Microbial Biofilms Formed in a Laboratory-Scale Anammox Bioreactor with Flexible Brush Carrier

This study is focused on investigation of biofilms formed in an anaerobic laboratory-scale bioreactor fed with medium for anammox bacteria oxidizing ammonia with nitrite. The mixed culture of anammox bacteria was enriched from the microbial community that sampled from the activated sludge of a denitrifying reactor at a wastewater treatment station located in the Sochi region, Russia. This community forms biofilms on the surface of the flexible polymer brush carriers, which are used for biomass immobilization in both laboratory and full-scale bioreactors. Anammox bacteria were discovered in the activated sludge community. The anammox community was enriched by incubation in an up-flow laboratory-scale anaerobic bioreactor with a flexible brush carrier. In the course of ~3 years, the loading rate of nitrogen substrates (ammonium and nitrite) increased from 100 to 5000 mg N L-1 day-1. The concentration of the substrates in the upper part of the reactor was 40 times less than in the influent. The pH values were 7.5 at the bottom and up to 9 in the upper part up of the reactor. Biofilms of two types developed in the reactor. Bunches of irregular spherical granules formed on the carrier filaments, while films of irregular thickness containing submerged spherical granules were formed on the walls of reactor. The anammox population was found to consist of at least three active species: a new strain of Candidatus “Jettenia asiatica” named “strain ecos” and two species of the genus Candidatus “Brocadia”. Other types of bacteria found in the community, including members of phylum Chloroflexi, were presumably involved in biofilm spatial organization.