Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34302200›Full record

ArticleApplied microbiology and biotechnology2021

Anaerobic hydrolysis of complex substrates in full-scale aerobic granular sludge: enzymatic activity determined in different sludge fractions.

Sara Toja Ortega, Mario Pronk, Merle K de Kreuk

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Applied microbiology and biotechnology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 35% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 29 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Sara Toja OrtegaSection Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, Delft, 2628 CN, The Netherlands. S.TojaOrtega@tudelft.nl.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3346-5512
Mario PronkDepartment of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, Delft, 2629 HZ, The Netherlands.
Merle K de KreukSection Sanitary Engineering, Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, Delft, 2628 CN, The Netherlands.
Delft University of Technology · NLRoyal HaskoningDHV (Netherlands) · NL

Funding

Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek 016.168.320
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Complex substrates, like proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, are major components of domestic wastewater, and yet their degradation in biofilm-based wastewater treatment technologies, such as aerobic granular sludge (AGS), is not well understood. Hydrolysis is considered the rate-limiting step in the bioconversion of complex substrates, and as such, it will impact the utilization of a large wastewater COD (chemical oxygen demand) fraction by the biofilms or granules. To study the hydrolysis of complex substrates within these types of biomass, this paper investigates the anaerobic activity of major hydrolytic enzymes in the different sludge fractions of a full-scale AGS reactor. Chromogenic substrates were used under fully mixed anaerobic conditions to determine lipase, protease, α-glucosidase, and β-glucosidase activities in large granules (>1 mm in diameter), small granules (0.2-1 mm), flocculent sludge (0.045-0.2 mm), and bulk liquid. Furthermore, composition and hydrolytic activity of influent wastewater samples were determined. Our results showed an overcapacity of the sludge to hydrolyze wastewater soluble and colloidal polymeric substrates. The highest specific hydrolytic activity was associated with the flocculent sludge fraction (1.5-7.5 times that of large and smaller granules), in agreement with its large available surface area. However, the biomass in the full-scale reactor consisted of 84% large granules, making the large granules account for 55-68% of the total hydrolytic activity potential in the reactor. These observations shine a new light on the contribution of large granules to the conversion of polymeric COD and suggest that large granules can hydrolyze a significant amount of this influent fraction. The anaerobic removal of polymeric soluble and colloidal substrates could clarify the stable granule formation that is observed in full-scale installations, even when those are fed with complex wastewaters. KEY POINTS: • Large and small granules contain >70% of the hydrolysis potential in an AGS reactor. • Flocculent sludge has high hydrolytic activity but constitutes <10% VS in AGS. • AGS has an overcapacity to hydrolyze complex substrates in domestic wastewater.

Indexed as

SewageWaste Disposal, FluidAnaerobiosisBioreactorsHydrolysisSewageAerobic granular sludgeDomestic wastewaterFull-scalehydrolysisPolymeric substrates

Identifiers

PMID34302200
PMCPMC8390406
OpenAlexW3186345749

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.