Temperature-Driven Activated Sludge Bacterial Community Assembly and Carbon Transformation Potential: A Case Study of Industrial Plants in the Yangtze River Delta

Temperature plays a critical role in the efficiency and stability of industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). This study focuses on the effects of temperature on activated sludge (AS) communities within the A O process of 19 industrial WWTPs in the Yangtze River Delta, a key industrial region in China. The investigation aims to understand how temperature influences AS community composition, functional assembly, and carbon transformation processes, including CO emission potential. Our findings reveal that increased operating temperatures lead to a decrease in alpha diversity, simplifying community structure and increasing modularity. Dominant species become more prevalent, with significant decreases in the relative abundance of and , and increases in and . Moreover, higher temperatures enhance the overall carbon conversion potential of AS, particularly boosting CO absorption in anaerobic conditions as the potential for CO emission during glycolysis and TCA cycles grows and diminishes, respectively. The study highlights that temperature is a major factor affecting microbial community characteristics and CO fluxes, with more pronounced effects observed in anaerobic sludge. This study provides valuable insights for maintaining stable A O system operations, understanding carbon footprints, and improving COD removal efficiency in industrial WWTPs.