Wang Hong, Wu Boran, Han Hongbo, Gu Qun, Dai Xiaohu
State Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Hunan Sanyou Environmental Protection Co. Ltd, Changsha, Hunan, China.
Commun Eng. 2025 Aug 26;4(1):158. doi: 10.1038/s44172-025-00496-1.
Activity, abundance, and synergy of functional microorganisms are pivotal for wastewater treatment. Here, we developed a micron-medium biofilm composite sludge system, integrating powder carriers and a hydrocyclone separator to enhance functional bacterial enrichment and micro-granule formation. Powder carriers acted as bridges between zoogloea, facilitating coexistence of micro-granules (~115.8 μm) and suspended flocs, thereby improving microbial synergy. The pilot-scale system doubled treatment capacity without expansion or downtime, achieving effluent total nitrogen <5 mg L and total phosphorus <0.3 mg L at a hydraulic retention time of 4.85 h. Micro-granules enhanced sludge settleability, mass transfer, and endogenous carbon metabolism, including polyhydroxyalkanoate and glycogen synthesis, which provided essential electron donors for nutrient removal. Denitrifying and phosphorus-accumulating bacteria were enriched in micro-granules (4.46%), whereas nitrifying bacteria (1.25%) were concentrated in flocs. Differentiated spatial distribution balanced the sludge age conflict among functional bacteria. This work provided an efficient and low-carbon strategy for municipal wastewater treatment.
功能微生物的活性、丰度和协同作用对于废水处理至关重要。在此，我们开发了一种微米级介质生物膜复合污泥系统，集成了粉末载体和水力旋流器分离器，以增强功能性细菌的富集和微颗粒形成。粉末载体充当菌胶团之间的桥梁，促进了微颗粒（约115.8μm）和悬浮絮体的共存，从而提高了微生物的协同作用。该中试规模系统在不扩建或停机的情况下使处理能力翻倍，在水力停留时间为4.85小时时，实现了出水总氮<5mg/L和总磷<0.3mg/L。微颗粒增强了污泥沉降性能、传质和内源碳代谢，包括聚羟基脂肪酸酯和糖原的合成，为营养物去除提供了必需的电子供体。反硝化和聚磷菌在微颗粒中富集（4.46%），而硝化细菌（1.25%）集中在絮体中。差异化的空间分布平衡了功能细菌之间的污泥龄冲突。这项工作为城市污水处理提供了一种高效且低碳的策略。
