Performance of a horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor and dynamics of the microbial community during degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP).

The anaerobic biological treatment of pentachlorophenol (PCP) and methanol as the main carbon source was investigated in a horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB) reactor at 30+/-1 degrees C, during a 220-day trial period. The reactor biomass was developed as an attached biofilm on polyurethane foam particles, with 24h of hydraulic retention time. The PCP concentrations, which ranged from 2.

Phylogenetic study of legionella species in pristine and polluted aquatic samples from a tropical Atlantic forest ecosystem.

Legionella species are ubiquitous bacteria in aquatic environments. To examine the effect of anthropogenic impacts and physicochemical characteristics on the Legionellaceae population, we collected water from two sites in the Itanhaém River system in the Atlantic Forest of Brazil. One sample was collected from an upstream pristine region, the other from a downstream estuarine region moderately affected by untreated domestic sewage.

Gas chromatographic methods for monitoring of wastewater chlorophenol degradation in anaerobic reactors.

Wastewater samples from an anaerobic reactor were extracted with hexane and derivatized with diazomethane (method 1) and with acetic anidride (method 2). Gas chromatography with electron-capture detection (ECD) was employed for separating the parent compound and intermediates trichlorophenols (TCP) and dichlorophenols (DCP) which originated from the penta chlorophenol (PCP) degradation process. The relations between concentrations of PCP, TCP and DCP areas were linear in the range of concentrations of 0.

Comparison of hexamethyldisilazane and critical point drying treatments for SEM analysis of anaerobic biofilms and granular sludge.

We present a fast procedure for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis in which hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) solvent, instead of the critical point drying, is used to remove liquids from a microbiological specimen. The results indicate that the HMDS solvent is suitable for drying samples of anaerobic cells for examination by SEM and does not cause cell structure disruption.