Developing tractable model systems for filamentous bacteria in wastewater treatment

废水处理(WWT)可以说是世界上最重要的生物技术应用。每天，大量的进水废水在市政WWT工厂中被处理，从而使安全的污水返回水循环。正是絮凝菌的新陈代谢活动使这一过程发挥作用。简而言之，细菌降解废水中溶解的污染物，同时形成紧密的絮体，然后在重力下从液体中分离出来。WWT絮状物由微米大小的细菌组成，通过“粘性”聚合物“粘合”在一起。理解聚合物介导的细菌(胶体)聚集的相互作用存在于软物质领域。因此，学生将使用软物质的原理来开发WWT细菌的计算模型，特别强调丝状细胞。这些对于絮凝体强度和结构完整性是至关重要的，然而，太多的细丝破坏了絮体结构，并产生了扩散的网络，从而阻止了压实和随后的沉降。

Wastewater treatment (WWT) is arguably the most important biotechnological application in the world. Each day, large volumes of influent wastewater are processed in municipal WWT plants so that safe effluent is returned to the water cycle. It is the metabolic activity of flocculating bacteria that make this process work. In short, the bacteria degrade dissolved pollutants in the wastewater whilst forming compact flocs, which are then separated from the liquid under gravity. WWT flocs consist of micron-sized bacteria "glued" together by "sticky" polymers. Understanding the interactions underpinning polymer-mediated bacterial (colloidal) aggregation lies in the domain of soft matter. Therefore, the student will use the principles of soft matter to develop computational models for WWT bacteria, with a particular emphasis on filamentous cells. These are crucial for floc strength and structural integrity, however, too many filaments disrupt floc structure and give rise to a diffuse network that prevents compaction and subsequent settling.