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Integrating Decay, Storage, Kinetic Selection, and Filamentous Backbone Factors in a Bacterial Competition Model
Author(s) -
Lou In Chio,
Reyes Francis L.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
water environment research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.356
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1554-7531
pISSN - 1061-4303
DOI - 10.2175/106143005x41870
Subject(s) - competition (biology) , selection (genetic algorithm) , kinetic energy , competition model , chemistry , environmental science , biochemical engineering , biological system , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , computer science , physics , ecology , engineering , economics , microeconomics , artificial intelligence , quantum mechanics , profit (economics)
Filamentous bulking in activated sludge systems occurs when filamentous organisms outgrow floc‐forming bacteria and interfere with sludge settling. The competition between filaments and floc formers has been described previously using the kinetic selection and filamentous backbone theories. We hypothesized that differences in decay rates and storage abilities also affect this competition. We tested this hypothesis by integrating these four factors into a substrate‐utilization model to predict and explain coexistence in a completely mixed reactor. In addition, filamentous and nonfilamentous sludges were developed in laboratory‐scale reactors and analyzed to determine decay rates. The modeling results showed coexistence of the two organism types, and sensitivity analysis showed that the kinetic parameters, storage rate constants, and backbone coefficient had the greatest effect on the simulation results. Monte Carlo simulation showed the effect of storage, and the ranges of dilution rates wherein one group outcompeted the other were delineated.