Specialist Group on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering - IWA

RESEARCH NEWS FROM THE MEWE SPECIALIST GROUPBiodegradation of the herbicide propanil and its metabolite 3,4-dichloroanilineMarques R., Carvalho G., Oehmen A., Reis M.A.M.REQUIMTE/CQFB, Chemistry DepartmentFCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal.Propanil is a herbicide widely used in the cultivation of rice, used to control broadleaf weeds. Sincepropanil is essentially applied to flooded rice paddies, it can contaminate surface and groundwaters. Biological mechanisms to fully degrade these compounds are not often found in nature andso propanil tends to accumulate either as the intact parent compound or as a partially transformedmetabolite, mainly 3,4-dichloroaniline (DCA). Both forms represent health and ecotoxicity hazards,contaminating both soils and waters, producing toxic effects on mammals and fish as well asaffecting the human immune system (Pothuluri et al., 1991). Concentrations up to 3600 µg.L −1(propanil) and 568 µg.L −1 (DCA) have been found in irrigation water (Primel et al., 2007), farabove the maximum permitted concentration for discharge into the aquatic environment of 0.1µg.L −1 (Pesticides Framework Directive 2009/128/EC). Biological treatment using a mixed cultureapplied in situ can be an inexpensive and sustainable solution to remove propanil and DCA fromcontaminated waters and soils. The objective of this work was to understand the conditions thatenhance the selection of propanil and DCA degrading microbial communities and improve theirperformance.Microbial enrichments were initiated and cultivated from soil contaminated with several herbicides,including propanil, as well as soil from organic rice agriculture. After this, the mixed culture wasused to inoculate a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), which was initially operated with dump feedingof propanil at a concentration of 0.5 mM added once per cycle (aeration phase of 24-96h, followedby settling and decant). Batch tests at different initial propanil concentrations were carried out toevaluate biomass acclimatization and biodegradation kinetics of propanil and its metabolites.During operation with dump feeding strategy, an accumulation of the intermediate DCA wasobserved in all of the batch tests, since maximum propanil degradation rates (7.9–12.4 mmolgVSS −1 d −1 ) were always higher than those of DCA (1.4-5.6 mmol gVSS −1 d −1 ). The batch testcarried out with the highest concentration of propanil (0.59 mM, Figure 1a) resulted in theaccumulation of DCA up to 0.53 mM. In this test, propanil was completely hydrolyzed during thefirst day, while DCA degradation occurred at a faster rate only after 3.5 days. DCA accumulationwas clearly inhibitory to the biomass. Thus, the operational mode was changed to a fed-batchstrategy, with a lower initial propanil concentration (0.15 mM in the reactor after each feed), wherethe reactor was fed twice per 24-h cycle. A new series of batch tests was carried out to characterizethe kinetics during the fed-batch operation stage, approximately 30 days after switching to thisfeeding strategy. An increase in performance was clear as compared to the dump feed stage, whereDCA no longer accumulated to inhibitory levels, even when increasing the initial propanilconcentration to 0.59 mM (Figure 1b). The increased DCA degradation kinetics could be related toa shift in the microbial population composition, and/or the fact that the DCA concentration was____________________________________________________________________________________________________________6IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

kept below inhibitory levels, thereby leading to an increased synthesis (or prolonged activity of)propanil- and DCA-degrading enzymes. Indeed, additional batch tests carried out with DCA as thesole carbon source (0.25 and 0.59 mM), showed reduced degradation rates as compared to thoseobserved in the propanil tests. This could be due to the time required to synthesize the enzymesnecessary for DCA degradation, which could be slowly produced as DCA was gradually formed inthe tests fed with propanil.Figure 1. Propanil and DCA degradation profiles obtained from batch tests carried out during SBRoperation with a dump (a) and fed-batch (b) feeding strategy and initial propanil concentrations of0.59 mM. Adapted from Carvalho et al. (2010).________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:7Newsletter July 2011

Modifications in the composition of the SBR bacterial community due to alterations in theoperating conditions were assessed through DGGE profiling of samples collected at the end of thedump feed and fed-batch periods, and after the batch tests carried out in the SBR with DCA feed(Figure 2). The results showed that the changes in performance resulting from the change of theoperational mode were accompanied by shifts in the microbial population present in the SBR. Thefed-batch feeding strategy induced the growth of e.g. organisms related to the rhizospheremicrobiota (uncultured Rhizobium sp. (band K), or Mesorhizobium sp. (band L), both members ofthe Alphaproteobacteria), which is not surprising given their ability to encode aryl acylamidases,one of the key enzymes needed to degrade propanil (Hoagland et al., 1994). Additionally anorganism related to Variovorax sp. (band I) became particularly intense after the DCA feedings,suggesting its association with the degradation of this compound. Earlier studies reported theisolation of two different strains of Variovorax sp. which were able to mineralize phenylureaherbicides as the sole carbon, nitrogen and energy source (Dejonghe et al., 2003; Sørensen etal.2008). Isolates obtained from the acclimatised population included members of the generaEnterococcus and Rhodococcus, as well as Brevundimonas, which displayed >90 % biodegradationefficiency of propanil without accumulation of DCA. Two other isolates (a Stenotrophomonas andan uncultured Betaproteobacteria) displayed good DCA removal, although lower propanildegradation efficiency. None of the isolates corresponded to the DGGE bands observed for the SBRcultures, suggesting that other non-cultivable organisms may be involved in the high degradationperformance observed after acclimatisation.EPL1EPL2EPL5DFDF1FBFB1FB-DCAFB-DCA1EPL3EPL7EPL6EPL4ABCDEFGACIEJFKLAMCIJKLHHHFigure 2. DGGE band pattern of the SRB biomass at different operating conditions (DF - dumpfeed, FB - fed-batch and FB-DCA - fed-batch with DCA as sole C source) and of each of theisolates. Duplicates of each of the mixed culture samples are presented. Sequenced bands areindicated by letters. Excerpt from Carvalho et al. (2010).____________________________________________________________________________________________________________8IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

Overall, this work defined an effective reactor operation strategy based on fed-batch feeding toobtain a propanil- and DCA-degrading mixed culture, which can be used for bioaugmentation orbioremediation purposes. The culture stability and performance when applied to real contaminatedwater, wastewater and soils is an important issue which deserves future research.AcknowledgementsThe Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal) is acknowledged for projectsPTDC/AMB/59836/2004 and PTDC/AMB/65702/2006. We thank Ana Rita Lopes, Cátia Faria,João Paulo Noronha and Olga Nunes for their support and contribution in this work.ReferencesCarvalho, G., Marques, R., Lopes, A.R., Faria, C., Noronha, J.P., Oehmen, A., Nunes, O.C., Reis,M.A.M. (2010). Biological treatment of propanil and 3,4-dichloroaniline: kinetic andmicrobiological characterization. Water Research 44, 4980–4991.Dejonghe, W., Berteloot, E., Goris, J., Boon, N., Crul, K., Maertens, S., Höfte, M., De Vos, P.,Verstraete, W., Top, E.M. (2003). Synergistic degradation of linuron by a bacterial consortiumand isolation of a single linuron-degrading Variovorax strain. Applied and EnvironmentalMicrobiology 69 (3), 1532–1541.Hoagland R.E., Zablotowicz R.M., Locke, M.A. (1994). Propanil metabolism by rhizospheremicroflora. In Bioremediation through Rhizosphere Technology (ed. T.A. Anderson, J.R. Coats),vol. 563, Chapter 14, pp. 160–183. ACS Symposium Series. American Chemical Society.Pothuluri, J.V., Hinson, J.A., Cerniglia, C.E. (1991). Propanil: toxicological characteristics,metabolism, and biodegradation potential in soil. Journal of Environmental Quality 20, 330–347.Primel, E.G., Zanella, R., Kruz, M.H.S., Gonçalves, F.F., Martins, M.L., Machado, S.L.O.,Marchesan, E. (2007). Risk assessment of surface water contamination by herbicide residues:Monitoring of propanil degradation in irrigated rice field waters using HPLC-UV andconfirmation by GC-MS. Journal of the Brazilian Chemical Society 18 (3), 585–589.Sørensen, S.R., Albers, C.N., Aamand, J. (2008). Rapid mineralization of the phenylurea herbicidediuron by Variovorax sp. strain SRS16 in pure culture and within a two-member consortium.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74 (8), 2332–2340.________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:9Newsletter July 2011

“Accumulibacter”: tales from laboratory-scale SBRsFran Slater and Phil BondAdvanced Water Management Centre, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.The microbiology of the Candidatus “Accumulibacter phosphatis” lineage is a subject of specialinterest to many members of the IWA MEWE <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong>. “Accumulibacter” is a member ofthe Betaproteobacteria, well known for being a model polyphosphate accumulating organism(PAO) within enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems. Our knowledge of themetabolic capabilities of this intriguing lineage has increased by leaps and bounds over the pasttwenty years, through a variety of techniques, including metagenomics (García Martín et al., 2006),metatranscriptomics (He et al., 2010)and metaproteomics (Wexler et al., 2009; Wilmes et al., 2008)as well as more traditional methods.Concurrent and related studies have explored the ecology of different “Accumulibacter” cladeswithin the lineage. These studies have aimed to answer whether different clades occupy differentniches. This is interesting not only as a means of better understanding the processes that structuremicrobial communities but also, and importantly for wastewater treatment, the presence ofparticular clades might serve as a predictive tool for diagnosing EBPR system health.There is now an accumulation of evidence that suggests that different “Accumulibacter” clades doin fact occupy different niches. Peterson and co-workers (2008) discovered several new clades of“Accumulibacter” in freshwater and estuarine sediments that have not to date been recovered fromwastewater treatment systems and demonstrated that clade distribution was associated with habitattype rather than geographic distance. In laboratory-scale EBPR systems, we showed an associationbetween, on the one hand, Type IA “Accumulibacter” and good EBPR performance and, on theother hand, Type IIC “Accumulibacter” and the presence of glycogen-accumulating organisms(GAO) and poor EBPR performance (Slater et al., 2010).More recently, we carried out a survey of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) operated for EBPR, andone purposefully enriched in GAO. We collected data on the influent wastewater, operationalparameters and abundance of different “Accumulibacter” clades using terminal-restriction lengthpolymorphism (T-RFLP) of the ppk1 gene (see Slater et al., 2010, for description of the technique).Somewhat surprisingly, all the SBRs were dominated by Type IA “Accumulibacter” except for theGAO-enriched SBR (Figure 1). This was in spite of significant variations in terms of influentwastewater composition (synthetic, domestic or industrial), operational parameters (workingvolume, floccular or granular sludge, inclusion of an anoxic phase etc.) and EBPR performance(aerobic P uptake between 8 and 119 mg P-PO 4 3- L -1 ).____________________________________________________________________________________________________________10IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

Figure 1. “Accumulibacter” clade structure in different SBRs according to T-RFLP using“Accumulibacter”-specific ppk1 primers (McMahon et al., 2007) and the restriction enzyme HaeIII.Note the dominant clade in all EBPR SBRs is TRF 218 ( ), which represents Type IA. Theremaining numbered TRFs represent known or unknown clades. Other (

As well as the implications for our understanding of “Accumulibacter” ecology, these results raiseinteresting questions as to the relevance of laboratory-scale systems as tools for studying full-scaleprocesses.AcknowledgementsWe thank Craig Johnson, Linda Blackall, Rob Beiko, Allan Wong, David Probandt and EvaKammer Andresen for their contributions to this project. We also thank Maite Pijuan, MarieskaVerawaty and Liu Ye for kindly providing sludge samples. This work was funded by an ARCDiscovery project awarded to CJ, LB and RB.ReferencesGarcía Martín, H., N. Ivanova, V. Kunin, F. Warnecke, K. W. Barry, A. C. McHardy, C. Yeates, S.M. He, A. A. Salamov, E. Szeto, E. Dalin, N. H. Putnam, H. J. Shapiro, J. L. Pangilinan, I.Rigoutsos, N. C. Kyrpides, L. L. Blackall, K. D. McMahon, and P. Hugenholtz, 2006,Metagenomic analysis of two enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) sludgecommunities. Nature Biotechnology 24, 1263–1269.He, S., D. L. Gall, and K. D. McMahon, 2007, “Candidatus accumulibacter” population structure inenhanced biological phosphorus removal Sludges as revealed by polyphosphate kinase genes.Applied and Environmental Microbiology 73, 5865–5874.He, S., V. Kunin, M. Haynes, H. G. Martin, N. Ivanova, F. Rohwer, P. Hugenholtz, and K. D.McMahon, 2010, Metatranscriptomic array analysis of ‘Candidatus Accumulibacterphosphatis’-enriched enhanced biological phosphorus removal sludge. EnvironmentalMicrobiology 12, 1205–1217.Kim, J. M., H. J. Lee, S. Y. Kim, J. J. Song, W. Park, and C. O. Jeon, 2010, Analysis of the finescalepopulation structure of “Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis” in enhanced biologicalphosphorus removal sludge, using fluorescence in situ hybridisation and flow cytometricsorting. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 76, 3825–3835.McMahon, K. D., S. Yilmaz, S. M. He, D. L. Gall, D. Jenkins, and J. D. Keasling, 2007,Polyphosphate kinase genes from full-scale activated sludge plants. Applied Microbiology andBiotechnology 77, 167–173.Peterson, S. B., F. Warnecke, J. Madejska, K. D. McMahon, and P. Hugenholtz, 2008,Environmental distribution and population biology of Candidatus Accumulibacter, a primaryagent of biological phosphorus removal. Environmental Microbiology 10, 2692–2703.Slater, F. R., C. R. Johnson, L. L. Blackall, R. G. Beiko, and P. L. Bond, 2010, Monitoringassociations between clade-level variation, overall community structure and ecosystemfunction in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) systems using terminal-restrictionfragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP). Water Research 44, 4908–4923.Wexler, M., D. J. Richardson, and P. L. Bond, 2009, Radiolabelled proteomics to determinedifferential functioning of Accumulibacter during the anaerobic and aerobic phases of abioreactor operating for enhanced biological phosphorus removal. EnvironmentalMicrobiology 11, 3029–3044.Wilmes, P., A. F. Andersson, M. G. Lefsrud, M. Wexler, M. Shah, B. Zhang, R. L. Hettich, P. L.Bond, N. C. VerBerkmoes, and J. F. Banfield, 2008, Community proteogenomics highlightsmicrobial strain-variant protein expression within activated sludge performing enhancedbiological phosphorus removal. ISME Journal 2, 853–864.____________________________________________________________________________________________________________12IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

NEWS FROM IWA HEADQUARTERSNew from IWA – the IWA Water Wiki!Invitation to Participatewww.iwawaterwiki.orgThe WaterWiki is a website providing a place for the water community to interact, share knowledge anddisseminate information online.Since the site was launched, we have been working with IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong>s, offering them theopportunity to set up their own group work spaces on the WaterWiki – we now have over 20 <strong>Group</strong>s usingthe site to communicate and network online.Want to get involved? We would like to invite members of the microbial ecology and water engineering<strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> to set up their own private <strong>Group</strong> Space on the Wiki.WaterWiki <strong>Group</strong> Spaces – Why participate?Establishing a <strong>Group</strong> Space on the WaterWiki is excellent way share information within your group. Youcan:- Include contact details of key members in the group- Upload PDFS, Word documents, presentations etc.- Circulate minutes from meetings, events, conferences etc.- Plan upcoming events and webinars- Discuss research developments and group activitiesOnce you have established your group space on the Wiki, members can add, remove, or edit content atanytime – and we have a dedicated support team on hand to answer any technical queries.If you are a member of the microbial ecology and water engineering IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> and would liketo establish a <strong>Group</strong> Space on the WaterWiki, please contact Victoria Beddow (vbeddow@iwap.co.uk).Call for Contributions – New articlesWe are currently looking for new articles in your subject area. If you are able to write on any of thefollowing subjects (about 600-1000 words), please do contact us:Biological Treatment Processes; Engineering and design; Pollution monitoring and control; Publicparticipation in Environmental Management; Occurrence and removal of hazardous substances; Odors andvolatile emissions.Victoria BeddowIWA WaterWiki Community Managervbeddow@iwap.co.uk________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:13Newsletter July 2011

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________14IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

THE 2ND IWA DEVELOPMENT CONGRESSThe 2nd IWA Development Congress: Pioneering Water Solutions in Urbanising AreasWe face an impending future, where in the next 40 years approximately 800,000 new urbanresidents will be added every week to existing and new cities around the world. However, themajority of urban population growth will not occur in megacities, as many might think, but rather insmaller cities and towns. This presents a unique opportunity to rethink service delivery in theseareas.At the same time, poorly targeted technical programmes, under investment, lack of awareness ofexisting alternatives and insufficient innovation in conventional water and sanitation servicedelivery have resulted in a world where:• 15% of people have no access to an improved water source (0.9 billion);• 50% of people have no potable in-house tap water (3.0 billion);• 70% of people have no sewerage (4.5 billion);• 80% of people have no wastewater treatment (5.5 billion).The IWA Development Congress, to be held in November in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will provideIWA members and partners with a vehicle to challenge these current conditions, workcollaboratively and develop real solutions for the future. Through these efforts, IWA aims to createa positive impact on poverty reduction, economic growth, human health and environmentalsustainability in urban centres throughout the world.The Congress builds on the success of the first Congress in Mexico City in November 2009 andprovides a meeting place for those who are already, or soon will be, leading the development of onthe-groundsolutions to urban water and sanitation services in the developing world.Now, more than ever, we need to work together to confront these challenges with vigour andinnovation. We will need game-changing thinking and action related to both urban water andsanitation technologies and service provision and their interactions with the complex social andinstitutional fabric that makes up the urban area and its sphere of influence. Business as usual is nota viable option in the light of the future we face.We would like to extend an invitation to attend the Congress to all IWA members. Workingalongside our colleagues in low and middle income countries, sharing experience and expertise bothways, will benefit the water and sanitation sector in the longer term and will make a tangibledifference to water and sanitation service delivery worldwide.Please visit the Congress website www.iwa2011kl.org for more details.________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:15Newsletter July 2011

NEW FROM IWA PUBLISHINGNitrificationEditors: Bess B. Ward, Daniel J. Arp, and Martin G. KlotzISBN: 9781843395461May 2011• 416 pages • HardbackIWA members price: £ 66.75 / US$ 120.15 / € 90.11http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843395461Over the past 15 years, the use of modern molecular biological approaches has radicallyadvanced our understanding of nitrification processes. With chapters contributed byleading experts in the field, Nitrification fully reviews all the latest research findings onmicrobes involved in conventional aerobic nitrification, anaerobic ammonia oxidation,and related processes.The book begins with an overview of the current state of the field. Next, the fourprincipal groups of nitrifying microbes are examined in separate sections, coveringconventional aerobic bacterial ammonia oxidizers, recently discovered aerobic archaealammonia oxidizers, anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing planctomycetes, and nitrite-oxidizingbacteria. Within each section, readers can gather current information on the ecology,phylogeny, biochemistry, molecular biology, and genomics of each group of microbes.The authors also discuss the latest industrial applications of nitrification and anammoxprocesses. The final section of the book explores the ecology of nitrification in marine,freshwater, soil, and wastewater environments.-----____________________________________________________________________________________________________________16IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

Microbial Ecology of Activated SludgeEditors: Robert Seviour & Per H NielsenISBN: 9781843390329September 2010 • 688 pages • HardbackIWA members price: £ 93.75 / US$ 168.75 / € 126.56http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843390329Microbial Ecology of Activated Sludge, written for both microbiologists and engineers,critically reviews our current understanding of the microbiology of activated sludge, themost commonly used process for treating both domestic and industrial wastes. Thecontributors are all internationally recognized as leading research workers in activatedsludge microbiology, and all have made valuable contributions to our presentunderstanding of the process. The book pays particular attention to how the applicationof molecular methods has changed our perceptions of the identity of the filamentousbacteria causing the operational disorders of bulking and foaming, and the bacteriaresponsible for nitrification and denitrification and phosphorus accumulation in nutrientremoval processes.Special attention is given to how it is now becoming possible to relate the compositionof the community of microbes present in activated sludge, and the in situ function ofindividual populations there, and how such information might be used to manage andcontrol these systems better. Detailed descriptions of some of these molecular methodsare provided to allow newcomers to this field of study an opportunity to apply them intheir research. Comprehensive descriptions of organisms of interest and importance arealso given, together with high quality photos of activated sludge microbes.-----________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:17Newsletter July 2011

Bioelectrochemical SystemsEditors: Korneel Rabaey, Lars Angenent, Uwe Schroder and JurgKellerISBN: 9781843392330Dec 2009• 524 pages • HardbackIWA members price: £ 77.25 / US$ 139.05 / € 104.29http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392330In the context of wastewater treatment, Bioelectrochemical Systems (BESs) have gainedconsiderable interest in the past few years, and several BES processes are on the brinkof application to this area. This book, written by a large number of world experts in thedifferent sub-topics, describes the different aspects and processes relevant to theirdevelopment.Bioelectrochemical Systems (BESs) use micro-organisms to catalyze an oxidation and/orreduction reaction at an anodic and cathodic electrode respectively. Briefly, at ananode oxidation of organic and inorganic electron donors can occur. Prime examples ofsuch electron donors are waste organics and sulfides. At the cathode, an electronacceptor such as oxygen or nitrate can be reduced. The anode and the cathode areconnected through an electrical circuit. If electrical power is harvested from thiscircuit, the system is called a Microbial Fuel Cell; if electrical power is invested, thesystem is called a Microbial Electrolysis Cell.-----____________________________________________________________________________________________________________18IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

Biological Wastewater Treatment: Third EditionAuthors: C.P. Leslie Grady, Jr., Glen T. Daigger, Nancy G Love,Carlos D.M. FilipeISBN: 9781843393429May 2011• 1200 pages • HardbackIWA members price: £ 57.75 / US$ 103.95 / € 77http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843393429Written by experts in the field, the thoroughly updated 3rd Edition of BiologicalWastewater Treatment covers commonly used and emerging suspended and attachedgrowth reactors. Drawing on their extensive academic and industrial experience, theauthors discuss combined carbon and ammonia oxidation, activated sludge, biologicalnutrient removal, aerobic digestion, anaerobic processes, lagoons, trickling filters,rotating biological contactors, fluidized beds, and biologically aerated filters to providea comprehensive understanding of the field of biological wastewater treatment. Theyintegrate the principles of biochemical processes with applications in the real world,communicating approaches to the conception, design, operation, and optimization ofbiochemical unit operations in a comprehensive yet lucid manner.-----________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:19Newsletter July 2011

Wastewater Sludge: Second EditionEditor: Ludovico SpinosaISBN: 9781843393887May 2011• 102 pages • PaperbackIWA members price: £ 59.25 / US$ 106.65 / € 79.99http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843393887Following a successful first edition published in 2007, the follow-up 2011 edition ofWastewater Sludge - A Global Overview of the Current Status and Future Prospects willpresent an updated and expanded perspective on developments in relation towastewater sludge around the world.Sludge arising from wastewater treatment represents a serious environmental issue,requiring technological and management solutions to ensure it is processed in a safe andeconomically efficient manner. Extension of sewers, the construction of newwastewater treatment facilities and the upgrading of existing wastewater plants meansthe amount of sludge to be handled continues to increase. Alongside this, aspectsrelating to energy consumption and sustainable operation need to be considered. Withinthis general picture, sludge is generated in different technical, economic and socialcontexts around the world, demanding that different approaches need to be taken.-----____________________________________________________________________________________________________________20IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation of ActivatedSludge SystemsAuthors: Jacek MakiniaISBN: 9781843392385 • Pre-order (May 2010) • 350 pages • HardbackIWA Members price: £ 66.75 / US$ 133.50 / € 100.13http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392385This international, comprehensive guide to modeling and simulation studies in activatedsludge systems leads the reader through the entire modeling process – from building amechanistic model to applying the model in practice.The book is organized to provide a general background and some basic definitions, thentheoretical aspects of modeling and finally, the issues important for practical modelapplications.-----________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:21Newsletter July 2011

Sludge Reduction Technologies in Wastewater Treatment PlantsAuthors: Paola Foladori, Gianni Andreottola, Giuliano ZiglioISBN: 9781843392781 • Pre-order (April 2010) • 250 pages •HardbackIWA Members price: £ 52.50 / US$ 105.00 / € 78.75http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392781Sludge Reduction Technologies in Wastewater Treatment Plants is a review of thesludge reduction techniques integrated in wastewater treatment plants with detailedchapters on the most promising and most widespread techniques. The aim of the book isto update the international community on the current status of knowledge andtechniques in the field of sludge reduction. It will provide a comprehensiveunderstanding of the following issues in sludge reduction:• principles of sludge reduction techniques;• process configurations;• potential performance;• advantages and drawbacks;• economics and energy consumption.This book will be essential reading for managers and technical staff of wastewatertreatment plants as well as graduate students and post-graduate specialists.-----____________________________________________________________________________________________________________22IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011

SELECTED RESEARCH REPORTSAssessing the Fate of Emerging Pathogens in BiosolidsWERF Report 01-HHE-3Author(s): MV Yates, S YatesPublication Date: 01 Oct 2007 • ISBN: 9781843397618Pages: 160http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843397617Pathogen Risk Indicators for Wastewater and BiosolidsWERF Report 03-HHE-2Author(s): Paul Monis and Judy BlackbeardPublication Date: 10 Mar 2010 • ISBN: 9781843393597Pages: 150http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843393597-----For more information on IWA Publishing products or to buy online visit www.iwapublishing.com.Or contact one of IWA Publishing’s distributors:UK, Europe and Rest of World:Portland Customer ServicesCommerce WayColchester CO2 8HPUKTel: +44 (0)1206 796 351Fax: +44 (0)1206 799 331Email: sales@portland-services.comNorth America:BookMasters, Inc.P.O. Box 388AshlandOH 44805, USATel: +1 800 247-6553(+1 419 281-1802 from Canada)Fax: +1 419 281-6883Email: order@bookmasters.com________________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:23Newsletter July 2011

IWA Head Office:Alliance House12 Caxton StreetLondon SW1H 0QSUKTel: +44 207 654 5500Fax: +44 207 654 5555Web site: http://www.iwahq.org/General e-mail: water@IWAhq.orgMembership e-mail: members@iwahq.orgIWA Global Operational Office:Bezuidenhoutseweg 602594 AW The HagueThe NetherlandsTel: +31 (703) 150 788Fax: +31 (703) 150 799Web Site: http://www.iwahq.org/General e-mail: water@IWAhq.orgCompany registered in England No. 3597005Registered Charity (England) No. 1076690_________________________________________________________________________________________________________24IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering:Newsletter July 2011