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Deterministic and stochastic processes are believed to play a combined role in microbial community assembly, though little is known about the factors determining their relative importance. We investigated the effect of biofilm thickness on community assembly in nitrifying moving bed biofilm reactors using biofilm carriers where maximum biofilm thickness is controlled. We examined the contribution of stochastic and deterministic processes to biofilm assembly in a steady state system using neutral community modelling and community diversity analysis with a null-modelling approach. Our results indicate that the formation of biofilms results in habitat filtration, causing selection for phylogenetically closely related community members, resulting in a substantial enrichment of Nitrospira spp. in the biofilm communities. Stochastic assembly processes were more prevalent in biofilms of 200 µm and thicker, while stronger selection in thinner (50 µm) biofilms could be driven by hydrodynamic and shear forces at the biofilm surface. Thicker biofilms exhibited greater phylogenetic beta-diversity, which may be driven by a variable selection regime caused by variation in environmental conditions between replicate carrier communities, or by drift combined with low migration rates resulting in stochastic historical contingency during community establishment. Our results indicate that assembly processes vary with biofilm thickness, contributing to our understanding of biofilm ecology and potentially paving the way towards strategies for microbial community management in biofilm systems.

novel process configuration was designed to increase biofilm growth in tertiary moving bed biofilm reactors(MBBRs) by providing additional substrate from primary treated wastewater in a sidestream reactor underdifferent redox conditions in order to improve micropollutant removal in MBBRs with low substrate availability.This novel recirculating MBBR was operated on pilot scale for 13 months, and a systematic increase was seen inthe biomass concentration and the micropollutant degradation rates, compared to a tertiary MBBR withoutadditional substrate. The degradation rates per unit carrier surface area increased in the order of ten times, andfor certain micropollutants, such as atenolol, metoprolol, trimethoprim and roxithromycin, the degradation ratesincreased 20–60 times. Aerobic conditions were critical for maintaining high micropollutant degradation rates.With innovative MBBR configurations it may be possible to improve the biological degradation of organicmicropollutants in wastewater. It is suggested that degradation rates be normalized to the carrier surface area, infavor of the biomass concentration, as this reflects the diffusion limitations of oxygen, and will facilitate thecomparison of different biofilm systems. A novel process configuration was designed to increase biofilm growth in tertiary moving bed biofilm reactors(MBBRs) by providing additional substrate from primary treated wastewater in a sidestream reactor underdifferent redox conditions in order to improve micropollutant removal in MBBRs with low substrate availability.This novel recirculating MBBR was operated on pilot scale for 13 months, and a systematic increase was seen inthe biomass concentration and the micropollutant degradation rates, compared to a tertiary MBBR withoutadditional substrate. The degradation rates per unit carrier surface area increased in the order of ten times, andfor certain micropollutants, such as atenolol, metoprolol, trimethoprim and roxithromycin, the degradation ratesincreased 20–60 times. Aerobic conditions were critical for maintaining high micropollutant degradation rates.With innovative MBBR configurations it may be possible to improve the biological degradation of organicmicropollutants in wastewater. It is suggested that degradation rates be normalized to the carrier surface area, infavor of the biomass concentration, as this reflects the diffusion limitations of oxygen, and will facilitate thecomparison of different biofilm systems.

Full list of authors: Abdalla, H.; Abe, H.; Acero, F.; Acharyya, A.; Adam, R.; Agudo, I; Aguirre-Santaella, A.; Alfaro, R.; Alfaro, J.; Alispach, C.; Aloisio, R.; Batista, R. Alves; Amati, L.; Amato, E.; Ambrosi, G.; Anguner, E. O.; Araudo, A.; Armstrong, T.; Arqueros, F.; Arrabito, L.; Asano, K.; Ascasibar, Y.; Ashley, M.; Backes, M.; Balazs, C.; Balbo, M.; Balmaverde, B.; Baquero Larriva, A.; Martins, V. Barbosa; Barkov, M.; Baroncelli, L.; de Almeida, U. Barres; Barrio, J. A.; Batista, P-, I; Becerra Gonzalez, J.; Becherini, Y.; Beck, G.; Tjus, J. Becker; Belmont, R.; Benbow, W.; Bernardini, E.; Berti, A.; Berton, M.; Bertucci, B.; Beshley, V; Bi, B.; Biasuzzi, B.; Biland, A.; Bissaldi, E.; Biteau, J.; Blanch, O.; Bocchino, F.; Boisson, C.; Bolmont, J.; Bonanno, G.; Arbeletche, L. Bonneau; Bonnoli, G.; Bordas, P.; Bottacini, E.; Bottcher, M.; Bozhilov, V; Bregeon, J.; Brill, A.; Brown, A. M.; Bruno, P.; Bruno, A.; Bulgarelli, A.; Burton, M.; Buscemi, M.; Caccianiga, A.; Cameron, R.; Capasso, M.; Caprai, M.; Caproni, A.; Capuzzo-Dolcetta, R.; Caraveo, P.; Carosi, R.; Carosi, A.; Casanova, S.; Cascone, E.; Cauz, D.; Cerny, K.; Cerruti, M.; Chadwick, P.; Chaty, S.; Chen, A.; Chernyakova, M.; Chiaro, G.; Chiavassa, A.; Chytka, L.; Conforti, V; Conte, F.; Contreras, J. L.; Coronado-Blazquez, J.; Cortina, J.; Costa, A.; Costantini, H.; Covino, S.; Cristofari, P.; Cuevas, O.; D'Ammando, F.; Daniel, M. K.; Davies, J.; Dazzi, F.; De Angelis, A.; de Lavergne, M. de Bony; De Caprio, V; dos Anjos, R. de Cassia; Dal Pino, E. M. de Gouveia; De Lotto, B.; De Martino, D.; de Naurois, M.; Wilhelmi, E. de Ona; De Palma, F.; de Souza, V; Delgado, C.; Della Ceca, R.; della Volpe, D.; Depaoli, D.; Di Girolamo, T.; Di Pierro, F.; Diaz, C.; Diaz-Bahamondes, C.; Diebold, S.; Djannati-Atai, A.; Dmytriiev, A.; Dominguez, A.; Donini, A.; Dorner, D.; Doro, M.; Dournaux, J.; Dwarkadas, V. V.; Ebr, J.; Eckner, C.; Einecke, S.; Ekoume, T. R. N.; Elsaesser, D.; Emery, G.; Evoli, C.; Fairbairn, M.; Falceta-Goncalves, D.; Fegan, S.; Feng, Q.; Ferrand, G.; Fiandrini, E.; Fiasson, A.; Fioretti, V; Foffano, L.; Fonseca, M., V; Font, L.; Fontaine, G.; Franco, F. J.; Freixas Coromina, L.; Fukami, S.; Fukazawa, Y.; Fukui, Y.; Gaggero, D.; Galanti, G.; Gammaldi, V; Garcia, E.; Garczarczyk, M.; Gascon, D.; Gaug, M.; Gent, A.; Ghalumyan, A.; Ghirlanda, G.; Gianotti, F.; Giarrusso, M.; Giavitto, G.; Giglietto, N.; Giordano, F.; Glicenstein, J.; Goldoni, P.; Gonzalez, J. M.; Gourgouliatos, K.; Grabarczyk, T.; Grandi, P.; Granot, J.; Grasso, D.; Green, J.; Grube, J.; Gueta, O.; Gunji, S.; Halim, A.; Harvey, M.; Collado, T. Hassan; Hayashi, K.; Heller, M.; Cadena, S. Hernandez; Hervet, O.; Hinton, J.; Hiroshima, N.; Hnatyk, B.; Hnatyk, R.; Hoffmann, D.; Hofmann, W.; Holder, J.; Horan, D.; Horandel, J.; Horvath, P.; Hovatta, T.; Hrabovsky, M.; Hrupec, D.; Hughes, G.; Hutten, M.; Iarlori, M.; Inada, T.; Inoue, S.; Insolia, A.; Ionica, M.; Iori, M.; Jacquemont, M.; Jamrozy, M.; Janecek, P.; Jimenez Martinez, I; Jin, W.; Jung-Richardt, I; Jurysek, J.; Kaaret, P.; Karas, V; Karkar, S.; Kawanaka, N.; Kerszberg, D.; Khelifi, B.; Kissmann, R.; Knodlseder, J.; Kobayashi, Y.; Kohri, K.; Komin, N.; Kong, A.; Kosack, K.; Kubo, H.; La Palombara, N.; Lamanna, G.; Lang, R. G.; Lapington, J.; Laporte, P.; Lefaucheur, J.; Lemoine-Goumard, M.; Lenain, J.; Leone, F.; Leto, G.; Leuschner, F.; Lindfors, E.; Lloyd, S.; Lohse, T.; Lombardi, S.; Longo, F.; Lopez, A.; Lopez, M.; Lopez-Coto, R.; Loporchio, S.; Lucarelli, F.; Luque-Escamilla, P. L.; Lyard, E.; Maggio, C.; Majczyna, A.; Makariev, M.; Mallamaci, M.; Mandat, D.; Maneva, G.; Manganaro, M.; Manico, G.; Marcowith, A.; Marculewicz, M.; Markoff, S.; Marquez, P.; Marti, J.; Martinez, O.; Martinez, M.; Martinez, G.; Martinez-Huerta, H.; Maurin, G.; Mazin, D.; Mbarubucyeye, J. D.; Miranda, D. Medina; Meyer, M.; Micanovic, S.; Miener, T.; Minev, M.; Miranda, J. M.; Mitchell, A.; Mizuno, T.; Mode, B.; Moderski, R.; Mohrmann, L.; Molina, E.; Montaruli, T.; Moralejo, A.; Morales Merino, J.; Morcuende-Parrilla, D.; Morselli, A.; Mukherjee, R.; Mundell, C.; Murach, T.; Muraishi, H.; Nagai, A.; Nakamori, T.; Nemmen, R.; Niemiec, J.; Nieto, D.; Nievas, M.; Nikolajuk, M.; Nishijima, K.; Noda, K.; Nosek, D.; Nozaki, S.; Ohira, Y.; Ohishi, M.; Oka, T.; Ong, R. A.; Orienti, M.; Orito, R.; Orlandini, M.; Orlando, E.; Osborne, J. P.; Ostrowski, M.; Oya, I; Pagliaro, A.; Palatka, M.; Paneque, D.; Pantaleo, F. R.; Paredes, J. M.; Parmiggiani, N.; Patricelli, B.; Pavletic, L.; Pe'er, A.; Pech, M.; Pecimotika, M.; Peresano, M.; Persic, M.; Petruk, O.; Pfrang, K.; Piatteli, P.; Pietropaolo, E.; Pillera, R.; Pilszyk, B.; Pimentel, D.; Pintore, F.; Pita, S.; Pohl, M.; Poireau, V; Polo, M.; Prado, R. R.; Prast, J.; Principe, G.; Produit, N.; Prokoph, H.; Prouza, M.; Przybilski, H.; Pueschel, E.; Puehlhofer, G.; Pumo, M. L.; Punch, M.; Queiroz, F.; Quirrenbach, A.; Rando, R.; Razzaque, S.; Rebert, E.; Recchia, S.; Reichherzer, P.; Reimer, O.; Reimer, A.; Renier, Y.; Reposeur, T.; Rhode, W.; Ribeiro, D.; Ribo, M.; Richtler, T.; Rico, J.; Rieger, F.; Rizi, V; Rodriguez, J.; Fernandez, G. Rodriguez; Ramirez, J. C. Rodriguez; Rodriguez Vazquez, J. J.; Romano, P.; Romeo, G.; Roncadelli, M.; Rosado, J.; de Leon, A. Rosales; Rowell, G.; Rudak, B.; Rujopakarn, W.; Russo, F.; Sadeh, I; Saha, L.; Saito, T.; Greus, F. Salesa; Sanchez, D.; Sanchez-Conde, M.; Sangiorgi, P.; Sano, H.; Santander, M.; Santos, E. M.; Sanuy, A.; Sarkar, S.; Saturni, F. G.; Sawangwit, U.; Scherer, A.; Schleicher, B.; Schovanek, P.; Schussler, F.; Schwanke, U.; Sciacca, E.; Scuderi, S.; Arroyo, M. Seglar; Sergijenko, O.; Servillat, M.; Seweryn, K.; Shalchi, A.; Sharma, P.; Shellard, R. C.; Siejkowski, H.; Sinha, A.; Sliusar, V; Slowikowska, A.; Sokolenko, A.; Sol, H.; Specovius, A.; Spencer, S.; Spiga, D.; Stamerra, A.; Starling, R.; Stolarczyk, T.; Straumann, U.; Striskovic, J.; Suda, Y.; Tagliaferri, G.; Takahashi, H.; Takahashi, M.; Tavecchio, F.; Taylor, L.; Tejedor, L. A.; Temnikov, P.; Terrier, R.; Terzic, T.; Testa, V; Tian, W.; Tibaldo, L.; Tonev, D.; Torres, D. F.; Torresi, E.; Tosti, L.; Tothill, N.; Tovmassian, G.; Travnicek, P.; Truzzi, S.; Tuossenel, F.; Umana, G.; Vacula, M.; Vagelli, V.; Valentino, M.; Vallage, B.; Vallania, P.; van Eldik, C.; Varner, G. S.; Vassiliev, V.; Vazquez Acosta, M.; Vecchi, M.; Veh, J.; Vercellone, S.; Vergani, S.; Verguilov, V.; Vettolani, G. P.; Viana, A.; Vigorito, C. F.; Vitale, V.; Vorobiov, S.; Vovk, I; Vuillaume, T.; Wagner, S. J.; Walter, R.; Watson, J.; White, M.; White, R.; Wiemann, R.; Wierzcholska, A.; Will, M.; Williams, D. A.; Wischnewski, R.; Wolter, A.; Yamazaki, R.; Yanagita, S.; Yang, L.; Yoshikoshi, T.; Zacharias, M.; Zaharijas, G.; Zaric, D.; Zavrtanik, M.; Zavrtanik, D.; Zdziarski, A. A.; Zech, A.; Zechlin, H.; Zhdanov, V., I; Zivec, M., The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the new-generation ground-based observatory for γ astronomy, provides unique capabilities to address significant open questions in astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics. We study some of the salient areas of γ cosmology that can be explored as part of the Key Science Projects of CTA, through simulated observations of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and of their relativistic jets. Observations of AGN with CTA will enable a measurement of γ absorption on the extragalactic background light with a statistical uncertainty below 15% up to a redshift z=2 and to constrain or detect γ halos up to intergalactic-magnetic-field strengths of at least 0.3 pG . Extragalactic observations with CTA also show promising potential to probe physics beyond the Standard Model. The best limits on Lorentz invariance violation from γ astronomy will be improved by a factor of at least two to three. CTA will also probe the parameter space in which axion-like particles could constitute a significant fraction, if not all, of dark matter. We conclude on the synergies between CTA and other upcoming facilities that will foster the growth of γ cosmology. © 2021 IOP Publishing Ltd and Sissa Medialab., We gratefully acknowledge financial support from the following agencies and organizations: State Committee of Science of Armenia, Armenia; The Australian Research Council, Astronomy Australia Ltd, The University of Adelaide, Australian National University, Monash University, The University of New South Wales, The University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, Australia; Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, and Innsbruck University, Austria; Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC), Brasil; Ministry of Education and Science, National RI Roadmap Project DO1-153/28.08.2018, Bulgaria; The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency, Canada; CONICYT-Chile grants CATA AFB 170002, ANID PIA/APOYO AFB 180002, ACT 1406, FONDECYT-Chile grants, 1161463, 1170171, 1190886, 1171421, 1170345, 1201582, Gemini-ANID 32180007, Chile; Croatian Science Foundation, Rudjer Boskovic Institute, University of Osijek, University of Rijeka, University of Split, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Croa tia; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, MEYS M2015046, LM2018105, LTT17006, EU/MEYS CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_013/0001403, CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/18_046/0016007 and CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000754, Czech Republic; Academy of Finland (grant nr.317636 and 320045), Finland; Ministry of Higher Education and Research, CNRS-INSU and CNRS-IN2P3, CEA-Irfu, ANR, Regional Council Ile de France, Labex ENIGMASS, OCEVU, OSUG2020 and P2IO, France; Max Planck Society, BMBF, DESY, Helmholtz Association, Germany; Department of Atomic Energy, Department of Science and Technology, India; Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), MIUR, Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF-OABRERA) Grant Fondazione Cariplo/Regione Lombardia ID 2014-1980/RST_ERC, Italy; ICRR, University of Tokyo, JSPS, MEXT, Japan; Netherlands Research School for Astronomy (NOVA), Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), Netherlands; University of Oslo, Norway; Ministry of Science and Higher Education, DIR/WK/2017/12, the National Centre for Research and Development and the National Science Centre, UMO-2016/22/M/ST9/00583, Poland; Slovenian Research Agency, grants P1-0031, P1-0385, I0-0033, J1-9146, J1-1700, N1-0111, and the Young Researcher program, Slovenia; South African Department of Science and Technology and National Research Foundation through the South African Gamma-Ray Astronomy Programme, South Africa; The Spanish groups acknowledge the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Spanish Research State Agency (AEI) through grants AYA2016-79724-C4-1-P, AYA2016-80889-P, AYA2016-76012-C3-1-P, BES-2016-076342, FPA2017-82729-C6-1-R, FPA2017-82729-C6-2-R, FPA2017-82729-C6-3-R, FPA2017-82729-C6-4-R, FPA2017-82729-C6-5-R, FPA2017-82729-C6-6-R, PGC2018-095161-B-I00, PGC2018-095512-B-I00, PID2019-107988GB-C22; the “Centro de Excelencia Severo Ochoa” program through grants no. SEV-2016-0597, SEV-2016-0588, SEV-2017-0709, CEX2019-000920-S; the “Unidad de Excelencia María de Maeztu” program through grant no. MDM-2015-0509; the “Ramón y Cajal” programme through grants RYC-2013-14511, RYC-2017-22665; and the MultiDark Consolider Network FPA2017-90566-REDC. They also acknowledge the Atracción de Talento contract no. 2016-T1/TIC-1542 granted by the Comunidad de Madrid; the “Postdoctoral Junior Leader Fellowship” programme from La Caixa Bank ing Foundation, grants no. LCF/BQ/LI18/11630014 and LCF/BQ/PI18/11630012; the “Programa Operativo” FEDER 2014-2020, Consejería de Economía y Conocimiento de la Junta de Andalucía (Ref. 1257737), PAIDI 2020 (Ref. P18-FR-1580) and Universidad de Jaén; “Programa Operativo de Crecimiento Inteligente” FEDER 2014-2020 (Ref. ESFRI-2017-IAC-12), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, 15% co-financed by Consejería de Economía, Industria, Comercio y Conocimiento del Gobierno de Canarias; the Spanish AEI EQC2018-005094-P FEDER 2014-2020; the European Union’s “Horizon 2020” research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement no. 665919; and the ESCAPE project with grant no. GA:824064; Swedish Research Council, Royal Physiographic Society of Lund, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, The Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at Lunarc (Lund), Sweden; State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) and Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), Switzerland; Durham University, Leverhulme Trust, Liverpool University, University of Leicester, University of Oxford, Royal Soci ety, Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK; U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, Barnard College, University of California, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics (INPAC-MRPI program), Iowa State University, the Smithsonian Institution, Washington University McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, The University of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, USA. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreements No 262053 and No 317446. This project is receiving funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programs under agreement No 676134. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement GammaRayCascades No 843800. The Fermi LAT Collaboration acknowledges generous ongoing support from a number of agencies and institutes that have supported both the development and the operation of the LAT as well as scientific data analysis. These include the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Energy in the United States, the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique / Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physique des Particules in France, the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana and the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare in Italy, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Japan, and the K. A. Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish National Space Board in Sweden. Additional support for science analysis during the operations phase is gratefully acknowledged from the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica in Italy and the Centre National d’Études Spatiales in France. This work performed in part under DOE Contract DE-AC02-76SF00515.

A hybrid wastewater treatment process with combined attached biofilm (moving bed biofilm reactor) and activated sludge, named as Hybas™, was implemented for the treatment of municipal wastewater. The system consisted of six staged reactors in series including pre-denitrification and nitrification in the Hybas™ line and post-denitrification in a pure MBBR. In addition to the significant removal of nutrients and organic matter from municipal wastewater, Hybas™ also showed removal capacity for pharmaceuticals. Of particular interest was the enhanced removal for pharmaceuticals (i.e. X-ray contrast media) compared to other biological systems. Spiking experiments showed that the maximum removal rate constants (k, h−1) for 10 out of the 21 investigated pharmaceuticals (including diclofenac) were observed to occur within the two aerobic Hybas ™ reactors, operated in a flow-shifting mode that allows even biofilm growth of nitrifying bacteria. In total, 14 out of the 21 pharmaceuticals were removed by more than 50% during continuous flow operation in the all Hybas™ line and post-denitrification MBBR. The calculated and estimated removal contributions of pharmaceuticals by each individual reactor were also assessed.

Moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were placed at two wastewater treatment plants, where they were constantly fed with effluent and intermittently fed with primary wastewater. Each reactor was subjected to different feast/famine periods and flow rates of primary wastewater, thus the different organic and nutrient loads (chemical oxygen demand(COD), ammonium(NH4-N)) resulted in different feast-famine conditions applied to the biomass. In batch experiments, this study investigated the effects of various feast-famine conditions on the biodegradation of micropollutants by MBBRs applied as an effluent polishing step. Rate constants of micropollutant removals were found to be positively correlated to the load of the total COD and NH4-N, indicating that higher organic loads were favourable for the growth of micropollutant degraders in these MBBRs. Rate constant of atenolol was five times higher when the biomass was fed with the highest COD and NH4-N load than it was fed with the lowest COD and NH4-N load. For diclofenac, mycophenolic acid and iohexol, their maximum rate constants were obtained with feeding of COD and NH4-N of approximately 570 mgCOD/d and 40∼60 mgNH4-N/d respectively. This also supports the concept that co-metabolism (rather competition inhibition or catabolic repression) plays an important role in micropollutants biodegradation in wastewater.

We present the final observations of a complete sample of 37 radio galaxies from the Third Cambridge Catalog (3C) with redshift, 29 pages; accepted for publication on A&A

Achromobacter denitrificans PR1 has previously shown potential to degrade the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole, whereby sulfamethoxazole biotransformation was stimulated in the presence of biogenic substrates. This study examined the biotransformation kinetics of sulfamethoxazole and its two main conjugates, N4-acetyl-SMX and SMX-N1-Glucuronide, by activated sludge and activated sludge bioaugmented with A. denitrificans PR1. SMX biotransformation under both anoxic and aerobic conditions was tested, with and without the addition of acetate as growth substrate, to understand the range of applicable conditions for bioaugmentation purposes. Biological process models, such as the pseudo-first order kinetic and cometabolic models, were also applied and, following the estimation of kinetic parameters, could well describe data measured in bioaugmented and non-bioaugmented AS batch experiments under various test conditions. Experimental and modelling results suggest that (i) retransformation of the two conjugates to SMX in AS occurred under both aerobic and anoxic conditions, and (ii) biotransformation kinetics of SMX can vary significantly depending on redox conditions, e.g., SMX was biotransformed by AS only under aerobic conditions. Notably, SMX biotransformation was significantly enhanced when PR1 was bioaugmented in AS. Addition of acetate as biogenic substrate is not necessary, as PR1 was capable of enhancing the SMX biotransformation by using the carbon sources present in wastewater. Overall, bioaugmentation by means of A. denitrificans PR1 could be a viable strategy for enhancing SMX removal in AS wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

The subdivision of biofilm reactor in two or more stages (i.e., reactor staging) represents an option for process optimisation of biological treatment. In our previous work, we showed that the gradient of influent organic substrate availability (induced by the staging) can influence the microbial activity (i.e., denitrification and pharmaceutical biotransformation kinetics) of a denitrifying three-stage Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) system. However, it is unclear whether staging and thus the long-term exposure to varying organic carbon type and loading influences the microbial community structure and diversity. In this study, we investigated biofilm structure and diversity in the three-stage MBBR system (S) compared to a single-stage configuration (U) and their relationship with microbial functions. Results from 16S rRNA amplicon libraries revealed a significantly higher microbial richness in the staged MBBR (at 99% sequence similarity) compared to single-stage MBBR. A more even and diverse microbial community was selected in the last stage of S (S3), likely due to exposure to carbon limitation during continuous-flow operation. A core of OTUs was shared in both systems, consisting of Burkholderiales, Xanthomonadales, Flavobacteriales and Sphingobacteriales, while MBBR staging selected for specific taxa (i.e., Candidate division WS6 and Deinococcales). Results from quantitative PCR (qPCR) showed that S3 exhibited the lowest abundance of 16S rRNA but the highest abundance of atypical nosZ, suggesting a selection of microbes with more diverse N-metabolism (i.e., incomplete denitrifiers) in the stage exposed to the lowest carbon availability. A positive correlation (p < 0.05) was observed between removal rate constants of several pharmaceuticals with abundance of relevant denitrifying genes, but not with biodiversity. Despite the previously suggested positive relationship between microbial diversity and functionality in macrobial and microbial ecosystems, this was not observed in the current study, indicating a need to further investigate structure-function relationships for denitrifying systems.

In this study, two moving-bed biofilm reactors (MBBR 1 and MBBR 2) filled with different size of carrier media (Kaldnes K 1 and Kaldnes K 1 micro, respectively) were subjected to soluble (sugar and sodium acetate (Ac)) substrate and mixture of soluble and particulate (particulate potato starch (PS)) substrate in a very high organic loading rate (12 kgCOD/m 3·d) at different temperatures (26 and 15°C, in MBBR 1 and MBBR 2, respectively). The effects of carrier type and substrate on biofilm structure and reactor performance have been studied. Starch was removed by adsorption at the biofilm surface and hydrolyzed which caused substrate gradient in MBBR 1, however, hydrolyzed uniformly within biofilm in MBBR 2. The biofilm of MBBR 1 was irregular due to filamentous structure growth due to the substrate gradient, while, it was regular in MBBR 2 due to uniform distribution of substrate. The performance of both MBBRs in ammonium, COD and TN removal decreased significantly when the amount of small particles in the reactor increased owing to feeding by starch, which led to biomass density decline. The type of media affected the quantity and distribution of attached biomass, which in turn influenced the activity of specific microbial functional groups in the biofilm. The biofilm in MBBR 2 was thicker and consequently nitrogen removal by denitrification was much higher. The lower temperature did not affect negatively the reactor performance in MBBR 2.

Nutrient pollution has become a global environmental issue. Innovative biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes are needed to overcome the drawbacks of conventional technologies. This study evaluates the potential of a hybrid 5-stage Bardenpho - moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) process for organic carbon and nutrient removal from municipal wastewater at different hydraulic retention time (HRT) and nitrate recycle ratio (R). Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a central composite design (CCD) of thirteen experiments was applied to optimize the nitrogen and phosphorus conversion of the treatment system. High removal efficiencies of about 98.20%, 92.54%, 94.70% and 96.50% for total chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and ammonium, were achieved, respectively. The best performance was observed at HRT of 2, 4, 6, 2.67 and 1.07 h correspondingly in the anaerobic, first anoxic, first aerobic, second anoxic and second aerobic compartments, resulting in a total HRT of 15.74 h with a nitrate recycle ratio of 2. Biofilm nitrifying activity was four times higher than in suspended biomass. The hybrid 5-stage Bardenpho-MBBR process enhanced biological nutrient removal at comparatively short HRT and low R ratio due to biofilm contribution to the conversion.

Further biological polishing of micropollutants in WWTP effluents is limited by the lack of available carbon for cometabolic degradation. Metabolism of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) stored intracellularly during enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) could serve as carbon source for post-denitrification and micropollutant cometabolism. The removal of nine micropollutants (i.e., pharmaceuticals and corrosion inhibitors) was investigated by using Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBRs), selecting phosphorus (PAO) or glycogen (GAO) accumulating organisms under different redox conditions. Three laboratory-scale MBBRs were operated in sequencing-batch mode under cyclical anaerobic and aerobic/anoxic conditions for phosphorus removal. Batch experiments were performed to evaluate the biodegradation potential of micropollutants along with the utilization of internally stored PHA. Experiments showed that aerobic PAO were able to efficiently remove most of the targeted micropollutants. The removal of benzotriazole, 5‑methyl‑1H‑benzotriazole, carbamazepine, ketoprofen and diclofenac occurred simultaneously to phosphorus uptake and terminated when phosphorus was no longer available. Denitrifying PAO and aerobic GAO exhibited lower removal of micropollutants than aerobic PAO. Degradation profiles of stored PHA suggested a diverse utilization of the different fractions of PHA for phosphorus and micropollutant removal, with PHV (poly 3‑hydroxyvalerate) most likely used for the cometabolism of targeted micropollutants.

We present observations of a complete sub-sample of 20 radio galaxies from the Third Cambridge Catalog (3C) with redshift, Accepted for publication in A&A

Solid-liquid partitioning is one of the main fate processes determining the removal of micropollutants in wastewater. Little is known on the sorption of micropollutants in biofilms, where molecular diffusion may significantly influence partitioning kinetics. In this study, the diffusion and the sorption of 23 micropollutants were investigated in novel moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) carriers with controlled biofilm thickness (50, 200 and 500 μm) using targeted batch experiments (initial concentration = 1 μg L−1, for X-ray contrast media 15 μg L−1) and mathematical modelling. We assessed the influence of biofilm thickness and density on the dimensionless effective diffusivity coefficient f (equal to the biofilm-to-aqueous diffusivity ratio) and the distribution coefficient Kd,eq (L g−1). Sorption was significant only for eight positively charged micropollutants (atenolol, metoprolol, propranolol, citalopram, venlafaxine, erythromycin, clarithromycin and roxithromycin), revealing the importance of electrostatic interactions with solids. Sorption equilibria were likely not reached within the duration of batch experiments (4 h), particularly for the thickest biofilm, requiring the calculation of the distribution coefficient Kd,eq based on the approximation of the asymptotic equilibrium concentration (t > 4 h). Kd,eq values increased with increasing biofilm thickness for all sorptive micropollutants (except atenolol), possibly due to higher porosity and accessible surface area in the thickest biofilm. Positive correlations between Kd,eq and micropollutant properties (polarity and molecular size descriptors) were identified but not for all biofilm thicknesses, thus confirming the challenge of improving predictive sorption models for positively charged compounds. A diffusion-sorption model was developed and calibrated against experimental data, and estimated f values also increased with increasing biofilm thickness. This indicates that diffusion in thin biofilms may be strongly limited (f ≪ 0.1) by the high biomass density (reduced porosity).

Addition of external carbon sources to post-denitrification systems is frequently used in wastewater treatment plants to enhance nitrate removal. However, little is known about the fate of micropollutants in post-denitrification systems and the influence of external carbon dosing on their removal. In this study, we assessed the effects of two different types and availability of commonly used carbon sources -methanol and ethanol- on the removal of micropollutants in biofilm systems. Two laboratory-scale moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs), containing AnoxKaldnes K1 carriers with acclimated biofilm from full-scale systems, were operated in continuous-flow using wastewater dosed with methanol and ethanol, respectively. Batch experiments with 22 spiked pharmaceuticals were performed to assess removal kinetics. Acetyl-sulfadiazine, atenolol, citalopram, propranolol and trimethoprim were easily biotransformed in both MBBRs (biotransformations rate constants kbio between 1.2 and 12.9 L gbiomass(-1) d(-1)), 13 compounds were moderately biotransformed (rate constants between 0.2 and 2 L gbiomass(-1) d(-1)) and 4 compounds were recalcitrant. The methanol-dosed MBBR showed higher kbio (e.g., 1.5-2.5-fold) than in the ethanol-dosed MBBR for 9 out of the 22 studied compounds, equal kbio for 10 compounds, while 3 compounds (i.e., targeted sulfonamides) were biotransformed faster in the ethanol-dosed MBBR. While biotransformation of most of the targeted compounds followed first-order kinetics, removal of venlafaxine, carbamazepine, sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethizole could be described with a cometabolic model. Analyses of the microbial composition in the biofilms using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing revealed that the methanol-dosed MBBR contained higher microbial richness than the one dosed with ethanol, suggesting that improved biotransformation of targeted compounds could be associated with higher microbial richness. During continuous-flow operation, at conditions representative of full-scale denitrification systems (hydraulic residence time = 2 h), the removal efficiencies of micropollutants were below 35% in both MBBRs, with the exception of atenolol and trimethoprim (>80%). Overall, this study demonstrated that MBBRs used for post-denitrification could be optimized to enhance the biotransformation of a number of micropollutants by accounting for optimal carbon sources and extended residence time.

In biofilm systems for wastewater treatment (e.g., moving bed biofilms reactors-MBBRs) biofilm thickness is typically not under direct control. Nevertheless, biofilm thickness is likely to have a profound effect on the microbial diversity and activity, as a result of diffusion limitation and thus substrate penetration in the biofilm. In this study, we investigated the impact of biofilm thickness on nitrification and on the removal of more than 20 organic micropollutants in laboratory-scale nitrifying MBBRs. We used novel carriers (Z-carriers, AnoxKaldnes) that allowed controlling biofilm thickness at 50, 200, 300, 400, and 500 μm. The impact of biofilm thickness on microbial community was assessed via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) abundance quantification through quantitative PCR (qPCR). Results from batch experiments and microbial analysis showed that (i) the thickest biofilm (500 μm) presented the highest specific biotransformation rate constants (kbio, L g(-1) d(-1)) for 14 out of 22 micropollutants; (ii) biofilm thickness positively associated with biodiversity, which was suggested as the main factor for the observed enhancement of kbio; (iii) the thinnest biofilm (50 μm) exhibited the highest nitrification rate (gN d(-1) g(-1)), amoA gene abundance and kbio values for some of the most recalcitrant micropollutants (i.e., diclofenac and targeted sulfonamides). Although thin biofilms favored nitrification activity and the removal of some micropollutants, treatment systems based on thicker biofilms should be considered to enhance the elimination of a broad spectrum of micropollutants.

One of the main debated astrophysical problems is the role of the AGN feedback in galaxy formation. It is known that massive black holes have a profound effect on the formation and evolution of galaxies, but how black holes and galaxies communicate is still an unsolved problem. For Radio Galaxies, feedback studies have mainly focused on jet/cavity systems in the most massive and X-ray luminous galaxy clusters. The recent high-resolution detection of warm absorbers in some Broad Line Radio Galaxies allow us to investigate the interplay between the nuclear engine and the surrounding medium from a different perspective. We report on the detection of warm absorbers in two Broad Line Radio Galaxies, 3C 382 and 3C 390.3, and discuss the physical and energetic properties of the absorbing gas. Finally, we attempt a comparison between radio-loud and radio-quiet outflows., To be published in the proceedings of High Energy Phenomena in Relativistic Outflows III (HEPRO III, IJMPCS). 4 pages, 2 figures

Due to the limited efficiency of conventional biological treatment, innovative solutions are being explored to improve the removal of trace organic chemicals in wastewater. Controlling biomass exposure to growth substrate represents an appealing option for process optimization, as substrate availability likely impacts microbial activity, hence organic trace chemical removal. This study investigated the elimination of pharmaceuticals in pre-denitrifying moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs), where biofilm exposure to different organic substrate loading and composition was controlled by reactor staging. A three-stage MBBR and a single-stage reference MBBR (with the same operating volume and filling ratio) were operated under continuous-flow conditions (18 months). Two sets of batch experiments (day 100 and 471) were performed to quantify and compare pharmaceutical removal and denitrification kinetics in the different MBBRs. Experimental results revealed the possible influence of retransformation (e.g., from conjugated metabolites) and enantioselectivity on the removal of selected pharmaceuticals. In the second set of experiments, specific trends in denitrification and biotransformation kinetics were observed, with highest and lowest rates/rate constants in the first (S1) and the last (S3) staged sub reactors, respectively. These observations were confirmed by removal efficiency data obtained during continuous-flow operation, with limited removal (

To date, a number of treatment technologies and configurations have been tested to improve the elimination of conventional and trace (e.g., pharmaceutical residues) pollutants via biological wastewater treatment. Bioreactor staging and the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) technology have emerged as promising bioengineered solutions (Plósz et al., 2010) for this purpose. In this study, we combined the two solutions and investigated microbial functions (heterotrophic denitrification, pharmaceutical removal) and structure of the microbial community in staged MBBRs for pre-denitrification. A three-stage MBBR system (S1+S2+S3), fed with pre-clarified wastewater, was operated at laboratory-scale with (i) controlled biomass exposure to organic substrate (COD); and (ii) enhanced the physical retention of biomass, thus inducing adaptation to different substrate exposure conditions. During long-term operation (~500 days) of the three-stage MBBR under continuous-flow conditions, biofilm samples were collected to assess the temporal evolution of the microbial structure in terms of functional gene abundance and biodiversity. A set of batch experiments (day 471) was performed to assess denitrification and pharmaceutical removal in each MBBR, following prolonged biofilm exposure to specific COD availability.Results from batch experiments showed declining denitrification potential and pharmaceutical biotransformation rate constants (kbio, L gTSS-1 d-1) from MBBR S1 (exposed to highest COD availability) to S3 (exposed to lowest availability). These findings indicate that the exposure to tiered substrate availability influenced the capacity of utilizing a different range of carbon sources in each MBBR, thus impacting denitrification and pharmaceutical biotransformation. Preliminary analysis on the microbial community based on qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) showed differences in the abundance of genes (nirS, nirK, nosZ) encoding for denitrifying enzymes in the three staged MBBRs. Further microbial characterization through 16sRNA sequencing (Illumina) is currently under investigation to determine whether differences in microbial functions should be associated to differences in the microbial diversity in the three MBBRs.

Wastewater treatment plants based on conventional activated sludge systems (CAS) cannot eliminate many of the organic micropollutants, including most pharmaceutical products. Moving bed biological reactors (MBBR) have demonstrated greater efficiency in the elimination of various pharmaceutical products compared to CAS. In this study, a biological solution based on MBBR technology (eXeno from Veolia Water Technologies) is presented as a tertiary treatment for the elimination of pharmaceutical products and other pollutants. To ensure sufficient biomass growth, a two-stage MBBR reactor is fed alternately with a small fraction of high load wastewater (carbon and nitrogen). The degradation rate constants for the elimination of pharmaceutical products were significantly higher compared to other studies conducted with activated sludge and other traditional processes of suspended biomass in laboratory and pilot studies.

In this study we investigated the diffusion and sorption of 22 pharmaceuticals in/on nitrifying biofilms of different thickness. Experimental observations were subject to model-based interpretation and the assessment of a sorption coefficient Kd and effective diffusivity coefficient f. Three biofilm depths were obtained by using Z-carriers (AnoxKaldnes) as support, which allows tight control of biofilm thickness. Biofilms of increasing thickness had increased porosity (and thus decreasing density). Sorption was significant for the positively charged compounds at experimental pH (with few exceptions) and Kd increased with biofilm thickness. The effective diffusivity f negatively correlated with biofilm density, suggesting that diffusion of micropollutants in thinner biofilms could be limited. Overall, this study elucidated how biofilm thickness can positively influence sorption of micropollutants on biofilm as well as how diffusion limitation is strongly impact by biofilm characteristics (density and porosity) and the specific chemical.

The removal of pharmaceuticals was investigated in nitrifying Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBRs) containing carriers with different biofilm thicknesses. The biofilm with the thinnest thickness was found to have the highest nitrification and biotransformation rate for some key pharmaceuticals. Microbial analysis revealed a different relative abundance of nitrifying guilds in the different carriers, suggesting the importance of nitrite oxidizing bacteria in removal of micropollutants.

In the context of wastewater-based epidemiology, uncertainties associated with in-sewer transformation are often not considered. However, sewer systems are biological reactors in which the concentration of organic pollutants (primary pollutants, e.g. COD, and secondary pollutants, e.g. illicit drugs) is altered during transport. Although reduced stability of several drug biomarkers was shown in raw sewage and biofilm, evidence on the type of transformation (biotic or abiotic) and the effect of different redox conditions on transformation is currently insufficient. In this study, the biotransformation and abiotic transformation of 16 illicit drugs were assessed in wastewater and mineral water, respectively. The targeted illicit drugs were: cocaine and its metabolites benzoylecgonine, ecgonine methyl ester, and cocaethylene; heroin and its metabolites 6-monoacetylmorphine, morphine, and morphine-3-β-D-glucuronide; codeine and its metabolite norcodeine; methadone and its metabolite 2-ethylidene-1,5-dimethyl-3,3-diphenylpyrrolidine (EDDP); mephedrone; and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its metabolites 11-hydroxy-Δ9-THC (THCOH), and 11-nor-9-carboxy-Δ9-THC (THCCOOH). All the transformation studies were performed using batch experiments under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, while concomitantly assessing the degradation of primary pollutants. Furthermore, sorption to suspended solids and to reactor walls was also considered and quantified. The transformation of primary pollutants and illicit drugs in wastewater was simulated using Wastewater Aerobic/anaerobic Transformations in Sewers model (WATS)1 extended with the Activated Sludge Model for Xenobiotic trace chemicals (ASM-X)2. In addition, abiotic and biotic transformation pathways (based on available literature studies and statistical analysis) were considered for each drug biomarker. Our results suggest that ignoring the dynamics of biomass growth would result in significant overestimation (up to 385%) of aerobic biotransformation rate constants, whereas no significant difference was observed for anaerobic rate constants. Furthermore, abiotic transformation was found to be the main transformation mechanism for THC (aerobic conditions); mephedrone, methadone, cocaine, ecgonine methyl ester, cocaethylene, THCOH and THCCOOH (anaerobic conditions). By use of the proposed model the uncertainty of predicting illicit drug concentration at the excretion point can be reduced and hence the accuracy of back-calculation of illicit drug use in catchments can be improved.