Effects of monochloramine and hydrogen peroxide on the bacterial community shifts in biologically treated wastewater

Amending feed water with biocide is one of the strategy conventionally used to control biofouling in membrane-based water treatment systems. In this study, the impacts of two biocides, monochloramine (MCA) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), on the bacterial community in wastewater samples were investigated at equivalent biocidal efficiency levels. Viable bacterial numbers were determined before and after treatment for 10 min and 60 min using both culture-dependent heterotrophic plate count (HPC) and culture-independent propidium monoazide (PMA)-droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Shifts of the live bacterial diversity were studied using high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and followed by bioinformatics analysis. At the genus level, MCA treatment increased the relative abundance of Mycobacterium, Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, Clostridium, Streptococcus, Undibacterium, Chryseobacterium and Cloacibacterium, while decreasing Arcobacter, Nitrospira and Sphingobium. H₂O₂ treatment increased the relative abundance of Anaerolinea and Filimonas, and diminished Denitratisoma and Thauera. The findings of this study suggest a combination of different types of biocide may be the most efficient strategy for biofouling mitigation and increasing membrane treatment efficiency.