Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ecophysiology of nitrifying communities in membrane bioreactors

  • Review
  • Published:
International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are rapidly becoming the technology of choice over conventional activated sludge treatment systems due to their smaller footprint, reduced sludge production, rapid start-up of biological processes, complete removal of suspended solids and better effluent quality. The retention of sufficient amount of slow-growing nitrifiers makes it feasible for the MBRs to achieve strong tolerance against the shock loads with stable and highly efficient nitrogen removal. Various studies have focused on the ecophysiology of nitrifiers in MBRs as well as their distinctive operational parameters as well as their impact on the selection and activity of nitrifying community. Several techniques have been employed over the years to understand the nitrifying community and their interaction within the MBR system, which led to its modification from the initial design. This review focuses on the identification of optimal operational and environmental conditions for efficient nitrification in MBRs. The advantages and limitations of different techniques employed for investigating the nitrifying communities in MBRs are also emphasized.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akpor OB, Muchie M (2010) Bioremediation of polluted wastewater influent: phosphorus and nitrogen removal. Sci Res Essays 5:3222–3230

    Google Scholar 

  • Alleman JE, Preston K (2010) Behavior and physiology of nitrifying bacteria. http://theaquariumwiki.com/PDF/CES-240.pdf. Accessed 27/10/2011

  • Ayanda OS, Akinsoji OS (2011) Biological wastewater treatment: microbiology, chemistry, and diversity measurement of ammonia oxidizing bacteria. Afr J Microbiol Res 5:5831–5840

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bae W, Baek S, Chung J, Lee Y (2002) Optimal operational factors for nitrite accumulation in batch reactors. Biodegradation 12:359–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Bae H, Park J-H, Jun K-S, Jung J-Y (2013) The community analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in wastewater treatment plants revealed by the combination of double labeled T-RFLP and sequencing. J Environ Sci Health Part A 46:345–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Bahadoorsingh P (2010) Comparison of nitrification activity in membrane and conventional enhanced biological phosphorus removal processes. PhD Thesis, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver

  • Bassin JP, Kleerebezem R, Muyzer G, Rosado AS, van Loosdrecht MCM, Dezotti M (2012) Effect of different salt adaptation strategies on the microbial diversity, activity, and settling of nitrifying sludge in sequencing batch reactors. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 93:1281–1294

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bellucci M, Curtis TP (2011) Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in wastewater. In: Klotz MG, Stein LY (eds) Methods in enzymology. Academic Press, Burlington, pp 269–286

    Google Scholar 

  • Bleijswijk JDL, Witte H, van Duyl FC (2013) Diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in tropical and cold-water coral reef sponges. Aquat Microb Ecol 68:215–230

    Google Scholar 

  • Boon N, De Windt W, Verstraete W, Top EM (2002) Evaluation of nested PCR-DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) with group-specific 16S rRNA primers for the analysis of bacterial communities from different wastewater treatment plants. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 39:101–112

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bouskill NJ, Eveillard D, O’Mullan G, Jackson GA, Ward BB (2011) Seasonal and annual reoccurrence in betaproteobacterial ammonia-oxidizing bacterial population structure. Environ Microbiol 13:872–886

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Canfield DE, Glazer AN, Falkowski PG (2010) The evolution and future of earth’s nitrogen cycle. Sci 330:192–196

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Çeçen F, Semerci N, Geyik AG (2010) Inhibition of respiration and distribution of Cd, Pb, Hg, Ag and Cr species in a nitrifying sludge. J Hazard Mater 178:619–627

    Google Scholar 

  • Cerrone F, Poyatos JM, Molina-Munoz M, Cortes-Lorenzo C, Gonzalez-Lopez J, Rodelas B (2013) Prevalence of Nitrosomonas cluster 7 populations in ammonia-oxidizing community of a submerged membrane bioreactor treating urban wastewater under different operation conditions. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 36:901–910

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chandra DS, Sathasivan A (2011) Effect of temperature on onset of nitrification in chloraminated distribution system. Desalin Water Treat 32:95–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Sun H, Yang W, Yang Z (2012) Incubation and oxidative stress of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) embryos exposed to different un-ionized ammonia levels. J Freshw Ecol 27:143–150

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chiellini C, Munz G, Petroni G, Lubello C, Mori G, Verni F, Vannini C (2013) Characterization and comparison of bacterial communities selected in conventional activated sludge and membrane bioreactor pilot plants: a focus on Nitrospira and Planctomycetes bacterial Phyla. Curr Microbiol 67:77–90

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chuai X, Chen X, Yang L, Zeng J, Miao A, Zhao H (2012) Effects of climatic changes and anthropogenic activities on lake eutrophication in different ecoregions. Int J Environ Sci Technol 9:503–514

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cicek N, Macomber J, Davel J, Suidan MT, Audic J, Genestet P (2001) Effect of solids retention time on the performance and biological characteristics of a membrane bioreactor. Water Sci Technol 43:43–50

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke SC (2005) Pyrosequencing: nucleotide sequencing technology with bacterial genotyping applications. Expert Rev Mol Diagn 5:947–953

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Colliver BB, Stephenson T (2000) Production of nitrogen oxide and dinitrogen oxide by autotrophic nitrifiers. Biotechnol Adv 18:219–232

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cui YW, Ding JR, Ji SY, Peng YZ (2013) Start-up of halophilic nitrogen removal via nitrite from hypersaline wastewater by estuarine sediments in sequencing batch reactor. Int J Environ Sci Technol. doi:10.1007/s13762-013-0190-7

    Google Scholar 

  • Daims H, Wagner M (2010) The microbiology of nitrogen removal. In: Seviour RJ, Nielsen PH (eds) Microbial ecology of activated sludge. IWA, London, pp 259–280

    Google Scholar 

  • Daims H, Wagner M (2011) In situ techniques and digital image analysis methods for quantifying spatial localization patterns of nitrifiers and other microorganisms in biofilms and flocs. Methods Enzymol 496:185–215

    Google Scholar 

  • Daims H, Nielsen JL, Nielsen PH, Schleifer KH, Wagner M (2001) In situ characterization of Nitrospira-like nitrite-oxidizing bacteria active in wastewater treatment plants. Appl Environ Microbiol 67:5273–5284

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Daims H, Taylor MW, Wagner M (2006) Wastewater treatment: a model system for microbial ecology. Trends Biotechnol 24(11):483–489

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Du C, Wu Z, Xiao E, Zhou Q, Cheng S, Liang W, He F (2008) Bacterial diversity in activated sludge from a consecutively aerated submerged membrane bioreactor treating domestic wastewater. J Environ Sci 20:1210–1217

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Duan L, Yonghui Song, Xia S, Hermanowicz SW (2013) Characterization of nitrifying microbial community in a submerged membrane bioreactor at short solids retention times. Bioresour Technol 149:200–207

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ducey TF, Vanotti MB, Shriner AD, Szogi AA, Ellison AQ (2010) Characterization of a microbial community capable of nitrification at cold temperature. Bioresour Technol 101:491–500

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Egli K, Langer C, Siegrist HR, Zehnder AJB, Wagner M, Van Der Meer JR (2003) Community analysis of ammonia and nitrite oxidizers during start-up of nitritation reactors. Appl Environ Microbiol 69:3213–3222

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fakhrai-Rad H, Pourmand N, Ronaghi M (2002) Pyrosequencing™: an accurate detection platform for single nucleotide polymorphisms. Hum Mutat 19:479–485

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fan XJ, Urbain V, Qian Y, Manem J, Ng WJ, Ong SL (2000) Nitrification in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) for wastewater treatment. Water Sci Technol 42:289–294

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, Liao X, Ding L, Ren H (2010) Characterization of microbial community in an aerobic moving bed biofilm reactor applied for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 26:1981–1990

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fukushima T, Bond PL (2010) Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. In: Seviour RJ, Nielsen PH (eds) Microbial ecology of activated sludge. IWA, London, pp 350–359

    Google Scholar 

  • Fulweiler RW, Emery HE, Heiss EM, Berounsky VM (2011) Assessing the role of pH in determining water column nitrification rates in a coastal system. Estuar Coasts 34:1095–1102

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gao D, Tao Y (2012) Current molecular biologic techniques for characterizing environmental microbial community. Front Environ Sci Eng China 6:82–97

    Google Scholar 

  • Gentile ME, Nyman JL, Criddle CS (2007) Correlation of patterns of denitrification instability in replicated bioreactor communities with shifts in the relative abundance and the denitrification patterns of specific populations. ISME J 1:714–728

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gerardi MH (2002) Nitrification and denitrification in the activated sludge process. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Gil K-I, Choi E-S (2001) Modelling of inhibition of nitrite oxidation in biological nitritation processes by free ammonia. Biotechnol Lett 2:2021–2026

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbride KA, Lee DY, Beaudette LA (2006) Molecular techniques in wastewater: understanding microbial communities, detecting pathogens, and real-time process control. J Microbiol Methods 66:1–20

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gilmore KR, Terada A, Smets BF, Love NG, Garland JL (2012) Autotrophic nitrogen removal in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor under continuous aeration: a demonstration. Environ Eng Sci 29:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  • Glicksman RL, Batzel MR (2010) Science, politics, law and the arc of the clean water act: the role of assumptions in the adoption of a pollution control landmark. Wash Univ J Law Policy 32:99–138

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham DW, Knapp CW, Vleck ESV, Bloor K, Lane TB, Graham CE (2007) Experimental demonstration of chaotic instability in biological nitrification. ISME J 1:385–393

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Guler N (2006) Identification of nitrifier diversity and activity in biological wastewater treatment systems. MPhil Thesis, Marmara University, Istanbul

  • Guo J, Peng Y, Huang H, Wang S, Ge S, Zhang J, Wang Z (2010) Short- and long-term effects of temperature on partial nitrification in a sequencing batch reactor treating domestic wastewater. J Hazard Mater 179:471–479

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haarman M, Knol J (2005) Quantitative real-time PCR assays to identify and quantify fecal Bifidobacterium species in infants receiving a prebiotic infant formula. Appl Environ Microbiol 71:2318–2324

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hatzenpichler R (2012) Diversity, physiology, and niche differentiation of ammonia-oxidizing archaea. Appl Environ Microbiol 78:7501–7510

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hauzmayer S (2010) Identification and characterization of the nitrifying microorganisms in temperate beech forest and in enrichment cultures originating from hot springs at Lake Baikal and kamchatka. Master Thesis, University of Vienna, Vienna

  • He S-B, Xue G, Wang B-Z (2009) Factors affecting simultaneous nitrification and de-nitrification (SND) and its kinetics model in membrane bioreactor. J Hazard Mater 168:704–710

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Heffernan B, van Lier JB, van der Lubbe J (2011) Performance review of large scale up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket sewage treatment plants. Water Sci Technol 63:100–107

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hirooka K, Asano R, Nakai Y (2009) Change in the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in activated sludge during selective incubation for MPN determination. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 36:679–685

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holeton C, Chambers PA, Grace L (2011) Wastewater release and its impacts on Canadian waters. Can J Fisher Aquat Sci 68:1836–1859

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu M, Wang X, Wen X, Xia Y (2012) Microbial community structures in different wastewater treatment plants as revealed by 454-pyrosequencing analysis. Bioresour Technol 117:72–79

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang X, Gui P, Qian Y (2001) Effect of sludge retention time on microbial behaviour in a submerged membrane bioreactor. Process Biochem 36:1001–1006

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Z, Gedalanga PB, Asvapathanagul P, Olson BH (2010a) Influence of physicochemical and operational parameters on Nitrobacter and Nitrospira communities in an aerobic activated sludge bioreactor. Water Res 44:4351–4358

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Z, Gedalanga PB, Olson BH (2010b) Distribution of nitrobacter and nitrospira communities in an aerobic activated sludge bioreactor and their contributions to nitrite oxidation. Paper presented at the proceedings of the 83th annual conference and exposition (WEFTEC2010), New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

  • Hulle SV (2005) Modelling, simulation and optimization of autotrophic nitrogen removal processes. PhD Thesis, Ghent University, Ghent

  • Jin T, Zhang T, Yan Q (2010) Characterization and quantification of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in a nitrogen-removing reactor using T-RFLP and qPCR. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 87:1167–1176

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Junier P, Molina V, Dorador C, Hadas O, Kim O-S, Junier T, Witzel J-P, Imhoff JF (2010) Phylogenetic and functional marker genes to study ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOM) in the environment. Appl Microb Biotechnol 85:425–440

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly JJ, Siripong S, McCormack J, Janus LR, Urakawa H, El Fantroussi S, Noble PA, Sappelsa L, Rittmann BE, Stahl DA (2005) DNA microarray detection of nitrifying bacterial 16S rRNA in wastewater treatment plant samples. Water Res 39:3229–3238

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim S-S, Kim H-J (2003) Impact and threshold concentration of toxic materials in the stripped gas liquor on nitrification. Korean J Chem Eng 20:1103–1110

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim J, Guo X, Park H (2008) Comparison study of the effects of temperature and free ammonia concentration on nitrification and nitrite accumulation. Process Biochem 43:154–160

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim YM, Cho HU, Lee DS, Park D, Park JM (2011) Influence of operational parameters on nitrogen removal efficiency and microbial communities in a full-scale activated sludge process. Water Res 45:5785–5795

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kornboonraksa T, Lee HS, Lee SH, Chiemchaisri C (2009) Application of chemical precipitation and membrane bioreactor hybrid process for piggery wastewater treatment. Bioresour Technol 100:1963–1968

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kowalchuk GA, Stephen JR (2001) Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria: a model for molecular microbial ecology. Annu Rev Microbiol 55:485–529

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar M, Lee P-Y, Fukusihma T, Whang L-M, Lin J-G (2012) Effect of supplementary carbon addition in the treatment of low C/N high-technology industrial wastewater by MBR. Bioresour Technol 113:148–153

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kurisu F, Satoh H, Mino T, Matsuo T (2002) Microbial community analysis of thermophilic contact oxidation process by using ribosomal RNA approaches and the quinone profile method. Water Res 36:429–438

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lesjean B, Tazi-Pain A, Thaure D, Moeslang H, Buisson H (2011) Ten persistent myths and the realities of membrane bioreactor technology for municipal applications. Water Sci Technol 63:32–39

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Yang M, Zhang Y, Yu T, Kamagata Y (2006) Nitrification performance and microbial community dynamics in a submerged membrane bioreactor with complete sludge retention. J Biotechnol 123:60–70

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Zhang Y, Yang M, Kamagata Y (2013) Effects of hydraulic retention time on nitrification activities and population dynamics of a conventional activated sludge system. Front Environ Sci Eng 7(1):43–48

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liang Z, Das A, Beerman D, Hu Z (2010) Biomass characteristics of two types of submerged membrane bioreactors for nitrogen removal from wastewater. Water Res 44:3313–3320

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Limpiyakorn T, Sonthiphand P, Rongsayamanont C, Polprasert C (2011) Abundance of amoA genes of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in activated sludge of full-scale wastewater treatment plants. Bioresour Technol 102:3694–3701

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin HJ, Gao WJ, Leung KT, Liao BQ (2011) Characteristics of different fractions of microbial flocs and their role in membrane fouling. Water Sci Technol 63:262–269

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu H, Yang F, Shi S, Liu X (2010a) Effect of substrate COD/N ratio on performance and microbial community structure of a membrane aerated biofilm reactor. J Environ Sci 22:540–546

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Shi H, Xia L, Shi H, Shen T, Wang Z, Wang G, Wang Y (2010b) Study of operational conditions of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in a Carrousel oxidation ditch for domestic wastewater treatment. Bioresour Technol 101:901–906

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lopez-Legentil S, Erwin PM, Pawlik JR, Song B (2010) Effects of sponge bleaching on ammonia-oxidizing archaea: distribution and relative expression of ammonia monooxygenase genes associated with the barrel sponge Xestospongia muta. Microb Ecol 60:561–571

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luxmy BS, Nakajima F, Yamamoto K (2000) Analysis of bacterial community in membrane separation bioreactors by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) techniques. Water Sci Technol 41:259–268

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Manser R, Gujer W, Siegrist HR (2005) Membrane bioreactor versus conventional activated sludge system: population dynamics of nitrifiers. Water Sci Technol 52:417–425

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martı′n-Pascual J, Reboleiro-Rivas P, Lo′pez-Lo′pez C, Gonza′lez-Lo′pez J, Hontoria E, Poyatos JM (2013) Influence of hydraulic retention time on heterotrophic biomass in a wastewater moving bed membrane bioreactor treatment plant. Int J Environ Sci Technol. doi:10.1007/s13762-013-0329-6

    Google Scholar 

  • Mbakwe I, De Jager PC, Annandale JG, Matema T (2013) Nitrogen miniralization from sludge in an alkaline saline coal gasification ash environment. J Environ Qual 42:835–845

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morales N, Figueroa M, Fra-Vázquez A, Val del Río A, Campos JL, Mosquera-Corral A, Méndez R (2013) Operation of an aerobic granular pilot scale SBR plant to treat swine slurry. Process Biochem 48:1216–1221

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mordorski CJ (1987) Process for protection of biological nitrification systems, US Patent No 4,693,827

  • Mota CR, So MJ, de los Reyes FL III (2012) Identification of nitrite-reducing bacteria using sequential mRNA fluorescence in situ hybridization and fluorescence-assisted cell sorting. Microb Ecol 64:256–267

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mussmann M, Brito I, Pitcher A, Damsté JSS, Hatzenpichler R, Richter A, Nielsen JL, Nielsen PH, Müller A, Daims H, Wagner M, Head IM (2011) Thaumarchaeotes abundant in refinery nitrifying sludges express amoA but are not obligate autotrophic ammonia oxidizers. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 108:16771–16776

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nicol GW, Schleper C (2006) Ammonia-oxidising crenarchaeota: important players in the nitrogen cycle? Trends Microbiol 14:207–212

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen JL (2009) Protocol for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with rRNA-targeted oligonucleotides. In: Nielsen PH, Daims H, Lemmer H (eds) FISH handbook for biological wastewater treatment. IWA Publishing, London, pp 73–84

    Google Scholar 

  • Ozdemir B, Mertoglu B, Yapsakli K, Aliyazicioglu C, Saatci A, Yenigun O (2011) Investigation of nitrogen converters in membrane bioreactor. J Environ Sci Health, Part A 46:37–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Prosser JI, Nicol GW (2008) Relative contributions of archaea and bacteria to aerobic ammonia oxidation in the environment. Environ Microbiol 10(11):2931–2941

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Radax R, Hoffmann F, Rapp HT, Leininger S, Schleper C (2012) Ammonia-oxidizing archaea as main drivers of nitrification in cold-water sponges. Environ Microbiol 14:909–923

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rastogi G, Sani RK (2011) Molecular techniques to assess microbial community structure, function, and dynamics in the environment. In: Ahmad I, Ahmad F, Pichtel J (eds) Microbes and microbial technology. Springer, New York, pp 29–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Raszka A, Surmacz-Górska J, Żabczyński S, Miksch K (2011) The population dynamics of nitrifiers in ammonium-rich systems. Water Environ Res 83:2159–2169

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ronaghi M (2000) Improved Performance of pyrosequencing using single-stranded DNA-binding protein. Anal Biochem 286:282–288

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ronaghi M, Elahi E (2002) Pyrosequencing for microbial typing. J Chromatogr B 782:67–72

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sajuni NR, Ahmad AL, Vadivelu VM (2010) Effect of filter media characteristics, pH and temperature on the ammonia removal in the wastewater. J Appl Sci 10:1146–1150

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanapareddy N, Hamp TJ, Gonzalez LC, Hilger HA, Fodor AA, Clinton SM (2009) Molecular diversity of a North Carolina wastewater treatment plant as revealed by pyrosequencing. Appl Environ Microbiol 75(6):1688–1696

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sanz JL, Köchling T (2007) Molecular biology techniques used in wastewater treatment: an overview. Process Biochem 42:119–133

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarioglu M, Insel G, Artan N, Orhon D (2009) Model evaluation of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in a membrane bioreactor operated without an anoxic reactor. J Membr Sci 337:17–27

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sarp S, Chon K, Kim IS, Cho J (2011) Advanced treatment of membrane bioreactor (MBR) effluents for effective wastewater reclamation. Water Sci Technol 63:303–310

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid MC, Maas B, Dapena A, van de Pas-Schoonen K, van de Vossenberg J, Kartal B, van Niftrik L, Schmidt I, Cirpus I, Kuenen JG, Wagner M, Sinninghe Damste JS, Kuypers M, Revsbech NP, Mendez R, Jetten MS, Strous M (2005) Biomarkers for in situ detection of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 71(4):1677–1684

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sciampacone A (2013) Matter pictured in its place: cholera and the slums of London. Dandelion Postgrad Arts J Res Netw 4:1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Siripong S, Kelly JJ, Stahl DA, Rittmann BE (2006) Impact of prehybridization PCR amplification on microarray detection of nitrifying bacteria in wastewater treatment plant samples. Environl Microbiol 8:1564–1574

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sonthiphand P, Limpiyakorn T (2010) Communities of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in enriched nitrifying activated sludge. World Acad Sci Eng Technol 64:425–428

    Google Scholar 

  • Stahl DA, de la Torre JR (2012) Physiology and diversity of ammonia oxidizing archaea. Annu Rev Microbiol 66:83–101

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Uan DK, Yeom IT, Arulazhagan P, Banu JR (2013) Effects of sludge pretreatment on sludge reduction in a lab-scale anaerobic/anoxic/oxic system treating domestic wastewater. Int J Environ Sci Technol 10:495–502

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Valm AM, Mark Welch JL, Borisy GG (2012) CLASI-FISH: principles of combinatorial labeling and spectral imaging. Syst Appl Microbiol 35:496–502

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wan C-Y, DeWever H, Diels L, Thoeye C, Liang J-B, Huang L-N (2011) Biodiversity and population dynamics of microorganisms in a full-scale membrane bioreactor for municipal wastewater treatment. Water Res 45:1129–1138

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Zheng Z, Luo X, Zhang J (2011) Performance and mechanisms of a microbial-earthworm ecofilter for removing organic matter and nitrogen from synthetic domestic wastewater. J Harzard Mater 195:245–253

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • WEF (2009) Biological nutrient removal processes operation of municipal wastewater treatment plants: MoP No. 11. WEF Press, New York

  • Witzig R, Manz W, Rosenberger S, Kruger U, Kraume M, Szewzyk U (2002) Microbiological aspects of a bioreactor with submerged membranes for aerobic treatment of municipal wastewater. Water Res 36:394–402

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wojnowska-Baryla I, Cydzik-Kwiatkowska A, Zielinska M (2010) The application of molecular techniques to the study of wastewater treatment systems. Methods Mol Biol 599:157–183

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu P, Ji X, Song X, Shen Y (2013) Mechanism of efficient nutrient removal and microbial analysis of a combined anaerobic baffled reactor-membrane bioreactor process. Int J Environ Sci Technol. doi:10.1007/s13762-013-0347-4

    Google Scholar 

  • Xia S, Duan L, Song Y, Li J, Piceno YM, Andersen GL, Alvarez-Cohen L, Moreno-Andrade I, Huang CL, Hermanowicz SW (2010a) Bacterial community structure in geographically distributed biological wastewater treatment reactors. Environ Sci Technol 44:7391–7396

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xia S, Li J, Wang R, Li J, Zhang Z (2010b) Tracking composition and dynamics of nitrification and denitrification microbial community in a biofilm reactor by PCR-DGGE and combining FISH with flow cytometry. Biochem Eng J 49:370–378

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xia Y, Masse DI, Mcallister TA, Kong Y, Seviour R, Beaulieu C (2012) Identity and diversity of archaeal communities during anaerobic co-digestion of chicken feathers and other animal wastes. Bioresour Technol 110:111–119

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xiao P, Cai Q, Zhang D, Yao Z, Lu P (2013) Characteristics of nitrogen removal and nitrous oxide production in CANON process. J Chem Technol Biotechnol. doi:10.1002/jctb.4153

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang W, Xiang F, Liang L, Yang Z (2010) Toxicity of ammonia and its effects on oxidative stress mechanisms of juvenile crucian carp (Carassius auratus). J Freshw Ecol 25(2):297–302

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang C, Zhang W, Liu R, Li Q, Li B, Wang S, Song C, Qiao C, Mulchandani A (2011) Phylogenetic diversity and metabolic potential of activated sludge microbial communities in full-scale wastewater treatment plants. Environ Sci Technol 45:7408–7415

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ye L, Shao M-F, Zhanga T, Tong AHY, Lok S (2011) Analysis of the bacterial community in a laboratory-scale nitrification reactor and a wastewater treatment plant by 454-pyrosequencing. Water Res 45:4390–4398

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • You J, Das A, Dolan EM, Hu Z (2009) Ammonia-oxidizing archaea involved in nitrogen removal. Water Res 43:1801–1809

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu T, Qi R, Li D, Zhang Y, Yang M (2010) Nitrifier characteristics in submerged membrane bioreactors under different sludge retention times. Water Res 44:2823–2830

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yu T, Li D, Qi R, Li S-T, Xu S-W, Yang M (2011) Structure and dynamics of nitrifier populations in a full-scale submerged membrane bioreactor during start-up. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 90:369–376

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zaw HM, Li T, Nagaoka H (2011) Simulation of membrane fouling considering mixed liquor viscosity and variation of shear stress on membrane surface. Water Sci Technol 63:270–275

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeng Y, De Guardia A, Ziebal C, De Macedo FJ, Dabert P (2012) Nitrification and microbiological evolution during aerobic treatment of municipal solid wastes. Bioresour Technol 110:144–152

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B, Sun B, Ji M, Liu H (2009a) Population dynamic succession and quantification of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in a membrane bioreactor treating municipal wastewater. J Hazard Mater 165:796–803

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Zhou J, Zhang J, Yuan S (2009b) An innovative membrane bioreactor and packed-bed biofilm reactor combined system for shortcut nitrification-denitrification. J Environ Sci 21:568–574

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B, Sun B, Ji M, Liu H, Liu X (2010) Quantification and comparison of ammonia-oxidizing bacterial communities in MBRs treating various types of wastewater. Bioresour Technol 101:3054–3059

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang T, Ye L, Tong AHY, Shao MF (2011a) Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in six full-scale wastewater treatment bioreactors. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 91:1215–1225

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Zhou J, Guo J, Zhang X, Zhao L, Yuan S (2011b) Study on nitrite accumulation characteristics and nitrifying population dynamics at different growth environments. Int J Biol Life Sci 7:65–69

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors hereby acknowledge the Research and Postgraduate Support Directorate office, Durban University of Technology, for awarding Oluyemi Awolusi doctoral scholarship. Elisabeth Lickindorf, Graham Baker and the anonymous reviewers are thanked for their constructive comments and suggestions on the previous versions of this article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Water and Wastewater Technology, Durban University of Technology, P. O. Box 1334, Durban, 4000, South Africa

    O. O. Awolusi, S. K. S. Kumari & F. Bux

Authors
  1. O. O. Awolusi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. S. K. S. Kumari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. F. Bux
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. K. S. Kumari.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Awolusi, O.O., Kumari, S.K.S. & Bux, F. Ecophysiology of nitrifying communities in membrane bioreactors. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 12, 747–762 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0551-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-014-0551-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation