Microbial community of sulfate-reducing up-flow sludge bed in the SANI® process for saline sewage treatment

Abstract

This study investigated the microbial community of the sulfate-reducing up-flow sludge bed (SRUSB) of a novel sulfate reduction, autotrophic denitrification, and nitrification integrated (SANI®) process for saline sewage treatment. The investigation involved a lab-scale SANI® system treating synthetic saline sewage and a pilot-scale SANI® plant treating 10 m(3)/day of screened saline sewage. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) were the dominant population, responsible for more than 80% of the chemical oxygen demand removal, and no methane-producing archaea were detected in both SRUSBs. Thermotogales-like bacteria were the dominant SRB in the pilot-scale SRUSB while Desulforhopalus-like bacteria were the major species in the lab-scale SRUSB.