Poster Sessions

Assembling genomes from metagenomic short-read data can be challenging due to sequencing errors, depth of sequencing coverage and the unknown and uneven complexity of microbial communities. Reconstructing high-quality genomes is a crucial part of the metagenomic workflow as subsequent ecological and...

Context. Slow sand filtration (SSF) is widely used in drinking water treatment plants (DWPTs) as a cost-effective and safe approach to remove contaminants like particles, organic matter and microorganisms from drinking water. The removal primarily occurs in the top layer of the mature sand bed, kno...

Chloroflexi are found in very different ecosystems such as aerobic and anaerobic Carbon removal reactors and even in Nitrogen removal systems. But their role is not yet understood. Then, we ask ourselves: are Chloroflexi members found in different reactors closely phylogenetically related? have they...

Context. Phosphate is an important, but scarce resource. Recycling of phosphate from wastewater is one way to solve this problem, a process where polyphosphate-accumulating organisms(PAOs), such as the well-known genera Candidatus Accumulibacter, Tetrasphaera, along with the recently confirmed Dech...

Polyhydroxyalkanoates can be produced using surplus activated sludge from biological wastewater treatment processes. This direct accumulation requires that the WWTP imposes inherent selection pressures to promote for PHA accumulating microorganisms. Direct accumulation may reach PHA contents of 0.50...

The production of lactic acid (HLa) has attracted a great deal of attention due to its widespread applications in food, chemical, cosmetic, plastic and pharmaceutical industries. HLa is produced from glucose derived from starchy materials, which impacts its production cost and competes with food sup...

Context. To retain slow growing bacteria, biofilms are commonly used in biological nitrogen removal of wastewater treatment. One of these processes is partial nitritation-anammox (PNA), where ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anammox bacteria coexist in the biofilm.Gap. Studies on biofilm bioreac...

Potable water systems are often contaminated with the opportunistic pathogenic bacteria Legionella pneumophila. Growth of the pathogen in buildings is affected by operational settings, system design, water use patterns, and unplanned disruptive events.The impact of technical interventions on Legione...

The Edwards Aquifer serves as a primary source of drinking water to more than 2 million people in south-central Texas. As a karst aquifer, it is vulnerable to human and animal fecal contamination which poses a serious risk to human and environmental health. A one-year study (Jan 2018 – Feb 2019) a...

Context. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented disruption in all aspects of life globally. The emergence of new variants of concern (VOC) that have increased transmissibility and tout vaccine immune evasion suggests that variant tracking is required to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.Gap. Ther...

Context. Recent progress in on-line microbiological measurement instruments has allowed real-time monitoring of drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs), uncovering microbiological dynamics and empowering the development of early-warning systems.Gap. While these instruments have become more comm...

Context. Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) bioprocess allows to remove nutrients from wastewater. AGS can be obtained from enhanced biological phosphorous removal reactors after applying specific operational conditions for granulation.Gap. Functional activities and microorganisms involved in the nutrien...

Bulking sludge has been an operational problem of great interest in which filamentous bacteria (FB) have been shown to be the main cause. Recent evidence states that 90% of the sludge bulking cases is caused by the overgrowth of FB. A recent Belgian study revealed that 36% of the 90 studied industri...

Context:The study of (meta-)genomics data has been providing scientists with valuable insights into the functioning and composition of microbial communities. Latest advancements in high-throughput sequencing technologies have resulted in significant growth in the data produced and made available for...

The importance of water quality for human consumption comprises different parameters, microbiological and chemical, including the concentration of metals, one of them manganese (Mn) which is abundant in the earth and exists as a component of more than 30 kinds of manganese oxides/hydroxide minerals....