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Updated: Apr 11, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Stratification structure of polysaccharides and proteins in activated sludge with different aeration in membrane
Haifeng Zhang1, Haihuan Yu2, Lanhe Zhang2
1School of Chemistry Engineering, Northeast Dianli University, Jilin 132012, Jilin, PR China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas Tech University, 10th and Akron, Lubbock, TX 79409-1023, USA.
Abstract:
The effect of distribution pattern of polysaccharides (PS) and proteins (PN) in activated sludge (AS) stratification with different aeration rates on membrane fouling and rejection efficiency were investigated. During high aeration, PN and PS concentrations increased in supernatant, the dominant fraction (84% of PN and 73% of PS) was small molecules (<1 kDa). Less slime and loose bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS), more tight bound EPS (TB-EPS) were observed compared with low aeration. The decrease in PN/PS ratio and Ca(2+) concentration within EPS deteriorated AS flocculation ability. At slow trans-membrane pressure (TMP) rise stage, fouling rate under high aeration was 41% lower than low aeration due to lower PN within EPS outer. Low PS rejection rate (about 23%) leaded to higher PS in effluent at this stage. High PS rejection rate (about 94%) at rapid TMP rise stage resulted in about 2.2-time higher fouling rate than that low aeration.
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