Molecular characterization of microbial populations in full-scale biofilters treating iron, manganese and ammonia containing groundwater in Harbin, China

In iron and manganese-containing groundwater treatment for drinking water production, biological filter is an effective process to remove such pollutants. Until now the exact microbial mechanism of iron and manganese removal, especially coupled with other pollutants, such as ammonia, has not been clearly understood. To assess this issue, the performance of a full-scale biofilter located in Harbin, China was monitored over four months. Microbial populations in the biofilter were investigated using T-RFLP and clone library technique. Results suggested that Gallionella, Leptothrix, Nitrospira, Hyphomicrobium and Pseudomonas are dominant in the biofilter and play major roles in the removal of iron, manganese and ammonia. The spatial distribution of microbial populations along the depth of the biofilter demonstrated the stratification of the removal of iron, manganese and ammonia. Additionally, the absence of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the biofilter implicated that ammonia-oxidizing archaea might be responsible for the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite.