Enhanced treatment of synthetic wastewater by bioaugmentation with a constructed consortium

Bioaugmentation by adding well-functioning mixed microorganism consortia represents a potentially useful approach to improve contaminant removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, unfavorable environmental conditions (i.e., low temperatures) can severely inhibit microbial activity, drawing our attention to constructing cold-tolerant microorganism preparations and investigating their availability in practical applications. Here we screened four in situ functional isolates from the activated sludge of secondary sedimentation tanks in WWTPs to construct a psychrophilic microbial consortium, which was used to perform bioaugmentation for enhanced removal of nitrogen and phosphorus under low temperatures. The consortium was established by cocultivation of four isolates, characterized by 16 S rRNA as the COD-degrading bacterium Aeromonas sp. Z3, aerobic denitrifying bacterium Acinetobacter sp. HF9, nitrifying bacterium Klebsiella sp. X8, and polyphosphate-accumulating bacterium Pseudomonas sp. PC5 respectively. The microorganism preparation was composed of Z3, HF9, X8, and PC5 under the ratio of 1: 1: 3: 1, which can exert optimal pollutant removal under the conditions of 12 °C, 6.0–9.0 pH, 120–200 r‧min⁻¹, and a dosage of 5% (V/V). A 30-day continuous operation of the bioaugmented and control sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) was investigated, and the bioaugmented SBR showed a shorter start-up stage and a more stable operating situation. Compared to the control SBR, the COD, NH₄⁺-N, TN, and TP removal efficiency of the bioaugmented SBR increased by an average of 7.95%, 9.05%, 9.54%, and 7.45% respectively. The analysis of the microbial community revealed that the introduced isolates were dominant in the activated sludge and that functional taxa such as Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteria were further enriched after a period of bioaugmentation. The study provides some basis and guidance for the practical application of how to strengthen the stable operation of WWTPs under low temperatures.