Assessing the Microbial Community and Function of BioCord Bioreactors in Lagoon Wastewater Treatment

Session: 15. - Environmental 'omics: New Tools for Aquatic Ecosystem Science and Management

Adam Skoyles, University of Windsor, [email protected]
Chris Weisener, University of Windsor, [email protected]
Subba Rao Chaganti, University of Windsor, [email protected]

Abstract

The Great Lakes have been negatively impacted by anthropogenic ecological stressors, a major one being nutrient loading. The annual release of 150 billion litres of ineffectively treated wastewater into Canadian water bodies results in disruptions to the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen and phosphorus. The Canadian National Pollutant Release Inventory states that nitrate, ammonia, and phosphorus are the three most abundant substances released by industrial wastewater into natural surface waters. To prevent environmental damages caused by nutrient loading, including fish kills, and harmful algal blooms, enhanced wastewater treatment is essential.

BioCord biotechnology is a wastewater treatment that provides a high surface area substrate which encourages growth of biofilm that reduces the release of nutrients. My study focuses on investigating how the microbial community and function of the bioreactors deployed in lagoon treatment in Dundalk, Ontario, varies seasonally. It is expected that colder temperatures will reduce the ability of the bioreactors to remove nutrients. Metabarcoding of the 16S rRNA gene will be used to determine the community shifts while the functional dynamics will be assessed using metatranscriptomics and RT-qPCR. This information will be crucial to determine if the technology remains effective through the changing seasons in the Great Lakes watershed. 

1. Keyword
nutrients

2. Keyword
biofilm

4. Additional Keyword
wastewater