Abstract

Biological wastewater treatment (WWT) from fisheries is characterized by high protein load and sulfate, a condition that stimulates proteolytic bacteria and sulfate reducing microorganism (SRM) activity during anaerobic digestion. Considering that LIW digestion efficiency is increased when using reactors colonized by bacterial biofilm was developed a ceramic surface enriched with a methanogenic archaea consortia that uses methylated amine (mMPA) substrates not usable by SRM, to control NH3 inhibitory effects. To compare the methanogenic activity, two bio-reactors were built, one enriched with an mMPA consortia and a second with an NH3 tolerant mMPA consortia. To evaluate the ammonia tolerant activity both reactors were exposed to 755 mg NH3 / L shock. TOC consumption and methanization were followed on time. Bacteria and Archaea 16S DNA profiles were evaluated by DGGE. Ammonia shock affected methane production and total organic carbon (TOC) consumption. These values decreased to 70 and 36% respectively in the control reactor, however, in the treatment reactor, these parameters remained constant. Methanosarcinaceae were the predominant archaea in both biofilms (enriched and non-enriched with NH3 tolerant mMPA). These results supporting the general hypothesis of this study, concluding that using enriched NH3 tolerant mMPA biofilm improves ammonia shock tolerance in effluent purification of proteins and sulfates enriched discharges.