Amy J. Pruden and Kenneth F. Reardon Colorado State University
Advancing Genome-Enabled Tools: Guiding Inoculum Design for Sulfate-Reducing Mine-Drainage Treatment Systems
The goal of this project is to demonstrate that genome-enabled tools can provide valuable guidance for the design of inocula in order to improve the performance and reliability of biological treatment systems. The focus of this study will be on sulfate-reducing permeable reactive zones employed for mine drainage treatment, but the approach is expected to be broadly applicable to any biological treatment system.
The specific aims of this study are:
1- compare communities resulting from different inocula with respect to sulfate-reducing activity and response to stress
2- compare communities resulting from inocula that have been designed based on information from above with respect to sulfate-reducing activity and response to stress, and
3- develop statistical models in order to identify critical parameters for controlling and predicting performance.
Columns inoculated with various combinations of environmental sources and pure cultures will be used to accomplish these aims. A suite of genome-enabled tools will be strategically applied, including capillary electrophoresis single strand conformation polymorphism of 16S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes, quantitative polymerase chain reaction targeting 16S rRNA genes and functional genes of key groups, and cloning and sequencing of specific functional genes. An emphasis will be on determining the relative utility of tools targeting community structural versus functional variables.
