Combined monitoring of changes in delta13CH4 and archaeal community structure during mesophilic methanization of municipal solid waste

Reconstituted municipal solid waste (MSW) with varying contents of putrescible and cellulosic waste was incubated anaerobically under mesophilic conditions. Standard physicochemical parameters were monitored, together with stable isotopic signatures of produced CH(4) and CO(2). delta(13)C values for CH(4) indicated a change of methanogenic metabolism with time. CH(4) was predominantly produced from H(2)/CO(2) at the beginning of the incubations. This period was associated with important shifts in archaeal communities monitored by automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis (ARISA) and FISH of oligonucleotidic probes targeting specifically 16S rRNA gene of various methanogenic groups. The onset of the active methane generation phase was characterized by an increase of CH(4)delta(13)C, indicating a progressive shift toward an aceticlastic metabolism. When the methane production levelled off, a decrease in the isotopic signature was observed toward values characteristics of hydrogenotrophic metabolism. ARISA profiles were, however, found to be stable from the beginning of the active methane generation phase until the end of the experiment. FISH observation indicated that members of the family Methanosarcinaceae were predominant in the archaeal community during this period, suggesting that these methanogens might exhibit a high metabolic versatility during methanization of waste.