Abstract
Candidatus 'Accumulibacter phosphatis' ('Accumulibacter') is known as polyphosphate-accumulating organism found in the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) activated sludge processes. 'Accumulibacter' is a yet-to-be isolated bacteria, and the growth of 'Accumulibacter' under aerobic conditions is still unknown. In this study, the potential for growth of 'Accumulibacter' in an aerobic shaking culture was evaluated. Activated sludge samples from a laboratory-scale EBPR reactor were incubated for 48 hours under different conditions (pH, temperature and carbon source), and the multiplication of the 'Accumulibacter' 16S rRNA gene was quantified by using quantitative real-time PCR (polymerase chain reaction). The gene showed statistically significant increase when the carbon source in the medium was glucose, the initial pH was 10.0 and the temperature was 20 °C (p > 0.05, n=9). Results in this study showed that 'Accumulibacter' most probably has the potential to grow in an aerobic shaking culture. The obtained results are desired to provide a hint for the successful isolation of 'Accumulibacter'.
