Fungal diversity in activated sludge from membrane bioreactors in Berlin

The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of fungi in aerobic and anoxic activated sludge from membrane bioreactors. Thirty-six samples from each aerobic and anoxic activated sludge were taken from two membrane bioreactors treating domestic wastewater. Over a period of 9 months, four samples from each plant were taken per month. The samples were prepared for count and identification of fungi. Sixty species belonging to 30 genera were collected from activated sludge samples under aerobic and anoxic conditions. In terms of fungal identification, under aerobic conditions Geotrichum candidum was found at 94.4% followed by Penicillium species at 80.6%, yeasts at 75.0%, and Trichoderma species at 50.0%; under anoxic conditions G. candidum at 86.1%, yeasts at 66.6%, and Penicillium species at 61.1% were the most prevalent. The results indicate that activated sludge is a habitat for growth and sporulation of different groups of fungi, both saprophytic and pathogenic.