Frank Bengelsdorf

Publications (3) View all

• Article: Stability of a biogas-producing bacterial, archaeal and fungal community degrading food residues.

  Frank R Bengelsdorf, Ulrike Gerischer, Susanne Langer, Manuel Zak, Marian Kazda
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  ABSTRACT: The resident microbiota was analyzed in a mesophilic, continuously operating biogas plant predominantly utilizing food residues, stale bread, and other waste co-substrates together with pig manure and maize silage. The dominating bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic community members were characterized by two different 16S/18S rDNA culture-independent approaches. Prokaryotic 16S rDNA and eukaryotic 18S rDNA clone libraries were constructed and further analyzed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), 16S/18S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic tree reconstruction. The most dominant bacteria belonged to the phyla Bacteriodetes, Chloroflexus, and Firmicutes. On the family level, the bacterial composition confirmed high differences among biogas plants studied so fare. In contrast, the methanogenic archaeal community was similar to those of other studied biogas plants. Furthermore, it was possible to identify fungi at the genus level, namely Saccharomyces and Mucor. Both genera, which are important for microbial degradation of complex compounds, were up to now not found in biogas plants. The results revealed their long-term presence as indicated by denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The DGGE method confirmed that the main members of the microbial community were constantly present over more than one-year period. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.
  FEMS Microbiology Ecology 12/2012; · 3.41 Impact Factor
• Source

  Available from: Frank Bengelsdorf

  Thesis: Characterization of the microbial community in a biogas reactor supplied with organic residues

  Frank Bengelsdorf
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  ABSTRACT: A mesophilic, continually operating, agricultural biogas plant utilizing predominantly biowaste was analyzed with respect to the composition and diversity of the microbial community as well as the stability of the microbial community over time by molecular methods. Therefore, different clone libraries containing specific DNA fragments were constructed. The bacterial community was dominated by the phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Chloroflexi, and was composed of the bacterial families Clostridiaceae, Caldilineaceae, and Porphyromonadaceae. Methylotrophic bacteria were detected by the functional gene mxaF. Remarkably, the genus Methylocaldum is in the literature described as methantroph. The methanogenic archaeal community was dominated by the genus Methanoculleus. The current study provides the first report of the detection of fungal 18S rDNA sequences in biogas reactor content. Genera such as Saccharomyces and Mucor could be described. DGGE was used to monitor the bacterial and archaeal 16S rDNA as well as the eukaryotic 18S rDNA composition and showed a stable microbial community over a 15-months period. Fluorescence microscopy analyses were done to determine the total cell count (1.46 (± 0.3)× 1010 cells ml-1) using stained cells and to detect methanogenic archaeal cells (3.5 (± 0.78)× 108 cells ml-1) using their native coenzyme F420 autofluorescence. Substrates such as biowaste possess low structure and provide a high energy potential if supplied to a biogas reactor. To stabilize a biogas-forming process at higher organic loading rates, straw was added to the biogas reactor to provide surfaces for microorganisms to form biofilms. With respect to the hypothesis, evidence was found for a higher abundance of a syntrophic bacterium, Candidatus Cloacamonas acidaminovorans, living in the biofilm on straw. It seems that this organism undergoes some kind of syntrophic interaction with the predominating hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea of the genus Methanocullus.
  12/2011, Degree: Dr., Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Dürre
• Source

  Available from: Frank Bengelsdorf

  Conference Proceeding: Treatment of liquid and solid municipal waste in anearobic digestion optimized for biogas production

  Kazda M, Zak M, Kern M, Bengelsdorf F
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  ABSTRACT: Organic waste accrues as liquid and solid material which requires different treatment in anaerobic digestion plants. Food leftovers, such as kitchen waste have high energy potential but are low in structural compounds, and the biogas-forming process is often impaired by accumulation of volatile organic acids. The effect of additional biofilm carriers were tested in two of four parallel operating experimental digesters of 10L volume. Already a very low amendment of plant structures for biofilm formation significantly stabilised methane production compared to control digesters. Anaerobic treatment of municipal solid waste (MSW) can be done in garage-shaped fermentation containers. We tested the efficiency of the degradation of volatile solids (VS) and calculated potential methane yield using fermentation bags in a full-scale biogas plant. The results demonstrated good levels of organic matter degradation of all four categories of organic material.
  Proceedings of the 3rd International CEMEPE & SECOTOX Conference, Skiathos island, Greece; 06/2011