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Title: COMPARISON OF THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND BACTERIAL POPULATION STRUCTURE OF DAIRY WASTE BEFORE AND AFTER AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC DIGESTION

Author
item McGarvey, Jeffery - Jeff
item Miller, William - Bill
item ZHONG, RUIHONG - UNIV OF CALIFORNIA
item MITLOEHNER, FRANK - UNIV OF CALIFORNIA
item Lathrop, Jeremy
item MA, YANGUO - UNIV OF CALIFORNIA

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/24/2006
Publication Date: 5/20/2006
Citation: Mcgarvey, J.A., Miller, W.G., Zhong, R., Mitloehner, F., Lathrop, J.R., Ma, Y. 2006. Comparison of the chemical composition and bacterial population structure of dairy waste before and after aerobic and anaerobic digestion. [Abstract]. American Society of Microbiology. Poster Q333.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Modern high intensity dairy farms generate large amounts of waste that is usually stored in waste lagoons until it is disposed of by land application on crop fields. This practice has resulted in nutrients leaching into ground and surface waters, poor air quality resulting from volatile compound emissions, and the contamination of crops with pathogenic bacteria. One possible solution to these problems is to treat the waste before storage and land application. Two of the most commonly employed waste treatment methodologies are aerobic and anaerobic digestion. We examined the effect that aerobic and anaerobic treatments have on the microbiological and chemical properties of waste. Both aerobic and anaerobic digestion were shown to significantly reduce the concentration of total solids, BOD5, sulfate, phosphate, and anaerobic and coliform bacteria; however, only aerobic treatment reduced the levels of ammonia. To evaluate the bacterial population structure of waste before and after treatment we constructed and sequenced 16S rDNA libraries and observed that the conditions present in the anaerobic digester selected for bacteria in the phyla Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria while those in the anaerobic digester selected for bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes.