Comparison of Dissolved Organic Matter Composition and Microbial Distribution between Distributed-Inflow Biological Reactor and Two-Stage Anoxic/Aerobic for Piggery Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Piggery wastewater contains high amounts of feces, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other contaminants, introducing serious pollution into water, soil, and the atmosphere. Biological treatment technology is widely used in large-scale pig farms because of its high efficiency and economical advantages. In this study, two typical biological treatment systems—a distributed-inflow biological reactor (DBR) and a two-stage anoxic/aerobic (A/O/A/O)—were adopted to treat piggery wastewater to compare the treatment performance, the dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition, and the microbial distribution characteristics. The results show that the A/O/A/O system had better removal performance in terms of chemical oxygen demand (COD) compared to the DBR system, and similarly effective at removing and ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) and total nitrogen (TN). Using parallel factor analysis of the fluorescence excitation–emission matrix, four DOM components—namely fulvic acid-like/humic-like substances (C1), tyrosine-like substances (C2), humic-like substances (C3), and tryptophan-like substances (C4)—were tracked in piggery wastewater. Protein-like substances were significantly degraded, while humic-like substances were difficult for microorganisms to utilize. The endogenous input and humus characteristics of effluents were enhanced. Bacteroidetes (43.9% and 37.5% ) and Proteobacteria (43.1% and 56.7%) are the dominant bacteria in DBR and A/O/A/O systems. The microbial metabolites in DBR and A/O/A/O systems are mainly composed of amino acids, sugars, alcohols, and other small molecules, while those in the municipal sewage treatment plant system is mainly composed of ketones, amines, acids, lipids, and other small molecules. The results of microbial communities and metabolites can help to trace the process of biological systems treating piggery wastewater.