Influence of calcium, magnesium, and iron ions on aerobic granulation

In this study, we investigated the effect of different multivalent cations on granule formation. Previous experiments showed that formation of matrix EPS and their structure depend of the presence of divalent cations. This study indicates that trivalent cations are also playing an important role. However, the more compact granules were formed in the presence of all cations. The authors tried also to determine changes in proteomic profile of slime and tightly bound EPS. These results showed that matrix EPS is composed of a variety of large and complex proteins, but there are also small proteins, like for example, lectins. These small proteins have a role in the interaction between cells and exopolysaccharides and in granules formation.