Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 21, 2026

Medium Preparation for the Cultivation of Microorganisms under Strictly Anaerobic/Anoxic Conditions
Published on: August 15, 2019
The activated sludge metabolic characteristics changing sole carbon source from readily biodegradable acetate to
Changyong Wu1, Yuexi Zhou1, Jiamei Song2
1State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing 100012, China E-mail: wuchangyong@vip.163.com; Research Center of Water Pollution Control Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environment Sciences, Beijing 100012, China.
Abstract:
A sequencing batch reactor was used to investigate the effect of carbon sources on the metabolism of activated sludge. Acetate and phenol, with the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 330-350 mg L(-1), was used as the carbon source in Periods I and II, respectively. Acetate decreased in the initial 120 min with the intracellular storage materials (XSTO), extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and the soluble microbial products (SMP) accumulating to 131.0 mg L(-1), 347.5 mg L(-1), and 35.5 mg L(-1), respectively. Then, XSTO and EPS decreased to 124.5 mg L(-1) and 340.0 mg L(-1), respectively, in the following 120 min. When acetate was replaced by phenol, it could not be used at the beginning due to its toxicity. The XSTO decreased from 142 mg L(-1) to 54.6 mg L(-1) during the aeration period. The EPS had a significant increase, with the highest value of 618.1 mg L(-1), which then decreased to 245.6 mg L(-1) at 240 min. The phenol was gradually degraded with the acclimation and it can be fully degraded 18 d later. Meanwhile, the usage ratio of the internal carbon source decreased. The effluent SMP in Period II was 1.7 times that in Period I.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs
Bioreactor Controls-III
Microbial Bioremediation of Hydrocarbons
Production of Organic Acids
Microbes and Methanogenesis
Fates of Pyruvate
In aerobic organisms, pyruvate is metabolized via the citric acid cycle to produce reduced coenzymes NADH and FADH2. These coenzymes are then oxidized in the electron transport chain to produce ATP and, in the process, regenerate the NAD+ and FAD. As seen in some cell types and organisms, fermentation...

