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The viscosity behaviors of bacterial suspensions or extracellular polymeric substances and their effects on aerobic granular sludge

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Abstract

Although the viscosity behavior of bacteria and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) in flocculent activated sludge (FAS) and aerobic granular sludge (AGS) has been investigated, no studies have explored the role of viscosity in microbial attachment in pure culture. This study investigated the viscosity behavior of bacteria and EPS. The results showed that bacteria and their EPS exhibited non-Newtonian fluid and shear-thinning behavior. The viscosity of bacteria and EPS was 1.55–3.80 cP and 1.10–2.40 cP, respectively, while the attachment of bacteria (optical density at 600 nm) was 0.1426–3.1015. Bacteria with high attachment secreted EPS with a higher viscosity (2.40 cP), whereas those with weak attachment expressed EPS with a lower viscosity (1.10 cP). Viscosity and microbial attachment or extracellular polysaccharide (PS) content were significantly positively correlated. PS content was the source of bacterial viscosity, and β-polysaccharide played a more important role in viscosity and microbial attachment than α-polysaccharide. Thus, viscosity plays a critical role in microbial attachment, and high viscosity and PS content result in high microbial attachment, which is beneficial to the granulation process of AGS.

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Funding

This research project was financed by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51578069) and Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission Project (Z171100000717012).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Xilan Yang, Tianguang Xu, Pei Cao, Kai Qiao, Lei Wang, Tingting Zhao & Jianrong Zhu

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  1. Xilan Yang
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  2. Tianguang Xu
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  3. Pei Cao
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  4. Kai Qiao
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  5. Lei Wang
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  6. Tingting Zhao
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  7. Jianrong Zhu
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Correspondence to Jianrong Zhu.

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Responsible editor: Gerald Thouand

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Highlights

• Bacterial suspensions and EPS are non-Newtonian fluids with shear-thinning behavior.

• Viscosity, particularly EPS viscosity, plays a more critical role in the microbial attachment.

• β-Polysaccharide plays a more important role in the viscosity and microbial attachment than α-polysaccharide.

• PS content is more influential than PN content in viscosity and microbial attachment.

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Yang, X., Xu, T., Cao, P. et al. The viscosity behaviors of bacterial suspensions or extracellular polymeric substances and their effects on aerobic granular sludge. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 30087–30097 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06012-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06012-1

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