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Related Experiment Videos

Microbial population dynamics in laboratory-scale activated sludge reactors.

K Kaewpipat1, C P L Grady

  • 1L. G. Rich Environmental Research Laboratory, Clemson University, SC 29634-0919, USA.

Water Science and Technology : a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research
|September 10, 2002
PubMed
Summary

Replicate activated sludge systems can be very similar but may diverge in microbial community composition over time, especially after perturbations. Bacterial community dynamics do not always correlate with overall system performance.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental microbiology
  • Wastewater treatment engineering
  • Microbial ecology

Background:

  • Activated sludge systems are crucial for wastewater treatment.
  • Understanding the nonlinear dynamics of microbial communities in these systems is essential for optimizing performance.
  • Replicate reactors are often assumed to behave identically, but this assumption needs validation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the microbial community dynamics in replicate activated sludge sequencing batch reactors.
  • To determine if replicate reactors maintain similar microbial communities over time.
  • To assess the relationship between microbial community shifts and system performance.

Main Methods:

  • Operation of two laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors under identical conditions.

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  • Monitoring microbial communities using microscopy, macroscopic observation, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of 16S rRNA gene segments.
  • Two experiments were conducted, differing in the source of activated sludge.

    • Main Results:

    • Replicate reactors showed similar microbial communities for 60 days post-startup.
    • Microbial communities diverged in one experiment after 60 days, while remaining similar in the other.
    • Bacterial communities were highly dynamic, irrespective of similar system performance.
    • Replicate activated sludge systems are not inherently identical but can be similar if initiated appropriately.

    Conclusions:

    • The degree of microbial community change in replicate reactors is influenced by the severity of perturbations.
    • Microbial community dynamics may not directly reflect overall system performance in activated sludge.
    • Careful initiation is necessary to achieve similarity in replicate activated sludge systems.