Effect of dissolved oxygen concentration (microaerobic and aerobic) on selective enrichment culture for bioaugmentation of acidic industrial wastewater

The successful application of bioaugmentation is largely dependent on the selective enrichment of culture with regards to pH, temperature, salt, or specific toxic organic pollutants. In this study, we investigated the effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations (aerobic, >2 mg L−1; microaerobic, <1 mg L−1) on yeast enrichment culture for bioaugmentation of acidic industrial wastewater (pH 3.9–4.7). Clone library analyses revealed that the yeast community shifted in response to different DO levels, and that Candida humilis and Candida pseudolambica were individually dominant in the aerobic and microaerobic enrichment cultures. This would significantly influence the isolation results, and further hinder bioaugmentation due to differences in DO environments during the enrichment and application periods. However, differences in the selective enrichment culture cannot be predicted based on differences in pollutant removal performance. Thus, DO concentrations (aerobic/microaerobic) should be considered a secondary selective pressure to achieve successful bioaugmentation.

► DO level (aerobic/microaerobic) is a secondary bioaugmentation selective pressure. ► DO concentration influenced the enrichment of dominant microorganisms. ► No difference in pollutant removal performance occurred at two DO levels.