Bioaugmentation with the nicotine-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas sp. HF-1 in a sequencing batch reactor treating tobacco wastewater: Degradation study and analysis of its mechanisms

Abstract

The highly effective nicotine-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas sp. HF-1 was augmented in an SBR system that is used to treat tobacco wastewater. Compared to the non-bioaugmented (non-BA) system, the bioaugmented (BA) system exhibited considerably stronger pollution disposal abilities, with 100% nicotine degradation and more than 84% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal within 12 h. Nicotine degradation had a significant effect on COD removal in SBRs ( r = 0.928, p < 0.01). The mechanisms of bioaugmentation were systematically investigated using a combination of polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR–DGGE) and a toxicity assay (protein carbonyl (PC) and DNA–protein crosslinking (DPC)). DGGE fingerprint profiles showed that the number of bands and the Shannon–Wiener index decreased at a nicotine load of 250 mg/L compared to a 40–130 mg/L nicotine load in the non-BA system. However, a stepwise increase in the Shannon–Wiener index was found during all periods in the BA system. A comparison of sequences excised from DGGE gels demonstrated significant differences in the dominant microbial species between the two SBRs. This result suggested that bioaugmentation of strain HF-1 could select cooperators for treating complicated tobacco wastewater. The PC content and the DPC coefficient increased significantly at levels higher than 80 mg/L in the non-BA system; nevertheless, no increase was observed in the BA system during the stepwise nicotine load. This indicated that bioaugmentation of strain HF-1 resulted in the maintenance of high treatment activity by minimizing the nicotine toxicity for other microbes in the BA system. In conclusion, the rapid nicotine degradation of strain HF-1 performed a vital function in SBR by influencing the microbial community structure, dynamics and activity of the activated sludge system.