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Extraction of Structural Extracellular Polymeric Substances from Aerobic Granular Sludge
Published on: September 26, 2016
Bacterial community enhances flocculation efficiency of Ettlia sp. by altering extracellular polymeric substances
Chau Hai Thai Vu1, Seong-Jun Chun1, Seong-Hyun Seo2
1Cell Factory Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), 125 Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34141, Republic of Korea; Department of Environmental Biotechnology, KRIBB School of Biotechnology, Korea University of Science & Technology (UST), 217 Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
This study examined the effects of a bacterial community and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) on Ettlia sp. flocculation. The growth rate, flocculation efficiency (FE), bacterial community, and EPS profile of axenic and xenic Ettlia cultures were monitored during 46 days of cultivation. For the xenic culture, with a great abundance of growth-promoting and flocculation-inducing bacteria, the biomass density was 18.75% higher and its FE reached 100% in the mid-stationary phase. Moreover, microscopic observation and a quantitative analysis of the EPS revealed the exclusive presence of long filamentous EPS and more compact structure in the xenic Ettlia culture, possibly explaining its better FE. Notwithstanding, for the axenic culture, despite a lower biomass density and reduced abundance of EPS, its FE reached 92.54% in the mid-stationary phase. Thus, the role of the bacterial community was found to be supportive rather than vital for the high settleability of the self-flocculating Ettlia microalgal culture.
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