Composition Of Extracellular Polymeric Substances Research Articles

Changing profiles of bound water content and distribution in the activated sludge treatment by NaCl addition and pH modification

Currently the dewatering of activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants is a problem not well solved. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS), are highly hydrated biopolymers and play important roles in sludge dewatering. In the present work, two types of treatments, i.e., salt addition and pH modification, were proposed to evaluate the effects of bound water content and its distribution on the dewatering performance of activated sludge. Results show that the bound water content in activated sludge was deeply related to the floc structures and EPS compositions. Both salt addition and acid treatment altered the flocculated matrix and increased the contents of LB-EPS, resulting in the release of trapped water and reduction in sludge volume. In addition, the chemical treatments also affected the distribution of bound water. The internal water content increased upon the dose of NaCl, leading to a decreased water content trapped in EPS. Hence, salt addition caused a slower filtration rate, but did not effectively decrease the total water content, although the EPS were decomposed. Under acidic conditions, cell lysis helped to release the intracellular water and further enhance the sludge dewatering performance. In contrast, conditioning with low-dosage alkali increased the bound water content and deteriorated the sludge dewaterability. Therefore, an in-depth investigation into the mechanisms is useful to optimize the activated sludge dewatering process.

The performance and evolution of bacterial community of activated sludge exposed to trimethoprim in a sequencing batch reactor

The performance and microbial community changes of an activated sludge sequencing batch reactor were evaluated after exposure to trimethoprim for 51days. The average chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, phosphorus efficiencies were 88.6%±0.56%, 90.47%±0.29% and 64.25%±1.12%, respectively. The protein and polysaccharide contents increased with increasing trimethoprim concentration to protect the cells from the unfavorable conditions. The chemical composition of extracellular polymeric substances increased. For denitrifying bacteria, the read numbers of Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium and Bacillus were both significantly increased from Day 1 to 25 and sharply decreased by Day 50 (p<0.05), which is consistent with the tendency of Planctomyces (Anammox). The read number of Paracoccus displayed an increasing trend, whereas Nitrospirales, Nitrospira (nitrite oxidizer) and Nitrosomonadaceae (ammonia oxidizer) were significantly decreased (p<0.05). The read number of Rhodocyclaceae (phosphorus oxidizer) was significantly decreased from Day 1 to 25 and sharply increased by Day 50 (p<0.05).

New insights into biodrying mechanism associated with tryptophan and tyrosine degradations during sewage sludge biodrying

Sewage sludge biodrying is a treatment that uses bio-heat generated from organic degradation to remove water from sewage sludge. Dewatering is still limited during biodrying, due to the presence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in sludge. To study the biodrying mechanism associated with EPS compositions tryptophan and tyrosine degradations, this study investigated the microbial function in sludge biodrying material. This study conducted a taxonomic analysis of biodrying material; determined the most abundant genetic functions; analyzed the functional microorganisms involved in the degradations of tryptophan and tyrosine; and summarized the metabolic pathways. The results indicated efficient degradations of tryptophan and tyrosine were observed during the initial thermophilic phase; functional microorganisms were mainly from the phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria, enriched with genes involved in amino acid transport and metabolism. These findings highlight the potentially important microorganisms and typical pathways that may help improve dewaterability during biodegradation.

Pollutant removal and microorganism evolution of activated sludge under ofloxacin selection pressure

An activated sludge sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was fed with synthetic wastewater containing ofloxacin (OFL) for 52days to study the overall performance of the SBR, the characteristics of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and the bacterial community shift. Removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, phosphorus and OFL were maintained at 90%, 96%, 80% and 65%, respectively. The EPS contents increased with increasing OFL concentration because more EPS was secreted to protect cells from OFL damage. Moreover, the EPS compositions shifted. For denitrifying bacteria, the read number of Pseudomonas and Bacillus sharply decreased initially (p<0.05) and increased from Day 25 to Day 50, which agreed with the tendency of Nitrosomonadaceae (ammonia oxidizer), while Paracoccus significantly decreased (p<0.05). The read number of Rhodocyclaceae, a phosphorus-accumulating bacterium, increased. Other functional microbes such as Nitrospirales (nitrite oxidizer) and Planctomyces (anammox) sharply decreased under OFL pressure (p<0.05).

Study on substrate metabolism process of saline waste sludge and its biological hydrogen production potential.

With the increasing of high saline waste sludge production, the treatment and utilization of saline waste sludge attracted more and more attention. In this study, the biological hydrogen production from saline waste sludge after heating pretreatment was studied. The substrate metabolism process at different salinity condition was analyzed by the changes of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), carbohydrate and protein in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and dissolved organic matters (DOM). The excitation-emission matrix (EEM) with fluorescence regional integration (FRI) was also used to investigate the effect of salinity on EPS and DOM composition during hydrogen fermentation. The highest hydrogen yield of 23.6mL H2/g VSS and hydrogen content of 77.6% were obtained at 0.0% salinity condition. The salinity could influence the hydrogen production and substrate metabolism of waste sludge.

Achievement, performance and characteristics of microbial products in a partial nitrification sequencing batch reactor as a pretreatment for anaerobic ammonium oxidation

This study was carried out to evaluate achievement, performance and characteristics of microbial products in a partial nitrification sequencing batch reactor as a pretreatment for anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). After 100 days long-term operation, the effluent NO2−-N/NH4+N ratio of the reactor was average at 1.3 and NO3−-N concentration was low by controlling low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration, which was considered as the ideal influent for anammox. Specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) implied that (SOUR)NH4 and (SOUR)NO2 of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in sludge changed from 21.73 ± 0.52 and 27.39 ± 0.50 O2/g SS/h to 36.37 ± 0.85 and 12.04 ± 0.17 O2/g SS/h, respectively. The main compositions of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP), including proteins (PN) and polysaccharides (PS), were both reduced during the achievement of partial nitrification. Three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3D-EEM) and synchronous fluorescence spectra revealed that PN-like, fulvic acid-like and humic acid-like substances were identified in both EPS and SMP, and their fluorescence intensities changed significantly after partial nitrification achievement. It was found from typical cycle that free ammonia (FA) may play a significant role on inhibiting the activity of NOB. The obtained results could provide more information on the performance of partial nitrification through the characteristics of microbial products when treating high ammonium wastewater.

Effect of SRT on Stability of Yeast-SBR in Treating Oil-containing Wastewater

Sludge retention time(SRT) is a crucial parameter to influence the stability of biological wastewater treatment systems. Especially, the effects of SRT on yeast-wastewater treatment remain unclear. In this study, mixtures of yeast strains were applied to treat oil-containing wastewater in sequencing batch reactors(SBR) and the effects of sludge retention time(SRT as 5, 10, 20, 40 d) on the removal efficiency of pollutants, contents and composition of extracellular polymeric substances(EPS), yeast cells settleability and yeast communities were investigated. The results showed that the recommended SRT was 5-10 d for the yeast-SBR system; Higher SRT led to decrease of COD removal rate and content of EPS; the tightly-bounded EPS was the major one which consisted of polysaccharides. SRT of 5-40 d had no significant effects on the SVI of yeast cells, however, longer SRT (>20 d) resulted in the increase of mycelial cells and a tendency to produce the filamentous bulking. In the continuous operation of SBR, three extraneous yeast strains capable of utilizing or degrading oil were identified in the systems under the short and long SRT. To conclude, shorter SRT was favorable for the system stability in treating oil-containing wastewater by yeasts.

Insights on Klebsiella pneumoniae Biofilms Assembled on Different Surfaces Using Phenotypic and Genotypic Approaches

Klebsiella pneumoniae is a prominent etiological agent of healthcare associated infections (HAIs). In this context, multidrug-resistant and biofilm-producing bacteria are of special public health concern due to the difficulties associated with treatment of human infections and eradication from hospital environments. Here, in order to study the impact of medical devices-associated materials on the biofilm dynamics, we performed biofilm phenotypic analyses through a classic and a new scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique for three multidrug-resistant K. pneumoniae isolates growing on polystyrene and silicone. We also applied whole-genome sequencing (WGS) to search for genetic clues underlying biofilm phenotypic differences. We found major differences in the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content among the three strains, which were further corroborated by in-depth EPS composition analysis. WGS analysis revealed a high nucleotide similarity within the core-genome, but relevant differences in the accessory genome that may account for the detected biofilm phenotypic dissimilarities, such as genes already associated with biofilm formation in other pathogenic bacteria (e.g., genes coding haemogglutinins and haemolysins). These data reinforce that the research efforts to defeat bacterial biofilms should take into account that their dynamics may be contingent on the medical devices-associated materials.

Biofilm structures (EPS and bacterial communities) in drinking water distribution systems are conditioned by hydraulics and influence discolouration

High-quality drinking water from treatment works is degraded during transport to customer taps through the Drinking Water Distribution System (DWDS). Interactions occurring at the pipe wall-water interface are central to this degradation and are often dominated by complex microbial biofilms that are not well understood. This study uses novel application of confocal microscopy techniques to quantify the composition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and cells of DWDS biofilms together with concurrent evaluation of the bacterial community. An internationally unique, full-scale, experimental DWDS facility was used to investigate the impact of three different hydraulic patterns upon biofilms and subsequently assess their response to increases in shear stress, linking biofilms to water quality impacts such as discolouration. Greater flow variation during growth was associated with increased cell quantity but was inversely related to EPS-to-cell volume ratios and bacterial diversity. Discolouration was caused and EPS was mobilised during flushing of all conditions. Ultimately, biofilms developed under low-varied flow conditions had lowest amounts of biomass, the greatest EPS volumes per cell and the lowest discolouration response. This research shows that the interactions between hydraulics and biofilm physical and community structures are complex but critical to managing biofilms within ageing DWDS infrastructure to limit water quality degradation and protect public health.

Role of organic compounds from different EPS fractions and their effect on sludge dewaterability by combining anaerobically mesophilic digestion pre-treatment and Fenton’s reagent/lime

Sludge deep-dewatering can be realized by adding Fenton’s reagent and lime, but does have some limitations (mainly expensive costs) which restricted its application. Anaerobically mesophilic digestion (AMD) pre-treatment and Fenton’s reagent/lime (F-L) as new approach are used to enhance the sludge dewaterability. In this study, the sludge physicochemical properties and the distributions and compositions of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were investigated in attempt to understand the observed changes in sludge dewaterability of two conditions: (1) AMD pretreatment; (2) Combining with F-L. The results indicated that AMD pretreatment changed the distributions of EPS fractions to promote the subsequent conditioning; and combination of AMD and F-L could significantly decline the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) by approximately 96.53%. Further studies of mechanism both revealed sludge particles were disintegrated into smaller particles and surface changes were neutralized, obtained a good dewaterability; and sludge dewaterability was significantly related to Tryptophan-like proteins and Aromatic proteins of soluble EPS. Additionally, the combination treatment decreased the moisture of dewatered sludge cake to about 47wt% through using a controllable pressure filtration system. Furthermore, the preliminary economic analysis showed AMD & F-L treatment was economically favorable.

Stratification of Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) for Aggregated Anammox Microorganisms.

Sludge aggregation and biofilm formation are the most effective approaches to solve the washout of anammox microorganisms. In this study, the structure and composition of EPS (extracellular polymeric substances) were investigated to elucidate the factors for the anammox aggregation property. Anammox sludge taken from 18 lab-scale and pilot-scale reactors treating different types of wastewater was analyzed using EEM-PARAFAC (excitation-emission matrix and parallel factor analysis), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and real-time PCR combined with multivariate statistical analysis. The results showed that slime and TB-EPS (tightly bound EPS) were closely related with water quality and sludge morphology, and could be used as the indicators for anammox microbial survival ability and microbial aggregate morphology. Furthermore, slime secreted from anammox bacterial cells may be exhibited higher viscosity to the sludge surface and easily formed the gel network to aggregate. Large amounts of hydrophobic groups of protein in TB-EPS promoted the microbial aggregation. The mechanisms of anammox aggregation explored in this study enhanced the understanding of anammox stability in wastewater treatment processes.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of extracellular polymeric substances in partial nitrification and full nitrification reactors

In present study, two column-type sequencing batch reactors with alternative anoxic/aerobic phases were operated and compared under partial nitrification and full nitrification modes by controlling different dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions. During steady state, the characterizations of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from two reactors were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed through chemical and spectroscopic approaches. Data implied that partial nitrification reactor had relatively higher total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency and loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) contents. According to excitation emission matrix (EEM) spectra, LB-EPS and TB-EPS from two kinds of reactors expressed similar fluorescence peak locations but different intensities. Fluorescence regional integration (FRI) further suggested that Region IV was the main fraction in both types of EPS fractions. Moreover, TB-EPS exhibited a greater number of molecular weight fractions than those of LB-EPS. Both EPS fractions had similar functional groups, which represented the complex nature of EPS compositions.

Nitrate removal and extracellular polymeric substances of autohydrogenotrophic bacteria under various pH and hydrogen flow rates

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the use of autohydrogenotrophic bacteria to treat nitrate from wastewater. However, our knowledge about the characteristics of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) releasing by these activities is not yet very advanced. This study aimed to investigate the change in EPS compositions under various pH values and hydrogen flow rates, taking into consideration nitrogen removal. Results showed that pH7.5 and a hydrogen flow rate of 90mL/min were the optimal operating conditions, resulting in 100% nitrogen removal after 6hr of operation. Soluble and bound polysaccharides decreased, while bound proteins increased with increasing pH. Polysaccharides increased with increasing hydrogen flow rate. No significant change of bound proteins was observed at various hydrogen flow rates.

Physical properties and Extracellular Polymeric Substances pattern of aerobic granular sludge treating hypersaline wastewater

The modification of the physical properties of aerobic granular sludge treating fish-canning wastewater is discussed in this paper. The structure and composition of the Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPSs) were analyzed at different salinity levels and related to granules stability. Results outlined that the total EPSs content increased with salinity, despite the EPSs increment was not proportional to the salt concentration. Moreover, the EPSs structure was significantly modified by salinity, leading to a gradual increase of the not-bound EPSs fraction, which was close to the 50% of the total EPSs content at 75gNaClL−1. The increasing salt concentration modified also the EPSs composition, causing the gradual reduction of protein content resulting in a decrease of granule hydrophobicity. The results pointed out that the granules stability significantly reduced above 50gNaClL−1, suggesting the existence of a salinity threshold above which granules stability is compromised.

Influence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) treated by combined ultrasound pretreatment and chemical re-flocculation on water treatment sludge settling performance

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are high molecular weight polymers and play a significant role in floc stability, floc size, bioflocculation and sludge settleability. The destruction and reconstruction of EPS improve the performance of solid-water separation processes. In this study, the influence of combined ultrasound pretreatment and chemical re-flocculation on the spatial distribution and composition of EPS was examined. Settleability efficiency demonstrated that the optimal operating condition was an ultrasound pretreatment time of 15 min at pH 6. Sludge particles were greatly disintegrated and the protein-like substances were converted into smaller molecules after ultrasound treatment, and pH had important effects on solubilization and degradation of protein-like substances. The flocs of sludge water after addition of polyacrylamide were larger in size and denser in structure than those resulting from addition of polyaluminium chloride. However, polyaluminium chloride had a better capacity for degrading EPS, especially at a dosage of 1.2 g/g total suspended solids. The results of this research show that the combination of ultrasonication and chemical re-flocculation is effective in treating sludge water from a drinking water treatment plant.

Study of Membrane Fouling Properties of Landfill Leachate Treatment by the SBAC-MBR Process

Landfill leachate was treated by a process involving use of sludge-based activated carbon (SBAC) combined with a membrane bioreactor (MBR), which reduced cost compared to traditional activated carbon. The MBR process was operated to compare the membrane fouling characteristics for exploring effects of the properties and amount of added SBAC on membrane fouling. Influences of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and soluble microbial products (SMP) on the transmembrane pressure (TMP) were illustrated based on the contents and components of EPS and SMP in sludge mixed liquor and on the membrane surface. Results showed that the EPS, SMP, proteins, and polysaccharides in sludge mixed liquor of the SBAC-MBR first increased and then decreased with the operation time, and accumulation of EPS, proteins, and polysaccharides on the membrane surface in the SBAC-MBR increased gradually with time during the operational cycle. TMP in the SBAC-MBR first increased gradually and then decreased exponentially during the operational cycle. Addition of SBAC to the MBR reduced the amounts and changed the compositions of EPS and SMP, which improved the properties and structure of the cake layer on the membrane surface and decreased membrane fouling. During the operational cycle, the period of slow increase of TMP in the reactor was prolonged by adding SBCA, which extended the cleaning cycle of the membrane module from 17 to 21 days.

Effects of CeO2, CuO, and ZnO nanoparticles on physiological features of Microcystis aeruginosa and the production and composition of extracellular polymeric substances.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are key components of the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa and play an important role in cyanobacteria blooms formation. Here, we analyzed the effects of 48-h exposure to nanosized CeO2 (n-CeO2), CuO (n-CuO), and ZnO (n-ZnO) on the production and composition of EPS of M. aeruginosa. Toxicity experiments revealed that soluble nanoparticles (NPs) (n-ZnO, n-CuO) demonstrated higher toxicity to cells and caused membrane damage. The production of LB-EPS increased by 34.48, 20.09, and 46.33%, and TB-EPS increased by -5.78, 22.3, and -2.67% in the presence of n-CeO2, n-CuO, and n-ZnO NPs, respectively, and polysaccharides are the main incremental portion compared with protein and humic acids. Three-dimensional excitation-emission fluorescence spectra revealed the enhancement of fulvic-humic-like and disappearance of tyrosine aromatic substances in TB-EPS compared with the slight changes observed in LB-EPS. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy illustrated the susceptibility of -NH2 and double-bonded carbon and oxygen in amides to three types of NPs. These results improve our understanding of the potential influence of NPs on the aggregation behaviors of cyanobacteria and formation process of cyanobacteria blooms. Graphical abstract ᅟ.

Performance and microbial community of a sequencing batch biofilm reactor treating synthetic mariculture wastewater under long-term exposure to norfloxacin

The performance and microbial community of a sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) treating synthetic mariculture wastewater were evaluated under long-term exposure to norfloxacin (NFX) due to the overuse of antibiotics during the mariculture. The COD and NH4+-N removals had no distinct change at 0–6mgL−1 NFX and were inhibited at 6–35mgL−1 NFX. The specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR), specific ammonium oxidation rate (SAOR), specific nitrite oxidation rate (SNOR) and specific nitrate reduction rate (SNRR) of the biofilm kept a decreasing tendency with the increase of NFX concentration from 0 to 35mgL−1. The presence of NFX promoted the microorganisms to secrete more extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and affected the chemical compositions of EPS. The microbial richness and diversity showed some obvious variations at different NFX concentrations. The present results demonstrated that NFX inhibited the SBBR performance and should decrease the NFX dosage in the mariculture.

3DEEM spectroscopy analysis to assess the EPS composition in different carriers in HMBR systems.

A hybrid membrane bioreactor (HMBR) with biological band carriers (Reactor A) and an HMBR with suspended honeycomb carriers (Reactor B) were conducted in parallel to investigate the effects of different carriers on extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). Composition and concentration of EPS were examined by three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3DEEM) fluorescence spectra and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). 3DEEM spectra demonstrated that the main organic substances of the EPS in two reactors were protein-like, humic acid-like and fulvic acid-like substances. The fluorescence intensity (FI) indicated that the protein-like composition was dominant in EPS, and its intensity in reactor B was stronger than that in A (392.94 > 250.25). Results of the FI identified from the 3DEEM by PARAFAC showed that the EPS in two reactors included two humic acid-like compositions C1 (230, 320/406 nm), C2 (250, 360/440 nm) and one protein-like C4 (230, 280/340 nm), while C3 was fulvic acid-like (220/429 nm) and protein-like (230/357 nm) in reactor A and B, respectively. The proportion and FI of protein-like substances in reactor B were higher than that in A. Consequently, it was concluded that reactor A could control the membrane fouling effectively, compared with reactor B.

Different Resistance to UV-B Radiation of Extracellular Polymeric Substances of Two Cyanobacteria from Contrasting Habitats.

The effects of UV-B radiation (UVBR) on photosynthetic activity (Fv/Fm) of aquatic Synechocystis sp. and desert Chroococcus minutus and effects on composition and fluorescence property of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) from Synechocystis sp. and C. minutus were comparatively investigated. The desert cyanobacterium species C. minutus showed higher tolerance of PSII activity (Fv/Fm) to UVBR than the aquatic Synechocystis sp., and the inhibited PSII activity of C. minutus could be fully recovered while that of Synechocystis sp. could be partly recovered. UVBR had significant effect on the yield and biochemical composition of EPS of both species. Protein-like and humic acid-like substances were detected in EPS from Synechocystis sp., and protein-like and phenol-like fluorescent compounds were detected in EPS from C. minutus. Proteins in EPS of desert and aquatic species were significantly decomposed under UVBR, and the latter was more easily decomposed. The polysaccharides were much more resistant to UVBR than the proteins for both species. Polysaccharides of Synechocystis sp. was degraded slightly but those of C. minutus was little decomposed. The higher tolerance to UVBR of the desert cyanobacterium can be attributed to the higher resistance of its EPS to photodegradation induced by UVBR in comparison with the aquatic species.