Community Structure and Function During Periods of High Performance and System Upset in a Full-Scale Mixed Microalgal Wastewater Resource Recovery Facility

Abstract

Microalgae have the potential to exceed current nutrient recovery limits from wastewater, enabling water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) to achieve increasingly stringent effluent permits. The use of photobioreactors (PBRs) and the separation of hydraulic retention and solids residence time (HRT/SRT) further enables increased biomass in a reduced physical footprint while allowing operational parameters (e.g., SRT) to select for desired functional communities. However, as algal technology transitions to full-scale, there is a need to understand the effect of operational and environmental parameters on complex microbial dynamics among mixotrophic microalgae, bacterial groups, and pests (i.e., grazers and pathogens) and to implement robust process controls for stable long-term performance. Here, we examine the first full-scale, intensive WRRF utilizing mixed microalgal for tertiary treatment in the US (EcoRecover, Clearas Water Recovery Inc.) during a nine-month monitoring campaign. We investigated the temporal variations in microbial community structure (18S and 16S rRNA genes), which revealed that stable system performance of the EcoRecover system was marked by a low-diversity microalgal community (DINVSIMPSON = 2.01) dominated by Scenedesmus sp. (MRA = 55%-80%) that achieved strict nutrient removal (effluent TP 4 months) of stable system performance that achieve robust nutrient recovery, even in winter months in northern latitudes (WI, USA). Graphical abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=72 SRC="FIGDIR/small/576871v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (37K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@15ef2a4org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8c1de6org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ff1160org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1cded87_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG HighlightsO_LIMicrobial dynamics were examined for first full-scale, intensive (small footprint) algal wastewater treatment process (EcoRecover) for advanced P removal. C_LIO_LIMixed microbial communities during stable performance were dominated by Scenedesmus and Cyanobacteria and positively correlated with pH, alkalinity, and influent NH4+, among other parameters. C_LIO_LIBacterial nitrification did not benefit or hinder nutrient recovery, but partial nitrification and NO2- accumulation inhibited algal growth. C_LIO_LITaxa specific pest dynamics are described, with major outbreaks occurring during high temperature in summer months. C_LIO_LIControl of operational parameters, and recovery of stable system performance and algal biomass was achieved following system upsets. C_LI