In Vitro Study of Butyric Acid Deodorization Potential by Indigenously Constructed Bacterial Consortia and Pure Cultures from Pit Latrine Fecal Sludge

John Bright Joseph Njalam’Mano,Refilwe Lesego Seabi,Evans Martin Nkhalambayausi Chirwa

doi:10.3390/su12125156

John Bright Joseph Njalam’Mano, Refilwe Lesego Seabi + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/su12125156

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Journal: Sustainability	Publication Date: Jun 24, 2020
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Pretoria

Abstract

The present study aims at developing an efficient bacterial consortium to biodegrade butyric acid, one of the odor-causing compounds that contribute significantly to pit latrine malodors. Six bacterial strains isolated from pit latrine fecal sludge were selected for the study. Nineteen bacterial consortia of different combinations were artificially constructed. The individual bacterial strains and bacterial consortia were compared by culturing in mineral salt medium supplemented with 1000 mg/L butyric acid as a sole carbon and energy source at pH 7, 30 °C, and 110 rpm under aerobic growth conditions. A co-culture of Serratia marcescens and Bacillus cereus was an effective bacterial consortium compared to individual component bacterial strains and other bacterial consortia, in which 1000 mg/L butyric acid was completely degraded within 16 h of incubation. A temperature of 30 °C and pH 7 were found to be optimum for the maximum degradation for both S. marcescens and B. cereus. The inoculation sizes of 2.0 and 2.5 were optimal for the maximum degradation for B. cereus and S. marcescens, respectively. The study provides insights that will be of substantial help in the development of effective biological treatment technologies for pit latrine odor to change the pit latrine user community’s and would be users’ perception of pit latrines.

Highlights

United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September, 2015 to replace the expired Millennium Development Goals [1]
This work provides an insight into the potential impacts of the composition of bacterial consortium on the biodegradation of butyric acid
The work has shown that the effectiveness of the constructed bacterial consortia to enhance butyric acid degradation is not a result of the adding together of the individual component bacterial strain degradation capacities of the

Summary

Introduction

United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September, 2015 to replace the expired Millennium Development Goals [1]. The Millennium Development Goal sanitation targets were not achieved and were replaced with a more ambitious Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 sanitation target that aims to achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation for all by 2030. A lack of access to sanitation facilities compels people to practice open defecation. Global estimates indicate that approximately 946 million people, without access to improved sanitation, habitually practice open defecation [1]. This practice facilitates the spread of water and sanitation related diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, cryptosporidiosis, ascariasis schistosomiasis, and others [3] that precipitate morbidity and mortality, especially in developing countries [4]

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