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Bacterial quorum quenching (QQ), whose mechanism involves the degradation of quorum-sensing signal molecules, is an effective strategy for controlling biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). However, MBRs operated at low temperatures, either due to cold climates or seasonal variations, exhibit severe deterioration in QQ efficiency. In this study, a modified culture method for Rhodococcus sp. BH4, a QQ bacterium, was developed to induce environmental adaptation in cold regions. BH4-L, which was prepared by the modified culture method, showed enhancement in QQ efficiency at low temperatures. The higher QQ efficiency obtained by employing BH4-L at 10 °C (compared with that obtained by employing BH4 at 10 °C) was attributed to the higher live/dead cell ratio in the BH4-L-entrapping beads. When BH4-L-entrapping beads were applied to lab-scale MBRs operated at low temperatures, membrane biofouling in MBRs at low temperatures was successfully mitigated because BH4-L could substantially reduce the concentration of signal molecules (N-acyl homoserine lactones) in the biocake. Employing BH4-L in QQ-MBRs could offer a novel solution to the problem of severe membrane biofouling in MBRs in cold regions.

Aims Quorum quenching (QQ) is an attractive strategy for mitigating biofouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). However, the effects of QQ on the activated sludge (AS) process have not been adequately evaluated. This study investigated the long‐term effects of QQ on a laboratory‐scale anoxic–oxic MBR, focusing on AS performance and microbial community. Methods and Results Anoxic–oxic MBRs with and without QQ were operated for 91 days. QQ did not affect COD and TN removal efficiencies over the experimental period, during which its activity remained >90%. QQ reduced floc size by approximately 8% but had no effect on biomass concentration. AS microbial communities were regularly analysed using massively parallel sequencing. AS bacterial communities were temporally dynamic irrespective of QQ presence, for example, a temporal increase in bacterial diversity and a temporal decay of community similarity. QQ counteracted the temporal change in diversity and the temporal distance–community decay. Community comparison revealed that QQ changed the successional trajectory of the AS community at a late period, because it decelerated temporal changes of specific members, such as Thiothrix and Sphingomonadaceae*. Correlation networks revealed that QQ increased network clustering, complexity and density. The combined results suggest that the tighter microbial association by QQ increased the community resistance. Conclusions QQ can enhance the diversity and stability of the AS community in MBR by counteracting the innate temporal change in community structure. Significance and Impact of the Study Our findings are useful for the further advancement of QQ‐based strategies in engineered microbial environments.

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Municipal wastewater has been identified as a potential source of natural phosphorus (P) that is projected to become depleted in a few decades based on current exploitation rates. This paper focuses on combining a bench-scale anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic membrane bioreactor (MBR) and magnesium carbonate (MgCO3)-based pellets to effectively recover P from municipal wastewater. Ethanol was introduced into the anoxic zone of the MBR system as an external carbon source to improve P release via the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) mechanism, making it available for adsorption by the continuous-flow MgCO3 pellet column. An increase in the concentration of P in the MBR effluent led to an increase in the P adsorption capacity of the MgCO3 pellets. As a result, the anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic MBR system, combined with a MgCO3 pellet column and ethanol, achieved 91.6% P recovery from municipal wastewater, resulting in a maximum P adsorption capacity of 12.8 mg P/g MgCO3 through the continuous-flow MgCO3 pellet column. Although the introduction of ethanol into the anoxic zone was instrumental in releasing P through the EBPR, it could potentially increase membrane fouling by increasing the concentration of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in the anoxic zone.