Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on aerobic granulation of algal-bacterial symbiosis system and nutrients removal from synthetic wastewater

Development and challenges of emerging biological technologies for algal-bacterial symbiosis systems: A review

The algal-bacterial symbiosis system (ABSS) is considered as a sustainable wastewater treatment process. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the mechanisms of ABSS for the removal of common pollutant, heavy metals, and especially for emerging pollutants. For the macroscopical level, this review not only describes in detail the reactor types, influencing factors, and the development of the algal-bacterial process, but also innovatively proposes an emerging process that combines an ABSS with other processes, which enhances the efficiency of removing difficult-to-biodegrade pollutants. Further for the microscopic level, interactions between algae and bacteria, including nutrient exchange, signaling transmission and gene transfer, have been deeply discussed the symbiotic relationship with nutrient removal and biomass production. Finally, recommendations are given for the future development of the ABSS. This review comprehensively examines ABSS principles, development, algal-bacterial interactions, and application in wastewater treatment, aiming to deepen theoretical and practical understanding and advance ABSS technology.

Effect of microalgae and bacteria inoculation on the startup of bioreactors for paper pulp wastewater and biofuel production

The use of microalgae and bacteria as a strategy for the startup of bioreactors for the treatment of industrial wastewater can be a sustainable and economically viable alternative. This technology model provides satisfactory results in the nitrification and denitrification process for nitrogen removal, organic matter removal, biomass growth, sedimentation, and byproducts recovery for added-value product production. The objective of this work was to evaluate the performance of microalgae and bacteria in their symbiotic process when used in the treatment of paper pulp industry wastewater. The experiment, lasting fourteen days, utilized four bioreactors with varying concentrations in mgVSS/L of microalgae to bacteria ratio (R1-100:100, R2-100:300, R3-100:500, R4-300:100) in the startup process. Regarding the sludge volumetric index (SVI), the results show that the R1 and R2 reactors developed SVI30/SVI10 biomass in the range of 85.57 ± 7.33% and 84.72 ± 8.19%, respectively. The lipid content in the biomass of reactors R1, R2, R3 e R4 was 13%, 7%, 19%, and 22%, respectively. This high oil content at the end of the batch, may be related to the nutritional stress that the species underwent during this feeding regime. In terms of chlorophyll, the bioreactor with an initial inoculation of 100:100 showed better symbiotic growth of microalgae and bacteria, allowing exponential growth of microalgae. The total chlorophyll value for this bioreactor was 801.46 ± 196.96 μg/L. Biological removal of nitrogen from wastewater from the paper pulp industry is a challenge due to the characteristics of the effluent, but the four reactors operated in a single batch obtained good nitrogen removal. Ammonia nitrogen removal performances were 91.55 ± 9.99%, 72.13 ± 19.18%, 64.04 ± 21.34%, and 86.15 ± 30.10% in R1, R2, R3, and R4, respectively.

Role of phosphate in microalgal-bacterial symbiosis system treating wastewater containing heavy metals

Phosphorus is one of the important factors to successfully establish the microalgal-bacterial symbiosis (MABS) system. The migration and transformation of phosphorus can occur in various ways, and the effects of phosphate on the MABS system facing environmental impacts like heavy metal stress are often ignored. This study investigated the roles of phosphate on the response of the MABS system to zinc ion (Zn2+). The results showed that the pollutant removal effect in the MABS system was significantly reduced, and microbial growth and activity were inhibited with the presence of Zn2+. When phosphate and Zn2+ coexisted, the inhibition effects of pollutants removal and microbial growth rate were mitigated compared to that of only with the presence of Zn2+, with the increasing rates of 28.3% for total nitrogen removal, 48.9% for chemical oxygen demand removal, 78.3% for chlorophyll-a concentration, and 13.3% for volatile suspended solids concentration. When phosphate was subsequently supplemented in the MABS system after adding Zn2+, both pollutants removal efficiency and microbial growth and activity were not recovered. Thus, the inhibition effect of Zn2+ on the MABS system was irreversible. Further analysis showed that Zn2+ preferentially combined with phosphate could form chemical precipitate, which reduced the fixation of MABS system for Zn2+ through extracellular adsorption and intracellular uptake. Under Zn2+ stress, the succession of microbial communities occurred, and Parachlorella was more tolerant to Zn2+. This study revealed the comprehensive response mechanism of the co-effects of phosphate and Zn2+ on the MABS system, and provided some insights for the MABS system treating wastewater containing heavy metals, as well as migration and transformation of heavy metals in aquatic ecosystems.

Formation of extracellular polymeric substances corona on TiO2 nanoparticles: Roles of crystalline phase and exposed facets

Nanoparticles (NPs) in the environment can interact with macromolecules in the surrounding environment to form eco-corona on their surfaces, which in turn affects the environmental fate and toxicity of nanoparticles. Wastewater treatment plants containing large amounts of microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are an important source of NPs into the environment, where the formation of EPS coronas on NPs is critical. However, it remains unclear how the crystalline phase and exposed facets, which are intrinsic properties of NPs, affect the formation of EPS coronas on NPs. This study investigated the formation of EPS corona on three TiO2 NPs (representing the most widely used engineered NPs) with different crystalline phases and exposed facets. The protein type and abundance in EPS coronas on TiO2 NPs varied depending on the crystalline phase and exposed facets. Anatase with {101} facets and {001} facets preferred to adsorb proteins with lower molecular weights and higher H-bonding relevant amino acids, respectively, while EPS corona on rutile with {110} facets had proteins with higher hydrophobicity. In addition, the selective adsorption of proteins was primarily determined by steric hindrance, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic interaction between TiO2 NPs and proteins, which were affected by changes in aggregation state, surface hydroxyl density, and hydrophobicity of TiO2 NPs induced by crystalline phase and exposed facets. Moreover, crystalline phase and exposed facets-induced EPS corona changes altered the aggregation state and oxidation potential of TiO2-EPS corona complexes. These findings emphasize the important role of crystalline phase and exposed facets in the environmental behavior of nanoparticles and may provide insights into the safe design of nanoparticles.

Advances in responses of microalgal-bacterial symbiosis to emerging pollutants in wastewater

Nowadays, emerging pollutants are widely used and exist in wastewater, such as antibiotics, heavy metals, nanoparticle and microplastic. As a green alternative for wastewater treatment, microalgal-bacterial symbiosis has been aware of owning multiple merits of low energy consumption and little greenhouse gas emission. Thus, the responses of microalgal-bacterial symbiosis to emerging pollutants in wastewater treatment have become a hotspot in recent years. In this review paper, the removal performance of microalgal-bacterial symbiosis on organics, nitrogen and phosphorus in wastewater containing emerging pollutants has been summarized. The adaptation mechanisms of microalgal-bacterial symbiosis to emerging pollutants have been analyzed. It is found that antibiotics usually have hormesis effects on microalgal-bacterial symbiosis, and that microalgal-bacterial symbiosis appears to show more capacity to remove tetracycline and sulfamethoxazole, rather than oxytetracycline and enrofloxacin. Generally, microalgal-bacterial symbiosis can adapt to heavy metals at a concentration of less than 1 mg/L, but its capabilities to remove contaminants can be significantly affected at 10 mg/L heavy metals. Further research should focus on the influence of mixed emerging pollutants on microalgal-bacterial symbiosis, and the feasibility of using selected emerging pollutants (e.g., antibiotics) as a carbon source for microalgal-bacterial symbiosis should also be explored. This review is expected to deepen our understandings on emerging pollutants removal from wastewater by microalgal-bacterial symbiosis.

Enhanced fixation of dissolved inorganic carbon by algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge during treatment of low-organic-content wastewater

The microalgae-based wastewater treatment technologies are believed to contribute to carbon neutrality. This study investigated the inorganic carbon fixation performance in the algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (A-BAGS) process under cultivation at different concentrations of organic carbon (OC) and inorganic carbon (IC). The results indicated that A-BAGS in treating wastewater containing organics of 77 mg-C/L contributed little to the fixation of inorganic carbon, while the highest inorganic carbon removal efficiency of 50 % was achieved at the influent IC of 100 mg/L and OC of 7 mg/L. This high IC condition contributed to enhanced biomass growth rate and enhanced extracellular polymeric substances, while it did not affect the granular stability and nitrification efficiency. The microbial diversity was also largely enhanced. The results demonstrated the great potential of A-BAGS for simultaneous resource recovery in wastewater and inorganic carbon fixation, while operation conditions need to be further optimized.

Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Growth Promotion Mechanism of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Induced by Black Phosphorus Nanosheets

With the extensive production and application of black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets, release to the environment is inevitable, which raises concerns about the fate and effects of this two-dimensional (2D) material on sensitive receptors such as environmental microbes. Although the bacterial toxicity of BP nanosheets has been demonstrated, whether the biological response differs in pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains of a microorganism is unknown. Here, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and nonpathogenic Escherichia coli DH5α (E. coli DH5α), Escherichia coli k12 (E. coli k12), and Bacillus tropicus (B. tropicus) are used to comparatively study the microbial toxicity of BP nanosheets. Upon exposure to BP nanosheets across a range of doses from 10 to 100 μg mL^-1 for 12 h, EPEC experienced enhanced growth and E. coli DH5α and E. coli k12 were not affected, whereas B. tropicus exhibited clear toxicity. By combining transcriptome sequencing, proteome analysis, and other sensitive biological techniques, the mechanism of BP-induced growth promotion for EPEC was uncovered. Briefly, BP nanosheets activate the antioxidation system to resist oxidative stress, promote protein synthesis and secretion to attenuate membrane damage, enhance the energy supply, and activate growth-related pathways. None of these impacts were evident with nonpathogenic strains. By describing the mechanism of strain-dependent microbial effects, this study not only highlights the potential risks of BP nanosheets to the environment and to human health but also calls attention to the importance of model strain selection when evaluating the hazard and toxicity of emerging nanomaterials.

Direct start-up of aerobic granular sludge system with dewatered sludge granular particles as inoculant

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) is a promising technology for engineering applications in the biological treatment of sewage. New objective is to skip the conventional granulation step to integrate it into a continuous-flow reactor directly. This study proposed a method for integrating spherical pelletizing granular sludge (SPGS) into a new patented aerobic granular sludge bed (AGSB), a continuous up-flow reactor. AGSB system could be startup directly, and after 120 days of operation, the SPGS maintained a relatively intact spherical structure and stability. With an initial high chemical oxygen demand (COD) volume loading of over 2.0 kg/(m³·d), this system achieved the desired effect as the same as a mature AGS system. The final mixed liquid suspended solids, and the ratio of 30 min-5 min sludge volume index (SVI₃₀/SVI₅) were 20,000 mg/L, and 0.84, respectively. Although hydraulic elution and filamentous bacteria (FBs) had a slightly negative impact on initial phase pollutant removal, the final removal rates for COD, total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-H), and total phosphorus (TP) were 90%, 70%, 95%, and 85%, respectively. The presence of specific functional microorganisms promoted the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), from 90.65 to 209.78 mg/gVSS. The maturation process of SPGS altered the microbial community structures and reduced the species abundance of microbes in sludge.

Nanomaterials as a sustainable choice for treating wastewater

Wastewater containing toxic substances is a major threat to the health of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In order to treat wastewater, nanomaterials are currently being studied intensively due to their unprecedented properties. The unique features of nanoparticles are prompting an increasing number of studies into their use in wastewater treatment. Although several studies have been undertaken in recent years, most of them did not focus on some of the nanomaterials that are now often utilized for wastewater treatment. It is essential to investigate the most recent advances in all the types of nanomaterials that are now frequently employed for wastewater treatment. The recent advancements in common nanomaterials used for sustainable wastewater treatment is comprehensively reviewed in this paper. This paper also thoroughly assesses unique features, proper utilization, future prospects, and current limitations of green nanotechnology in wastewater treatment. Zero-valent metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, especially iron oxides were shown to be more effective than traditional carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for recovering heavy metals in wastewater. Iron oxide achieved 75.9% COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal efficiency while titanium oxide (TiO₂) achieved 75.5% COD. Iron nanoparticles attained 72.1% methyl blue removal efficiency. However, since only a few types of nanomaterials have been commercialized, it is important to also focus on the economic feasibility of each nanomaterial. This study found that the large surface area, high reactivity, and strong mechanical properties of nanoparticles means they can be considered as a promising option for successful wastewater treatment.

Energy saving and rapid establishment of granular microalgae system from tiny microalgae cells: Effect of decrease in upflow air velocity under intermittent aeration condition

The novel type of microalgae granules (MGs) derived from tiny microalgae cells has received extensive attention due to its great potential for nutrient remediation and resource recovery in wastewater treatment whereas the long start-up time with increased labor expenses remains a bottleneck. In this study, an operation strategy at reduced upflow air velocity (UAV = 0.49 cm/s in R_A) under intermittent aeration mode was proposed and compared with R_B at a higher UAV (0.98 cm/s) in terms of MGs formation, maintenance, and energy consumption. Although the formation of MGs in R_A was delayed for 12 days compared to R_B, 40.78 % increase in chlorophyll-a content was detected in MGs in R_A along with more cost-effective carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus removals due to efficient microalgae assimilation and energy reduction. Results from this study provide new insight into minimizing energy input for rapid establishment and stable operation of MG systems towards environmentally sustainable wastewater management.

Improved biohydrogen production via graphene oxide supported granular system based on algal hydrolyzate, secondary sewage sludge and bacterial consortia

Biohydrogen production using renewable sources has been regarded as one of the most sustainable ways to develop low-cost and green production technology. In order to achieve this objective, herein biohydrogen production has been conducted using the combination of untreated secondary sewage sludge (Sss), algal biomass hydrolyzate (Abh), graphene oxide (GO) and bacterial consortia that forms a granular system. Thus, naturally formed granular system produced cumulative H₂ of 1520mL/L in 168h with the maximum production rate of 13.4mL/L/h in 96h at initial pH 7.0, and optimum temperature of 37^oC. It is noticed that the combination of Abh, Sss and GO governed medium showed 42.05% higher cumulative H₂ production along with 22.71% higher production rate as compared to Abh and Sss based H₂ production medium. The strategy presented herein may find potential applications for the low-cost biohydrogen production using waste biomasses including Sss and Abh.

Enhanced wastewater treatment performance by understanding the interaction between algae and bacteria based on quorum sensing

In order to further obtain sustainable wastewater treatment technology, in-depth analysis based on algal-bacterial symbiosis, quorum sensing signal molecules and algal-bacterial relationship will lay the foundation for the synergistic algal-bacterial wastewater treatment process. The methods of enhancing algae and bacteria wastewater treatment technology were systematically explored, including promoting symbiosis, reducing algicidal behavior, eliminating the interference of quorum sensing inhibitor, and developing algae and bacteria granular sludge. These findings can provide guidance for sustainable economic and environmental development, and facilitate carbon emissions reduction by using algae and bacteria synergistic wastewater treatment technology in further attempts. The future work should be carried out in the following four aspects: (1) Screening of dominant microalgae and bacteria; (2) Coordination of stable (emerging) contaminants removal; (3) Utilization of algae to produce fertilizers and feed (additives), and (4) Constructing recombinant algae and bacteria for reducing carbon emissions and obtaining high value-added products.

Emerging biological wastewater treatment using microalgal-bacterial granules: A review

Aiming at deepening the understanding of the formation and evolution of emerging microalgal-bacterial granule (MBG)-based wastewater treatment systems, the recent advances regarding the formation processes, transfer phenomena, innovative bioreactors development and wastewater treatment performance of MBG-based systems are comprehensively reviewed in this work. Particularly, the successful establishments of MBG-based systems with various inocula are summarized. Besides, as the indispensable factors for biochemical reactions in MBGs, the light and substrates (organic matters, inorganic nutrients, etc) need to undergo complicated and multi-scale transfer processes before being assimilated by microorganisms within MBGs. Therefore, the involved transfer phenomena and mechanisms in MBG-based bioreactors are critically discussed. Subsequently, some recent advances of MBG-based bioreactors, the application of MBG-based systems in treating various synthetic and real wastewater, and the future development directions are discussed. In short, this review helps in promoting the development of MBG-based systems by presenting current research status and future perspectives.

Towards environment-sustainable wastewater treatment and reclamation by the non-aerated microalgal-bacterial granular sludge process: Recent advances and future directions

Currently, we are increasingly aware of the environmental unsustainability of the conventional wastewater treatment processes, e.g. extensive energy consumption and greenhouse gases emission. As such, the light-motivated non-aerated microalgal-bacterial granular sludge (MBGS) process has drawn extensive attention recently. This review aims to offer the important recent advances and future directions on the emerging non-aerated MBGS process for wastewater treatment and reclamation. The formation mechanism of MBGS from activated sludge is revealed to be the mobility under environmental stress such as shear force and nutrient deficiency. The key environmental factors affecting the non-aerated MBGS process are analyzed in terms with light, temperature, stirring and influent composition. Furthermore, sceneries of future outdoor processes by non-aerated MBGS are outlined. In turns out that the non-aerated MBGS offers a harmonious ecosystem to enrich the pollutants from wastewater to biomass, which can be potentially utilized as biofertilizer and feed for plant and animal, respectively. This review is expected to deepen our insights into the emerging non-aerated MBGS process for environment-sustainable wastewater treatment and reclamation.

Response and recovery of mature algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge to sudden salinity disturbance in influent wastewater: Granule characteristics and nutrients removal/accumulation

The impact of sudden salinity (1-3%) disturbance in influent wastewater on mature algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (AGS) was investigated, in addition to its recovery possibility when salinity disturbance was removed. Results show that the mature algal-bacterial AGS with less filamentous could maintain its good settleability with sludge volume index below 41 mL/g when wastewater salinity was increased to 3%, in which loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances might play an important role. Under this condition, the granule system achieved slightly lower dissolved organic carbon removal (from 97% to 94%), while the removals of ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus were remarkably decreased from ~100%, 66% and 70% to 23%, 16% and 38%, respectively. However, the organics and nutrients removals could be recovered immediately when the salinity disturbance was removed from the influent. P bioavailability, on the other hand, kept almost stable (93-97%) in the AGS during the examination period.

Extracellular biopolymers recovered as raw biomaterials from waste granular sludge and potential applications: A critical review

Granular sludge (GS) is a special self-aggregation biofilm. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are mainly associated with the architectural structure, rheological behaviour and functional stability of fine granules, given that their significance to the physicochemical features of the biomass catalysing the biological purification process. This review targets the EPS excretion from GS and introduces newly identified EPS components, EPS distribution in different granules, how to effectively extract and recover EPS from granules, key parameters affecting EPS production, and the potential applications of EPS-based biomaterials. GS-based EPS components are highly diverse and a series of new contents are highlighted. Due to high diversity, emerging extraction standards are proposed and recovery process is capturing particular attention. The major components of EPS are found to be polysaccharides and proteins, which manifest a larger diversity of relative abundance, structures, physical and chemical characteristics, leading to the possibility to sustainably recover raw materials. EPS-based biomaterials not only act as alternatives to synthetic polymers in several applications but also figure in innovative industrial/environmental applications, including gel-forming materials for paper industry, biosorbents, cement curing materials, and flame retardant materials. In the upcoming years, it is foreseen that productions of EPS-based biomaterials from renewable origins would make a significant contribution to the advancement of the circular economy.

Effects of aging and transformation of anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles on biological phosphorus removal in sequencing batch reactors and related toxic mechanisms

The effect of nanomaterials aging, namely the transformation of comprehensive characteristics after experiencing real or complex environmental behaviors, on their ecotoxicology is still lacking. Moreover, the mechanisms by which NPs influence biological phosphorus (P) removal during sewage treatment require further elucidation. Therefore, we used both pristine and aged anatase (TiO₂-A) and rutile (TiO₂-R) NPs to investigate the mechanisms by which NPs affect P removal in a SBR. At 0.1 mg/L, the four types of NPs (pristine and aged) had no significant effect on sludge purification after acute (72-h) exposure under simulated sunlight. However, at 50 mg/L-regardless of the crystalline phase of the NPs-SOP and COD removal efficiency dropped steeply to approximately 42.2-82.4 % (p < 0.05) and 69.8-83.3 % (p < 0.05), respectively, especially in the pristine TiO₂-NPs groups because of decrease of richness and diversity of genus level of PAOs and enzyme activity of both PPK and PPX, and the sluggish transformation of PHA and glycogen. Aging reduced the ability of NPs toxicity. The toxicity mechanisms of TiO₂-NPs included lipid peroxidation and contact damage, or leakage from bacterial cytoplasmic membrane, which are closely related to photooxidation capacity and aqueous solution stability-i.e., nanoscale effects-and the impacts of aging or inclusion.

The enhanced degradation and detoxification of chlortetracycline by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Nowadays, numerous studies have focused on the newly developed technologies for the thorough removal of tetracyclines (TCs). However, it is often ignored that the parent TCs have limited stability in aquatic environments. Thus, this study selected green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii with high chlorophyll content to rapidly degrade chlortetracycline (CTC) into products with low toxicity. As the results shown, the half-life times of CTC (1 × 10^-6 mol/L) decreased from 10.35 h to 2.55 h by the presence of C. reinhardtii at 24±1 °C with 12/12 h dark/light cycle. The main transformation products were iso-chlortetracycline (ICTC), 4-epi-iso-chlortetracycline (EICTC), and other degradation products with lower molecular weight. The toxicity evaluation shows that the negative effects of CTC on growth rate and soluble protein content of green algae were significantly alleviated after the enhanced degradation treatment, while the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant response in algal cells returned to normal levels. The chlorophyll of algae played an important role of photosensitizer, which catalyzed the photo-induced electron/energy transfer of CTC degradation. The ROS generation of algae also was also inseparable from the enhanced degradation of CTC, especially when the chlorophyll was damaged at the high CTC concentration. Based on these results, we can better select suitable algal species to further strengthen the degradation of antibiotics and effectively reduce the environmental risk of CTC in aqueous system.

The Influence of Residual Coagulant Al on the Biofilm EPS and Membrane Fouling Potential in Wastewater Reclamation

Biofouling is inevitable in wastewater reclamation when using membrane technology. In particular, the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) from biofilm is a major contributor to biofouling. Coagulation is critical in the process of reusing wastewater before membrane treatment, and residual coagulants (e.g., Al salts) are able to alter the characteristics of the biofilm EPS. However, the distribution of residual Al across varying biofilm EPS fractions and its effect on the membrane fouling potential resulting from biofilm EPS remains unclear. We found that 34% of the residual Al was present in the soluble EPS (S-EPS), 26% in the loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and 40% in the tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS). Moreover, compared with the control groups, the residual Al in biofilm induced more biofilm formation and more EPS formation. Al reduced the zeta potential and increased the hydrophobicity of the EPS. These changes induced a significant rise in the membrane fouling potential of S-EPS and LB-EPS. This work provides coagulation support for wastewater reclamation using membrane technology.

Differential responses of encoding-amoA nitrifiers and nir denitrifiers in activated sludge to anatase and rutile TiO2 nanoparticles: What is active functional guild in rate limiting step of nitrogen cycle?

The long-terms effects of different crystal-composition TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) on nitrogen-cycle-related functional guilds in activated sludge remain unclear, especially under natural light irradiation. Accordingly, activated sludge was exposed to anatase TiO₂-NPs (TiO₂-A) and rutile TiO₂-NPs (TiO₂-R) for up to 45 days. With markedly (p < 0.05) reducing nitrification-/denitrification-enzymatic-activities and abundances of ammonia-oxidizing-microorganisms (AOMs) and nitrite-reducing-bacteria (NRB), TiO₂-NPs triggered bacteria and archaea UPGMA clustering and a deep modification of N-cycling functional diversity guided by crystal structure. in situ¹³C-DNA-SIP confirmed ammonia-oxidizing-bacteria (AOB) (Nitrosomonas and Nitrosospira) in original sludge as main active AOMs with 75.4 times more abundance than ammonia-oxidizing-archaea (AOA), while AOA within Nitrosopumilus and Nitrososphaera genera were the main active AOMs and tended to aggregate inside sludge after 10-mg/L TiO₂-NPs exposure. Encoding-nirK NRB were more sensitive, while encoding-nirS Zoogloea with a total share of 4.97% to 14.93%, etc. were the main active NRB. AOB was more sensitive to TiO₂-A, while TiO₂-R showed the stronger toxicity to AOA and NRB resulting from differences in water environmental behaviors and crystal characteristics of two TiO₂-NPs. This work expands understanding of the ecological risks of titanium-dioxide-crystal-NPs in aquatic environment and may help devise better methods to alleviate environmental stress caused by NPs at wastewater treatment plants.

Effects of ZnO nanoparticles on the performance of anaerobic membrane bioreactor: An attention to the characteristics of supernatant, effluent and biomass community

Two laboratory-scale anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBRs) were built to investigate the effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) on their performance, and the recovery phase was also examined. Results showed that the addition of ZnO-NPs with 0.4 mg/L caused significant deteriorations of AnMBR performance, including decrements of chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency from 96.4% to 81.5% and biogas production from 0.36 to 0 L/g COD removal within 40 days. A significant increment from 13.2 to 52.1 mg/L in soluble microbial products (SMP) was obtained, while no obvious effect on colloids was observed except an increased fluctuation of colloid concentration. Additionally, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed remarkable changes of compounds in effluent with exposure to ZnO-NPs, and some new alkanes and esters were produced, such as Cyclobutane, 1,2-diethyl-, trans-, Tetradecane, Cyclopropane, octyl-, and Butanoic acid, methyl ester. The microbial community was compared using high-throughput sequencing, clearly showing the changes in both bacteria and archaea communities. Furthermore, results for recovery phase indicated that the AnMBR performance can be recovered within around 60 days after stopping ZnO-NPs addition, accompanied by the decrement of zinc concentration mainly adsorbed by sludge.

Responses of flocculated activated sludge to bimetallic Ag-Fe nanoparticles toxicity: Performance, activity enzymatic, and bacterial community shift

Ever-increasing production and use of nanoparticles (NPs) have aroused overarching concerns for their toxic effects on the environment and human. In the present study, the toxic effects of Silver (Ag) and Iron (Fe) NPs on the performance of activated sludge were investigated under continuous aerobic/anoxic/anaerobic conditions in laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs).Activated sludge was exposed to various concentrations (5-100 mg/L) of Ag-Fe NPs for 60 days and its response was assessed through the enzymatic activity, COD, nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP) removal, toxicity tests, as well as variations in bacterial community. Compared with the pristine control sample, the exposure to NPs suppressed TN and TP removal efficiencies. Indeed, the respiration rate and biomass concentration were significantly affected by the NPs. Although the simultaneous exposure to Ag-Fe NPs did affect the integrity of cell membrane (LDH) and key enzymes activities, the higher concentration induced an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The metagenome analysis revealed a marked shift in the microbial community structure suggesting that both heterotrophic and autotrophic communities were affected by the presence of Ag-Fe NPs. Our results provide some evidence for compounded effects of NPs in their simultaneous presence, and generate new leads for future research efforts.

Algal-Bacterial Symbiosis System Treating High-Load Printing and Dyeing Wastewater in Continuous-Flow Reactors under Natural Light

This study investigated the symbiotic structure relationship between mixed algae andactivated sludge while treating high-load printing and dyeing wastewater under natural light. Theeffects of hydraulic retention time (HRT) (12 h, 16 h and 20 h) and aeration rate (0.1–0.15, 0.4–0.5and 0.7–0.8 L/min) on algal–bacterial symbiosis (ABS) and conventional activated sludge (CAS)systems. Experimental results showed that the ABS system exhibited the best removal performancefor chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) and total phosphorus (TP),which was increased by 12.5%, 23.1% and 10.5%, respectively, and reduced colour 80 timescompared with the printing and dyeing wastewater treatment plant. Algae growth could bepromoted under lower dissolved oxygen (DO), and the addition of algae could provide more DO tothe ABS system. The particle size distribution of sludge in the ABS system was stable, whichguaranteed a stable treatment effect. In addition, the COD and colour could be further degradedunder the conditions of no external carbon source and longer HRT. It is expected that the presentstudy will provide a foundation for the practical application of the ABS system, and new insightsfor the treatment of printing and dyeing wastewater.

Adaption and recovery of Nitrosomonas europaea to chronic TiO2 nanoparticle exposure

Although the adverse impacts of emerging nanoparticles (NPs) on the biological nitrogen removal (BNR) process have been broadly reported, the adaptive responses of NP-impaired nitrifiers and the related mechanisms have seldom been addressed to date. Here, we systematically explored the adaption and recovery capacities of the ammonia oxidizer Nitrosomonas europaea under chronic TiO₂ NP exposure and different dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions at the physiological and transcriptional levels in a chemostat reactor. N. europaea cells adapted to 50 mg/L TiO₂ NP exposure after 40-d incubation and the inhibited cell growth, membrane integrity, nitritation rate, and ammonia monooxygenase activity all recovered regardless of the DO concentrations. Transmission electron microscope imaging indicated the remission of the membrane distortion after the cells' 40-d adaption to the NP exposure. The microarray results further suggested that the metabolic processes associated with the membrane repair were pivotal for cellular adaption/recovery, such as the membrane efflux for toxicant exclusion, the structural preservation or stabilization, and the osmotic equilibrium adjustment. In addition, diverse metabolic and stress-defense pathways, including aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, respiratory chain, ATP production, toxin-antitoxin 'stress-fighting', and DNA repair were activated for the cellular adaption coupled with the metabolic activity recovery, probably via recovering the energy production/conversion efficiency and mediating the non-photooxidative stress. Finally, low DO (0.5 mg/L) incubated cells were more susceptible to TiO₂ NP exposure and required more time to adapt to and recover from the stress, which was probably due to the stimulation limitation of the oxygen-dependent energy metabolism with a lower oxygen supply. The findings of this study provide new insights into NP contamination control and management adjustments during the BNR process.

Response of algal-bacterial granular system to low carbon wastewater: Focus on granular stability, nutrients removal and accumulation

The effect of influent chemical oxygen demand to nitrogen (COD/N) ratio on the granular stability, nutrients removal and accumulation of the algal-bacterial AGS was investigated. Two sequencing batch reactors were operated under different influent COD/N ratio, i.e., R₁ (control, COD/N = 8) and R₂: (COD/N = 8, 4, 2, and 1 through stepwise decrease of COD). Results showed that the integrity coefficient of the granules in R₂ stabilized at 0.7-5.4% during the whole operation. Significantly enhanced dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) uptake and the faster growth of algae indicated the great potential for reduction in greenhouse gases (GHGs) emission by using the algal-bacterial AGS system. The algal-bacterial AGS biomass contained high phosphorus (P) and N contents as well as extremely high P bioavailability (up to 98%) which could be easily used for resource recovery. Loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS) might be the key factor to control the deterioration of granular stability in this system.

Natural sunlight induced rapid formation of water-born algal-bacterial granules in an aerobic bacterial granular photo-sequencing batch reactor

Wastewater treatment by means of algal-bacterial granules has become a hot topic worldwide recently. Rapid granulation of algal-bacterial granules was achieved in an aerobic bacterial granular sequencing batch reactor (SBR) under natural sunlight exposure. Occurrence of abundant filamentous bacteria bridging the water-born algae, and overproduction of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) (especially polysaccharides (PS), tryptophan & protein-like, and humic acid-like substances) were observed on the first 3 days, while the algae grew into the inner side of the granules and mature granules were obtained on day 7. The growth of the water-born algae slightly decreased the settleability, mean sizes of the granules, but stimulated the bioactivity significantly. Whereas, the biomass retention decreased before day 3, and got stable soon with the maturation period with symbiotic growth of algal-bacterial biomass. Illumina results revealed that the introduction of algae reduced the richness and diversity of bacterial community. Besides, few changes in structure and some compositions shifts in bacterial communities were found, while the predominant algae shifted from Diatomea to green algae Chlorophyceae. The possible mechanism for natural sunlight induced granulation of algal-bacterial granules was thus proposed based on the interactions between algae and bacteria.

Advances in algal-prokaryotic wastewater treatment: A review of nitrogen transformations, reactor configurations and molecular tools

The synergistic activity of algae and prokaryotic microorganisms can be used to improve the efficiency of biological wastewater treatment, particularly with regards to nitrogen removal. For example, algae can provide oxygen through photosynthesis needed for aerobic degradation of organic carbon and nitrification and harvested algal-prokaryotic biomass can be used to produce high value chemicals or biogas. Algal-prokaryotic consortia have been used to treat wastewater in different types of reactors, including waste stabilization ponds, high rate algal ponds and closed photobioreactors. This review addresses the current literature and identifies research gaps related to the following topics: 1) the complex interactions between algae and prokaryotes in wastewater treatment; 2) advances in bioreactor technologies that can achieve high nitrogen removal efficiencies in small reactor volumes, such as algal-prokaryotic biofilm reactors and enhanced algal-prokaryotic treatment systems (EAPS); 3) molecular tools that have expanded our understanding of the activities of algal and prokaryotic communities in wastewater treatment processes.

Characteristics and performance of aerobic algae-bacteria granular consortia in a photo-sequencing batch reactor

The characteristics and performance of algae-bacteria granular consortia which cultivated with aerobic granules and targeted algae (Chlorella and Scenedesmus), and the essential difference between granular consortia and aerobic granules were investigated in this experiment. The result indicated that algae-bacteria granular consortia could be successfully developed, and the algae present in the granular consortia were mainly Chlorella and Scenedesmus. Although the change of chlorophyll composition revealed the occurrence of light limitation for algal growth, the granular consortia could maintain stable granular structure, and even showed better settling property than aerobic granules. Total nitrogen and phosphate in the algal-bacterial granular system showed better removal efficiencies (50.2% and 35.7%) than those in the aerobic granular system (32.8% and 25.6%) within one cycle (6 h). The biodiesel yield of aerobic granules could be significantly improved by algal coupled process, yet methyl linolenate and methyl palmitoleate were the dominant composition of biodiesel obtained from granular consortia and aerobic granules, respectively. Meanwhile, the difference of dominant bacterial communities in the both granules was found at the order level and family level, and alpha diversity indexes revealed the granular consortia had a higher microbial diversity.

Operation optimization of a photo-sequencing batch reactor for wastewater treatment: Study on influencing factors and impact on symbiotic microbial ecology

Wastewater treatment technology with better energy efficiency and recyclability is in urgent demand. Photo-Sequencing batch reactor (SBR), which introduces microalgae into conventional SBR, is considered to have more potential for resource recycling. In this study, a photo-SBR was evaluated through the manipulation of several key operational parameters, i.e., aeration strength, light supply intensity and time per cycle, and solid retention time (SRT). The algal-bacterial symbiotic system had the potential of removing COD, NH₄⁺-N and TN with limited aeration, representing the advantage of energy-saving by low aeration requirement. Maintaining appropriate proportion of microalgae in the symbiotic system is critical for good system performance. Introducing microalgae into conventional SBR has obvious impact on the original microbial ecology. When the concentration of microalgae is too high (>4.60 mg Chl/L), the inhibition on certain phyla of bacteria, e.g., Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria, would become prominent and not conducive to the stable operation.

Protein corona between nanoparticles and bacterial proteins in activated sludge: Characterization and effect on nanoparticle aggregation

In this work, the protein coronas of activated sludge proteins on TiO₂ nanoparticles (TNPs) and ZnO nanoparticles (ZNPs) were characterized. The proteins with high affinity to TNPs and ZNPs were identified by shotgun proteomics, and their effects of on the distributions of TNPs and ZNPs in activated sludge were concluded. In addition, the effects of protein coronas on the aggregations of TNPs and ZNPs were evaluated. Thirty and nine proteins with high affinities to TNPs and ZNPs were identified, respectively. The proteomics and adsorption isotherms demonstrated that activated sludge had a higher affinity to TNPs than to ZNPs. The aggregation percentages of ZNPs at 35, 53, and 106 mg/L of proteins were 13%, 14%, and 18%, respectively, whereas those of TNPs were 21%, 30%, 41%, respectively. The proteins contributed to ZNPs aggregation by dissolved Zn ion-bridging, whereas the increasing protein concentrations enhanced the TNPs aggregation through macromolecule bridging flocculation.

Sustainable pollutant removal by periphytic biofilm via microbial composition shifts induced by uneven distribution of CeO2 nanoparticles

The responses of periphytic biofilm to CeO₂ nanoparticle (CNP) exposure were explored by investigating community shifts and pollutant removal. Results showed that CNPs entered the sensitive microbial cells in the periphytic biofilm, leading to cytomembrane damage and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. The periphytic biofilm communities were, however, able to adapt to the prolonged exposure and maintain their pollutant removal (i.e., phosphorus, nitrogen and copper, organic matter) performance. Observations under synchrotron radiation scanning transmission X-ray microscopy revealed that fewer CNPs were distributed in algal cells compared to bacterial cells, wherein the transformation between Ce(IV) and Ce(III) occurred. High-throughput sequencing further showed that the proportion of algae, such as Leptolyngbya and Nostoc, significantly increased in the periphytic biofilm exposed to CNPs while the proportion of bacteria, such as Bacilli and Gemmatimonadetes, decreased. This change in community composition might be the primary reason for the sustained pollutant removal performance of the periphytic biofilm.

Stability of algal-bacterial granules in continuous-flow reactors to treat varying strength domestic wastewater

Stability of algal-bacterial granules was investigated in two continuous-flow systems to treat synthetic domestic wastewater using single (R₁) and series (R₂=R_2-1+R_2-2 with automatically internal recirculation) reactors by seeding 50% (w/w) algal-bacterial granules. Almost similar organics and phosphorus removal efficiencies were obtained from the two systems, with no significant difference found for each between the designed two operation stages. However, R₂ exhibited superior performance on total nitrogen (TN) removal (76%). When double increased strength influent fed to R₁, R₁ achieved better denitrification with TN removal increased from 29% to 80%, possibly due to the increased influent organics concentration favored the denitrification process. Most importantly, the two systems well maintained their granular stability, and all granules became algal-bacterial ones with very little change detected in algae content in granules after 120days' operation. At last, the mechanisms were proposed regarding the formation and enhanced stability of new algal-bacterial granules in continuous-flow reactors.

Toxic effects of three crystalline phases of TiO2 nanoparticles on extracellular polymeric substances in freshwater biofilms

Comparative toxicity of three typical TiO₂ NPs (Anatase, Rutile, and Degussa P25, 50mg/L respectively) under UVC irradiation (An+UV, Ru+UV, and P25+UV) on production and chemical characteristics of EPS in freshwater biofilms were investigated. Rutile was more stable in lake water, yet P25 and anatase were endowed with better photo-oxidation capacity. TiO₂ NPs+UV enhanced total EPS, manifesting as LB-EPS increased by 98.16% (An+UV), 143.03% (Ru+UV), and 48.21% (P25+UV), while TB-EPS increased to 1.51 (An+UV), 1.36 (Ru+UV), and 1.61 (P25+UV) times greater than control without NPs and UVC, being mainly attributed to increase of polysaccharide and proteins. Three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum revealed tyrosine (An+UV and P25+UV) and tryptophan (P25+UV) protein-like substances vanished in LB-EPS. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated PO (An+UV and P25+UV) and CO or COC (P25+UV) disappeared in EPS. P25+UV and An+UV caused more lactate dehydrogenase release, while Ru+UV induced more reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde production, consistent with decreased in cells viability.

Development of algae-bacteria granular consortia in photo-sequencing batch reactor

The development and properties of algae-bacteria granular consortia, which cultivated with the algae (Chlorella and Scenedesmus) and aerobic granules, was investigated in this experiment. The results indicated that the granular consortia could be successfully developed by selection pressure control, and the algal biomass and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) concentration in the consortia showed notable correlation with the operating parameters of reactor. The maximum specific removal rates of total nitrogen and phosphate were obtained from the granular consortia with the highest algal biomass, yet the correlation between the fatty acid methyl esters yield and the algal biomass in the consortia was not markedly observed. The seed algae maintained dominance in the phototroph community, whereas the cyanobacteria only occupied a small proportion (5.2-6.5%). Although the bacterial communities with different operational strategies showed significant difference, the dominated bacteria (Comamonadaceae, 18.79-36.25%) in the mature granular consortia were similar.

Influence of wastewater type on the impact generated by TiO2 nanoparticles on the oxygen uptake rate in activated sludge process

Physicochemical characteristics of wastewater have a relationship with the stability of TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). This in turn has an effect on the toxicity of TiO₂ NPs in microorganisms. In this work, the effect of TiO₂ NPs on activated sludge process was evaluated using three different types of wastewater: synthetic, raw, and filtered. The results showed that aggregate size of TiO₂ NPs and their specific adsorption of substrates were influenced by the type of substrates and the presence of suspended solids in the wastewater. It was also shown that TiO₂ NPs in raw wastewater severely inhibited oxygen uptake by microorganisms as compared to uptake in synthetic or filtered wastewater. The attachment of TiO₂ NP aggregates on cell membranes was observed for all types of wastewater. However, the internalization of TiO₂ NPs by microorganisms was observed only for raw and filtered wastewater. These results indicate that the effects caused by TiO₂ NPs on activated sludge were different depending on the wastewater used for the experiment.

Effect of aeration rate on performance and stability of algal-bacterial symbiosis system to treat domestic wastewater in sequencing batch reactors

This study investigated aeration rate (0, 0.2, 0.4 and 1.0L/min) effects on algal-bacterial symbiosis (ABS) and conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems while treating domestic wastewater in sequencing batch reactors. Experiment results showed that ABS system performed better on NH₄⁺-N, total nitrogen and total phosphorus removal than CAS system, especially under lower aeration rate condition (0.2Lair/min), with removal efficiencies improvements of 18.90%, 12.45% and 46.66%, respectively. The mechanism study demonstrated that a favorable aeration rate reduction (half of traditional value in CAS system) could enhance algae growth but weaken hydraulic shear force, which contributed to the interactions between algae and sludge flocs and further stability of ABS system. In addition, algae growth protected both ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria from optical damage. It is expected that the present study would provide some new insights into ABS system and be helpful for development of low-energy demand wastewater treatment process.

Photocatalytic oxidation of H2S in the gas phase over TiO2-coated glass fiber filter

To promote the photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the gas phase, TiO2-coated glass fiber filters were packed in an annular photoreactor. Glass fibers coated with TiO2 thin films were characterized structurally and morphologically by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy (FEG-SEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). Flow rate and H2S inlet concentration were evaluated to determine the performance of the reactor. Removal efficiencies up to 99% were achieved for flow rate of 25 L h(-1) (residence time of 121 s) and H2S inlet concentration from 12 to 14 ppmv. The long-term experiment presented H2S removal of 89% for 16 h. After 28 h of continuous use, H2S degradation was observed at 64%, which suggests that the photocatalyst was losing activity due to deactivation. Moreover, the kinetics of the PCO of H2S according to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) approach along with the mass balance of a plug-flow reactor was modeled. The reaction constant (k) was calculated at approximately 10.5 μmol m(-3) s(-1) and the adsorption constant (K) of approximately 5263 m(-3) mol with linearity (R2) of 0.98.

Aerobic granular processes: Current research trends

Aerobic granules are large biological aggregates with compact interiors that can be used in efficient wastewater treatment. This mini-review presents new researches on the development of aerobic granular processes, extended treatments for complicated pollutants, granulation mechanisms and enhancements of granule stability in long-term operation or storage, and the reuse of waste biomass as renewable resources. A discussion on the challenges of, and prospects for, the commercialization of aerobic granular process is provided.

Toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on Pseudomonas putida

The increasing use of engineered nanoparticles (NPs) in industrial and household applications will very likely lead to the release of such materials into the environment. As wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are usually the last barrier before the water is discharged into the environment, it is important to understand the effects of these materials in the biotreatment processes, since the results in the literature are usually contradictory. We proposed the use of flow cytometry (FC) technology to obtain conclusive results. Aqueous solutions of TiO2 nanoparticles (0-2 mg mL(-1)) were used to check its toxicity effect using Pseudomonas putida as simplified model of real sludge over room light. Physiological changes in P. putida from viable to viable but non-culturable cells were observed by flow cytometry in presence of TiO2. The damaged and dead cell concentrations were below 5% in all cases under study. Both FSC and SSC parameter increased with TiO2 dose dependent manner, indicating nanoparticles uptake by the bacteria. The biological removal of salicylic acid (SA) was also significantly impacted by the presence of TiO2 in the medium reducing the efficiency. The use of FC allows also to develop and fit segregated kinetic models, giving the impact of TiO2 nanoparticles in the physiological subpopulations growth and implications for SA removal.

Insight into the short-term effect of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on active ammonia oxidizing microorganisms in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant: a DNA-stable isotope probing study

Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are two distinct ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) responsible for nitrification in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).