Final Report Summary - BAAGS (Bacterial alginate: isolation, fine structure characterization and role in aerobic granular sludge formation)
Aerobic sludge granulation is strongly connected with the property of exopolysaccharides, particularly the bacterial alginates, which have been recently shown to be more than 10% of aerobic granules’ organic carbon content. Determining their function based on clearly defined analytical methods is significant for bringing this technology into practice. The overall objective of the BAAGS project is to study the fine structure of bacterial alginate in aerobic granular sludge formation and stability, and establish analytical methods for advanced exopolysaccharides characterization in aerobic granules. Important progress has been made during the last two years: not only on the analytical methods for alginate-like exopolysaccharides characterization, but also on elucidating its role in granules formation. Secondly, the inducement effect of alginate-like exopolysaccharides on mineral accumulation in aerobic granular sludge was also discovered. In addition, a method to measure the mechanical strength of anammox granules and detect apatite accumulation inside granules was established. As a result, information obtained from BAAGS research project greatly facilitates exopolysaccharides research in aerobic granular sludge area; knowledge obtained provides insight on exopolysaccharides function both in aerobic granules and normal biofilms, and utilization the alginate-like exopolysacchairdes from aerobic granular sludge.