Meta-omics characterization of simultaneous surfactants biodegradation in Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactor applied for co-digestion of domestic sewage plus laundry wastewater

• Grant number: 21/14384-1
• Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): June 28, 2022
• Effective date (End): June 27, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Sanitary Engineering - Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment
• Principal researcher: Maria Bernadete Amâncio Varesche
• Grantee: Henrique de Souza Dornelles
• Supervisor abroad: Po-Heng Lee
• Home Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Research place: Imperial College London, England
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/04205-2 - Simultaneous biodegradation of nonylphenol ethoxylated and linear alkylbenzene sulfonated in anaerobic fluidized bed reactor, BP.DR

Abstract

The main objective of the proposal is to use meta-omics tools (metagenomics and metatranscriptomics) to characterize the microbial community in samples from four Anaerobic Fluidized Bed reactors (AFBR). Two AFBR were applied to the simultaneous surfactants degradation named Nonylphenol Ethoxylated (NPe) Linear Alkylbenzene Sulfonated (LAS) and Linear Alcohol Ethoxylate (LAE) in synthetic sewage (SS). Two others AFBR were applied to co-digestion of domestic sewage and laundry wastewater (DSLW). The reactors fed with SS were supplemented with Ethanol and Fumarate and performed in three phases: Phase 1 (NPe 10 mg/L), Phase 2 (NPe 10 mg/L, LAS 12 mg/L) and Phase 3 (NPe 10 mg/L, LAS 12 mg/L, LAE 10 mg/L). In reactors fed with DSLW were: Phase 1 - Domestic sewage (100%); Phase 2 - Domestic sewage (90%) and laundry wastewater (10%) and Phase 3 - Domestic sewage (80%) and laundry wastewater (20%). The Fumarate was added in Phase 2 in one of the reactors fed with DSLW, while in the other no co-substrate was added. Biomass samples established in the reactor bed were taken at the end of each phase. The monitoring of reactors, physical-chemical and chromatographic analyzes were performed during the doctoral research of candidate Henrique de Souza Dornelles at the Laboratory of Biological Processes at USP campus São Carlos, while metatranscriptomics and metagenomics sequencing and data processing through bioinformatics and statistics techniques will be performed with the staff of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Imperial College London (London, UK).