Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54124, Thessaloniki, Greece.
Department of Food Technology, School of Food Technology and Nutrition, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, GR-57400 Thessaloniki, Greece; Sewerage Quality Control Laboratory, Management of Facilities and Sewerage Networks, Thessaloniki Water Supply & Sewerage Company S.A., GR-54622 Thessaloniki, Greece.
Water Res. 2018 Oct 15;143:56-65. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.06.030. Epub 2018 Jun 15.
Membrane biofouling, due to Soluble Microbial Products (SMP) and Extracellular Polymeric Substances (EPS) deposition, results in reduction of the performance of Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs). However, recently, a new method of biofouling control has been developed, utilizing the interference of the bacterial inter- and intra-species' communication. Bacteria use Quorum Sensing (QS) to regulate the production of SMP and EPS. Therefore, disruption of Quorum Sensing (Quorum Quenching: QQ), by enzymes or microorganisms, may be a simple mean to control membrane biofouling. In the present study, a novel QQ-bacterium, namely Lactobacillus sp. SBR04MA, was isolated from municipal wastewater sludge and its ability to mitigate biofouling was evaluated by monitoring the changes in critical flux and transmembrane pressure, along with the production of EPS and SMP, in a lab-scale MBR system treating synthetic wastewater. Lactobacillus sp. SBR04MA showed great potential for biofouling control, which was evidenced by the ∼3-fold increase in critical flux (8.3 → 24.25 L/m/h), as well as by reduction of the SMP and EPS production, which was lower during the QQ-period when compared against the control period. Furthermore, the addition of the QQ-strain did not affect the COD removal rate. Results suggested that Lactobacillus sp. SBR04MA represents a novel and promising strain for biofouling mitigation and enhancement of MBRs performance.
膜生物污染（由于可溶微生物产物（SMP）和细胞外聚合物质（EPS）的沉积）会导致膜生物反应器（MBR）性能下降。然而，最近，一种新的生物污染控制方法已经被开发出来，利用细菌种间和种内通讯的干扰。细菌使用群体感应（QS）来调节 SMP 和 EPS 的产生。因此，通过酶或微生物破坏群体感应（群体淬灭：QQ）可能是控制膜生物污染的一种简单方法。在本研究中，从城市污水污泥中分离出一种新型的 QQ 细菌，即 Lactobacillus sp. SBR04MA，并通过监测实验室规模的 MBR 系统处理合成废水时临界通量和跨膜压力的变化以及 EPS 和 SMP 的产生，评估了其减轻生物污染的能力。Lactobacillus sp. SBR04MA 显示出了很好的生物污染控制潜力，临界通量增加了约 3 倍（8.3→24.25 L/m/h），同时 SMP 和 EPS 的产生也减少了，与对照期相比，QQ 期的 SMP 和 EPS 产生量较低。此外，添加 QQ 菌株不会影响 COD 去除率。结果表明，Lactobacillus sp. SBR04MA 是一种新型的、有前途的减轻生物污染和提高 MBR 性能的菌株。
