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Microbial Community Composition and Activities in Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems

Martin, Gregory Dean
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1934-4394
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1493919370366314

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science, University of Akron, Biology.
This project was conducted to characterize microbial communities and slurry in wet flue gas desulfurization (wFGD) units at coal burning power plants. An additional objective of this research was to ascertain microbial activity and the potential for microbial mercury metabolism. Coal fired power plants in the U.S. alone are responsible for emitting over 50 tons per year of Hg0 into the atmosphere. A consequence of this microbially produced MeHg is increased toxicity with distance in food webs, eventually reaching humans where it can damage nervous systems and impair fetal development. Therefore, Hg bioaccumulation as a direct result of increased anthropogenic Hg0 emissions is a global concern. To address the chemistry and microbial activities of wFGD slurry, I determined the physiochemisty of three wFGD systems. I then quantified the activity of microorganisms in the wFGD slurry using live/dead cell counts, respirometry experiments monitoring O2 consumption over time, a Hg reduction experiment monitoring total Hg loss over time, and total RNA sequencing reads. Microbial community composition was established by evaluation of 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from the systems. I found live cells and increased aerobic respiration in live slurry incubations when compared to deactivated slurry samples. When comparing the 16S rRNA gene sequencing data, the wFGD communities all possessed lower relative abundances than the more physiochemically moderate river ecosystems, which provide the source water. However, they differed between sites in physiochemisty and predominant genera recovered through DNA analysis, as well as RNA sequencing and culturability. Two of the sites contained high percentages of the thermophilic taxa, Hydrogenophilaceae Hydrogenophilus and Hydrogenophilaceae Thiobacillus. This research strongly indicates microbial activity in the physiochemically extreme wFGD environment and suggests that microorganisms introduced from the moderate source water can adapt to the more extreme wFGD environment. Research goals of this thesis a. Determine the general physiochemisty and microbial communities of wFGD slurry. b. Establish the presence of active microbial communities in wFGD and elucidate the potential for these active communities to contribute to mercury reduction in wFGD slurry.
John Senko, Ph.D (Advisor)
Hazel Barton, Ph.D (Committee Member)
Teresa Cutright, Ph.D (Committee Member)
97 p.
Biology
environmental microbiology; microbial ecology

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Citations

  • Martin, G. D. (2017). Microbial Community Composition and Activities in Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems [Master's thesis, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1493919370366314

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Martin, Gregory. Microbial Community Composition and Activities in Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems. 2017. University of Akron, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1493919370366314.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Martin, Gregory. "Microbial Community Composition and Activities in Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization Systems." Master's thesis, University of Akron, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1493919370366314

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1493919370366314
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.