Description:
This research suggests that sulphate reducing bacteria can proliferate in WWTP, as they are reversibly inhibited by the recirculation of sludge through anaerobic-anoxic-oxic conditions. It enhances the understanding of the effect of sulphide on the anaerobic-oxic metabolism of PAO. The filamentous bacteria Thiothrix caldifontis could play an important role in the biological removal of phosphorus. It questions the ability of PAO to generate energy from nitrate respiration and its use for the anoxic phosphorus uptake. The results can be used to understand the stability of the EBPR process under anaerobic-anoxic-oxic conditions, especially when exposed to the presence of sulphide.