Elucidation of Microbial Distribution of the Refuse-derived Fuel by Metagenomic Analysis

Abstract

This paper describes the pioneering research, which implies the possibility and extension of the molecular biology approach in fire research. Metagenomics analysis, which is the state-of-the-art technology currently used for the elucidation of the human gut flora, is applied to fire research. Metagenomics analyzes all the DNA of bacteria in refuse-derived fuel, i. e. RDF, bypassing the need to isolate and culture individual microbial species. In order to elucidate the biological characteristic of RDF, whose silo explosion occurred at Mie prefecture in 2003, bacterial communities in two kinds of RDF, Kuwana's and Sakura's, are revealed for non-culture and 3-day anaerobic culture conditions. Hydrogen producing bacteria such as Bacillus sp. and Clostridium sp. were found in both samples. In the initial non-culture condition, hydrogen-producing bacteria are 30% of the entire community and then increased to about 60% in 3-day culture condition. Bacillus sp. became predominant microbial in Kuwana's RDF and Clostridium sp. in Sakura's RDF, respectively after 3-day culture condition.