The game of microbial predators in wastewater treatment

Hello friends! Today we are going to talk about a super interesting study that reveals how microbial predators get into the wave of wastewater and affect its treatment. These little bugs play an important role in the bacterial community that lives in wastewater and that explains why there are changes in that community depending on the time of year. The study was carried out by two stars, Nils Heck and PD Dr. Kenneth Dumack, from the Institute of Zoology at the University of Cologne.

In wastewater treatment plants, there is a whole parade of microorganisms working together to clean the water efficiently. But beware, there are not only good bacteria, there are also predators out there, however, we did not know much about how these predators influenced water treatment, nor how much they affected.

Since treatment plants were invented, we know that the seasons of the year play a role in the bacterial community of wastewater and, therefore, in the efficiency of treatment. But why does this happen? If bacteria have no internal clock, what happens to them? As it turns out, this is more complicated than it seems, there are many factors that change with the seasons, such as temperature, light, the chemical composition of the water and the amount of rain.

So what makes the bacterial community change with the seasons? Dr. Kenneth Dumack explains: “We found that room temperature is not enough to explain these changes, we were left with a poker face, so we kept looking for another factor that played a role.” And then comes Nils Heck, top of the class in this study, and says: “Eureka! We discovered that microbial predators, such as amoebas, ciliates and even rotifers, also play a role in the bacterial community and it turns out that these predators are influenced by the ambient temperature. So, indirectly, the temperature affects the bacteria through the predators.”

These new discoveries help us better understand the “black drawer” of wastewater treatment and prevent health risks that can arise when we don’t properly treat wastewater. And that’s all, my friends! Now we know that microorganisms are like the stars of a soap opera in the world of wastewater and not only bacteria, but also predators play an important role. I hope you have found this blog interesting and entertaining. See you in a future chapter!