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Arthur R, Antonczyk S, Off S, Scherer PA. Mesophilic and Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Wheat Straw in a CSTR System with 'Synthetic Manure': Impact of Nickel and Tungsten on Methane Yields, Cell Count, and Microbiome. Bioengineering (Basel) 2022; 9:bioengineering9010013. [PMID: 35049722 PMCID: PMC8772805 DOI: 10.3390/bioengineering9010013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Lignocellulosic residues, such as straw, are currently considered as candidates for biogas production. Therefore, straw fermentations were performed to quantitatively estimate methane yields and cell counts, as well as to qualitatively determine the microbiome. Six fully automated, continuously stirred biogas reactors were used: three mesophilic (41 °C) and three thermophilic (58 °C). They were fed every 8 h with milled wheat straw suspension in a defined, buffered salt solution, called 'synthetic manure'. Total reflection X-ray fluorescence spectrometry analyses showed nickel and tungsten deficiency in the straw suspension. Supplementation of nickel and subsequently tungsten, or with an increasing combined dosage of both elements, resulted in a final concentration of approximately 0.1 mg/L active, dissolved tungsten ions, which caused an increase of the specific methane production, up to 63% under mesophilic and 31% under thermophilic conditions. That is the same optimal range for pure cultures of methanogens or bacteria found in literature. A simultaneous decrease of volatile fatty acids occurred. The Ni/W effect occurred with all three organic loading rates, being 4.5, 7.5, and 9.0 g volatile solids per litre and day, with a concomitant hydraulic retention time of 18, 10, or 8 days, respectively. A maximum specific methane production of 0.254 m3 CH4, under standard temperature and pressure per kg volatile solids (almost 90% degradation), was obtained. After the final supplementation of tungsten, the cell counts of methanogens increased by 300%, while the total microbial cell counts increased by only 3-62%. The mesophilic methanogenic microflora was shifted from the acetotrophic Methanosaeta to the hydrogenotrophic Methanoculleus (85%) by tungsten, whereas the H2-CO2-converter, Methanothermobacter, always dominated in the thermophilic fermenters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Arthur
- Energy Systems Engineering Department, Koforidua Technical University, Koforidua P.O. Box KF 981, Ghana;
| | - Sebastian Antonczyk
- Research Center for Biomass Utilization, Faculty Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), 20099 Hamburg, Germany; (S.A.); (S.O.)
| | - Sandra Off
- Research Center for Biomass Utilization, Faculty Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), 20099 Hamburg, Germany; (S.A.); (S.O.)
| | - Paul A. Scherer
- Research Center for Biomass Utilization, Faculty Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), 20099 Hamburg, Germany; (S.A.); (S.O.)
- Correspondence:
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Hassa J, Maus I, Off S, Pühler A, Scherer P, Klocke M, Schlüter A. Metagenome, metatranscriptome, and metaproteome approaches unraveled compositions and functional relationships of microbial communities residing in biogas plants. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:5045-5063. [PMID: 29713790 PMCID: PMC5959977 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8976-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The production of biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural residues, organic wastes, animal excrements, municipal sludge, and energy crops has a firm place in sustainable energy production and bio-economy strategies. Focusing on the microbial community involved in biomass conversion offers the opportunity to control and engineer the biogas process with the objective to optimize its efficiency. Taxonomic profiling of biogas producing communities by means of high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing provided high-resolution insights into bacterial and archaeal structures of AD assemblages and their linkages to fed substrates and process parameters. Commonly, the bacterial phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes appeared to dominate biogas communities in varying abundances depending on the apparent process conditions. Regarding the community of methanogenic Archaea, their diversity was mainly affected by the nature and composition of the substrates, availability of nutrients and ammonium/ammonia contents, but not by the temperature. It also appeared that a high proportion of 16S rRNA sequences can only be classified on higher taxonomic ranks indicating that many community members and their participation in AD within functional networks are still unknown. Although cultivation-based approaches to isolate microorganisms from biogas fermentation samples yielded hundreds of novel species and strains, this approach intrinsically is limited to the cultivable fraction of the community. To obtain genome sequence information of non-cultivable biogas community members, metagenome sequencing including assembly and binning strategies was highly valuable. Corresponding research has led to the compilation of hundreds of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) frequently representing novel taxa whose metabolism and lifestyle could be reconstructed based on nucleotide sequence information. In contrast to metagenome analyses revealing the genetic potential of microbial communities, metatranscriptome sequencing provided insights into the metabolically active community. Taking advantage of genome sequence information, transcriptional activities were evaluated considering the microorganism's genetic background. Metaproteome studies uncovered enzyme profiles expressed by biogas community members. Enzymes involved in cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition and utilization of other complex biopolymers were identified. Future studies on biogas functional microbial networks will increasingly involve integrated multi-omics analyses evaluating metagenome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Hassa
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
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Hassa J, Maus I, Off S, Pühler A, Scherer P, Klocke M, Schlüter A. Metagenome, metatranscriptome, and metaproteome approaches unraveled compositions and functional relationships of microbial communities residing in biogas plants. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018. [PMID: 29713790 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-8976-7)] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The production of biogas by anaerobic digestion (AD) of agricultural residues, organic wastes, animal excrements, municipal sludge, and energy crops has a firm place in sustainable energy production and bio-economy strategies. Focusing on the microbial community involved in biomass conversion offers the opportunity to control and engineer the biogas process with the objective to optimize its efficiency. Taxonomic profiling of biogas producing communities by means of high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing provided high-resolution insights into bacterial and archaeal structures of AD assemblages and their linkages to fed substrates and process parameters. Commonly, the bacterial phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes appeared to dominate biogas communities in varying abundances depending on the apparent process conditions. Regarding the community of methanogenic Archaea, their diversity was mainly affected by the nature and composition of the substrates, availability of nutrients and ammonium/ammonia contents, but not by the temperature. It also appeared that a high proportion of 16S rRNA sequences can only be classified on higher taxonomic ranks indicating that many community members and their participation in AD within functional networks are still unknown. Although cultivation-based approaches to isolate microorganisms from biogas fermentation samples yielded hundreds of novel species and strains, this approach intrinsically is limited to the cultivable fraction of the community. To obtain genome sequence information of non-cultivable biogas community members, metagenome sequencing including assembly and binning strategies was highly valuable. Corresponding research has led to the compilation of hundreds of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) frequently representing novel taxa whose metabolism and lifestyle could be reconstructed based on nucleotide sequence information. In contrast to metagenome analyses revealing the genetic potential of microbial communities, metatranscriptome sequencing provided insights into the metabolically active community. Taking advantage of genome sequence information, transcriptional activities were evaluated considering the microorganism's genetic background. Metaproteome studies uncovered enzyme profiles expressed by biogas community members. Enzymes involved in cellulose and hemicellulose decomposition and utilization of other complex biopolymers were identified. Future studies on biogas functional microbial networks will increasingly involve integrated multi-omics analyses evaluating metagenome, transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Hassa
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Dept. Biotechnologie, Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW) Hamburg Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Genome Research of Industrial Microorganisms, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany.
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Maus I, Kim YS, Wibberg D, Stolze Y, Off S, Antonczyk S, Pühler A, Scherer P, Schlüter A. Biphasic Study to Characterize Agricultural Biogas Plants by High-Throughput 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing and Microscopic Analysis. J Microbiol Biotechnol 2017; 27:321-334. [PMID: 27780961 DOI: 10.4014/jmb.1605.05083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Process surveillance within agricultural biogas plants (BGPs) was concurrently studied by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and an optimized quantitative microscopic fingerprinting (QMF) technique. In contrast to 16S rRNA gene amplicons, digitalized microscopy is a rapid and cost-effective method that facilitates enumeration and morphological differentiation of the most significant groups of methanogens regarding their shape and characteristic autofluorescent factor 420. Moreover, the fluorescence signal mirrors cell vitality. In this study, four different BGPs were investigated. The results indicated stable process performance in the mesophilic BGPs and in the thermophilic reactor. Bacterial subcommunity characterization revealed significant differences between the four BGPs. Most remarkably, the genera Defluviitoga and Halocella dominated the thermophilic bacterial subcommunity, whereas members of another taxon, Syntrophaceticus, were found to be abundant in the mesophilic BGP. The domain Archaea was dominated by the genus Methanoculleus in all four BGPs, followed by Methanosaeta in BGP1 and BGP3. In contrast, Methanothermobacter members were highly abundant in the thermophilic BGP4. Furthermore, a high consistency between the sequencing approach and the QMF method was shown, especially for the thermophilic BGP. The differences elucidated that using this biphasic approach for mesophilic BGPs provided novel insights regarding disaggregated single cells of Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta species. Both dominated the archaeal subcommunity and replaced coccoid Methanoculleus members belonging to the same group of Methanomicrobiales that have been frequently observed in similar BGPs. This work demonstrates that combining QMF and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing is a complementary strategy to describe archaeal community structures within biogas processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Maus
- Bielefeld University, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Genome Research and Systems Biology, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Yong Sung Kim
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), Faculty Life Sciences / Research Center "Biomass Utilization Hamburg", Laboratory for Applied Microbiology, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Daniel Wibberg
- Bielefeld University, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Genome Research and Systems Biology, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Yvonne Stolze
- Bielefeld University, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Genome Research and Systems Biology, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), Faculty Life Sciences / Research Center "Biomass Utilization Hamburg", Laboratory for Applied Microbiology, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Sebastian Antonczyk
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), Faculty Life Sciences / Research Center "Biomass Utilization Hamburg", Laboratory for Applied Microbiology, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Bielefeld University, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Genome Research and Systems Biology, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW), Faculty Life Sciences / Research Center "Biomass Utilization Hamburg", Laboratory for Applied Microbiology, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Bielefeld University, Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Genome Research and Systems Biology, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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Maus I, Bremges A, Stolze Y, Hahnke S, Cibis KG, Koeck DE, Kim YS, Kreubel J, Hassa J, Wibberg D, Weimann A, Off S, Stantscheff R, Zverlov VV, Schwarz WH, König H, Liebl W, Scherer P, McHardy AC, Sczyrba A, Klocke M, Pühler A, Schlüter A. Genomics and prevalence of bacterial and archaeal isolates from biogas-producing microbiomes. Biotechnol Biofuels 2017; 10:264. [PMID: 29158776 PMCID: PMC5684752 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-017-0947-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND To elucidate biogas microbial communities and processes, the application of high-throughput DNA analysis approaches is becoming increasingly important. Unfortunately, generated data can only partialy be interpreted rudimentary since databases lack reference sequences. RESULTS Novel cellulolytic, hydrolytic, and acidogenic/acetogenic Bacteria as well as methanogenic Archaea originating from different anaerobic digestion communities were analyzed on the genomic level to assess their role in biomass decomposition and biogas production. Some of the analyzed bacterial strains were recently described as new species and even genera, namely Herbinix hemicellulosilytica T3/55T, Herbinix luporum SD1DT, Clostridium bornimense M2/40T, Proteiniphilum saccharofermentans M3/6T, Fermentimonas caenicola ING2-E5BT, and Petrimonas mucosa ING2-E5AT. High-throughput genome sequencing of 22 anaerobic digestion isolates enabled functional genome interpretation, metabolic reconstruction, and prediction of microbial traits regarding their abilities to utilize complex bio-polymers and to perform specific fermentation pathways. To determine the prevalence of the isolates included in this study in different biogas systems, corresponding metagenome fragment mappings were done. Methanoculleus bourgensis was found to be abundant in three mesophilic biogas plants studied and slightly less abundant in a thermophilic biogas plant, whereas Defluviitoga tunisiensis was only prominent in the thermophilic system. Moreover, several of the analyzed species were clearly detectable in the mesophilic biogas plants, but appeared to be only moderately abundant. Among the species for which genome sequence information was publicly available prior to this study, only the species Amphibacillus xylanus, Clostridium clariflavum, and Lactobacillus acidophilus are of importance for the biogas microbiomes analyzed, but did not reach the level of abundance as determined for M. bourgensis and D. tunisiensis. CONCLUSIONS Isolation of key anaerobic digestion microorganisms and their functional interpretation was achieved by application of elaborated cultivation techniques and subsequent genome analyses. New isolates and their genome information extend the repository covering anaerobic digestion community members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas Bremges
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), partner site Hannover-Braunscheig, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Yvonne Stolze
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sarah Hahnke
- Department Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Katharina G. Cibis
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniela E. Koeck
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Yong S. Kim
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Jana Kreubel
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Julia Hassa
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Daniel Wibberg
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Aaron Weimann
- Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Robbin Stantscheff
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
- Institut für Forensische Genetik GmbH, Im Derdel 8, 48168 Münster, Germany
| | - Vladimir V. Zverlov
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Russian Academy of Science, Kurchatov Sq. 2, Moscow, 123182 Russia
| | - Wolfgang H. Schwarz
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Helmut König
- Johannes Gutenberg-University, Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johann-Joachim Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Liebl
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Alice C. McHardy
- Computational Biology of Infection Research, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Inhoffenstraße 7, 38124 Brunswick, Germany
| | - Alexander Sczyrba
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Department Bioengineering, Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Universitätsstrasse 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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Maus I, Koeck DE, Cibis KG, Hahnke S, Kim YS, Langer T, Kreubel J, Erhard M, Bremges A, Off S, Stolze Y, Jaenicke S, Goesmann A, Sczyrba A, Scherer P, König H, Schwarz WH, Zverlov VV, Liebl W, Pühler A, Schlüter A, Klocke M. Unraveling the microbiome of a thermophilic biogas plant by metagenome and metatranscriptome analysis complemented by characterization of bacterial and archaeal isolates. Biotechnol Biofuels 2016; 9:171. [PMID: 27525040 PMCID: PMC4982221 DOI: 10.1186/s13068-016-0581-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 89] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND One of the most promising technologies to sustainably produce energy and to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from combustion of fossil energy carriers is the anaerobic digestion and biomethanation of organic raw material and waste towards biogas by highly diverse microbial consortia. In this context, the microbial systems ecology of thermophilic industrial-scale biogas plants is poorly understood. RESULTS The microbial community structure of an exemplary thermophilic biogas plant was analyzed by a comprehensive approach comprising the analysis of the microbial metagenome and metatranscriptome complemented by the cultivation of hydrolytic and acido-/acetogenic Bacteria as well as methanogenic Archaea. Analysis of metagenome-derived 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the bacterial genera Defluviitoga (5.5 %), Halocella (3.5 %), Clostridium sensu stricto (1.9 %), Clostridium cluster III (1.5 %), and Tepidimicrobium (0.7 %) were most abundant. Among the Archaea, Methanoculleus (2.8 %) and Methanothermobacter (0.8 %) were predominant. As revealed by a metatranscriptomic 16S rRNA analysis, Defluviitoga (9.2 %), Clostridium cluster III (4.8 %), and Tepidanaerobacter (1.1 %) as well as Methanoculleus (5.7 %) mainly contributed to these sequence tags indicating their metabolic activity, whereas Hallocella (1.8 %), Tepidimicrobium (0.5 %), and Methanothermobacter (<0.1 %) were transcriptionally less active. By applying 11 different cultivation strategies, 52 taxonomically different microbial isolates representing the classes Clostridia, Bacilli, Thermotogae, Methanomicrobia and Methanobacteria were obtained. Genome analyses of isolates support the finding that, besides Clostridium thermocellum and Clostridium stercorarium, Defluviitoga tunisiensis participated in the hydrolysis of hemicellulose producing ethanol, acetate, and H2/CO2. The latter three metabolites are substrates for hydrogentrophic and acetoclastic archaeal methanogenesis. CONCLUSIONS Obtained results showed that high abundance of microorganisms as deduced from metagenome analysis does not necessarily indicate high transcriptional or metabolic activity, and vice versa. Additionally, it appeared that the microbiome of the investigated thermophilic biogas plant comprised a huge number of up to now unknown and insufficiently characterized species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irena Maus
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Daniela E. Koeck
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Katharina G. Cibis
- Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Sarah Hahnke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e.V. (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Yong S. Kim
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‚‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Thomas Langer
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e.V. (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jana Kreubel
- Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Marcel Erhard
- RIPAC-LABOR GmbH, Am Mühlenberg 11, 14476 Potsdam-Golm, Germany
| | - Andreas Bremges
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‚‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Yvonne Stolze
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sebastian Jaenicke
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Alexander Goesmann
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Justus-Liebig University Gießen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 58, 35392 Giessen, Germany
| | - Alexander Sczyrba
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Paul Scherer
- Faculty Life Sciences/Research Center ‚‘Biomass Utilization Hamburg’, University of Applied Sciences Hamburg (HAW), Ulmenliet 20, 21033 Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany
| | - Helmut König
- Institute of Microbiology and Wine Research, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Becherweg 15, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Wolfgang H. Schwarz
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Vladimir V. Zverlov
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Liebl
- Department of Microbiology, Technische Universität München, Emil-Ramann-Str. 4, 85354 Freising-Weihenstephan, Germany
| | - Alfred Pühler
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlüter
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Institute for Genome Research and Systems Biology, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 27, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Michael Klocke
- Dept. Bioengineering, Leibniz-Institut für Agrartechnik Potsdam-Bornim e.V. (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
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Hüpeden J, Wegen S, Off S, Lücker S, Bedarf Y, Daims H, Kühn C, Spieck E. Relative Abundance of Nitrotoga spp. in a Biofilter of a Cold-Freshwater Aquaculture Plant Appears To Be Stimulated by Slightly Acidic pH. Appl Environ Microbiol 2016; 82:1838-45. [PMID: 26746710 PMCID: PMC4784051 DOI: 10.1128/aem.03163-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The functioning of recirculation aquaculture systems (RAS) is essential to maintain water quality for fish health, and one crucial process here is nitrification. The investigated RAS was connected to a rainbow trout production system and operated at an average temperature of 13°C and pH 6.8. Community analyses of the nitrifying biofilm revealed a coexistence of Nitrospira and Nitrotoga, and it is hypothesized that a slightly acidic pH in combination with lower temperatures favors the growth of the latter. Modification of the standard cultivation approach toward lower pH values of 5.7 to 6.0 resulted in the successful enrichment (99% purity) of Nitrotoga sp. strain HW29, which had a 16S rRNA sequence similarity of 99.0% to Nitrotoga arctica. Reference cultures of Nitrospira defluvii and the novel Nitrotoga sp. HW29 were used to confirm differentiation of these nitrite oxidizers in distinct ecological niches. Nitrotoga sp. HW29 revealed pH and temperature optima of 6.8 and 22°C, respectively, whereas Nitrospira defluvii displayed the highest nitrite oxidation rate at pH 7.3 and 32°C. We report here the occurrence of Nitrotoga as one of the main nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in freshwater aquaculture systems and indicate that a slightly acidic pH, in addition to temperatures below 20°C, can be applied as a selective isolation criterion for this microorganism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Hüpeden
- Biocenter Klein Flottbek, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simone Wegen
- Biocenter Klein Flottbek, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sandra Off
- Biocenter Klein Flottbek, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Lücker
- Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yvonne Bedarf
- Biocenter Klein Flottbek, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Holger Daims
- Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Carsten Kühn
- State Research Centre of Agriculture and Fisheries Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Institute of Fisheries, Rostock, Germany
| | - Eva Spieck
- Biocenter Klein Flottbek, Microbiology and Biotechnology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Nowka B, Off S, Daims H, Spieck E. Improved isolation strategies allowed the phenotypic differentiation of two Nitrospira strains from widespread phylogenetic lineages. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2014; 91:fiu031. [DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiu031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
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Lebedeva EV, Off S, Zumbrägel S, Kruse M, Shagzhina A, Lücker S, Maixner F, Lipski A, Daims H, Spieck E. Isolation and characterization of a moderately thermophilic nitrite-oxidizing bacterium from a geothermal spring. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2010; 75:195-204. [PMID: 21138449 DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2010.01006.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Geothermal environments are a suitable habitat for nitrifying microorganisms. Conventional and molecular techniques indicated that chemolithoautotrophic nitrite-oxidizing bacteria affiliated with the genus Nitrospira are widespread in environments with elevated temperatures up to 55 °C in Asia, Europe, and Australia. However, until now, no thermophilic pure cultures of Nitrospira were available, and the physiology of these bacteria was mostly uncharacterized. Here, we report on the isolation and characterization of a novel thermophilic Nitrospira strain from a microbial mat of the terrestrial geothermal spring Gorjachinsk (pH 8.6; temperature 48 °C) from the Baikal rift zone (Russia). Based on phenotypic properties, chemotaxonomic data, and 16S rRNA gene phylogeny, the isolate was assigned to the genus Nitrospira as a representative of a novel species, for which the name Nitrospira calida is proposed. A highly similar 16S rRNA gene sequence (99.6% similarity) was detected in a Garga spring enrichment grown at 46 °C, whereas three further thermophilic Nitrospira enrichments from the Garga spring and from a Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia) terrestrial hot spring could be clearly distinguished from N. calida (93.6-96.1% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity). The findings confirmed that Nitrospira drive nitrite oxidation in moderate thermophilic habitats and also indicated an unexpected diversity of heat-adapted Nitrospira in geothermal hot springs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena V Lebedeva
- Winogradsky Institute of Microbiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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Alawi M, Off S, Kaya M, Spieck E. Temperature influences the population structure of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge. Environ Microbiol Rep 2009; 1:184-190. [PMID: 23765792 DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2009.00029.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Activated sludge from the municipal waste water treatment plant in Hamburg was seeded with mineral nitrite medium and incubated at 10°C, 17°C and 28°C. Dominant lithoautotrophic nitrite-oxidizing bacteria have been identified by electron microscopy, denaturing and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis and PCR with genus-specific primer pairs. The results have revealed the existence of three different genera of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, namely Nitrospira, Nitrobacter and a novel cold-adapted nitrite oxidizer. As shown by electron microscopy members of the novel genus coexisted in activated sludge together with Nitrospira. A temperature-dependent shift in the population structure was demonstrated by cultivation-based approaches. The novel nitrite oxidizer was enriched at temperatures of 10°C and 17°C. Representatives of Nitrospira were able to grow in a broad temperature range between 10°C and 28°C and members of Nitrobacter were enriched during incubations at 17°C and 28°C. By subsequent 16S rDNA sequencing, the cold-adapted nitrite oxidizer was shown to be closely related to the betaproteobacterium 'Candidatus Nitrotoga arctica'. These findings demonstrated that the population structure of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge is more complex than previously thought and responds strongly to long-term temperature changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Alawi
- Universität Hamburg, Biozentrum Klein Flottbek, Abteilung Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Ohnhorststr. 18, D-22609 Hamburg, Germany
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