Identification the microbial diversity in a municipal wastewater treatment plant using non‐cultured based methods

Abstract

In this study, the microbial diversity of activated sludge and RBC (rotating biological contactor) biofilm at Taipei Min‐Sheng Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant was investigated by a combined cloning‐DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) method. The microbial diversity showed that Pseudomonas spinosa, Zoogloea ramigera and Streptococcus penumoniae were the most predominant types of bacteria in the activated sludge, and in the first and fourth stages of the rotational biological contactor biofilm, respectively. The phylogenetic tree revealed that all the microbial community of these three samples could be divided into three linkages. Among these three linkages, one contained the most clones from rotational biological contactor samples, while others contained the most activated sludge clones. A higher abundance of filamentous bacteria was identified in the fourth stage of the rotational biological contactor biofilm. Additionally, among the three samples, the nitrifying bacteria and nitrification phenomenon were only observed in the fourth stage of the rotational biological contactor biofilm.