Microbiolial interfaces in engineered environmental systems

通过支持现代社会的基础设施来保护环境，对于提供安全和高质量的生活至关重要；是土木工程的一个特别重要的目标。我的nserc支持的研究探索微生物学和生物废水处理工程系统的接口。目标是更好地整合与传统悬浮生长系统有关的微生物结构（絮凝体和膜）的生物、化学和物理特性及其行为的知识，以及基于固定膜过程的先进技术。具体目标包括：i)促进理解与絮团和微生物界面的细胞外聚合物（EPS）相关的特定糖缀合物和粘附蛋白的作用；ii)阐明影响综合固定膜活性污泥系统中悬浮和附着菌群的絮凝体和膜特性的因素；iii)更好地理解曝气膜生物反应器生物膜中的微环境，特别是关于电化学梯度（氧和氧化还原）和EPS，以及与生物膜特性和膜-膜界面稳定性有关的微环境；培养环境工程和环境生物技术方面的研究生，转让研究和开发先进环境技术的新工具和方法。我们采用实验规模和中试规模的系统来模拟废水处理过程，并在良好控制的条件下以特定的方式运行，以影响絮凝体和膜的特性。通过与工程师和作业者的协商，我们可以将这种方法与不同配置的全尺寸系统的经验相结合。我们继续在我们实验室开发的生化和分子工具的基础上，推进微生物结构的理化性质的重要性，并独特地采用先进的光学显微镜（共聚焦成像，原子力显微镜和拉曼共聚焦成像）和高分辨率扫描透射电子显微镜，使我们能够建立结构-功能关系。

Protecting the environment through infrastructure that supports modern society is critical to providing a safe and high quality of life; and is a particularly important goal for Civil Engineering. My NSERC-supported research explores the interface of microbiology and engineered systems for biological wastewater treatment. The goal is to better integrate knowledge of biological, chemical and physical characteristics of microbial structures (flocs and films) and their behaviour, that are associated with traditional suspended growth systems, and advanced technologies based on fixed-film processes. The specific objectives include: i) advancing the understanding the role of particular glycoconjugates and adhesin proteins associated with extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of floc and in microbial interfaces; ii) elucidating factors affecting floc and film properties in the suspended and attached populations in integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) systems; iii) achieving a better understanding of the microenvironment in aerated-membrane bioreactor biofilms, particularly with respect to electrochemical gradients (oxygen and redox) and EPS, in relation to biofilm properties and stability at the membrane-film interface; and iv) training of research students in environmental engineering and environmental biotechnology, and the transfer of novel tools and approaches to the investigation and development of advanced environmental technology. We employ both bench-scale and pilot-scale systems designed to simulate wastewater treatment processes and are run under well-controlled conditions in specific ways to influence floc and film properties. Consultation with engineers and operators will enable us to integrate this approach with the experience of full-scale systems of different configurations. We continue to build upon our biochemical and molecular tools developed in our laboratory to advance the importance of physicochemical properties of microbial structures, and uniquely employ advanced optical microscopy (confocal imaging, atomic force microscopy and Raman confocal imaging) and high resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy that permits us to establish structure-function relationships.