Activated sludge-degrading analgesic drug acetaminophen: Acclimation, microbial community dynamics, degradation characteristics, and bioaugmentation potential

Abstract

This study identified specific bacterial populations that play a key role in detoxifying acetaminophen (N-acetyl-p-aminophenol, APAP) in activated sludge (AS) microbial communities. An AS bioreactor was established by feeding 100 mg/L of APAP as a sole carbon, nitrogen, and energy source. While the bioreactor increased APAP biotransformation rates significantly (0.7 d−1 to 6.1 d−1) over a month of acclimation, it selected for Pseudomonas by significantly reducing community diversity by 40% and richness by 47%. A Pseudomonas population (designated PCO) isolated from the APAP-degrading community was phylogenetically distinct from other Pseudomonas spp. previously reported as APAP-degrading isolates. PCO could remove APAP at levels up to 590 mg/L without inhibition and could also metabolize APAP-derived metabolites, 4-aminophenol, hydroquinone, and 1,4-benzoquinone at varying levels. PCO was introduced to AS at various volumes (5, 25, and 50% of the total), showing significantly enhanced APAP transformation rates (1.5, 1.9, and 2.3 d−1) compared to the control (1.2 d−1) without PCO inoculation. Overall, our study provides new insights into the phylogenetic and metabolic features of a key species population predominantly accelerating APAP breakdown in the context of AS microbial communities, which will help in the design of a biological means (bioaugmentation) of treating APAP-bearing waste streams.