Community succession and carbon footprint accounting of a pilot-scale anaerobic filter during recovery after long-term shutdown under low-temperature stress

ZHANG Shiyong; LIU Xiuhong; CHENG Rong; YANG Qing

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202608003

Volume 44 Issue 8

Aug. 2026

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ZHANG Shiyong, LIU Xiuhong, CHENG Rong, YANG Qing. Community succession and carbon footprint accounting of a pilot-scale anaerobic filter during recovery after long-term shutdown under low-temperature stress[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(8): 19-31. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608003

Citation:

ZHANG Shiyong, LIU Xiuhong, CHENG Rong, YANG Qing. Community succession and carbon footprint accounting of a pilot-scale anaerobic filter during recovery after long-term shutdown under low-temperature stress[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(8): 19-31. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608003

Citation:

ZHANG Shiyong, LIU Xiuhong, CHENG Rong, YANG Qing. Community succession and carbon footprint accounting of a pilot-scale anaerobic filter during recovery after long-term shutdown under low-temperature stress[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(8): 19-31. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608003

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Community succession and carbon footprint accounting of a pilot-scale anaerobic filter during recovery after long-term shutdown under low-temperature stress

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202608003

1. National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China;
2. Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China

Received Date: 2026-03-31

Abstract

Abstract

Driven by the Dual Carbon Goals and the imperative concept of a circular economy， transitioning municipal wastewater treatment from traditional energy-intensive aerobic processes to sustainable， energy-recovering anaerobic technologies has become highly essential for the water industry. However， the practical application of anaerobic biological treatment for low-strength municipal wastewater often faces severe operational challenges， particularly those recovering from unexpected equipment shutdowns， long-term starvation， and seasonal low-temperature fluctuations. To systematically address these critical issues in pilot-scale applications， a pilot-scale anaerobic filter （AF） packed with volcanic rock media was employed to treat actual municipal wastewater； the reactor， with an effective volume of 240 L， was evaluated over multiple continuous operational phases. This study comprehensively investigated the system’s performance recovery following an extended 234-day period of starvation， and the subsequent impact of continuous low-temperature stress on operational efficiency， pollutant spatial distribution， and microbial community structure. The experimental results demonstrated that extending the hydraulic retention time from 8 to 12 hours facilitated the rapid recovery of the AF； upon achieving stable recovery， the removal amounts of total chemical oxygen demand （TCOD） and soluble chemical oxygen demand （SCOD） reached 58.6 mg/L and 21.5 mg/L， respectively， and following a continuous 100-day period of low-temperature operation（ the influent temperature dropped to as low as 11.7 ℃）， the TCOD and SCOD removal amounts remained 54.6 mg/L and 28.6 mg/L， respectively. Although the extremely low temperature decreased the overall CH₄ production volume， the specific CH₄ yield was not significantly affected， thereby maintaining an efficient energy conversion rate； mechanistic investigations revealed that， under low-temperature conditions， the secretion of proteins within extracellular polymeric substances （EPS） significantly increased and exhibited a strong negative correlation with the temperature gradient along the filter height. The massive protein secretion played a crucial protective role in resisting low-temperature stress， thereby enabling the system to maintain structural integrity and operate stably. High-throughput sequencing and quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of the microbial community revealed a distinct spatial and temporal succession； after the long-term starvation period， the functional microbiomes recovered sequentially in the strict order of hydrolytic-acidogenic bacteria， hydrogen-producing acetogenic bacteria， and methanogens， and during this initial recovery phase， the CO₂-reducing methanogen Methanobacterium dominated the methanogenic community； however， following the prolonged low-temperature period， a significant pathway shift occurred， and the acetoclastic methanogen Methanosaeta， relying on its high affinity for acetate， became the dominant methanogen in the system. Furthermore， low-temperature stress promoted a unique spatial functional stratification， leading to a substantial enrichment of hydrolytic-acidogenic and hydrogen-producing acetogenic bacteria in the upper-middle layers of the filter， which significantly improved the effective utilization of the reactor volume. Finally， a comprehensive energy and carbon footprint accounting indicated that， except for the extreme scenario where the influent temperature dropped to 11.7 ℃， the recovered CH₄electrical energy could fully satisfy the baseline energy consumption of the system’s peristaltic pump； furthermore， coupling the anaerobic filter effluent with a nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation process proved to be the optimal technological pathway for preventing dissolved methane emission and achieving deep carbon emission reduction. These findings provide vital theoretical support， precise spatial-temporal microbial mechanisms， and a highly practical engineering paradigm for the resilient operation and carbon-energy synergistic optimization of full-scale anaerobic wastewater treatment facilities under extreme environmental conditions.
- pilot-scale anaerobic filter （AF）,
- low temperature,
- microbial community structure,
- extracellular polymeric substances （EPS）,
- carbon footprint

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References(53)

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