scholarly journals The ecology of the Chloroflexi in full-scale activated sludge wastewater treatment plants

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Nierychlo ◽  
Aleksandra Miłobędzka ◽  
Francesca Petriglieri ◽  
Bianca McIlroy ◽  
Per Halkjær Nielsen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Spatial Arrangement ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Substantial Contribution ◽  
Sludge Flocs ◽  
Hybridization Probes ◽  
Operational Problem

AbstractFilamentous bacteria belonging to the phylum Chloroflexi have received considerable attention in wastewater treatment systems for their suggested role in operational problem of impaired sludge settleability known as bulking. Their consistently high abundance in full-scale systems, even in the absence of bulking, indicates that they make a substantial contribution to the nutrient transformations during wastewater treatment. In this study, extensive 16S rRNA amplicon surveys of full-scale Danish WWTPs were screened to identify the most numerically important Chloroflexi genera. Fluorescencein situhybridization probes were designed for theirin situcharacterization. All abundant phylotypes of the phylum were identified as facultative anaerobic chemoorganotrophs involved in fermentation of sugars. These groups were all filamentous but differed in their morphology and spatial arrangement.‘CandidatusVilligracilis’ was predominantly located within the activated sludge flocs, where they possibly have structural importance, and their abundance was relatively stable. Conversely, the abundance of‘CandidatusAmarolinea’ was highly dynamic, relative to other genera, sometimes reaching abundances in excess of 30% of the biovolume, suggesting their likely role in bulking episodes. This study gives an important insight into the role of Chloroflexi in WWTPs, thus contributing to the broader goal of understanding the ecology of these biotechnologically important systems.

Variations of morphology of activated sludge flocs studied at full-scale wastewater treatment plants

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1123-1131 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Liwarska-Bizukojc ◽  
Anna Klepacz-Smółka ◽  
Olga Andrzejczak
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Sludge Flocs

scholarly journals Deep learning-based morphology classification of activated sludge flocs in wastewater treatment plants

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hisashi Satoh ◽  
Yukari Kashimoto ◽  
Naoki Takahashi ◽  
Takashi Tsujimura
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Morphological Change ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Filamentous Bacteria ◽  
Sludge Flocs

A deep learning-based two-label classifier 1 recognized a 20% morphological change in the activated flocs. Classifier-2 quantitatively recognized an abundance of filamentous bacteria in activated flocs.

An investigation into studying of the activated sludge foaming potential by using physicochemical parameters

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 525-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Hladikova ◽  
I. Ruzickova ◽  
P. Klucova ◽  
J. Wanner
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Physicochemical Parameters ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Physicochemical Characteristics ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Aeration Tank ◽  
Foam Formation ◽  
Individual Parameter

This paper examines how the physicochemical characteristics of the solids are related to foam formation and describes how the foaming potential of full-scale plants can be assessed. The relations among activated sludge and biological foam hydrophobicity, scum index, aeration tank cover and filamentous population are evaluated. Individual parameter comparison reveals the scumming intensity can be estimated only on the assumption that foams is already established. None of the above mentioned characteristics can be reliably used to predict the foaming episodes at wastewater treatment plants.

scholarly journals The Microbial Database for Danish wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal (MiDas-DK) – a tool for understanding activated sludge population dynamics and community stability

2013 ◽  
Vol 67 (11) ◽  
pp. 2519-2526 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. T. Mielczarek ◽  
A. M. Saunders ◽  
P. Larsen ◽  
M. Albertsen ◽  
M. Stevenson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Nutrient Removal ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
16S Rrna Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Operational Data

Since 2006 more than 50 Danish full-scale wastewater treatment plants with nutrient removal have been investigated in a project called ‘The Microbial Database for Danish Activated Sludge Wastewater Treatment Plants with Nutrient Removal (MiDas-DK)’. Comprehensive sets of samples have been collected, analyzed and associated with extensive operational data from the plants. The community composition was analyzed by quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) supported by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and deep metagenomics. MiDas-DK has been a powerful tool to study the complex activated sludge ecosystems, and, besides many scientific articles on fundamental issues on mixed communities encompassing nitrifiers, denitrifiers, bacteria involved in P-removal, hydrolysis, fermentation, and foaming, the project has provided results that can be used to optimize the operation of full-scale plants and carry out trouble-shooting. A core microbial community has been defined comprising the majority of microorganisms present in the plants. Time series have been established, providing an overview of temporal variations in the different plants. Interestingly, although most microorganisms were present in all plants, there seemed to be plant-specific factors that controlled the population composition thereby keeping it unique in each plant over time. Statistical analyses of FISH and operational data revealed some correlations, but less than expected. MiDas-DK (www.midasdk.dk) will continue over the next years and we hope the approach can inspire others to make similar projects in other parts of the world to get a more comprehensive understanding of microbial communities in wastewater engineering.

Substrate uptake by Gordonia amarae in activated sludge foams by FISH-MAR

2006 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.L. Carr ◽  
K.L. Eales ◽  
R.J. Seviour
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Mycolic Acid ◽  
Substrate Uptake ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Process ◽  
Pure Cultures ◽  
Gordonia Amarae

Gordonia amarae is a right-angled branching filament belonging to the mycolic acid-containing Actinobacteria which is commonly found in many foaming activated sludge wastewater treatment plants. Although studies on different substrates as sole carbon sources by pure cultures of G. amarae have been carried out, none have examined substrate uptake by this organism in situ. Uptake of several hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates by G. amarae was evaluated in situ using a combination of fluorescence in situ hybridization and microautoradiography. G. amarae could assimilate a range of both hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates. From the data, G. amarae appears to be physiologically active under aerobic, anaerobic and anoxic condition (NO2 and NO3) for some substrates. This might explain why attempts to control foaming caused by G. amarae using anoxic and anaerobic selectors have been unsuccessful. This study emphasizes that bacteria can behave differently in situ to pure cultures and that it is important to evaluate the in situ physiology of these bacteria if we are to better understand their role in the wastewater treatment process.

scholarly journals Quantification of biologically and chemically bound phosphorus in activated sludge from full-scale plants with biological P-removal

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Petriglieri ◽  
Jette F. Petersen ◽  
Miriam Peces ◽  
Marta Nierychlo ◽  
Kamilla Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Mass Balance ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Raman Microspectroscopy ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
P Fractions ◽  
P Content ◽  
Total P ◽  
P Removal

AbstractLarge amounts of phosphorus (P) are present in activated sludge from municipal wastewater treatment plants, where it exists in the form of metal salt precipitates or biologically bound into the biomass as nucleic acids, cell membrane components, and the extracellular polymeric substances or, in special polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), as intracellular polyphosphate. Only recently, methods that reliably allow an absolute quantification of the different P-fractions, such as sequential extraction, Raman microspectroscopy, solid-state 31P magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR, and solution state 31P NMR have been developed. This study combines these techniques to obtain a comprehensive P mass-balance of activated sludge from four wastewater treatment plants with enhanced biological phosphate removal (EBPR). The total content of P and various cations was measured by chemical analysis (ICP-OES), and different P fractions were extracted for chemical characterization. Chemically bound P constituted 38-69% of total P, most likely in the form of Fe, Mg, or Al minerals, while organically bound P constituted 7-9%. By using Raman microspectroscopy and solution state 31P NMR and 31P MAS NMR spectroscopy before and after anaerobic P-release experiments, poly-P was quantified and constituted 22-54% of total P in the activated sludges and was found in approx. 25% of all bacterial cells. Moreover, Raman microspectroscopy in combination with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to quantify the species-specific intracellular poly-P of known PAO genera (Tetrasphaera, Ca. Accumulibacter, Dechloromonas) and other microorganisms known to possess high level of poly-P, such as the filamentous Ca. Microthrix. They were all abundant, as measured by quantitative-FISH and amplicon sequencing, and accumulated large amount of poly-P, depending on their cell-size, contributing substantially to the P-removal. Interestingly, in all four EBPR plants investigated, only 1-13% of total poly-P was stored by unidentified PAO, highlighting that most PAOs in the full-scale EBPR plants investigated are now known.HighlightsExhaustive P mass-balance of main organic and inorganic P-species in four EBPR plantsQuantification of poly-P of FISH-defined PAO and other species with high P contentTotal P content was 36-50 mgP/gSS of which 31-62% was in biomass and as poly-PA high fraction of all cells (25-30%) contained a high content of poly-PKnown PAOs contained almost all poly-P in the EBPR plants investigated

scholarly journals Time Series Genome-Centric Analysis Unveils Bacterial Response to Operational Disturbance in Activated Sludge

mSystems ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Victoria Pérez ◽  
Leandro D. Guerrero ◽  
Esteban Orellana ◽  
Eva L. Figuerola ◽  
Leonardo Erijman
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Operating Conditions ◽  
Lag Phase

ABSTRACT Understanding ecosystem response to disturbances and identifying the most critical traits for the maintenance of ecosystem functioning are important goals for microbial community ecology. In this study, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and metagenomics to investigate the assembly of bacterial populations in a full-scale municipal activated sludge wastewater treatment plant over a period of 3 years, including a 9-month period of disturbance characterized by short-term plant shutdowns. Following the reconstruction of 173 metagenome-assembled genomes, we assessed the functional potential, the number of rRNA gene operons, and the in situ growth rate of microorganisms present throughout the time series. Operational disturbances caused a significant decrease in bacteria with a single copy of the rRNA (rrn) operon. Despite moderate differences in resource availability, replication rates were distributed uniformly throughout time, with no differences between disturbed and stable periods. We suggest that the length of the growth lag phase, rather than the growth rate, is the primary driver of selection under disturbed conditions. Thus, the system could maintain its function in the face of disturbance by recruiting bacteria with the capacity to rapidly resume growth under unsteady operating conditions. IMPORTANCE Disturbance is a key determinant of community assembly and dynamics in natural and engineered ecosystems. Microbiome response to disturbance is thought to be influenced by bacterial growth traits and life history strategies. In this time series observational study, the response to disturbance of microbial communities in a full-scale activated sludge wastewater treatment plant was assessed by computing specific cellular traits of genomes retrieved from metagenomes. It was found that the genomes observed in disturbed periods have more copies of the rRNA operon than genomes observed in stable periods, whereas the in situ mean relative growth rates of bacteria present during stable and disturbed periods were indistinguishable. From these intriguing observations, we infer that the length of the lag phase might be a growth trait that affects the microbial response to disturbance. Further exploration of this hypothesis could contribute to better understanding of the adaptive response of microbiomes to unsteady environmental conditions.

Abundance of amoA genes of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in activated sludge of full-scale wastewater treatment plants

2011 ◽  
Vol 102 (4) ◽  
pp. 3694-3701 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tawan Limpiyakorn ◽  
Puntipar Sonthiphand ◽  
Chaiwat Rongsayamanont ◽  
Chongrak Polprasert
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea

Microscopic and enzymatic investigations on biofilms of wastewater treatment systems

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tanja Gschlößl ◽  
Ingrid Michel ◽  
Marion Heiter ◽  
Christian Nerger ◽  
Verena Rehbein
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Activated Sludge ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Organic Substances ◽  
Operational Conditions ◽  
Sludge Flocs ◽  
And Performance ◽  
The Stability

In biological wastewater treatment inorganic and organic substances are fixed and metabolized by mixed populations of microorganisms forming either activated sludge flocs or biofilms. Not only the type of wastewater but also the operational conditions promote the development of an adapted biocenosis of microorganisms with specialized enzymatic functions. Understanding the biological properties of the microorganisms, it is possible to assess the prevailing conditions in their natural environment. Regular microscopic and enzymatic investigations of activated sludge and biofilms thus improve the assessment of the stability of the processes and support troubleshooting in wastewater treatment plants. While the role of bacteria is often discussed, the importance of ciliated protozoes and metazoes for the maintenance of the stability of biofilm systems is rarely mentioned. In this paper we intend to show some new results of direct microscopic observations in different sorts of biofilm systems focussing upon ciliated protozoes and metazoes. Practical results will demonstrate the relation between enzymatic analysis, microscopic investigations and performance of biofilm systems.

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