Spatiotemporal succession of phosphorous accumulating biofilms during the first year of establishment

Abstract Many wastewater treatment plants are dependent on the utilization of microorganisms in biofilms. Our knowledge about establishment these biofilms is limited, particular with respect to involved enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). These rely polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs), requiring alternating oxic and anaerobic conditions for phosphorous uptake. This challenge has been solved using Hias process, which combines moving-bed biofilm-reactor (MBBR) technology physical transfer biofilm-carriers from zones. We combined biofilm fractionation temporal analyses unveil process. A stable efficiency >95% was reached within 16 weeks operation. Phosphorus removal, however, not correlated known PAOs. The seemed associated an outer microbiota layer rapid turnover inner a slow expansion. showed overrepresentation In conclusion, our spatiotemporal accumulating lead new model growth, while mechanisms remain largely unresolved.