Analysis of bacterial community diversity in anaerobic fluidized bed bioreactors treating 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and n-methyl-4-nitroaniline (MNA) using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries.

Clone libraries were used to evaluate the effects of 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and n-methyl-4-nitroaniline (MNA) on bacterial populations within three anaerobic bioreactors. Prior to the addition of DNAN and MNA greater than 69% of the clones in each reactor were identified as a single Desulfuromonales species. However, after 60 days of treatment the Desulfuromonales distribution decreased to less than 13% of the distribution and a clone identified as a Levilinea sp. became the dominant organism at greater than 27% of the clone distribution in each reactor suggesting the species may play an important roll in the reduction of DNAN and MNA.