved within a month in such an HSBR (R1). The comparative HSBR (R2), with conventional aeration system maintaining the same concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO ≤ 1 mg/L), was removing only trace amounts of N-FAN and 48% of N-NH4+. The quantitative analysis of 16S rRNA genes indicated that the number of total bacteria, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria increased during the operation of both HSBRs, but was always higher in R1. Moreover, the bacterial community shift was observed since the beginning of the experiment; the relative abundance of Firmicutes, and Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria increased by 5.01, 3.25 and 9.67% respectively, whilst the abundance of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria decreased by 15.59 and 0.95%. All of the surveyed bacteria groups, except Gammaproteobacteria, correlated significantly negatively (p < 0.001) with the concentrations of N-NH4+ in the outflows from R1. The results allow us to suppose that simultaneous stripping and SND in a single reactor could be a promising, cost-effective and easy-to-operate solution for LFL treatment.