Comprehensive study on dynamics of microbial community in Anaerobic-Oxic-Oxic process using PCR-DGGE, gas chromatography analysis, and dehydrogenase activity assays

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between the function of microbes and the change in their communities during the treatment of coking wastewater using a bio-fluidized bed Anaerobic-Oxic-Oxic (A/O/O) process. Polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), Gas Chromatography (GC) analysis, and the triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride (TTC) dehydrogenase activity test (TTC test) were simultaneously conducted to analyze the dynamics of microbe communities during the process of coking wastewater treatment. The study suggests that combined approaches of PCR-DGGE, GC, and TTC provided a simple and accurate method to evaluate the changes in microbial activity, microbial structure, and population size with the shifting of contaminants in different treatment processes. It demonstrates that the structure and components of a microbial community are influenced by selecting pressure during the wastewater treatment process, which in turn determines the overall functionality of the system.