Phosphate uptake by immobilized Acinetobacter calcoaceticus cells in a full scale activated sludge plant.
An in situ study of the P-uptake ability of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus was carried out using the alginate immobilization technique. Immobilized A. calcoaceticus cells displayed a high P-uptake ability (> 97% P-accumulating cells) when immersed in the aerobic zone of an activated sludge system for 30-240 min. The overall P-accumulation pattern of the anaerobic zone depicted a typical P-release mechanism. However, limited P-accumulation was also observed at this stage. Growth and anaerobiosis were not prerequisites for P-uptake. The immobilized cell retention time in the anaerobic zone did not affect remarkably the inherent P-uptake ability of immobilized A. calcoaceticus when exposed to the aerobic stage. P-uptake and release were reversible and depended on the environmental conditions to which immobilized cells were exposed. Immobilization of A. calcoaceticus using alginate can be regarded as a reliable method of studying pure cultures in the activated sludge process.
Muyima
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Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Cloete
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TE
D016954:Acinetobacter calcoaceticus / Q000378:metabolism*; D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D010710:Phosphates / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D012722:Sewage; D013997:Time Factors
D010710:Phosphates; D012722:Sewage