Evaluation of bacterial communities by bacteriome analysis targeting 16S rRNA genes and quantitative analysis of ammonia monooxygenase gene in different types of compost

Abstract

Biofiltration technology based on microbial degradation and assimilation is used for the removal of malodorous compounds, such as ammonia. Microbes that degrade malodorous and/or organic substances are involved in composting and are retained after composting; therefore, mature composts can serve as an ideal candidate for a biofilter medium. In this study, we focused on different types of raw compost materials, as these are important factors determining the bacterial community profile and the chemical component of the compost. Therefore, bacterial community profiles, the abundance of the bacterial ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA), and the quantities of chemical components were analyzed in composts produced from either food waste or cattle manure. The community profiles with the lowest beta diversity were obtained from single type of cattle manure compost. However, cattle manure composts showed greater alpha diversity, contained higher amounts of various rRNA gene fragments than those of food waste composts and contained the amoA gene by relative quantification, and Proteobacteria were abundantly found and nitrifying bacteria were detected in it. Nitrifying bacteria are responsible for ammonia oxidation and mainly belong to the Proteobacteria or Nitrospira phyla. The quantities of chemical components, such as salt, phosphorus, and nitrogen, differed between the cattle manure and food waste composts, indicating that the raw materials provided different fermentation environments that were crucial for the formation of different community profiles. The results also suggest that cattle manure might be a more suitable raw material for the production of composts to be used in the biofiltration of ammonia.

Keywords: 16S rRNA; Bacteriome; Biofilter medium; Mature compost; Nitrifying bacteria.