Microbiological investigation of an industrial ultra pure supply water plant using cultivation-based and cultivation-independent methods

Abstract

Ultra pure waters (UPW), characterized by extremely low salt and nutrient concentrations, can suffer from microbial contamination which causes biofouling and biocorrosion, possibly leading to reduced lifetime and increased operational costs. Samples were taken from an ultra pure supply water producing plant of a power plant. Scanning electron microscopic examination was carried out on the biofilms formed in the system. Biofilm, ion exchange resin, and water samples were characterized by culture-based methods and molecular fingerprinting (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism [T-RFLP] analysis and molecular cloning). Identification of bacteria was based on 16S rDNA sequence comparison. A complex microbial community structure was revealed. Nearly 46% of the clones were related to as yet uncultured bacteria. The community profiles of the water samples were the most diverse and most of bacteria were recruited from bacterial communities of tube surface and ion exchange resin biofilms. Microbiota of different layers of the mixed bed ion exchange resin showed the highest similarity. Most of the identified taxa (dominated by β-Proteobacteria) could take part in microbially influenced corrosion.