Abstract
Urban drainage structures have increasing demands which can lead to increasing hydrogen sulphide related problems forming in places where they have not previously been prevalent. This puts pressure on the methods currently used to monitor and diagnose these problems and more sophisticated methods may be needed for identifying the origin of the problems. Molecular microbiological techniques, such as quantitative polymerase chain reaction, offer a potential alternative for identifying and quantifying bacteria likely to be causing the production of hydrogen sulphide, information that, when combined with an appropriate sampling programme, can then be used to identify the potentially most effective remediation technique. The application of these methods in urban drainage systems is, however, not always simple, but good results can be achieved. In this study bacteria producing hydrogen sulphide were quantified in three small combined sewer overflow storage tanks. Bacterial counts were compared between wastewater, biofilms and sediments. Similar numbers were found in the wastewater and biofilms, with the numbers in the sediments being lower. If remediation methods for hydrogen sulphide are deemed necessary in the tanks, methods that target both the wastewater and the biofilms should therefore be considered.
Highlights
Hydrogen sulphide, formed by sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) under anaerobic conditions, is a compound often of interest in relation to wastewater management decisions as it is odorous, causes concrete corrosion and is toxic in concentrations not infrequently detected in sewers (HvitvedJacobsen et al )
Background Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) is based on the general principle of PCR, where DNA sequences in samples are multiplied in a reaction mimicking that used for replicating DNA in living cells
The challenge for applying qPCR for quantification of a group of bacteria carrying out a specific function such as the production of hydrogen sulphide is the possibility of identifying a gene sequence that will be uniquely present in all bacteria capable of carrying out this function
Summary
Hydrogen sulphide, formed by sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB) under anaerobic conditions, is a compound often of interest in relation to wastewater management decisions as it is odorous, causes concrete corrosion and is toxic in concentrations not infrequently detected in sewers (HvitvedJacobsen et al ). Because the hydrogen sulphide formation takes place under anaerobic conditions, a lot of the research on hydrogen sulphide formation and sulphate reduction in urban drainage systems has focused on rising mains and the gravity sewers directly downstream of rising mains, which is where the hydrogen sulphide related. QPCR is based on the general principle of PCR, where DNA sequences in samples are multiplied in a reaction mimicking that used for replicating DNA in living cells This is a very powerful technique as it can detect DNA present in low concentrations. Primers that target the dsrAB gene have been developed for qPCR and competitive PCR (Ben Dov et al ; Kondo et al ; Pereyra et al )
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