Microbial community structure in anaerobic degradation of terephthalate and phenol

Abstract

Microbial community structures in the anaerobic (methanogenic) biological processes treating terephthalate- and phenol-containing wastewaters were characterized using 16S rRNA gene-based molecular techniques. The overall results showed that the methanogenic microbial communities involved in terephthalate and phenol degradation were temperature-dependent, and the main microbial populations were phylogenetically closely related. In addition, phenol-degrading enrichment cultures can also degrade terephthalate and benzoate, suggesting that these phenol-degrading consortia could be used as the seeding sludge for a bioreactor treating terephthalate, or as a co-substrate to enrich terephthalate-degrading microbial consortia, shortening the reactor start-up time. Deltaproteobacteria group TA- (oval-shaped), Pelotomaculum- (fat-rod, some of which may contain spherical spores at the central of cells), and Methanosaeta-related cells (filamentous bamboo-shaped or rods with flat-ends) were found as the most predominant microbial populations involved in anaerobic terephthalate and phenol degradation.