Polymerase chain reaction for identification of sulfate reducing bacteria species in membrane bioreactor

摘要

High-sulfate waste water was mainly found in municipal wastewater, palm oil mill effluent (POME) and rubber industry wastewater. Sulfate can be indirectly responsible for the problems of handling and treatment of wastewater. The problems were odor and corrosion which resulting from reduction of sulfate to hydrogen sulfide. This reduction occurred under anaerobic condition by sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) activity. The objectives of this study were to investigate the treatment of high-sulfate wastewater using intermittent aeration (aerobic and anaerobic conditions) in an immersed membrane bioreactor and to identify SRB species by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method. The Membrane bioreactor (MBR) consists of two compartments. Compartment 1 was maintained in anaerobic condition. Microfiltration membrane module with an average pore size of 0.2 μm was immersed in Compartment 2. Aerobic and anaerobic modes were applied to obtain optimum conditions for reducing organic sulfate components, especially in the Compartment 2. Three stages were conducted in this study. The results show that at longest period of non-aeration modes in the second compartment, highest level of biological sulfate removal was achieved. Removal of high-sulfate wastewater in MBR was attributed by the physical filtration by membrane module and biological transformation by SRB activity. Characterization of SRB in MBR using molecular technique by using PCR method identified SRB (SRB385) as the microbial community which can reduce high-sulfate in wastewater.