Bacterial community dynamics and its effects during biological activited carbon filter process for drinking water treatment

A biological activated carbon (BAC) filter was designed for treatment of micro-pollutants in Songhua River. The goal of the study was to characterize bacterial diversity over time and in different spatial regions of the filter and evaluate the effects on BAC performance. The bacterial activity varied over time and the length of the filter. SEM results showed biomass of BAC filter increased during operation and corresponding biological activity reached to 1023.5 (ng ATP g^-1 carbon). PCR-DGGE results showed that bacterial composition differed in different spatial regions of the filter and competition between bacterial populations existed. Bacterial dynamics might affect bacterial activity and BAC performance. With bacterial populations reduced, increase of bioactivity, TOC and ammonium removal rate became lower. The phylogenetic results showed BAC filter was colonized by diverse population of bacteria at the end of operation, which played an important role in the performance and reliability of this biofilter system.