Predicting the acclimatisation of microbial wastewater treatment communities as a function of the environment, random immigration, birth and death

Lead Research Organisation: Newcastle University
Department Name: Civil Engineering and Geosciences

Abstract

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Description Though wastwater treatment plants are extremely dynamic, mean net growth rates are in fact zero! This means the same microbes persist for years. The dynamics are however quite notable and affected by both the environment and intrinsic biological factors. One of the most important of which is viruses. We have established a new technology for measuring viruses and have shown that they play an important role in the dynamics of ammonia oxidising bacteria in wastewater treatment plants. Indeed we now believe that viruses could be killing up to 50% of the AOB in the treatment plant daily.
Exploitation Route We think that in the future water companies will monitor their treatment plants using the biological and mathematical tools we have developed. This will allow them to predict performance and avoid failure
Sectors Environment
URL http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ceg/staff/profile/tom.curtis
 
Description Our findings will be used to manage existing and novel biological treatment systems.
First Year Of Impact 2014
Sector Environment
Impact Types Economic