HFBR,
Methane oxidation,
Methanotrophs,
Microbial ecology,
Wastewater,
TRFLP
Anthropogenic sources of methane include landfills and wastewater
treatment facilities. Legislation dealing with generation
and treatment of gases and odours (EC, 2005) is increasingly
stringent. Horizontal Flow
Biofilm Reactors (HFBRs) have been used to treat domestic (Rodgers and Clifford, 2009) and dairy wastewater (Rodgers et al., 2007). The HFBR flow regime ensures contact between wastewater and biofilm,
alleviating problems of clogging, channelling, compaction and pressure drop. Three
HFBRs were designed to treat low CH4 concentrations at 10°C. Oxidation activity, as
well as the diversity and distribution of species, were determined to assess
the efficiency of the novel systems.