Calcium enhances polyhydroxyalkanoate production and promotes selective growth of the polyhydroxyalkanoate-storing biomass in municipal activated sludge

Activated sludge from municipal wastewater treatment processes can be used directly for the production of biodegradable polyesters from the family of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs). However, municipal activated sludge typically cannot accumulate PHAs to very high levels and often low yields of polymer produced on substrate are observed. In the...

Formation and ripening of alginate-like exopolymer gel layers during and after membrane filtration

The properties of biofilm EPS are determined by the multiple interactions between its constituents and the surrounding environment. Because of the high complexity of biofilm EPS, its constituents' characterisation is still far from thorough, and identification of these interactions cannot be done yet. Therefore, we use gels of bacterial...

Understanding and improving the reusability of phosphate adsorbents for wastewater effluent polishing

Phosphate is a vital nutrient for life but its discharge from wastewater effluents can lead to eutrophication. Adsorption can be used as effluent polishing step to reduce phosphate to very low concentrations. Adsorbent reusability is an important parameter to make the adsorption process economically feasible. This implies that the adsorbent...