PHYSIOLOGICAL, MOLECULAR AND MODELING STUDIES OF AN AEROBIC DENITRIFIER - MICROVIRGULA AERODENITRIFICANS - USE OF ITS PROPERTIES IN AN INTEGRATED NITROGEN REMOVAL PLANT

Conventional nitrogen removal processes are based on time or space sep aration of the two phases : aerobic nitrification and anoxic denitrifi cation. According to the results obtained with a pure strain M. aerode nitrificans under discontinuous and continuous, aerobic and anoxic con ditions, we propose to use its co-respiration properties in a single a erated system, in co-culture with a nitrifying;population. We demonstr ate the feasability of combining nitrifying microflora and the aerobic denitrifier under continuous and semi-continuous cultures. A mathemat ical model based on batch cultures was developed to help us control th e M. aerodenitrificans cultivation and maintain it in a complex ecosys tem. The specific detection and monitoring of the pure strain in the c omplex ecosystem was realized by fluorescent in situ hybridization wit h rRNA-targeted nucleic acid probe. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Sci ence Ltd. All rights reserved.