ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Characterizing Bacteria and Methanogens
in a Balloon-Type Digester Fed with Dairy Cattle
Manure for Anaerobic Mono-Digestion
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1
Fort Hare Institute of Technology, University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
2
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Research Group (AEMREG), Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
3
South Africa Medical Research Council Microbial Water Quality Monitoring Centre, University of Fort Hare, Alice, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
Submission date: 2017-06-14
Final revision date: 2017-07-25
Acceptance date: 2017-07-31
Online publication date: 2018-11-22
Publication date: 2019-01-28
Corresponding author
Christy Manyi-Loh
Fort Hare Institute Of Technology, University Of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, Fort Hare Institute Of Technology, Chemistry Building,3rd Floor, Rm 327, University Of Fort Hare, Alice Campus, King William's Town Road, 5700 Alice, King William's Town Road, South Africa
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2019;28(3):1287-1293
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ABSTRACT
In this study, bacteria and methanogens involved in the decomposition of dairy cattle manure have
been characterized via cultivation on selective microbiological media by the viable plate count technique.
In addition, DNA was extracted from digested samples, and the 16S rRNA gene was amplified using
six primer sets specific to bacterial and archaeal domain via PCR. The sequences of the PCR products
were determined and compared to similar sequences in the GenBank database using the BLASTN tools
to identify the closest relatives. By culture, E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella, and Campylobacter species
were identified and belonged to the phylum Proteobacteria. Following, 16S rRNA analysis, Firmicutes
(80%) was the most dominant bacterial phylum represented by the predominant order Clostridiales and
genus Clostridium. Other members belonged to the phyla Proteobacteria and Spirochaetes. The phylum
Euryarchaeota (100%) was the only observed archaeal domain with members that belonged to the
dominant class Methanomicrobia and genus Methanocorpusculum. Other members were related to the
order Methanobacteriales and Methanosarcinales. Results suggested that Clostridium sp, Clostridium
related organisms, and other acidogens were responsible for the deconstruction of biomass-generating
substrates metabolized by Methanocorpusculum and Methanobrevibacter species to produce methane
via the fundamental hydrogenotrophic pathway.