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Modeling versatile and dynamic anaerobic metabolism for PAOs/GAOs competition using agent-based model and
Guangyu Li1, Nicholas B Tooker2, Dongqi Wang3
1Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States.
Water Research
|September 9, 2023
Summary
A new iEBPR model enhances understanding of competition between phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) in wastewater treatment. This model improves predictions for side-stream enhanced biological phosphorus removal (S2EBPR) processes.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Microbial Ecology
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Conventional enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) models struggle to accurately represent the complex competition between polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs) under the extended anaerobic conditions characteristic of side-stream EBPR (S2EBPR).
- Optimizing S2EBPR requires a more sophisticated model that captures the metabolic nuances and competitive dynamics of PAOs and GAOs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an improved model (iEBPR) for simulating PAO and GAO competition within S2EBPR systems.
- To incorporate key metabolic features such as sequential polymer usage, staged maintenance-decay, and pathway shifts in PAOs.
Main Methods:
- Model calibration using bulk batch testing data for soluble orthoP, ammonia, glycogen, and PHA.
- Model validation with independent anaerobic testing data, including high-resolution single-cell Raman micro-spectroscopy for intracellular polymer measurements.
- Analysis of PAO and GAO competition under prolonged anaerobic conditions.
Main Results:
- The iEBPR model demonstrated superior performance over previous EBPR models in predicting temporal profiles of key wastewater constituents and biomass components.
- The model accurately predicted intracellular polymer dynamics at both cellular and population levels for PAOs and GAOs.
- Validation confirmed mechanisms of sequential polymer utilization and staged maintenance-decay in PAOs.
Conclusions:
- The iEBPR model provides a more accurate representation of PAO and GAO competition under extended anaerobic conditions found in S2EBPR.
- PAOs exhibit competitive advantages over GAOs in S2EBPR due to versatile polymer utilization and adaptive metabolic pathways.
- The iEBPR model can aid in the design and optimization of S2EBPR for efficient nutrient removal and recovery from wastewater.
