Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36544219›Full record

ArticleWater environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation2022

Comparative analysis of floc characteristics and microbial communities in anoxic and aerobic suspended growth processes.

Huanqi He, Avery L Carlson, Per Halkjaer Nielsen, Jizhong Zhou, Glen T Daigger

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 56% 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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. An update on hybrid membrane aerated biofilm reactor technology.Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation · 2025
    Review
  5. Comparative analysis of floc characteristics and microbial communities in anoxic and aerobic suspended growth processes.Water environment research : a research publication of the Water Environment Federation · 2022
    Article
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

5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Huanqi HeDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2907-193X
Avery L CarlsonDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Per Halkjaer NielsenCenter for Microbial Communities, Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark.
Jizhong ZhouInstitute for Environmental Genomics, Department of Microbiology and Plant Biology, School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, and School of Computer Science, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, USA.
Glen T DaiggerDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
University of Michigan · USAalborg University · DKUniversity of Oklahoma · US

Funding

University of Michigan
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

A fully anoxic suspended growth process is an appealing alternative to conventional activated sludge (AS) due to considerable aeration reduction and improved carbon processing efficiency for biological nutrient removal (BNR). With development of the hybrid membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) technology, implementation of a fully anoxic suspended growth community in BNR facilities became practical. To better understand potential limitations with the elimination of aeration, we carried out microscopic examination and 16S rRNA gene-based microbial community profiling to determine how an anoxic suspended growth would differ from the conventional aerobic process in floc characteristics, microbial diversity, microbial temporal dynamics, and community assembly pattern. Fewer filamentous populations were found in the anoxic mixed liquor, suggesting easily sheared flocs. The anoxic microbial community had distinct composition and structure, but its diversity and temporal dynamics were similar to the conventional aerobic community. A variety of well-studied functional guilds were also identified in the anoxic community. The anoxic microbial community assembly was more stochastic than the conventional aerobic community, but deterministic assembly was still significant with a large core microbiome adapted to the anoxic condition. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Flocs developed under the anoxic conditions had less filamentous backbones, implying reduced flocculation capacity and easily sheared flocs. Knowledge about the ecophysiology of Thauera, Thiothrix, and Trichococcus can help achieve good properties of the anoxic flocs. A diverse microbial community sustainably adapted to the fully anoxic condition, containing a variety of filaments, denitrifiers, and PAOs. The anoxic microbial community displayed a similar degree of diversity and temporal dynamics compared to the aerobic counterpart. The anoxic community's assembly was more stochastic, so it may be less subject to changes in environmental variables.

Indexed as

MicrobiotaSewageBiofilmsBioreactorsRNA, Ribosomal, 16SWaste Disposal, FluidRNA, Ribosomal, 16SSewageanoxiccommunity assemblyflocsmicrobial diversitysuspended growthtemporal dynamics

Identifiers

PMID36544219
PMCPMC10107865
OpenAlexW4309862288

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.