For the experiments, 5 kg m3 of cellulose (Sigma cat. no.
C8002) or 5 kgm3 dry weight of primary sludge were added to
ATCC 1191 medium. Culture media with cellulose were used
for routine transfer. To add the amount of dry sludge, the
sludge was first assayed for concentration of total solid, being
dried at 105 C. A volume of wet sludge was then determined
to correspond to the desired dry weight and added to the
media. It was done that way because PPPS is hard to resuspend
in water after it as been dried.
The experiment started with the inoculation of 30 bottles
containing PPPS. These bottles were placed in an incubator at
60 C with an agitation of 2 Hz. Immediately after inoculation
and every 12 h after, 3 bottles were sacrificed for analyses.
Three bottles were placed in the incubator without inoculation
for the duration of the experiment as a control.