CAREER: Molecular and Engineering Approaches for Analyzing Microbial Selection in Activated Sludge: Competition between Filaments and Floc-formers

0092851德洛斯雷耶斯III在这项职业计划中的研究和教学努力将指向使用新的分子技术研究基础活性污泥微生物学。具体地说，这项研究将集中在最广泛使用的废水处理过程中最重要的部分：在活性污泥过程中从出水中分离固体。这种分离可以在活性污泥中产生干净的出水，并依赖于丝状菌和絮凝菌之间复杂的平衡。然而，尽管该工艺已有80多年的经验，但影响微生物选择絮凝剂而不是细丝的主要参数并不完全清楚。因此，控制导致沉降性问题(膨胀)的丝状菌过度生长的方法是经验性的。因此，需要一个统一的微生物选择理论，为设计控制技术提供可靠的基础。该项目的研究部分将结合分子、模型和反应器研究，整合微生物选择絮凝剂而不是细丝的理论，并为反应器的设计和操作制定设计指南。教育部分包括对本科生和研究生进行分子技术原理和实践方面的培训，在研究生水质课程中整合处理过程建模，开发一个关于分子方法在环境工程中的应用的教学模块，整合本科生和研究生课程中的全面处理厂暴露经验，以及参加北卡罗来纳州立大学的基于视频的工程教育计划。***

0092851de los Reyes IIIThe research and teaching efforts in this CAREER proposal will be directed towards examining fundamental activated sludge microbiology using novel molecular techniques. Specifically, the research will focus on the most important component of the most widely used wastewater treatment process: the separation of solids from the effluent in the activated sludge process.This separation leads to the production of a clear effluent in activated sludge and depends on the intricate balance between the populations of filamentous and floc-forming bacteria. However, despite over 80 years of experience with the process, the main parameters affecting the microbial selection of floc-formers over filaments are not thoroughly understood. Consequently, methodsfor controlling excessive filamentous growth that causes settleability problems (bulking) are empirical. A unified theory of microbial selection is thus necessary to provide a sound basis for designing control technologies The research component of this project will combine molecular, modeling, and reactor studies to integrate theories of microbial selection of floc-formers over filaments and develop design guidelines for reactor design and operation. The education component involves the training of undergraduate and graduate students in theprinciples and practices of molecular techniques, the integration of treatment process modelingin graduate water quality courses, the development of a teaching module on applications ofmolecular methods in environmental engineering, the integration of full-scale treatment plantexposure experiences in undergraduate and graduate courses, and participation in the Video-Based Engineering Education program at North Carolina State University. ***