Enhanced nitrogen and manganese removal in a manganese redox-driven moving bed biofilm reactor: Role of extracellular polymeric substances.

Manganese redox cycling in a continuous-flow moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR1) achieved 95±2% NH4+-N removal versus 78±1% in the control (MBBR2).

• Why it matters: Nitrogen and manganese removal are limited by biofilm stability and stress responses, so clarifying how extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) mediate manganese redox is needed.
• What they did: The authors compared MBBR1 (manganese redox cycling) and MBBR2 (control) and measured NH4+-N and TN removal, EPS composition (including protein β-sheet content), and biofilm redox/stress indicators.
• The result: EPS-rich biofilm formed in R1, with EPS β-sheet protein content rising from 29.9% (R2) to 34.6% (R1), and R1 maintained stronger antioxidant capacity and cell viability while improving TN removal.

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