Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Comparison of nutrient-removing microbial communities in activated sludge from full-scale MBRs and conventional
A M Saunders1, P Larsen, P H Nielsen
1Department of Biotechnology, Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Aalborg University, Sohngaardsholmsvej 49, DK-9000 Aalborg, Denmark. ams@bio.aau.dk
Abstract:
The composition of nutrient-removing microbial communities in five full-scale membrane bioreactors (MBRs) was investigated using fluorescence in situ hybridization and 16S rRNA pyrosequencing and compared to similar analyses of conventional activated sludge (CAS) communities. The communities were highly similar but some genera that are always present in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) (core groups) were absent in the MBRs. The overall phylogenetic similarity of the communities indicated that these differences were primarily closely related groups. More research is needed to establish the operational significance of the observed differences between MBR and CAS sludge.
Related Concept Videos
Microbial Bioremediation of Uranium
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Bioremediation
Microbial Mats
Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
Freshwater Microbial Ecology

