Microbial biodegradation of N,N-dimethylbenzylamine (DMBA) in aerobic and anaerobic lab-scale wastewater treatment reactors

This project investigates the microbial biodegradation of N,N-dimethylbenzylamine (DMBA) in three 1 L lab-scale wastewater treatment reactors, consisting of one control reactor and two DMBA-amended reactors operated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The microbial community composition was analyzed using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. DMBA is a significant nitrosamine precursor that can form the carcinogenic compound N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) during drinking water disinfection. Anaerobic sludge collected from the university wastewater treatment system was used as the inoculum and seed sludge for the control reactor, and the same sludge was used to enrich the DMBA-amended aerobic and anaerobic reactors. All reactors were operated with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 14 days. This study provides insights into the dominant microbial drivers and degradation pathways controlling DMBA transformation.