Microbial community composition from full-scale reactors treating mature landfill leachate through innovative biological processes and its importance in mathematical modeling

Abstract

This study investigated the microbial community in two full-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBR) treating mature landfill leachate. Partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) occurred in SBRA while simultaneous partial nitrification and denitrification (SPND) occurred in SBRB. The taxonomic complexity of bacteria and archaea in samples was assessed at the phylum, class and genus levels using 16 S rRNA-based molecular analyses. Despite the different operating conditions in the SBRs, mainly in terms of DO concentration and SBR cycles, the consortia composition in both reactors was quite similar. However, the relative abundance of the major bacterial groups differed, reflecting the different processes involved. Molecular analyses identified dominant bacteria belonging to AOB, Anammox and denitrifies, allowing to select specific kinetic parameters to be used in mathematical modelling, thus reaching a good data reproduction for both reactors.