The influence of process operating conditions on the microbial community structure in the moving bed biofilm reactor at phylum and class level: A review
Mukhlis Eshamuddin, Gaetano Zuccaro, Guillaume Nourrit, Claire Albasi
Abstract
Moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) is currently one of the most substantially studied biofilm-based reactor due to its numerous advantageous in terms of biomass robustness and excellent pollutants removal performances. In order to understand the performance determining factors of MBBR system, it is essential to investigate its fundamental element; the microbial community of the biomass. This review discusses the influence of MBBR operational parameters on the microbiological aspect of the technology at the highest taxonomic rank (i.e., phylum, class). Moreover, a special focus on the microbial community structure of different forms of biomass in MBBR (i.e., initial inoculum, suspended biomass, attached biofilm) is addressed in the review. Proteobacteria and its corresponding class, Alpha-proteobacteria, frequently dominate the microbial community at phylum and class level respectively, regardless of the operating conditions and biomass forms. The diversity of attached biofilm is often higher than in suspended biomass, which is a strong indicator of biofilm development enhancement, thanks to the operating conditions management. Based on these findings, the current challenges and future perspectives of microbiological analysis in MBBR system are presented.