Using a carbon-based ASM3 EAWAG Bio-P for modelling the enhanced biological phosphorus removal in anaerobic/aerobic activated sludge systems

Towards predictive models of the human gut microbiome

The intestinal microbiota is an ecosystem susceptible to external perturbations such as dietary changes and antibiotic therapies. Mathematical models of microbial communities could be of great value in the rational design of microbiota-tailoring diets and therapies. Here, we discuss how advances in another field, engineering of microbial communities for wastewater treatment bioreactors, could inspire development of mechanistic mathematical models of the gut microbiota. We review the state of the art in bioreactor modeling and current efforts in modeling the intestinal microbiota. Mathematical modeling could benefit greatly from the deluge of data emerging from metagenomic studies, but data-driven approaches such as network inference that aim to predict microbiome dynamics without explicit mechanistic knowledge seem better suited to model these data. Finally, we discuss how the integration of microbiome shotgun sequencing and metabolic modeling approaches such as flux balance analysis may fulfill the promise of a mechanistic model.

Enhanced biological phosphorus removal and its modeling for the activated sludge and membrane bioreactor processes

A modified activated sludge process (ASP) for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) needs to sustain stable performance for wastewater treatment to avoid eutrophication in the aquatic environment. Unfortunately, the overall efficiency of the EBPR in ASPs and membrane bioreactors (MBRs) is frequently hindered by different operational/system constraints. Moreover, although phosphorus removal data from several wastewater treatment systems are available, a comprehensive mathematical model of the process is still lacking. This paper presents a critical review that highlights the core issues of the biological phosphorus removal in ASPs and MBRs while discussing the inhibitory process requirements for other nutrients' removal. This mini review also successfully provided an assessment of the available models for predicting phosphorus removal in both ASP and MBR systems. The advantages and limitations of the existing models were discussed together with the inclusion of few guidelines for their improvement.