Do Archaea Drive Nitrification In Drinking Water Biofilms?

CRUZ, MERCEDES CECILIA; WOO, YISSUE; TENG, SARAH; ARUMUGAN, KRITHIKA; DRAUTZ-MOSES, DANIELA; WILLIAMS, ROHAN; WUERTZ, STEFAN

Singapur

Conferencia; Water Convention at Singapore International Water Week; 2016

Public Utility Board

Trabajo presentado en formato posterAbstractSingapores weather conditions favor the auto-decomposition of monochloramine, used as the secondary disinfectant in drinking water networks. This can promote the growth of nitrifiers who may proliferate in biofilms. This study analyses biofilms from actual pipes, during replacement, in the water distribution system (WDS). Next generation sequencing (NGS) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to characterize the microbial communities from biofilms in drinking water pipes. Metagenomic analysis revealed a high abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea that could be responsible for the first step of nitrification. Furthermore, the nitrite oxidizer Nitrospira was the most abundant bacterial genus. This study provides a basis for future research on AOA, including assessment of the relative contribution of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and AOA to ammonia oxidation, operational conditions that facilitate AOA growth, and the stability of AOA activity.