Enhanced polyhydroxyalkanoates production from Mixed Microbial Culture through Short Settling Aerobic Dynamic Feeding: improved selection and bulking resilience [16S]

ABSTRACT: This study explores the use of short settling times as a strategy to enhance microbial selection and prevent bulking induced by nutrient shortage in an aerobic dynamic feeding (ADF) process using mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production from fermentation digestate. A 5.0-L aerobic reactor was operated under three conditions: Long Settling (LS, 30 minutes), Short Settling (SS, 10 minutes), and Short Settling under Nutrient Shortage (SS-NS, 10 minutes with reduced nutrient load). Short settling significantly improved biomass settleability, reducing the Sludge Volume Index (SVI) from 126 to 25 mL g⁻¹, and promoted the formation of dense flocs enriched in PHA-accumulating bacteria, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Process kinetics revealed enhanced substrate uptake rates and improved storage yields under SS conditions, despite an elevated C/P ratio. Notably, nutrient shortage conditions were inadvertently reached by the proliferation of Polytoma mirum in the feeding tank. Although Polytoma mirum did not affect VFA composition, its presence significantly reduced nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations. These nutrient shortage conditions were maintained for at least 30 days until the system began to exhibit stress, as demonstrated by an increased SVI (178.6 mL g⁻¹). Microbial community analyses indicated marked shifts: the eukaryotic assemblage transitioned from sessile to motile ciliates under SS, while bacterial diversity within the PHA‐accumulating fraction remained high, with key taxa such as Sphaerotilus and Neomegalonema becoming more prevalent under phosphorus-limited conditions. Overall, short settling not only improved microbial selection but also prevented bulking by retaining well-aggregated biomass, thereby mitigating nutrient shortage conditions.

ORGANISM(S): activated sludge metagenome

PROVIDER: GSE303497 | GEO | 2025/07/24

REPOSITORIES: GEO