Synergetic Bioproduction of Short-Chain Fatty Acids from Waste Activated Sludge Intensified by the Combined Use of Potassium Ferrate and Biosurfactants

The synergetic effect and underlying mechanism of potassium ferrate(PF)with tea saponin(TS,a biosurfactant)in producing short chain fatty acids(SCFAs)from anaerobic fermentation of waste activated sludge(WAS)were explored in this work.Experimental results showed that 0.2 g PF(g TSS)^(-1)(total suspended solid)combined with 0.02 g TS(g TSS)^(-1) could further improve SCFAs’production,and the maximum SCFAs content reached 2008.7 mg COD L^(-1),which is 1.2 and 4.5 times higher than those with PF and TS individually added,respectively,and 5.3 times higher than that of blank WAS on Day 12.In the model substrates experiments,the degradation rates of bovine serum albumin and dextran with combination of PF and TS were 41.3%±0.1% and 48.5%±0.06%,respectively,on Day 3,which are lower than those in blank WAS(with degradation rates of 72.3%±0.5%and 90.3%±0.3%).It was revealed that the oxidative effect of PF and the solubilization of TS caused more organic matters to be dissolved out from WAS,providing a large number of biodegradable substances for subsequent SCFAs production.While WAS pretreated with the combination of PF and TS,the relative abundances of Firmicutes increased from 6.4%(blank)to 38.6%,and that of Proteobacteria decreased from 41.8%(blank)to 21.8%.The combination of PF and TS promoted the hydrolysis process of WAS by enriching Firmicutes,and then increased acetic acid production by inhibiting Proteobacteria that consumed SCFAs.Meanwhile,at the genus level,acidogenesis bacteria(e.g.,Proteiniclasticum and Petrimonas)were enriched whereas SCFAs consuming bacteria(e.g.,Dokdonella)were inhibited.

Effects of Potassium Ferrate and Low-Temperature Thermal Hydrolysis Co-Pretreatment on the Hydrolysis and Anaerobic Digestion Process of Waste Activated Sludge

This study evaluated the effect of potassium ferrate(PF)and low-temperature thermal hydrolysis co-pretreatment on the promotion of sludge hydrolysis process and the impact on acid production in the subsequent anaerobic digestion process.The analytical investigations showed that co-pretreatment significantly facilitated the hydrolysis process of the sludge and contributed to the accumulation of short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs).The pretreatment conditions under the optimal leaching of organic matter from sludge were hydrothermal temperature of 75℃,hydrothermal treatment time of 12 h,and PF dosage of 0.25 g g^(−1)TSS(total suspended solids),according to the results of orthogonal experiments.By pretreatment under proper conditions,the removal rate of soluble chemical oxygen demand(SCOD)achieved 71.8%at the end of fermentation and the removal rate of total phosphorus(TP)was 69.1%.The maximum yield of SCFAs was 750.3 mg L^(−1),7.45 times greater than that of the blank group.Based on the analysis of the anaerobic digestion mechanism,it was indicated that the co-pretreatment could destroy the floc structure on the sludge surface and improve organic matter dissolving,resulting in more soluble organic substances for the acidification process.Furthermore,microbial community research revealed that the main cause of enhanced SCFAs generation was an increase in acidogenic bacteria and a reduction of methanogenic bacteria.

Kinetic analysis of waste activated sludge hydrolysis and short-chain fatty acids production at pH 10

The accumulation of short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs）, a preferred carbon source for enhanced biological phosphorus removal microbes, was significantly improved when waste activated sludge （WAS） was fermented at pH 10. The kinetics of WAS hydrolysis and SCFAs production at pH 10 was investigated. It was observed that during WAS anaerobic fermentation the accumulation of SCFAs was limited by the hydrolysis process, and both the hydrolysis of WAS particulate COD and the accumulation of SCFAs followed first-order kinetics. The hydrolysis and SCFAs accumulation rate constants increased with increasing temperature from 10 to 35℃, which could be described by the Arrhenius equation. The kinetic data further indicated that SCFAs production at pH 10 was a biological process. Compared with the experiment of pH uncontrolled （blank test）, both the rate constants of WAS hydrolysis and SCFAs accumulation at 20℃ were improved significantly when WAS was fermented at pH 10.

Simulation and assessment of sludge concentration and rheology in the process of waste activated sludge treatment

The process of using flat-sheet membrane for simultaneous sludge thickening and digestion （MSTD） was employed. The variations of sludge concentration and rheology were characterized and simulated. Based on mass balance analysis, mathematical models were developed and successfully used to predict and evaluate the variations of sludge concentration and the digestion efficiency in the MSTD process. The apparent viscosity of sludge could be modeled as functions of mixed liquor suspended solids and shear rates. The sludge in the MSTD process showed both shear-thinning and viscoplastic behaviour, and under various shear rates different rheological models could be chosen to predict their flow behaviour. It was also found that sludge concentration and viscosity had significant correlations with membrane fouling in the MSTD process.

Real-time control of aerobic/anoxic digestion for waste activated sludge

Experiments were conducted to study the performance characters of aerobic/anoxic （A/ A） digestion of sludge at 30± 1 ℃, while the sludge retention time （SRT） was kept 16 d. The varia tions of oxidation reduction potential （Eh ） and pH were continuously monitored during the A/A di gestion and the conversions of ammonium and nitrate were investigated. Important features on both Eh and pH profiles were identified to develop process control strategy. Since the feature point on Eh profile where d2 Eh/dt^2 =0 is very stable during anoxic cycle, it can be used to determine the end of denitrification. The end of nitrification can be identified according to dpH/dt = 0. A real-time control strategy of A/A digestion of sludge was developed and tested with pH and Eh as control parameters. It is shown that the performance of the real-time control strategy is better than that of a fixed time control strategy. While the real time controlled A/A digestion system can achieve a similar volatile suspended solids （VSS） destruction efficiency of 35.2 % as a continuously aerated system, it im proves the supernatant quality in a shorter aeration time（7. 75 d for a 20 d period）.

Microbial Community Profiles Related to Volatile Fatty Acids Production in Mesophilic and Thermophilic Fermentation of Waste Activated Sludge Pretreated by Enzymolysis

Mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic fermentation performance of waste activated sludge(WAS)pretreated by enzymes catalysis associated with microbial community shifts were investigated.WAS disintegration was boosted considerably by enzymolysis with 8750 mg/L of soluble COD release within 180 min.Mesophilic anaerobic fermentation(MAF)produced nearly equal VFA accumulation with over 3200 mg COD/L compared with that of thermophilic fermentation(TAF).Bacterial community consortia showed great shifting differences in dynamics of main T⁃RFs between MAF and TAF.Moreover,MAF was conducive to form intermediate bacterial community evenness compared to TAF,which preserved a robust function of VFA production.The enzymes catalysis prompted bio⁃energy(electricity)recovery potential of WAS organics via anaerobic fermentation(MAF/TAF)with evaluating electricity conversion efficiency of 0.75-0.82 kW·h/kg VSS(3.9 times higher than control test).Finally,this study proposed some novel thinking on future WAS treatment/management towards energy recovery coupled with energy⁃sufficient wastewater treatment by co⁃locating WAS anaerobic fermentation,MFC plant with wastewater treatment plant(s).

Effects of treatment time and temperature on the DC corona pretreatment performance of waste activated sludge

In order to improve the anaerobic digestion efficiency of waste activated sludge（WAS）,a pretreatment procedure should be carried out so as to disrupt the microbial cell structure,thus releasing intracellular organic matters.In this paper,a corona discharge triggered by a DC voltage was employed to pre-treat WAS for various time periods under different temperatures.The magnitude of the DC voltage was 4 k V at both negative and positive polarities.The changes in the soluble chemical oxygen demand,phosphorus and nitrogen content,and p H value within the WAS were utilized to estimate the pretreatment performance of the DC corona.It was found that with increasing treatment time,the pretreatment efficiency tends to be reduced.With increased temperature,the pretreatment efficiency appears to be better.It is suggested that the oxidative species and the active particles generated in the corona discharge play an important role in disrupting the microbial cell structure,which is dependent upon the treatment time and the temperature.

Co-fermentation of waste activated sludge with food waste for short-chain fatty acids production:effect of pH at ambient temperature

Effect of pH ranging from 4.0 to 11.0 on cofermentation of waste activated sludge(WAS)with food waste for short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs)production at ambient temperature was investigated in this study.Experimental results showed that the addition of food waste significantly improved the performance of WAS fermentation system,which resulted in the increases of SCFAs production and substrate reduction.The SCFAs production at pH 6.0,7.0,8.0,and 9.0 and fermentation time of 4 d was respectively 5022.7,6540.5,8236.6,and 7911.7 mg COD·L^(-1),whereas in the blank tests(no pH adjustment,pH 8.0(blank test 1),no food waste addition,pH 8.0(blank test 2),and no WAS addition(blank test 3))it was only 1006.9,971.1,and 1468.5 mg COD·L^(-1),respectively.The composition of SCFAs at pH from 6.0 to 9.0 was also different from other conditions and propionic acid was the most prevalent SCFA,which was followed by acetic and n-butyric acids,while acetic acid was the top product under other conditions.At pH 8.0 a higher volatile suspended solids(VSS)reduction of 16.6%for the mixture of WAS and food waste than the sole WAS indicated a synergistic effect existing in fermentation system with WAS and food waste.The influence of pH on the variations of nutrient content was also studied during anaerobic fermentation of the mixture of WAS and food waste at different pH conditions.The release of NH_(4)^(+)-N increased with fermentation time at all pH values investigated except 4.0,5.0 and in blank test one.The concentrations of soluble phosphorus at acidic pHs and in the blank test one were higher than those obtained at alkaline pHs.Ammonia and phosphorus need to be removed before the SCFAsenriched fermentation liquid from WAS and food waste was used as the carbon source.

Enhancement of thermophilic anaerobic digestion of thickened waste activated sludge by combined microwave and alkaline pretreatment

Pretreatment of thickened waste activated sludge （TWAS） by combined microwave and alkaline pretreatment （MAP） was studied to improve thermophilic anaerobic digestion efficiency. Uniform design was applied to determine the combination of target temperature （110-210°C）, microwave holding time （1-51 min）, and NaOH dose （0-2.5 g NaOH/g suspended solids （SS）） in terms of their effect on volatile suspended solids （VSS） solubilization. Maximum solubilization ratio （85.1%） of VSS was observed at 210°C with 0.2 g-NaOH/g-SS and 35 min holding time. The effects of 12 different pretreatment methods were investigated in 28 thermophilic batch reactors by monitoring cumulative methane production （CMP）. Improvements in methane production in the TWAS were directly related to the microwave and alkaline pretreatment of the sludge. The highest CMP was a 27% improvement over the control. In spite of the increase in soluble chemical oxygen demand concentration and the decrease in dewaterability of digested sludge, a semi-continuous thermophilic reactor fed with pretreated TWAS without neutralization （at 170~C with 1 min holding time and 0.05 g NaOH/g SS） was stable and functioned well, with volatile solid （VS） and total chemical oxygen demand （TCOD） reductions of 28% and 18%, respectively, which were higher than those of the control system. Additionally, methane yields （L@STP/g-CODaded, at standard temperature and pressure （STP） conditions of 0°C and 101.325 kPa） and （L@STP/g VSadad） increased by 17% and 13%, respectively, comoared to the control reactor.

Effect of Ca:Mg ratio and high ammoniacal nitrogen on characteristics of struvite precipitated from waste activated sludge digester effluent

This study revealed the relationship between the presence of calcium impurities and ammoniacal nitrogen concentration upon crystallization of struvite.The research hypothesis was that the presence of both calcium and high concentrations of ammoniacal nitrogen(328–1000 mg/L)in waste activated sludge may influence the struvite quality and acid stability.Hence,we studied the impact of Ca:Mg ratio upon morphology,particle size,purity and dissolution of struvite,in the presence of varying levels of excess ammoniacal nitrogen.X-ray diffraction revealed that up to 31.4%amorphous material was made which was assigned to hydroxyapatite.Increasing the ammoniacal nitrogen concentration and elevation of the Mg:Ca ratio maximized the presence of struvite.Struvite particle size was also increased by ammoniacal nitrogen as was twinning of the crystals.Tests with dilute solutions of organic acid revealed the sensitivity of struvite dissolution to the physical characteristics of the struvite.Smaller particles(21.2μm)dissolved at higher rates than larger particles(35.86μm).However,struvite dissolved rapidly as the p H was further reduced irrespective of the physical characteristics.Therefore,addition of struvite to low p H soils was not viewed as beneficial in terms of controlled nutrient release.Overall,this study revealed that waste activated sludge effluent with high ammoniacal nitrogen was prospective for synthesis of high quality struvite material.

Effects of sludge age on anaerobic acidification of waste activated sludge: Volatile fatty acids production and phosphorus release

Effects of sludge age on volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production and Phosphorus (P) release during anaerobic acidification of waste activated sludge (WAS) were investigated.Sequencing batch reactors (SBR) fed with simulating domestic sewage were applied to produce WAS of different sludge ages,and batch tests were used for anaerobic acidification.The maximum dissolved total organic carbon,release of PO_(4)^(3+)-P,and accumulation of acetate (C2),propionate (C3),butyrate (C4),and valerate (C5) decreased by 56.2%,55.8%,52.6%,43.7%,82.4%and 84.8%,respectively,as the sludge age of WAS increased from 5 to 40 days.Limited degradation of protein played a dominating role in decreasing DTOC and VFAs production.Moreover,the increase in molecular weight of organics and organic nitrogen content in the supernatant after acidification suggested that the refractory protein in WAS increased as sludge age extended.Although the production of C2,C3,C4,and C5 from WAS decreased as the sludge age increased,the proportions of C2 and C3 in VFAs increased,which might be due to the declined production of C5 from protein and the faded genus Dechlorobacter.Keeping sludge age of WAS at a relatively low level (<10 days) is more appropriate for anaerobic acidification of WAS as internal carbon sources and P resource.

Compared effects of “solid-based” hydrogen peroxide pretreatment on disintegration and properties of waste activated sludge

The effects of two solid-based hydrogen peroxides sodium percarbonate(SPC) and calcium peroxide(CP)on waste activated sludge(WAS) disintegration were investigated. Both oxidants achieved efficient WAS disintegration for the synergistic effect of alkaline and oxidation. The strong alkaline condition led to the leakage of ammonia and the existence of abundant calcium ions accelerated the fixation of phosphorus via precipitation in CP WAS disintegration process. However, the spongy-like layer and low p H condition retarded the release of gaseous ammonia in SPC group. Hydroxyl radical was the main oxygen reactive species in SPC approaches which were more intense than CP by electron spin resonance(ESR) analysis.CP treated WAS contented more small particle size matter and total suspended solids(TSS) increased dramatically. In conclusion, CP pretreated sludge was more suitable for fertilization, while SPC was in favor of anaerobic digestion. This study clarified the differences between these two oxidants and their intermediates on nutrients release in sludge disintegration.

A new process to improve short-chain fatty acids and bio-methane generation from waste activated sludge

As an important intermediate product, short-chain fatty acids（SCFAs） can be generated after hydrolysis and acidification from waste activated sludge, and then can be transformed to methane during anaerobic digestion process. In order to obtain more SCFA and methane,most studies in literatures were centered on enhancing the hydrolysis of sludge anaerobic digestion which was proved as un-efficient. Though the alkaline pretreatment in our previous study increased both the hydrolysis and acidification processes, it had a vast chemical cost which was considered uneconomical. In this paper, a low energy consumption pretreatment method, i.e. enhanced the whole three stages of the anaerobic fermentation processes at the same time, was reported, by which hydrolysis and acidification were both enhanced, and the SCFA and methane generation can be significantly improved with a small quantity of chemical input. Firstly, the effect of different pretreated temperatures and pretreatment time on sludge hydrolyzation was compared. It was found that sludge pretreated at 100°C for 60 min can achieve the maximal hydrolyzation. Further, effects of different initial p Hs on acidification of the thermal pretreated sludge were investigated and the highest SCFA was observed at initial p H 9.0with fermentation time of 6 d, the production of which was 348.63 mg COD/g VSS（6.8 times higher than the blank test） and the acetic acid was dominant acid. Then, the mechanisms for this new pretreatment significantly improving SCFA production were discussed. Finally,the effect of this low energy consumption pretreatment on methane generation was investigated.

New insight into adsorption characteristics and mechanisms of the biosorbent from waste activated sludge for heavy metals

The adsorption characteristics and mechanisms of the biosorbent from waste activated sludge were investigated by adsorbing Pb2＋and Zn2＋in aqueous single-metal solutions. A p H value of the metal solutions at 6.0 was beneficial to the high adsorption quantity of the biosorbent. The optimal mass ratio of the biosorbent to metal ions was found to be 2. A higher adsorption quantity of the biosorbent was achieved by keeping the reaction temperature below 55°C. Response surface methodology was applied to optimize the biosorption processes, and the developed mathematical equations showed high determination coefficients（above 0.99 for both metal ions） and insignificant lack of fit（p = 0.0838 and 0.0782 for Pb2＋and Zn2＋, respectively）. Atomic force microscopy analyses suggested that the metal elements were adsorbed onto the biosorbent surface via electrostatic interaction. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicated the presence of complexation（between –NH2,-CN and metal ions） and ion-exchange（between –COOH and metal ions）. The adsorption mechanisms could be the combined action of electrostatic interaction, complexation and ion-exchange between functional groups and metal ions.

A hybrid membrane process for simultaneous thickening and digestion of waste activated sludge

A hybrid membrane process for simultaneous sludge thickening and digestion(MSTD)was studied.During one cycle(15 d)of operation under a hydraulic retention time of 1 d,the concentration of mixed liquor suspended solids(MLSS)continuously increased from about 4 g·L^(–1)to 34 g·L^(–1),and the mixed liquor volatile suspended solids(MLVSS)increased from about 3 g·L^(–1)to over 22 g·L^(–1).About 42%of the MLVSS and 39%of the MLSS reduction were achieved.The thickening and digestion effects in the MSTD were further analyzed based on a mass balance analysis.Test results showed that biopolymers and cations of biomass were gradually released to the bulk solution during the process.It was also found that the capillary suction time,colloidal chemical oxygen demand,soluble microbial products,viscosity,and MLSS had significant positive correlations with the membrane fouling rate,whereas extracellular polymeric substances,polysaccharides,and proteins extracted from biomass had negative impacts on membrane fouling.

The role of NiFe_(2)O_(4)nanoparticle in the anaerobic digestion(AD)of waste activated sludge(WAS)

Anaerobic digestion(AD)is a promising technology for the treatment of waste activated sludge(WAS)with energy recovery.However,the low methane yield and slow methanogenesis limit its broad application.In this study,the NiFe_(2)O_(4)nanoparticles(NPs)were fabricated and applied as a conductive material to enhance the AD via promoting the direct interspecies electron transfer(DIET).The crystal structure,specific surface area,morphology and elemental composition of the as-prepared NiFe_(2)O_(4)NPs were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS).The biochemical methane potential(BMP)test was performed(lasting for 35 days)to evaluate the energy recovery in AD with the addition of the NiFe_(2)O_(4)NPs.The results illustrate that NiFe_(2)O_(4)NPs could accelerate both the hydrolysis,acidogenesis and methanogenesis,i.e.,the cumulative methane production and daily methane yield increased from 96.76±1.70 mL/gVS and 8.24±1.26 mL gVS^(-1)d^(-1)in the absence of NiFe_(2)O_(4)NPs(Group A)to 123.69±3.20 mL/gVS and 9.71±0.77 mL gVS^(-1)d^(-1)in the presence of NiFe_(2)O_(4)NPs(Group B).The model simulation results showed that both the first-order kinetic model and the modified Gompertz model can well simulate the experimental results.The hydrolysis rate constant k increased from 0.04±0.01 d^(-1)in Group A to 0.06±0.01 d^(-1)in Group B.And the maximum methane production potential and activity were both improved after adding NiFe_(2)O_(4).The microbial community analysis revealed that the microorganisms associated with hydrolysis and acidogenesis were more abundant in the presence of NiFe_(2)O_(4).And the methanogenic archaea were enriched to a larger extent,resulted in the higher methanogenesis activities via dosing NiFe_(2)O_(4).

Combined alkaline and ultrasonic pretreatment of sludge before aerobic digestion

Alkaline and ultrasonic sludge disintegration can be used as the pretreatment of waste activated sludge （WAS） to promote the subsequent anaerobic or aerobic digestion. In this study, different combinations of these two methods were investigated. The evaluation was based on the quantity of soluble chemical oxygen demand （SCOD） in the pretreated sludge as well as the degradation of organic matter in the subsequent aerobic digestion. For WAS samples with combined pretreatment, the released COD levels were higher than those with ultrasonic or alkaline pretreatment alone. When combined with the ultrasonic treatment, NaOH treatment was more efficient than Ca（OH）2 for WAS solubilization. The COD levels released in various sequential options of combined NaOH and ultrasonic treatments were in the the following descending order： simultaneous treatment 〉 NaOH treatment followed by ultrasonic treatment 〉 ultrasonic treatment followed by NaOH treatment. For simultaneous treatment, low NaOH dosage （100 g/kg dry solid）, short duration （30 min） of NaOH treatment, and low ultrasonic specific energy （7500 kJ/kg dry solid） were suitable for sludge disintegration. Using combined NaOH and ultrasonic pretreatment with optimal parameters, the degradation efficiency of organic matter was increased from 38.0% to 50.7%, which is much higher than that with ultrasonic （42.5%） or with NaOH pretreatment （43.5%） in the subsequent aerobic digestion at the same retention time.

Enhanced nitrogen removal upon the addition of volatile fatty acids from activated sludge by combining calcium peroxide and low-thermal pretreatments

This study investigated a combined low-thermal and CaO_(2)pretreatment to enhance the volatile fatty acid(VFA)production from waste activated sludge(WAS).The fermentative product was added to a sequencing batch reactor(SBR)as an external carbon source to enhance nitrogen removal.The results showed that the combined pretreatment improved WAS solubilization,releasing more biodegradable substrates,such as proteins and polysaccharides,from TB-EPS to LB-EPS and S-EPS.The maximum VFA production of 3529±188 mg COD/L was obtained in the combined pretreatment(0.2 g CaO_(2)/g VS+70℃for 60 min),which was 2.1 and 1.4-fold of that obtained from the sole low-thermal pretreatment and the control test,respectively.Consequently,when the fermentative liquid was added as an external denitrification carbon source,the effluent total nitrogen decreased to Class A of the discharge standard for pollutants in rural wastewater treatment plants in most areas of China.

Occurrence,distribution,and potential influencing factors of sewage sludge components derived from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants of Beijing,China

Millions of tons of waste activated sludge（WAS） produced from biological wastewater treatment processes cause severe adverse environmental consequences. A better understanding of WAS composition is thus very critical for sustainable sludge management. In this work, the occurrence and distribution of several fundamental sludge constituents were explored in WAS samples from nine full-scale wastewater treatment plants（WWTPs） of Beijing, China. Among all the components investigated, active heterotrophic biomass was dominant in the samples（up to 9478 mg/L）, followed by endogenous residues（6736 mg/L）,extracellular polymeric substances（2088 mg/L）, and intracellular storage products（464 mg/L）among others. Moreover, significant differences（p 〈 0.05） were observed in composition profiles of sludge samples among the studied WWTPs. To identify the potential parameters affecting the variable fractions of sludge components, wastewater source as well as design and operational parameters of WWTPs were studied using statistical methods. The findings indicated that the component fraction of sewage sludge depends more on wastewater treatment alternatives than on wastewater characteristics among other parameters. A principal component analysis was conducted, which further indicated that there was a greater proportion of residual inert biomass in the sludge produced by the combined system of the conventional anaerobic/anoxic/oxic process and a membrane bioreactor. Additionally, a much longer solids retention time was also found to influence the sludge composition and induce an increase in both endogenous inert residues and extracellular polymeric substances in the sludge.

Linkages of volatile fatty acids and polyhexamethylene guanidine stress during sludge fermentation:Metagenomic insights of microbial metabolic traits and adaptation

The massive use of polyhexamethylene guanidine(PHMG),as a typical bactericidal agent,raised environmental concerns to the public.This work comprehensively revealed the hormesis effects of PHMG occurred in waste activated sludge(WAS)on the generation of volatile fatty acids(VFAs)during anaerobic fermentation.The low level of PHMG(100 mg/g TSS)significantly promoted the VFAs generation(1283 mg COD/L,compared with 337 mg COD/L in the control)via synchronously facilitating the solubilization,hydrolysis,and acidification steps but inhibiting methanogenesis.Metagenomic analysis showed that the functional anaerobe(i.e.,Bacteroides,Macellibacteroide and Parabacteroide)and corresponding genetic expressions responsible for extracellular hydrolysis(i.e.,clp P),membrane transport(i.e.,ffh and gsp F),intracellular substrates metabolism(i.e.,ald and paa F)and VFAs biosynthesis(i.e.,ACACA and FASN)were enhanced in the optimal presence of PHMG.Moreover,the anaerobic species could respond and adapt to low PHMG stimuli via quorum sensing(i.e.,cqs A,rpf C and rpf G),and thus maintain the high microbial metabolic activities.However,they were unable to tolerate the toxicity of excessive PHMG,resulting in the extremely low VFAs production.This work enlightened the effects of emerging pollutants on WAS fermentation at the genetic levels,and provided guidance on the WAS treatment and resource recovery.