Specialist Group on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering - IWA

<strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> onMicrobial Ecology andWater EngineeringNewsletterDecember 2009Editors: Simona Rossetti, Trina McMahon and Per Halkjær NielsenCONTENTSContributions to the newsletter 2Note from the chair and secretary 3Change of the name “ASPD” for the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> 4Current management team of the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> 55th IWA international Specialised Conference on Microbial Population6Dynamics in Biological Wastewater treatment, Aalborg, May 2009How to join the MEWE <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> 7News from the MEWE <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> 7The Defluviicoccus-related Glycogen Accumulating Organisms in Activated 10Sludge SystemsBiocontrol of foaming Mycolata in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants 14using bacteriophagesNews from IWA HQ 16News from IWA Publishing 18Disclaimer: This is not a journal, but a Newsletter issued by the IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on MicrobialEcology and Water Engineering. Statements made in this Newsletter do not necessarily represent the viewsof the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> or those of the IWA. The use of information supplied in the Newsletter is at the solerisk of the user, as the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> and the IWA do not accept any responsibility or liability._________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 1Newsletter December 2009

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE NEWSLETTER:Contributions should be submitted throughNewsletter Editor:<strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> Newsletter EditorSimona Rossetti, Italy (rossetti@irsa.cnr.it)_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 2Newsletter December 2009

NOTE FROM THE CHAIR AND SECRETARY:Dear colleagues,It is a great pleasure for us to announce important news for the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong>:• Change of the name of the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong>. The name is now Microbial Ecologyand Water Engineering (MEWE), see below• The specialized conference on Microbial Population Dynamics in BiologicalWastewater Treatment was held in Aalborg, May 2009. It was the fifth in theseries after Paris 1993, Berkeley 1997, Rome 2001, and Gold Coast 2005 and itwas very successful with almost 200 participants. More information can be foundbelow.• Members of the Management Committee and the Secretary have been renewed,see below.• At the Aalborg Conference, the third Ardern-Lockett was awarded to Prof. JiriWanner, Prague for an outstanding contribution to ASPD research and practice.Congratulations to Jiri!• Two new IWA books of interest for most SG members has been launched in2009:“Microbial Ecology of Activated Sludge” and “FISH Handbook for Wastewater_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 3Newsletter December 2009

Treatment”. Many MG and SG members have contributed to these books.• New activities: The coming year we will organise some 1-2 days workshops ormeetings on more specific topics, e.g. PHB production, Population Dynamics, orEBPR processes. More info follows below.• The next specialized MEWE conference will be held in 2012 in Ann Arbour,Michigan. Professor Nancy Love will organise the conference together withLutgarde Raskin, Trina McMahon, Steven Liss, Dan Noguera, and others.Trina McMahon, SecretaryPer Halkjær Nielsen, ChairNEW NAME OF THE SPECIALIST GROUP: MICROBIAL ECOLOGY ANDWATER ENGINEERING (MEWE)The <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> ”Activated Sludge Population Dynamics” (ASPD) has changed itsname to ”Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering” (MEWE). This was decided at therecent specialized conference in Aalborg, Denmark in May 2009.The ASPD SG was established in 1989 and has since been very successful with manymembers and activities. The main rationale for the name change was the fact that manyother topics besides activated sludge were, and are intended to be, included in the work ofthe SG. Previous conferences focused on the activated sludge process because thisprocess is by far the most dominant wastewater treatment process worldwide and manyimportant scientific and operational problems (still) need to be solved. However, theimpressive advancement of technologies and methods for the study of unculturedmicroorganisms and the new knowledge this has provided our wider discipline over thepast few years has created the opportunity to assess biological wastewater treatment morebroadly. The SG continues to pursue similar fundamental microbiological questionsrelated to mixed microbial ecosystems that go beyond activated sludge, includingbiofilms or granules, membrane bioreactors, nutrient recovery strategies, and bioplasticsproduction. The common themes in these pursuits are general microbial ecology andmanagement of the microbial communities using more rational engineering design.Our vision is that the SG will serve researchers and practitioners working at the interfaceof microbiology and engineering. The SG will try to encompass most major systems inwastewater treatment and focus on the commonalities – the quest to understand andmanage the microbial world. Many of the organisms are similar across systems, and theanalysis toolbox is essentially the same. In order not to become too broad, the SG will nottry to encompass all biological processes of interest to IWA. Thus, we will not coverbiofuels, food production, anaerobic digestion, or other biological processes currently_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 4Newsletter December 2009

served by other SGs. The new SG is limited in scope to wastewater treatment andbeneficial use (e.g. for nutrient recovery or bioplastics production).This initiative is also in line with recent meetings between IWA and ISME (InternationalSociety for Microbial Ecology) about a stronger link between the two organizationscovering water and wastewater treatment, food production, and energy production.CURRENT MANAGEMENT TEAM OF THE SPECIALIST GROUPPer H. Nielsen, Chairman, Aalborg University, Denmark (phn@bio.aau.dk )Trina McMahon, Secretary, University of Wisconsin, USA (tmcmahon@cae.wisc.edu)Simona Rossetti, Editor, CNR-IRSA, Rome, Italy (rossetti@irsa.cnr.it)Adrian Oehmen, University of Lisbon, PortugalFaizal Bux, Durban Institute of Technology, South AfricaHilde Lemmer, Bayerisches Landesamt fuer Umwelt Mikrobiologie, GermanyIveta Ruzickova, PICT, Praque, Czeck Rep.Mark van Loosdrecht, TU Delft, The NetherlandsMauro Majone, University La Sapienza, Rome, ItalyMichael Wagner, University of Vienna, AustriaNancy Love, University of Michigan, USANoco Boon, Ghent University, BelgiumNorbert Kreuzinger, Tech. University of Vienna, AustriaPatrick Dabert, Cemagref, FrancePhil Bond, University of Queensland, AustraliaSatoshi Okabe, Hokaido University, JapanSteven Liss, University of Guelph, CanadaTom Curtis, Newcastle University, United KingdomWen-Tso Liu, University of Illinois, USAOne of the members wanted to retire from the MC, Philippe Duchène, France. We thankPhillippe for his many years of work in the SG._________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 5Newsletter December 2009

HOW TO JOIN THE ASPD SPECIALIST GROUP<strong>Group</strong> descriptionMembership in the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering isopen to all members of IWA. <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong>s represent the core vehicle for issue basedinteraction on scientific, technical and management topics. The specialist groups facilitatecollaboration and product generation, including conferences and publications. Thespecialist groups within IWA are self-managed and include groups covering all importanttopics in the water management sector. Spread across IWA’s membership in more than130 countries, IWA’s <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong>s are an exceptionally effective means ofinternational networking, sharing information and skills and making good professionaland business contacts. Every IWA member can join an unlimited number of <strong>Specialist</strong><strong>Group</strong>s and each group has its own program of conferences and other meetings and aregular newsletter or web-based discussion forum.To join the <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering, pleasecontact the Chairman or the Secretary. You may also directly contact membership team atIWA HQ (members@iwahq.org).NEWS FROM THE MEWE SPECIALIST GROUPThird workshop on “PHA production by mixed microbial cultures (MMC): currentbottlenecks and challenges for a competitive process”.Date: April 9th, 2010Venue: Universidade Nova de Lisboa, FCT, Lisbon, PortugalObjectives: The workshop main objective is to identify the key constraints and definenew directions and strategies that have to be overcome to turn the MMC processcompetitive in a near future. The workshop will bring Academia and Industry partnerstogether to discuss the main factors affecting the efficiency of the MMC process.Polymer production/processing industrial stakeholders will be invited to participate inorder to share their experience and views on key issues that must be addressed to developthe MMC process.Contact: Maria Reis (amr@dq.fct.unl.pt)Workshop on ”Microbial population dynamics in activated sludge systems”Date: 2 days in October, 2010, to be announcedVenue: Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 7Newsletter December 2009

Objective: The main objective is to gather people to present and discuss the newest dataon activated sludge microbial community structure and function, the dynamics of thepopulations and new ways to make quantitative models of the ecosystem “activatedsludge”.Contact: Per Halkjær Nielsen (phn@bio.aau.dk)Workshop on ”Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal Genomics”Date: To Be DeterminedVenue: To Be DeterminedObjective: The purpose of this workshop is to introduce researchers studying enhancedbiological phosphorus removal to the genomic and post-genomic based tools anddatasets. Genome annotation is an ongoing effort, and the finished genome ofAccumulibacter phosphatis Type IIA str. UW-1 awaits further curation and study.Additional (meta)genomic and post-genomic datasets will soon be available from severalresearch groups around the world. Workshop participants will share current findings andstrategies to analyze these incredibly complex datasets. The workshop model we willfollow is the Joint Genome Institute’s “Genome Jamborees”.We are in the early stages of planning this workshop. Please contact Trina if you areinterested in joining us and/or helping to plan and organize it.Contact: Trina McMahon (tmcmahon@engr.wisc.edu)International Specialized Course:“Operation and Control of Activated Sludge Processes using Microscopic Analysis”Venue and time: Perugia, Italy, 14-18 June, 2010.The activated sludge process is the most commonly used biological wastewater treatmentprocess. In the world Activated sludge can biodegrade many organic pollutants, oxidizeand remove reduced nitrogen compounds and promote the enhanced removal ofphosphate from municipal and industrial wastewaters. Recent process modificationsinclude biological nutrient removal (BNR), sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) andmembrane bioreactors (MBRs) and moving bed bioeactors (MBBRs). Solid backgroundsin process engineering and microbiology are required for the diagnosis, control andresolution of common activated sludge process problems such as deterioration of settling_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 8Newsletter December 2009

THE DEFLUVIICOCCUS-RELATED GLYCOGEN ACCUMULATINGORGANISMS IN ACTIVATED SLUDGE SYSTEMS.Simon J. McIlroy & Tadashi NittamiBiotechnology Research CentreLa Trobe University, Bendigo, 3550, AustraliaOver the past two decades our understanding of the microbiology of enhanced biologicalphosphorus removal (EBPR) has progressed rapidly through the application of cultureindependent molecular methods. It is recognised currently that the organisms responsible,the polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAO), are phylogenetically diverse, withmembers in the Betaproteobacteria, including ‘Accumulibacter’, and the Actinobacteria,and many studies indicate further, yet to be defined, diversity exists among these PAO.The glycogen accumulating organisms (GAO) are a phenotypically defined groupthought to compete with the PAO for substrates in the anaerobic zone without subsequentuptake of phosphorus in the aerobic zone, thus leading to a potential reduction in theEBPR efficiency. Like the PAO, they appear to be quite diverse phylogenetically. Twomain groups are recognised within the Gamma- and Alphaproteobacteria. Thegammaproteobacterial GAO encompass ‘Competibacter’ related organisms, large coccifound in EBPR systems together with the PAO. This group is quite diverse in itself withseven recognised deeply branched sub-clusters, and indications of further as yetunelucidated phylogenetic lineages (Kong et al., 2006).The alphaproteobacterial GAO include the Defluviicoccus vanus-related organisms,which like the ‘Competibacter’, also appear to be diverse phylogenetically (Fig. 1).Defluviicoccus vanus was first isolated from a plant treating brewery waste and shown toexhibit the GAO phenotype in pure culture. It is still the only known cultured organismsexhibiting the GAO phenotype (Maszenan et al., 2005). The group, whose observedmembers grow in distinctive clusters of four cocci (hence the name ‘tetrad formingorganisms’ (TFO)(see Fig. 2a-c), was recognised in situ first by Wong et al. (2004).Further work by Meyer et al. (2006) with a community fed propionate as sole carbonsource, identified a second group clustering separately from Wong’s previously definedcluster 1 members. Subsequently members of a third cluster, initially proposed by Wong& Liu (2007), have been shown by work in our laboratory (Nittami et al., 2009) to have a‘Nostocoida limicola’-like filamentous morphotype (See Fig 2d-e), and include theuncultured bulking filament previously described as Candidatus ‘Monilibacter batavus’(Fig. 1).More recently we have identified a fourth Defluviicoccus cluster, which like the membersof clusters 1 and 2, share the distinctive TFO morphology (McIlroy and Seviour, InPress) (Fig. 1). It seems likely that more diversity exists among these. Consequently thequestion arises as to whether these cluster 3 and 4 members have a GAO phenotype andpose possible threats to EBPR capacity in P removal activated sludge systems. We havestarted to look at this question. Certainly the filamentous cluster 3 Defluviicoccus arefound as dominant populations in EBPR processes in S.E Australia, but their abundancein such plants globally is unclear. The FISH probes designed and validated by Nittami et_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 10Newsletter December 2009

al. (2009) should help resolve this. They also cycle carbon through PHA under aerobic;anaerobic conditions, and are able to assimilate acetate and propionate under anaerobicconditions in biomass samples from EBPR communities. Consequently their phenotype isas expected of GAO (Mino et al., 1998; Seviour and McIlroy, 2008).Fig. 1. Maximum likelihood tree of the ‘complete’ Defluviicoccus –related sequences (≤1250 bp long)(McIlroy and Seviour, In Press). Parsimony bootstrap values are onlyindicated for values ≥ 75 %. ○ indicates a bootstrap value of ≥ 75 % and ● indicates abootstrap value of ≥ 95 %. * Indicates partial sequences added using the ‘quick add’_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 11Newsletter December 2009

function in ARB. Probe coverage is indicated by brackets, where broken lines indicatethe absence of sequence information at the probe site.Fig. 2. FISH micrographs of Defluviicoccus-related organisms. a., b. and c.: Cluster(yellow); d. and e. cluster 3 (white) (Nittami et al., 2009)._________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 12Newsletter December 2009

Little is still known about the in situ physiology of cluster 4 members, although we haveshown these can store PHA, although the ability of members of any of these GAOclusters to accumulate glycogen is difficult to show in situ. Studies in our and other labsinto the ecophysiology of cluster 1 and 2 Defluviicoccus members reveal somedifferences in their substrate uptake patterns and their cell morphology in situ, indicatinga further diversity not resolvable with 16S rRNA gene based analysis. Higher resolutionmay require another gene similar to the successful application of the polyphosphatekinase (ppk) gene used by He et al. (2007) for detailed population studies with the PAO.Full scale surveys by us have shown that members of all four Defluviicoccus clusters arequite common in Australian full scale EBPR treatment plants, alongside and sometimesout-numbering the known PAO and ‘Competibacter’ GAO. Similar results were obtainedwith samples from Danish plants, although these were present there at lower abundances(Burow et al., 2007). Interestingly, our data show they are all found commonly in non-EBPR treatment plants, with cluster 2 Defluviicoccus members dominating the biomassof two plants treating paper mill waste, which shows how adaptable these organisms mustbe.The distribution of these organisms and their potential to reduce the EBPR capacity andsettleability of activated sludge (for cluster 3) make attempts to further understand theirroles in these plants a priority. Further research is likely to reveal a considerable level ofdiversity and help define the individual niches that lead to it.Acknowledgement: Professor Robert Seviour for his helpful suggestions.References:Burow, L.C., Kong, Y., Nielsen, J.L., Blackall, L.L., and Nielsen, P.H. (2007)Abundance and ecophysiology of Defluviicoccus spp., glycogen-accumulatingorganisms in full-scale wastewater treatment processes. Microbiology 153: 178-185.He, S., Gall, D.L., and McMahon, K.D. (2007) "Candidatus Accumulibacter" populationstructure in enhanced biological phosphorus removal sludges as revealed bypolyphosphate kinase genes. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 73: 5865-5874.Kong, Y., Xia, Y., Nielsen, J.L., and Nielsen, P.H. (2006) Ecophysiology of a group ofuncultured Gammaproteobacterial glycogen-accumulating organisms in full-scaleenhanced biological phosphorus removal wastewater treatment plants.Environmental Microbiology 8: 479-489.Maszenan, A., Seviour, R., Patel, B., Janssen, P., and Wanner, J. (2005) Defluvicoccusvanus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel Gram-negative coccus/coccobacillus in theAlphaproteobacteria from activated sludge. International Journal of Systematicand Evolutionary Microbiology 55: 2105-2111.McIlroy, S., and Seviour, R.J. (In press) Elucidating further phylogenetic diversity amongthe Defluviicoccus related glycogen accumulating organisms in activated sludge.Environ Microbiol: DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-2229.2009.00082.x._________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 13Newsletter December 2009

Meyer, R.L., Saunders, A.M., and Blackall, L.L. (2006) Putative glycogen-accumulatingorganisms belonging to the Alphaproteobacteria identified through rRNA-basedstable isotope probing. Microbiology 152: 419-429.Mino, T., Van Loosdrecht, M.C.M., and Heijnen, J.J. (1998) Microbiology andbiochemistry of the enhanced biological phosphate removal process. WaterResearch 32: 3193-3207.Nittami, T., McIlroy, S., Seviour, E.M., Schroeder, S., and Seviour, R.J. (2009)Candidatus Monilibacter spp., common bulking filaments in activated sludge, aremembers of Cluster III Defluviicoccus. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 32:480-489.Seviour, R.J., and McIlroy, S. (2008) The microbiology of phosphorus removal inactivated sludge processes- the current state of play. The Journal of Microbiology46: 115-124.Wong, M.-T., and Liu, W.-T. (2007) Ecophysiology of Defluviicoccus-related tetradformingorganisms in an anaerobic-aerobic activated sludge process. EnvironmentalMicrobiology 9: 1485-1496.Wong, M.-T., Tan, F.M., Ng, W.J., and Liu, W.-T. (2004) Identification and occurrenceof tetrad-forming Alphaproteobacteria in anaerobic-aerobic activated sludgeprocesses. Microbiology 150: 3741-3748.BIOCONTROL OF FOAMING MYCOLATA IN ACTIVATED SLUDGEWASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS USING BACTERIOPHAGES.Zoe Dyson & Steve PetrovskiBiotechnology Research CentreLa Trobe University, Bendigo, 3550, AustraliaFoaming is a major problem in activated sludge wastewater treatment plants worldwide.It leads to increases in maintenance costs, safety issues and poor quality effluent.Foaming is typically caused by the proliferation of filamentous hydrophobic bacteriaincluding Candidatus ‘Microthrix parvicella’ and those that produce mycolic acids intheir cell walls (the Mycolata). These include members of the genera Corynebacterium,Gordonia, Tsukamurella, Dietzia, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Millisia andSkermania. Although many control strategies have been proposed, (Soddell 1999), nomethod is available to deal with all activated sludge foams. This certainly reflects ourlack of understanding of the microbial ecology of foams, and true extent of thebiodiversity of foaming bacteria. Finding suitable methods to identify precisely suchpopulations has been a long standing problem, and although FISH probes are nowavailable for some of these, many still can not be identified this way.Earlier work carried out here by Julie Thomas (Thomas et al., 2002) demonstrated thefrequent presence in activated sludge of bacteriophages infective for many of the foamingMycolata. Recently, we have extended this work by isolating from Australian_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 14Newsletter December 2009

wastewater treatment plants additional phages which from host range studies are lyticagainst members of all the Mycolata genera. Our preliminary findings have shown thatcocktails of these phages can eliminate all the known foaming Mycolata species, at leastin closed pure culture systems. This work is now directed at looking at their killing ratesfor individual populations in complex Mycolata communities.We have also begun to characterise these phages. Morphological studies withtransmission electron microscopy show that the majority, which are double strandedDNA viruses, are in the family Caudoviriales, possessing the typical Siphoviridaemorphology (an icosahedral head and long non-contractile tail (see fig 1)). These phageshave very broad host ranges that can often be extended after passage through host cellsdifferent to those used for their initial isolation. This probably results from hostrestriction modification systems (Wilson, 1991).50 nmAFig 1 TEM images of selected Mycolata phagesA = TPA2, B = MSM1.B50 nmWe are in the process now of obtaining the complete genome sequence of about 30 ofthese phages using pyrosequencing technology. We hope this information might provideus with clues as to how they may be exploited for foam control.We also intend to look at their population dynamics in activated sludge using fluorescenttagging methods to determine their host ranges in situ and to see how we might bestapply these to foaming activated sludge communities.Acknowledgements: We thank Dr. Daniel Tillet and Prof. Bob Seviour for helpfuladvice, and Melbourne Water and South East Water for financial support. DT and RS areholders of an ARC Linkage grant._________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 15Newsletter December 2009

NEWS FROM IWA HQIndividuals renew your IWA Membership for 2010 online today!All the IWA renewals for 2010 have now been sent and IWA would like to encourageour members to renew before the end of the year in order to avoid any delay inreceiving their all-important member benefits! Please renew online at the following link:https://www.portlandpress.com/iwa/membership/renewal.cfmIf you have any queries regarding your membership please feel free to contact us atmembers@iwahq.orgDon’t be a stranger …Ensure that we have your correct contact details at all times. Please update any changesat https://www.portlandpress.com/iwa/membership/change.cfm or emailmembers@iwahq.orgThe IWA Water Wiki! Call for Contributionswww.iwawaterwiki.orgIWA are pleased to announce the launch of a new website – the IWA Water Wiki. Thisis an exciting online project to develop a collaborative platform for the global watercommunity to interact and share knowledge online.The IWA Water Wiki aims to be THE online reference point for water, wastewater andenvironmental science and management issues. It is a place for water professionalsworldwide to interact, share information and increase understanding. In addition toreference articles the website also offers a set of features designed to enable communitydiscussion and interaction.The Water Wiki needs your help in order to grow. Here are some ideas forcontributing material:Add a new article – if you have a summary / reference article that is already suitable forthe Wiki, you can instantly publish online. Go to:http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/Edit an existing article - 'Stub' articles have been preloaded under different subjectcategories covering a wide range of topics in water. If you would like to write any ofthese articles, click on the article heading that you would like to write on, and start addingyour material. For example:http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/SludgeandBiosolidsManagementhttp://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/ActivatedSludgeProcesses_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 16Newsletter December 2009

Suggest an idea for an article by creating an article with useful starting information thatwill encourage others to complete it. You could add a list of references or a basicexplanation of your topic as a starting point. For example:http://www.iwawaterwiki.org/xwiki/bin/view/Articles/EcotoxicologyCopy existing articles from Wikipedia or similar websites. If you have seen a goodquality water article on Wikipedia you can copy this across to the Water Wiki as long asthe original source is credited. Wikipedia articles can also be revised and improved inorder to match the more specific scope of the Water Wiki. This is possible with allwebsites that have a Creative Commons Compatible License.For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_sludgeWe'd love to hear your comments and ideas for this exciting new project.For this, or if you have any questions about contributing to the site, please contact:Victoria Beddow (vbeddow@iwap.co.uk)IWA WaterWiki Community Manager_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 17Newsletter December 2009

NEWS FROM IWA PUBLISHING (IWA)Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation of Activated Sludge SystemsAuthors: Jacek MakiniaThis international, comprehensive guide to modeling and simulation studies in activated sludgesystems leads the reader through the entire modeling process – from building a mechanisticmodel 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 model applications.Mathematical Modelling and Computer Simulation of Activated Sludge Systems can be usedas supplementary material for a graduate level wastewater engineering courses and is useful to awide audience of researchers and practitioners. Experienced model users such as consultants,trained plant management staff may find the book useful as a reference and as a resource for selfguidedstudyISBN: 9781843392385 • Pre-order (May 2010) • 350 pages • HardbackIWA Members price: £ 66.75 / US$ 133.50 / € 100.13http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392385-----Sludge Reduction Technologies in Wastewater Treatment PlantsAuthors: Paola Foladori, Gianni Andreottola, Giuliano ZiglioSludge Reduction Technologies in Wastewater Treatment Plants is a review of the sludgereduction techniques integrated in wastewater treatment plants with detailed chapters on the mostpromising and most widespread techniques. The aim of the book is to update the internationalcommunity on the current status of knowledge and techniques in the field of sludge reduction. Itwill provide a comprehensive understanding 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.ISBN: 9781843392781 • Pre-order (April 2010) • 250 pages • Hardback_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 18Newsletter December 2009

IWA Members price: £ 52.50 / US$ 105.00 / € 78.75http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392781-----Microbial Ecology of Activated SludgeEditors: Robert Seviour & Per H NielsenMicrobial Ecology of Activated Sludge, written for both microbiologists and engineers,critically reviews our current understanding of the microbiology of activated sludge, the mostcommonly used process for treating both domestic and industrial wastes. The contributors are allinternationally recognized as leading research workers in activated sludge microbiology, and allhave made valuable contributions to our present understanding of the process. The book paysparticular attention to how the application of molecular methods has changed our perceptions ofthe identity of the filamentous bacteria causing the operational disorders of bulking and foaming,and the bacteria responsible for nitrification and denitrification and phosphorus accumulation innutrient removal processes. Special attention is given to how it is now becoming possible to relatethe composition of the community of microbes present in activated sludge, and the in situfunction of individual populations there, and how such information might be used to manage andcontrol these systems better. Detailed descriptions of some of these molecular methods areprovided to allow newcomers to this field of study an opportunity to apply them in their research.Comprehensive descriptions of organisms of interest and importance are also given, together withhigh quality photos of activated sludge microbes.Activated sludge processes have been used globally for nearly 100 years, and yet we still knowvery little of how they work. In the past 15 years the advent of molecular culture independentmethods of study have provided tools enabling microbiologists to understand which organismsare present in activated sludge, and critically, what they might be doing there. Microbial Ecologyof Activated Sludge will be the first book available to deal comprehensively with the veryexciting new information from applying these methods, and their impact on how we now viewmicrobiologically mediated processes taking place there. As such it will be essential reading formicrobial ecologists, environmental biotechnologists and engineers involved in designing andmanaging these plants. It will also be suitable for postgraduate students working in this field.ISBN: 9781843390329 • January 2010 • 688 pages • HardbackIWA Members price: £ 75.00 / US$ 150.00 / € 112.50http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843390329-----Bioelectrochemical SystemsFrom Extracellular Electron Transfer to Biotechnological ApplicationEditors: Korneel Rabaey, Lars Angenent, Uwe Schroder and Jurg KellerIn the context of wastewater treatment, Bioelectrochemical Systems (BESs) have gainedconsiderable interest in the past few years, and several BES processes are on the brink of_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 19Newsletter December 2009

application to this area. This book, written by a large number of world experts in the differentsub-topics, describes the different aspects and processes relevant to their development.The overall framework of bio-energy and bio-fuels is discussed. A number of chapters discuss thebasics – microbiology, microbial ecology, electrochemistry, technology and materialsdevelopment. The book continues by highlighting the plurality of processes based on BEStechnology already in existence, going from wastewater based reactors to sediment based biobatteries.The integration of BESs into existing water or process lines is discussed. Finally, anoutlook is provided of how BES will fit within the emerging biorefinery area.This title belongs to Integrated Environmental Technology SeriesISBN: 9781843392330 • December 2009 • 524 pages • HardbackIWA Members price: £ 74.25 / US$ 148.50 / € 111.38http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392330-----Principles of Water and Wastewater Treatment ProcessesEditors: R Stuetz, T StephensonPrinciples of Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes is the third book in the Water andWastewater Process Technologies Series. The book outlines the principle unit operations that areinvolved in the separation, degradation and utilisation of organic and inorganic matter duringwater and wastewater treatment.The text of Principles of Water and Wastewater Treatment Processes has been divided into thefollowing Units:• Water Quality• Process Flowsheeting• Physical Processes• Chemical Processes• Sorption Processes• Biological Processes• Membrane Processes• Sludge Treatment and Utilisation• Odour ManagementThese units have has been designed for individual self-paced study that includes photographs,illustrations and tables and describe the form, function and application of unit operations for thetreatment of water and wastewater. Each section of the text gives step-by-step learning in aparticular subject, that includes an approximation of how long you will need to spend on thatsection and provides key points that highlight the principles of the different sections. Each unitincludes exercises to help understand the material in the text, self-assessment questions to testyour understanding and text references.This title belongs to Water and Wastewater Process Technologies Series_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 20Newsletter December 2009

ISBN: 9781843390268 • October 2009 • 214 pages • PaperbackIWA Members price: £ 63.75 / US$ 127.50 / € 95.63http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843390264-----FISH Handbook for Biological Wastewater TreatmentIdentification and quantification of microorganisms in activated sludge and biofilms byFISHEditors: Per Halkjaer Nielsen, Holger Daims and Hilde LemmerThe FISH Handbook for Biological Wastewater Treatment provides all the requiredinformation for the user to be able to identify and quantify important microorganisms in activatedsludge and biofilms by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and epifluorescencemicroscopy.The overall purpose of the book is to help scientists, consultants, students, and plant operators toget an overview of important microorganisms in biological wastewater treatment and to explainhow FISH can be used for detecting and quantifying these microbes. A proper and reliableidentification of dominant microorganisms is of great importance for research and newdevelopments in the wastewater treatment industry, and it is important for optimization andtroubleshooting of operational problems in present wastewater treatment plants.The book encompasses an overview of dominant microorganisms present in the wastewatertreatment systems, which oligonucleotide probes (gene probes) to select for detection of thesemicrobes by FISH, how to perform FISH (detailed protocols), how to quantify the microbes, andhow to solve common problems of FISH. The book addresses several functional groups:nitrifiers, denitrifiers, polyphosphate-accumulating organisms, glycogen-accumulating organisms,bacteria involved in hydrolysis and fermentation, filamentous bacteria from bulking sludge, andscum-forming bacteria. A comprehensive collection of FISH-images showing dominantrepresentatives of these groups helps readers to use FISH in the context of wastewater treatment.ISBN: 9781843392316 • July 2009 • 200 pages • HardbackIWA Members price: £ 48.75 / US$ 97.50 / € 73.13http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392316-----Environmental Technologies to Treat Nitrogen PollutionPrinciples and EngineeringEditor: Francisco J. CervantesEnvironmental Technologies to Treat Nitrogen Pollution provides a thorough understandingof the principles and applications of environmental technologies to treat nitrogen contamination.The main focus is on water and wastewater treatment, with additional coverage of leachates and_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 21Newsletter December 2009

off-gasses.The book brings together an up-to-date compilation of the main physical, chemical and biologicalprocesses demanded for the removal of nitrogenous contaminants from water, wastewater,leachates and off-gasses. It includes a series of chapters providing a deep and broad knowledge ofthe principles and applications required for the treatment of nitrogen pollution. Each chapter hasbeen prepared by recognized specialists across the range of different aspects involved in theremoval of nitrogenous contaminants from industrial discharges.Environmental Technologies to Treat Nitrogen Pollution is the first book to provide acomplete review of all the different processes used for the global management of nitrogenpollution. It also contains updated information about strategies to achieve nitrogen recovery andreuse in different industrial sectors. Several case studies document the application of differentenvironmental technologies to manage nitrogen pollution.This title belongs to Integrated Environmental Technology SeriesISBN: 9781843392224 • July 2009 • 432 pages • HardbackIWA Members price: £ 74.25 / US$ 148.50 / € 111.38http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392224-----Industrial Wastewater Treatment by Activated SludgeAuthors: Derin Orhon, Fatos Germirli Babuna, Ozlem KarahanIndustrial pollution is still a major concern and despite its significance, sound and systematicpollution control efforts are very poorly documented. The character and treatability of industrialwastewaters is highly variable and specific for each industrial activity. Biological treatment withactivated sludge is the appropriate technology for industrial wastewaters from several majorindustrial sectors. Industrial Wastewater Treatment by Activated Sludge deals with theactivated sludge treatment of industrial wastewaters by considering conceptual frameworks,methodologies and case studies, in a stepwise manner.The issues related to activated sludge treatment, such as biodegradability based characterization,modeling, assessment of stoichiometric and kinetic parameters and design, as well as the issues ofindustrial pollution control, e.g. in-plant control, effect of pretreatment, etc. are combined in away to provide a comprehensive and information-rich view to the reader. By doing so, the booksupplies an up-to-date reference for industrial wastewater experts and both graduate andundergraduate students.Industrial Wastewater Treatment by Activated Sludge provides a roadmap, describing themethodologies for the treatment of industrial wastewaters from several major sectors, based on asolid theoretical background. Up to now although valuable separate efforts both on activatedsludge and industrial wastewater treatment have been presented, an integrated approach that iscrucial to practice has not been available. This gap is filled by this book.ISBN: 9781843391449 • February 2009 • 400 pages • Hardback_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 22Newsletter December 2009

IWA Members price: £ 63.75 / US$ 127.50 / € 95.63http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391449-----International Conference on Nutrient Recovery From Wastewater Streams Vancouver,2009Editors: Ken Ashley, Don Mavinic and Fred KochClosing the loop for nutrients in wastewaters (municipal sewage, animal wastes, food industry,commercial and other liquid waste streams) is a necessary, sustainable development objective, toreduce resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Chemistry, engineering and processintegration understanding are all developing quickly, as new processes are now coming online. Anew "paradigm" is emerging, globally. Commercial marketing of recovered nutrients as "greenfertilizers" or recycling of nutrients through biomass production to new outlets, such asbioenergy, is becoming more widespread.This exciting conference brings together various waste stream industries, regulators, researchers,process engineers and commercial managers, to develop a broad-based, intersectionalunderstanding and joint projects for phosphorus and nitrogen recovery from wastewater streams,as well as reuse. Over 90 papers from over 30 different countries presented in this volume.ISBN: 9781843392323 • May 2009 • 904 pages • Paperback + CD-ROMIWA Members price: £ 111.75 / US$ 223.50 / € 167.63http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843392323-----Biological Nitrogen Removal Activated Sludge Process in Warm ClimatesFull-Scale Process Investigation, Laboratory Experimentation and Mathematical ModelingAuthors: Cao Ye Shi, Wah Yuen Long, Ang Chee Meng, Kandiah S. RaajeevanMany Biological Nitrogen Removal (BNR) activated sludge processes in warm climates areconservatively designed, because little systematic investigation has been carried out on the BNRactivated sludge process in warm or tropical climates, although many studies under temperateclimate conditions are available. This book covers a wide spectrum of mechanistic approaches todeal with BNR activated sludge related issues such as sewage and sludge characterization,dynamic performance of full-scale processes, laboratory simulation and modelling that leads to amechanistic and more economic design. Recommendations on the operation, upgrading anddesign of BNR activated sludge process are formulated. This will significantly aid the promotionof nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment plants in warm or tropical climates, particularly indeveloping countries.ISBN: 9781843391876 • April 2008 • 168 pages • PaperbackIWA Members price: £ 51.00 / US$ 102.00 / € 76.50http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391872_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 23Newsletter December 2009

-----Guidelines for the Identification of Ciliates in Wastewater Treatment PlantsAuthorsSusana Serrano, Lucia Arregui, Blanca Perez-Uz, Pilar Calvo, Almudena GuineaCiliated protozoa are one of the most relevant biological communities in the reactors ofwastewater treatment plants. These organisms are excellent tools to assess the biological status ofthe reactor being used to monitor wastewater treatment plants performance. This book has beendesigned to simplify identification of ciliates, bearing in mind the difficulties on the manipulationand proper identification of these species. The specific role of ciliates in WWTP is discussed;methods for observation together with a glossary of scientific words and a simple and easy key tothe taxonomic groups of ciliates are also provided. Illustrations, drawings, photographs and briefmorphological descriptions of the species are included.Guidelines for the Identification of Ciliates in Wastewater Treatment Plants is the first bookto use the new official classification proposed by the Society of Protozoologists (2005). Itincludes a complete chapter on methodology that is designed to be easy to follow and reproduce.A simple key to classify main taxonomic groups and genera is included, as are detaileddescriptions to aid observation and identification of species of ciliates, in addition to drawingsand photographs that accurately reproduce ciliate species.ISBN: 9781843391715 • February 2008 • 120 pages • PaperbackIWA Members price: £ 43.00 / US$ 86.00 / € 64.50http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn1843391716-----SELECTED RESEARCH REPORTSAn Investigation into Biosolids Sampling and Handling Methods for U.S. EPA-ApprovedMicrobial Detection TechniquesWERF Report 04-HHE-7Author: Sharon C. LongPublication Date: July 2009 • ISBN: 9781843395201Pages: 160 • PaperbackIWA Members price: £ 77.25 / US$ 154.50 / € 115.88http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843395201Evaluation of Bacterial Pathogen and Indicator Densities After Dewatering of AnaerobicalDigested Biosolids Phase II and IIIWERF Report 04-CTS-3TAuthors: Matthew J. HigginsPublication Date: May 2008 • ISBN: 9781843397847Pages: 110 • PaperbackIWA Members price: £ 77.25 / US$ 154.50 / € 115.88http://www.iwapublishing.com/template.cfm?name=isbn9781843397847_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 24Newsletter December 2009

-----For more information on IWA Publishing products or to buy online visitwww.iwapublishing.comOr contact one of IWA Publishing's distributors:UK, Europe and Rest of World:Portland Customer ServicesCommerce WayColchesterCO2 8HP, UKTel: +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.comKoningin Julianaplein 2 (7th floor)2595 AA The HagueThe NetherlandsTel: +31 (703)150 792Fax: +31 (703)477 005Website: http://www.iwahq.org/General e-mail: water@IWAhq.orgCompany registered in England No. 3597005Registered Charity (England) No. 1076690_________________________________________________________________________________________________IWA <strong>Specialist</strong> <strong>Group</strong> on: Microbial Ecology and Water Engineering 25Newsletter December 2009