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Review
. 2016 May 31;16(6):797.
doi: 10.3390/s16060797.

Characterisation of Phosphate Accumulating Organisms and Techniques for Polyphosphate Detection: A Review

Cédric Tarayre  1 , Huu-Thanh Nguyen  2   3 , Alison Brognaux  4 , Anissa Delepierre  5 , Lies De Clercq  6 , Raphaëlle Charlier  7 , Evi Michels  8 , Erik Meers  9 , Frank Delvigne  10   11
Affiliations
Review

Characterisation of Phosphate Accumulating Organisms and Techniques for Polyphosphate Detection: A Review

Cédric Tarayre et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

Phosphate minerals have long been used for the production of phosphorus-based chemicals used in many economic sectors. However, these resources are not renewable and the natural phosphate stocks are decreasing. In this context, the research of new phosphate sources has become necessary. Many types of wastes contain non-negligible phosphate concentrations, such as wastewater. In wastewater treatment plants, phosphorus is eliminated by physicochemical and/or biological techniques. In this latter case, a specific microbiota, phosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs), accumulates phosphate as polyphosphate. This molecule can be considered as an alternative phosphate source, and is directly extracted from wastewater generated by human activities. This review focuses on the techniques which can be applied to enrich and try to isolate these PAOs, and to detect the presence of polyphosphate in microbial cells.

Keywords: PAO; detection; polyphosphate; single cell technologies.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Anaerobic metabolism of phosphorus in phosphate accumulating bacteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Aerobic metabolism of phosphorus in phosphate accumulating bacteria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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