Membrane bioreactor versus conventional activated sludge system: population dynamics of nitrifiers

Although membrane bioreactors have attracted increasing attention in recent years, little research has been undertaken on the influence of the membrane separation on the microbial community composition. This paper compares the startup behaviour and the performance of the subsequent eight months of a membrane bioreactor with a conventional activated sludge pilot plant. Both plants were operated in parallel at the same sludge age and treated the same domestic wastewater. The identification of the nitrifying community composition using fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed only minor differences between the two reactors for both ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Accordingly, both systems exhibited the same maximum nitrification rates. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that the aggregates formed by nitrifying bacteria were located mostly in the inner part of the flocs and were overgrown by heterotrophic bacteria. It is concluded that the membrane separation itself does affect neither the nitrifying community composition nor the nitrification performance. However, impacts on kinetic parameters are emphasized.