title: Organic micropollutants in aerobic and anaerobic membrane bioreactors: Changes in microbial communities and gene expression.
abstract: Organic micro-pollutants (OMPs) are contaminants of emerging concern in wastewater treatment due to the risk of their proliferation into the environment, but their impact on the biological treatment process is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of the presence of OMPs on the core microbial populations of wastewater treatment. Two nanofiltration-coupled membrane bioreactors (aerobic and anaerobic) were subjected to the same operating conditions while treating synthetic municipal wastewater spiked with OMPs. Microbial community dynamics, gene expression levels, and antibiotic resistance genes were analyzed using molecular-based approaches. Results showed that presence of OMPs in the wastewater feed had a clear effect on keystone bacterial populations in both the aerobic and anaerobic sludge while also significantly impacting biodegradation-associated gene expression levels. Finally, multiple antibiotic-type OMPs were found to have higher removal rates in the anaerobic MBR, while associated antibiotic resistance genes were lower.
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Moustapha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harb
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Chun-Hai
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amy
authors.affiliation: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), Biological and Environmental Sciences & Engineering Division (BESE), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: peiying.hong@kaust.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Pei-Ying
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000693:Anaerobiosis; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D012722:Sewage; D062065:Wastewater; D014873:Water Pollutants
keywords: Antibiotic resistance genes; Bioreactor; MBR; Trace organic compounds; Transcriptomics