Title: Real-time PCR quantification of ammonia-oxidising bacteria in aerobic granular sludge and activated sludge influenced by pentachlorophenol

Authors: He Liu, Guangwei Li, Min Zhang, Guocheng Du, Jian Chen

Addresses: School of Biotechnology, Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214036, China. ' School of Biotechnology, Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214036, China. ' School of Biotechnology, Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214036, China. ' Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214036, China. ' Key Laboratory of Industrial Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, Jiangsu, 214036, China

Abstract: An improved real-time PCR was developed to quantify Ammonia-Oxidising Bacteria (AOB) in aerobic granular sludge and activated sludge influenced by Pentachlorophenol (PCP), which ranged from 0 mg/L to 50 mg/L. With the increase of PCP concentration, there is no obvious variation of AOB quantification (p > 0.05) and COD removal rate in both types of sludge. However, the ammonia nitrogen removal of aerobic granular sludge was higher than that of activated sludge. The AOB quantification might not correlate with ammonia removal (p > 0.05) significantly and the main effect of PCP on AOB was the inbibition of metabolic activity.

Keywords: real-time PCR; polymerase chain reaction; aerobic granular sludge; activated sludge; ammonia oxidising bacteria; AOB; Pentachlorophenol; PCP.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2009.025129

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2009 Vol.37 No.2/3, pp.256 - 265

Published online: 13 May 2009 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article