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Long-term population dynamics and in situ physiology in activated sludge systems with enhanced biological phosphorus removal operated with and without nitrogen removal

Lee, N ; Nielsen, PH ; Aspegren, H ; Henze, M ; Schleifer, KH and la Cour Jansen, Jes LU (2003) In Systematic and Applied Microbiology 26(2). p.211-227
Abstract
Quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the combination of FISH with microautoradiography (MAR) were used in order to study the long-term population dynamics (2.5 years) and the in situ physiology in two parallel activated sludge pilot systems with enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The two systems received the same influent wastewater, but were differently operated (with and without nitrogen removal, respectively). Both systems showed a significant P removal that increased when different substrates (phosphorus (P), acetate and glucose, respectively) were added to the influent wastewater. Rhodocyclus-related bacteria were present in both systems in significant numbers (ranging from 4 to 28%) throughout the... (More)
Quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the combination of FISH with microautoradiography (MAR) were used in order to study the long-term population dynamics (2.5 years) and the in situ physiology in two parallel activated sludge pilot systems with enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The two systems received the same influent wastewater, but were differently operated (with and without nitrogen removal, respectively). Both systems showed a significant P removal that increased when different substrates (phosphorus (P), acetate and glucose, respectively) were added to the influent wastewater. Rhodocyclus-related bacteria were present in both systems in significant numbers (ranging from 4 to 28%) throughout the whole period. This supports the hypothesis that these bacteria occur in significant numbers in different types of well-operating EBPR activated sludge processes. However, we observed a lower correlation (<0.5) for the amount of Rhodocyclus-related bacteria to the P content in activated sludge than previous studies (>0.9). The Actinobacteria were the only additional group of bacteria which showed a similar degree of correlation to the P content in activated sludge as the Rhodocyclus-related bacteria - but only for the system without nitrogen removal. Significant amounts (less than or equal to12%) of glycogen-accumulating bacteria (GAOs) were detected in the system with nitrogen removal (but not in the other system), but had no, in contrast to previous observations, apparent negative effect on the overall EBPR performance. FISH-MAR indicated that a significant part of the Betaproteobacteria (part of them identified as Rhodocyclus-related bacteria) as well as the Actinobacteria were able to take up P-33(i), [H-3]-acetate and [H-3]-glucose under anaerobic-aerobic conditions. The contribution of anoxic P-33(i) uptake under alternating anaerobic-anoxic conditions was significantly lower. Interestingly, not all Rhodocyclus-related bacteria showed uptake of these three radioactive substrates. This may be due to differences in metabolic state, physiological potential or genotype, not detectable by the present probe set for Rhodocyclus-related bacteria. Comparison of the P-33(i), [H-3]-acetate and [H-3]-glucose uptake by activated sludge after different fixation and incubation procedures showed that a part of the observed P-33(i), uptake may have been caused by a combination of a biological and chemical or biologically induced chemical P adsorption. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Actinobacteria, Rhodocyclus (Accumulibacter), phosphorus-accumlating organisms (PAOs), microautoradiography (MAR), hybridization (FISH), fluorescence in situ, activated sludge, phosphorus and nitrogen removal, glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs)
in
Systematic and Applied Microbiology
volume
26
issue
2
pages
211 - 227
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • wos:000184160600009
  • pmid:12866848
  • scopus:0038005027
ISSN
0723-2020
DOI
10.1078/072320203322346065
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
11ffed00-3932-4e17-a812-7c51c1f8c775 (old id 305820)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:02:46
date last changed
2022-02-27 18:26:33
@article{11ffed00-3932-4e17-a812-7c51c1f8c775,
  abstract     = {{Quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the combination of FISH with microautoradiography (MAR) were used in order to study the long-term population dynamics (2.5 years) and the in situ physiology in two parallel activated sludge pilot systems with enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The two systems received the same influent wastewater, but were differently operated (with and without nitrogen removal, respectively). Both systems showed a significant P removal that increased when different substrates (phosphorus (P), acetate and glucose, respectively) were added to the influent wastewater. Rhodocyclus-related bacteria were present in both systems in significant numbers (ranging from 4 to 28%) throughout the whole period. This supports the hypothesis that these bacteria occur in significant numbers in different types of well-operating EBPR activated sludge processes. However, we observed a lower correlation (&lt;0.5) for the amount of Rhodocyclus-related bacteria to the P content in activated sludge than previous studies (&gt;0.9). The Actinobacteria were the only additional group of bacteria which showed a similar degree of correlation to the P content in activated sludge as the Rhodocyclus-related bacteria - but only for the system without nitrogen removal. Significant amounts (less than or equal to12%) of glycogen-accumulating bacteria (GAOs) were detected in the system with nitrogen removal (but not in the other system), but had no, in contrast to previous observations, apparent negative effect on the overall EBPR performance. FISH-MAR indicated that a significant part of the Betaproteobacteria (part of them identified as Rhodocyclus-related bacteria) as well as the Actinobacteria were able to take up P-33(i), [H-3]-acetate and [H-3]-glucose under anaerobic-aerobic conditions. The contribution of anoxic P-33(i) uptake under alternating anaerobic-anoxic conditions was significantly lower. Interestingly, not all Rhodocyclus-related bacteria showed uptake of these three radioactive substrates. This may be due to differences in metabolic state, physiological potential or genotype, not detectable by the present probe set for Rhodocyclus-related bacteria. Comparison of the P-33(i), [H-3]-acetate and [H-3]-glucose uptake by activated sludge after different fixation and incubation procedures showed that a part of the observed P-33(i), uptake may have been caused by a combination of a biological and chemical or biologically induced chemical P adsorption.}},
  author       = {{Lee, N and Nielsen, PH and Aspegren, H and Henze, M and Schleifer, KH and la Cour Jansen, Jes}},
  issn         = {{0723-2020}},
  keywords     = {{Actinobacteria; Rhodocyclus (Accumulibacter); phosphorus-accumlating organisms (PAOs); microautoradiography (MAR); hybridization (FISH); fluorescence in situ; activated sludge; phosphorus and nitrogen removal; glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs)}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{211--227}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Systematic and Applied Microbiology}},
  title        = {{Long-term population dynamics and in situ physiology in activated sludge systems with enhanced biological phosphorus removal operated with and without nitrogen removal}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1078/072320203322346065}},
  doi          = {{10.1078/072320203322346065}},
  volume       = {{26}},
  year         = {{2003}},
}