Divergence of Granular Sludges and Microbial Communities in Two Types of Anaerobic Reactors Treating Different Wastewaters

An advanced anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed (AnaEG) and an internal circulation (IC) reactor, which were adopted to treat starch processing wastewater (SPW) and ethanol processing wastewater (EPW), were comprehensively analyzed to determine the key factors that affected the granules and microbial communities in the bioreactors. The granule size of 900 μm in the AnaEG reactor was smaller than that in the IC reactor, and the internal and external morphological structures of the granular sludge were also significantly different between the two types of reactors. The biodiversity, which was higher in the AnaEG reactor, was mainly affected by reactor type. However, the specific microbial community structure was determined by the type of wastewater. Furthermore, the dominant methanogens of EPW were mainly Methanosaeta and Methanobacterium , but only Methanosaeta was a major constituent in SPW. Compared with the IC reactor, characteristics common to the AnaEG reactor were smaller granules, higher biodiversity and larger proportion of unknown species. The comparison of characteristics between these two reactors not only aids in understanding the novel AnaEG reactor type, but also elucidates the effects of reactor type and wastewater type on the microbial community and sludge structure. This information would be helpful in the application of the novel AnaEG reactor.