Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis (Accumulibacter), which plays an important role in enhanced biological phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment plants, is phylogenetically classified into two major types (Types I and II). Phosphate concentrations affect the Accumulibacter community of the biomass enriched in treatment plants. Therefore, in the present study, Accumulibacter enrichments were conducted using a down-flow hanging sponge reactor under five conditions and a wide range of controlled phosphate concentrations in order to investigate how phosphate governs the community. We found that excessive phosphate levels inhibited Accumulibacter activity, that this inhibitory effect was greater for Type II. In addition, the affinity of Type II for phosphate was higher than that of Type I. Type IIA-B dominated at a phosphate concentration less than 5 mg P L-1, while Type IA was dominant at 50 and 500 mg P L-1. These patterns of enrichment may be explained by an inhibition kinetics model.
Keywords: Candidatus Accumulibacter phosphatis; enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR); microbial diversity; phosphate concentration; polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs).