Susanne Klammer

Microbiology of composting

Microbial Communities.- How Resilient Are Microbial Communities to Temperature Changes During Composting?.- Survey of Fungal Diversity in Mushroom Compost Using Sequences of PCR-Amplified Genes Encoding 18S Ribosomal RNA.- Bacterial Community Structure During Yard Trimmings Composting.- Characterisation of Microbial Communities During Composting of Organic Wastes.- Microbial Succession During Composting of Source-Separated Urban Organic Household Waste Under Different Initial Temperature Conditions.- Bacterial Diversity in Livestock Manure Composts as Characterized by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (T-RLFP) of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA Gene Sequences.- Amplified 16S Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis of Microbial Community Structure During Rapid Degradation of a Biopolymer, PHA, by Composting.- Comparative Investigation of Vermicompost Microbial Communities.- Processes and Controls.- Heat Production During Thermophilic Decomposition of Municipal Wastes in the Dano-System Composting Plant.- Composting of Different Horticultural Wastes: Effect of Fungal Inoculation.- Backyard Composting: General Considerations and a Case Study.- N-Dynamics During Composting - Overview and Experimental Results.- Unsuitability of Anaerobic Compost from Solid Substrate Anaerobic Digestion as a Soil Amendment.- Pile Composting of Two-phase Centrifuged Olive Husks: Bioindicators of the Process.- Organic Acids as a Decisive Limitation to Process Dynamics During Composting of Organic Matter.- Effects of Interrupted Air Supply on the Composting Process - Composition of Volatile Organic Acids.- Reduction of Ammonia Emission and Waste Gas Volume by Composting at Low Oxygen Pressure.- Review of Compost Process-Control for Product Function.- Using Agricultural Wastes for Tricholoma crassum (Berk.) Sacc. Production.- Microbial Transformation of Nitrogen During Composting.- Effect of Additives on the Nitrification-Denitrification Activities During Composting of Chicken Manure.- Biodegradability.- Biodegradability Study on Films for Packaging Based on Isotactic Polypropylene Modified with Natural Terpene Resins.- Isolation and Characterization of Thermophilic Microorganisms Able to Grow on Cellulose Acetate.- PCBs Biotransformation by a White-Rot Fungus Under Composting and Liquid Culture Conditions.- Tests on Composting of Degradable Polyethylene in Respect to the Quality of the End-Product Compost.- Microbial Degradation of Sulfonylurea Herbicides:Chlorsulfuron and Metsulfuron-Methyl.- Maturity Testing.- Hydrogen Peroxide Effects on Composting and Its Use in Assessing the Degree of Maturity.- Plant Performance in Relation to Oxygen Depletion, CO2-Rate and Volatile Organic Acids in Container Media Composts of Varying Maturity.- Microbiological and Chemical Characterisation of Composts at Different Levels of Maturity, with Evaluation of Phytotoxicity and Enzymatic Activities.- Monitoring of a Composting Process: Thermal Stability of Raw Materials and Products.- Compost Maturity - Problems Associated with Testing.- Use of CLPP for Evaluating the Role of Different Organic Materials in Composting.- Evaluation of Organic Matter Stability During the Composting Process of Agroindustrial Wastes.- Characterization of Organic Substances in Stabilized Composts of Rest Wastes.- Application and Environmental Impact.- Composting of Posidonia oceanica and Its Use in Agriculture.- Practical Use of Quality Compost for Plant Health and Vitality Improvement.- Environmental Impacts of Cattle Manure Composting.- Agronomic Value and Environmental Impacts of Urban Composts Used in Agriculture.- Composting in the Framework of the EU Landfill Directive.- Occurence of Aspergillus fumigatus in a Compost Polluted with Heavy Metals.- Important Aspects of Biowaste Collection and Composting in Nigeria.- Plant and Human Pathogens.- Use of Actinobacteria in Composting of Sheep Litter.- Methods for Health Risk Assessment by Clostridium botulinum in Biocompost.- The Fate of Plant Pathogens and Seeds During Backyard Composting of Vegetable, Fruit and Garden Waste.- Survival of Phytopathogen Viruses During Semipilot-Scale Composting.- Air-Borne Emissions and Their Control.- Composting Conditions Preventing the Development of Odorous Compounds.- Odour Emissions During Yard Waste Composting: Effect of Turning Frequency.- Imission of Microorganisms from Composting Facilities.- Molecular Identification of Airborne Microorganisms from Composting Facilities.- Bioaerosols and Public Health.- Passively Aerated Composting of Straw-Rich Organic Pig Manure.

16S rDNA analysis reveals low microbial diversity in community level physiological profile assays

The metabolic diversity of microbial communities is fundamental for the multiple soil functions mediated by microorganisms. Community level physiological profiles (CLPPs) based on sole C source oxidation have been used as a fast and reproducible tool to study soil microbial functional diversity because the utilisation of available carbon is the key factor governing microbial growth in soil. Our aim was to assess the phylogenetic affiliation of the microorganisms responsible for C consumption after inoculating Biolog plates. For this purpose, two semi-arid Mediterranean forest soils with significantly different patterns of C consumption and microbial community structure were used. Following the inoculation of the Biolog plates, suspensions from seven wells were sampled after 1, 2 and 7 d of incubation. DNA was extracted and the microbial communities analysed by polymerase chain reaction followed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) and sequencing of excised bands. Despite major differences in the microbial communities of the soils studied, their DGGE banding patterns after incubation were similar for all the analysed C source suspensions. Microorganisms belonging to beta-Proteobacteria (Ralstonia sp. and Burkholderia sp.) and alpha-Proteobacteria (Rhizobium sp.) were dominant. These opportunists had a competitive advantage under the conditions at which the CLPPs were analysed. This study reveals that significantly different CLPP patterns can be generated on the basis of only 3-4 genera, as reflected by PCR-DGGE analysis. Also for this reason, CLPPs based on incubations of soil suspensions should just be used as a screening method and always be accompanied by other techniques for community analysis.

Bacterial community patterns and thermal analyses of composts of various origins.

During composting, the degradation of organic waste is accompanied and driven by a succession of microbial populations exhibiting a broad range of functional capabilities. Detailed inventories of the microbial communities in mature compost, however, are not available. Mature composts, originating from biowaste as well as sewage sludge and anaerobic sludge, were studied by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis-fingerprints after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the 16S rRNA genes using three different universal primer pairs, as well as by differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetry. The composts of different origin had different bacterial communities. The influence of different 16S rDNA primer sets on the same batches of compost DNA was evaluated. The clearest separation of different compost types was obtained by using the PCR primer pair 338f + 518r which is suggested for future applications. Communities from the different biowaste compost samples clustered together and could be separated from sewage sludge communities indicating the establishment of different microbial consortia. A similar differentiation of composts was found with the thermogavimetric analyses. It may thus be concluded that the resulting humus quality is closely linked to the microbial communities involved.

Characterisation of Microbial Communities During Composting of Organic Wastes

Community level physiological profiles (CLPPs) tested with Biolog microplates were studied for a maturity sequence of compost from source-separate collected organic waste and prunings. The composts were 42, 120 and 240 days old. Traditional maturity parameters like microbial biomass, pH and temperature significantly decreased with age. Principal component analysis and discriminant analysis showed distinctly different patterns of carbon source utilisation of the different composts. Five substrates were identified that significantly contributed to the difference in CLPPs.

Protozooplankton in the Deep Oligotrophic Traunsee (Austria) Influenced by Discharges of Soda and Salt Industries

Traunsee is a deep oligotrophic lake in Austria characterised by an artificial enrichment of chloride in the hypolimnion (up to 170 mg L-1) caused by waste disposal of soda and salt industries. Protists were collected monthly over one year, observed alive and after Quantitative Protargol Staining (ciliates) or via epifluorescence microscopy (heterotrophic flagellates). Three sites within the lake (0–40 m depths) were compared to deeper water layers from 60–160 m depths where chloride concentrations and conductivity were increased. In addition, we observed the protozooplankton of two neighbouring lakes, i.e. reference systems, during one sampling occasion. In Traunsee the abundance of ciliates was low (200–36 600 cells L-1) in contrast to high species diversity (at least 60 different species; HS = 2.6) throughout the year. The main pelagic species in terms of abundance were small oligotrichs and prostomatids like Rimostrombidium brachykinetum/hyalinum, Balanion planctonicum and Urotricha spp. throughout the investigation period. Among free-living heterotrophic flagellates, which occurred at densities of 40–2800 cells mL-1, small morphotypes dominated in the pelagial. No differences at the community level between the three lakes could be observed and pelagic ciliates and flagellates seemed not to be affected by increased chloride concentrations or by enhanced conductivity.

Assessment of the Ecological Integrity of Traunsee (Austria) Via Analysis of Sediments and Benthic Microbial Communities

Since nearly one hundred years Traunsee experiences the import of tons of liquid and solid waste originating from salt and soda production. Today, the lake exhibits chloride concentrations of up to 170 mg L-1 and 19% of the lake floor are directly or indirectly influenced by industrial deposits (ID). Based on the comparison of several microbial parameters in unaffected, directly affected and intermediate lake bottom sediments, the ecological integrity of the lake was evaluated. The highly alkaline ID, which were exclusively colonized by microorganisms, harbored a bacterial community reduced by a factor of 10 in abundance and biomass compared to undisturbed sediment areas within the lake. The bacterial community of ID was furthermore characterized by a reduced content of actively respiring cells (INT-formazan reduction), a lower frequency of dividing cells (FDC) and a significantly reduced cell and biomass production. A 80 to 90% reduction in carbon recycling is estimated for the area exclusively covered by ID. Protists, although occasionally absent from the industrial sediments, were in general found to be less sensitive to the contaminant stress. Differences in alkalinity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations of sediment porewaters as well as the total organic content and C/N ratios of sediments partly explain the microbial pattern observed at the various sampling sites. Possible consequences of the continuous industrial tailings for the whole lake ecosystem and the validation of the ecological integrity are discussed.