A comparison of bacterial populations in enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes using membrane filtration or gravity sedimentation for solids-liquid separation.

In an earlier phase of this study, we compared the performances of pilot scale treatment systems operated in either a conventional enhanced biological phosphorus removal (CEBPR) mode, or a membrane enhanced biological phosphorus removal (MEBPR) mode. In the present investigation, we characterized the bacterial community populations in these processes during parallel operation with the same municipal wastewater feed. The objectives of the study were (1) to assess the similarity of the bacterial communities supported in the two systems over time, (2) to determine if distinct bacterial populations are associated with the MEBPR and CEBPR processes, and (3) to relate the dynamics of the community composition to changes in treatment process configuration and to treatment process performance. The characteristics of the bacterial populations were first investigated with ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis, or RISA. To further understand the bacterial population dynamics, important RISA phylotypes were isolated and identified through 16S RNA gene sequencing. The parallel MEBPR and CEBPR systems developed bacterial communities that were distinct. The CEBPR community appeared to exhibit greater diversity, and this may have been the primary reason why the CEBPR treatment train demonstrated superior functional stability relative to the MEBPR counterpart. Moreover, the more diverse bacterial population apparent in the CEBPR system was observed to be more dynamic than that of the MEBPR process. Several RISA bands were found to be characteristic of either the membrane or conventional biological system. In particular, the MEBPR configuration appeared to be selective for the slow-growing organism Magnospira bakii and for the foam-associated Microthrix parvicella and Gordonia sp., while gravity separation led to the washout of M. parvicella. In both pilot trains, sequence analysis confirmed the presence of EBPR-related organisms such as Accumulibacter phosphatis. The survey of the CEBPR system also revealed many uncultured organisms that have not been well characterized. The study demonstrated that a simple replacement of a secondary clarifier with membrane solids-liquid separation is sufficient to shift the composition of an activated sludge microbial community significantly.