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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Invasive Species and Pollinator Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406584
Research Project: Biological Control of Invasive Pests in Agroecosystems and Wetland, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystems in the Far Western U.S.

Location: Invasive Species and Pollinator Health

Title: Treatment performance and microbial community structure in an aerobic granular sludge sequencing reactor amended with diclofenac, erythromycin and gemfibrozil

Author
item BODLE, KYLIE - Montana State University
item Mueller, Rebecca
item PERNAT, MADELINE - Montana State University
item KIRKLAND, CATHERINE - Montana State University

Submitted to: Frontiers in Microbiomes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/8/2023
Publication Date: 9/22/2023
Citation: Bodle, K.B., Mueller, R.C., Pernat, M.R., Kirkland, C.M. 2023. Treatment performance and microbial community structure in an aerobic granular sludge sequencing reactor amended with diclofenac, erythromycin and gemfibrozil. Frontiers in Microbiomes. 2. Article 1242895. https://doi.org/10.3389/frmbi.2023.1242895.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/frmbi.2023.1242895

Interpretive Summary: The removal of chemical pollutants, such as pharmaceutical products, from wastewater is facilitated by microbes; however, identifying the members of the community that are responsible for successful removal or transformation of unwanted products is not clear. We used shotgun metagenomics to analyze the potential functional diversity of a granular sludge community and then used paired bioreactors to examine the response of the active microbial community to three different pharmaceutical products. All pharmeceuiticals showed a pulse of removal followed by no change in concentrations. We found strong shifts in the active microbiome linked to decreased removal the compounds, specifically an increase in the relative abundance of the family Methylophylaceae, which contains so-called phosphate accumulating organisms commonly shown to improve removal of nutrients. The short-term effects of the granular sludge community on pharmaceutical removal indicates that community interactions may determine the long-term success of treatment plants.

Technical Abstract: This study characterizes the effects of three commonly detected pharmaceuticals-diclofenac, erythromycin, and gemfibrozil-on aerobic granular sludge. Approximately 150 µg/L of each pharmaceutical was fed in the influent to a sequencing batch reactor for 80 days, and the performance of the test reactor was compared with that of a control reactor. Wastewater treatment efficacy in the test reactor dropped by approximately 30-40%, and ammonia oxidation was particularly inhibited. Pharmaceuticals were temporarily removed in the first 12 days of the test via both sorption and degradation; both removal processes declined sharply thereafter. The relative abundance of active Rhodocyclaceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, and Nitrospiraceae families declined throughout exposure, likely explaining reductions in wastewater treatment performance. This study demonstrates that aerobic granular sludge may successfully remove pharmaceuticals in the short term, but long-term tests are necessary to confirm if pharmaceutical removal is sustainable.