Population dynamics of filamentous bacteria identified in Polish full-scale wastewater treatment plants with nutrients removal

2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 675-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Miłobędzka ◽  
A. Muszyński

A comprehensive study of the identity and population dynamics of filamentous bacteria in five Polish full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with nutrients removal had been carried out for 2 years. A quantitative culture-independent, molecular method – fluorescence in situ hybridization – was applied to evaluate the structure of different filamentous bacteria populations and their temporal variations. Activated sludge was examined for the abundance of 11 groups of filamentous bacteria. On average, filaments constituted 28% of all bacteria. All samples presented a low diversity of probe-defined filamentous bacteria, usually with significant domination of Chloroflexi (with distinction to types 1851, 0803 and others) and/or Microthrix (14% and 7% of EUBmix, respectively). Haliscomenobacter hydrossis, Mycolata, Skermania piniformis and TM7 were less abundant, whereas Curvibacter, Thiothrix/021N and family Gordonia have not been detected in any of the samples. The tested WWTPs showed similarity among species found and differences in their abundance. The composition of filamentous populations was rather stable in each plant and similar to those found in other European countries. Little differences between plants were shown by multivariate analysis of variance in terms of Chloroflexi and Microthrix. No significant general correlations have been found with Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. Medium correlation strength between the presence of different filaments was recorded only for Microthrix and Skermania piniformis. Deleterious effect on settling properties of sludge (measured as sludge volume index) was found only for abundance of Microthrix; a strong linear correlation was recorded between them. However, no other correlations with wastewater and operational data were revealed.

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 790-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Miłobędzka ◽  
Anna Witeska ◽  
Adam Muszyński

Filamentous population in activated sludge and key operational parameters of full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with bulking problems representative for Poland were investigated with quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization. Statistical analyses revealed few relationships between operational parameters and biovolume of filamentous bacteria. Sludge age was not only positively correlated with abundance of Chloroflexi (parametric correlation and principal component analysis (PCA)), but also differentiated Microthrix population (analysis of variance (ANOVA)). Phylum Chloroflexi and pH presented a negative relation during the study (PCA). ANOVA showed that pH of influent and sludge volume index (SVI) differentiated abundance of types 0803 and 1851 of Chloroflexi and candidate division TM7. SVI increased along with higher abundance of Microthrix (positive parametric and non-parametric correlations and positive relation in PCA). Biovolumes of morphotypes 0803 and 1851 of Chloroflexi were differentiated by organic matter in influent, also by nutrients in the case of Chloroflexi type 1851. Chemical and biological oxygen demands (COD and BOD5, respectively) were negatively correlated with Microthrix. COD also differentiated the abundance of Haliscomenobacter hydrossis. Results of the study can be used to prevent WWTPs from excessive proliferation of filamentous bacteria and operational problems caused by them – bulking and foaming of activated sludge.


2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Supaporn Phanwilai ◽  
Pongsak Noophan ◽  
Chi-Wang Li ◽  
Kwang-Ho Choo

Abstract This study investigated the effect of low and high chemical oxygen demand (COD):N ratios on biological nitrogen removal and microbial distributions in full-scale step-feed (SF) municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Thailand (SF1) and Taiwan (SF2). The SF1 WWTP had a low COD:N (4:1) ratio, a long solids retention time (SRT) (> 60 d), and low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions (0.2 mg L− 1 in anoxic tank and 0.9 mg L− 1 in aerobic tank). The total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was 48%. The SF2 WWTP had a high COD:N (10:1) ratio, a short SRT (7 d), and high DO (0.6 mg L− 1 in anoxic tank and 1.8 mg L− 1 in aerobic tank). The TN removal efficiency was 61%. The nitrification and denitrification rates from these two plants were inadequate. Using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) technique, the populations of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonium oxidizing archaea were quantified. Measurement of ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene abundances identified these AOB: Nitrosomonas sp., Nitrosospira sp., Nitrosoccus sp. and Zoogloea sp. Higher amounts of the archaeal-amoA gene were found with long SRT, lower DO and COD:N ratios. Abundance of Nitrobacter sp. was slightly higher than Nitrospira sp. at the SF1, while abundance of Nitrobacter sp. was two orders of magnitude greater than Nitrospira sp. at the SF2. More denitrifying bacteria were of the nirS-type than the nirK-type, especially at higher COD:N ratio. Most bacteria belong to the phyla Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Proteobacteria. The results from this work showed that insufficient carbon sources at the SF1 and high DO concentration in anoxic tank of SF2 adversely affected nitrogen removal efficiencies. In further research work, advanced techniques on the next generation sequencing with different variable regions should be recommended in full-scale WWTPs.


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