Abstract
Methanol inhibition of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) activity was characterized. An enrichment culture entrapped in a polyethylene glycol gel carrier was designed for practical uses of wastewater treatment. Batch experiments demonstrated that anammox activity decreased with increases in methanol concentration, and relative activity reached to 29% of the maximum when 5 mM methanol was added. Also, batch experiments were conducted using anammox sludge without immobilization. Anammox activity was evaluated by quantifying 14N15N (29N) emission by combined gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry, and the anammox activity was found to be almost as sensitive to methanol as in the earlier trials in which gel carriers were used. These results indicated that methanol inhibition was less severe than previous studies. When methanol was added in the influent of continuous feeding system, relative activity was decreased to 46% after 80 h. Although the addition was halted, afterwards the anammox activity was not resumed in another 19 days of cultivation, suggesting that methanol inhibition to anammox activity was irreversible. It is notable that methanol inhibition was not observed if anammox activity was quiescent when substrate for anammox was not supplied. These results suggest that methanol itself is not inhibitory and may not directly inhibit the anammox activity.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amano T, Yoshinaga I, Okada K, Yamagishi T, Ueda S, Obuchi A, Sako Y, Suwa Y (2007) Detection of anammox activity and diversity of anammox bacteria-related 16S rRNA genes in genes in costal marine sediment in japan. Microbes Environ 22:232–242
Furukawa K, Rouse JD, Bhatti ZI, Imajo U, Nakamura K, Ishida H (2002) Anaerobic oxidation of ammonium confirmed in continuous flow treatment using a nonwoven biomass carrier. Jpn J Water Treat Biol 38:87–94
Guven D, Depana A, Kartal B, Schamid MC, Maas B, van de Pas-Schoonen K, Sozen S, Mendez R, Op den Camp HJM, Jetten MSM, Strous M, Schmidt I (2005) Propionate oxidation by and methanol inhibition of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 71:1066–1071
Isaka K, Date Y, Sumino T, Yoshie S, Tsuneda S (2006) Growth characteristic of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria in an anaerobic biological filtrated (ABF) reactor. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 70:47–52
Isaka K, Sumino T, Tsuneda S (2007a) High nitrogen removal performance at moderately low temperature utilizing anaerobic ammonium oxidation reactions. J Biosci Bioeng 103:486–490
Isaka K, Date Y, Sumino T, Tsuneda S (2007b) Ammonium removal performance of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria immobilized in polyethylene glycol gel carrier. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 76:1457–1465
Isaka K, Date Y, Kimura Y, Sumino T, Tsuneda S (2008) Nitrogen removal performance using anaerobic ammonium oxidation at low temperatures. FEMS Microbiol Lett 282:32–38
Jensen MM, Thamdrup B, Dalsgaard T (2007) Effect of specific inhibition on anammox and denitrification in marine sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol 73:3151–3158
Kartal B, Kuypers MM, Lavik G, Schalk J, Op den Camp HJM, Jetten MSM, Strous M (2007) Anammox bacteria disguised as denitrifiers: nitrate reduction to dinitrogen gas via nitrite and ammonium. Environ Microbiol 9:635–642
Mulder A, Van de Graaf AA, Robertson LA, Kuenen JG (1995) Anaerobic ammonium oxidation discovered in a denitrifying fluidized bed reactor. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 16:177–184
Sliekers AO, Third KA, Abma W, Kuenen JG, Jetten MSM (2003) CANON and anammox in a gas-lift reactor. FEMS Microbiol Lett 218:339–344
Strous M, Heijnen JJ, Kuenen JG, Jetten MSM (1998) The sequencing batch reactor as a powerful tool for the study of slowly growing anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing microorganisms. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 50:589–596
Strous M, Fuerst JA, Kramer EHM, Logemann S, Muyzer G, Van de Pas-Schoonen KT, Webb R, Kuenen JG, Jetten MSM (1999) Missing lithotroph identified as new planctomycete. Nature 400:446–449
Strous M, Pelletier E, Mangenot S, Rattei T, Lehner A, Taylor MW, Horn M, Daims H, Bartol-Mavel D, Wincker P, Barbe V, Fonknechten N, Vallenet D, Segurens B, Schenowitz-Truong C, Medigue C, Collingo A, Snel B, Dutilh BE, Op den Camp HJM, van der Drift C, Cirpus L, Van de Pas-schoonen KT, Harhangi HR, van Niftrik J, Schamid M, Keltjens J, van der Vossenberg J, Kartal B, Meier H, Frishman D, Huynen MA, Mewes HW, Weissenbach J, Jetten MSM, Wargner M, Paslier D (2006) Deciphering the evolution and metabolism of an anammox bacterium from a community genome. Nature 440:790–793
Sumino T, Nakamura H, Mori N (1992) Immobilization of activated sludge by Polyethylene glycol prepolymer. J Ferment Bioeng 73:37–42
Van de Graaf AA, Peter de Bruijn Robertson LA, Jetten MSM, Kuenen JG (1997) Metabolic pathway of anaerobic ammonium oxidation on the basis of 15N studies in a fluidized bed reactor. Microbiology 143:2415–2421
Van der Star WRL, Abma ER, Blommers D, Mulder JW, Tokutomi T, Strous M, Picioreanu C, van der Loosderecht MCM (2007) Startup of reactors for anoxic ammonium oxidation: experience from the first full-scale anammox reactor in Rotterdam. Wat Res 41:4149–4163
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Isaka, K., Suwa, Y., Kimura, Y. et al. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) irreversibly inhibited by methanol. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 81, 379–385 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-008-1739-0
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-008-1739-0