title: Drying and recovery of aerobic granules.
abstract: To dehydrate aerobic granules to bone-dry form was proposed as a promising option for long-term storage of aerobic granules. This study cultivated aerobic granules with high proteins/polysaccharide ratio and then dried these granules using seven protocols: drying at 37°C, 60°C, 4°C, under sunlight, in dark, in a flowing air stream or in concentrated acetone solutions. All dried granules experienced volume shrinkage of over 80% without major structural breakdown. After three recovery batches, although with loss of part of the volatile suspended solids, all dried granules were restored most of their original size and organic matter degradation capabilities. The strains that can survive over the drying and storage periods were also identified. Once the granules were dried, they can be stored over long period of time, with minimal impact yielded by the applied drying protocols.
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomass Energy, Henan Agricultural University, Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomass Energy, Henan Agricultural University, Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China.
authors.forename: Quanguo
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-You
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Innovation Center of Biomass Energy, Henan Agricultural University, Henan Province, Zhengzhou, China; Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan; Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan. Electronic address: djlee@ntu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Duu-Jong
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000096:Acetone / Q000737:chemistry; D000332:Aerobiosis; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D019149:Bioreactors; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D003890:Desiccation / Q000379:methods*; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D062065:Wastewater; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000096:Acetone; D011108:Polymers; D011134:Polysaccharides; D011506:Proteins; D062065:Wastewater
keywords: Drying; Microbial community; Storage; Structural stability