Authors: A. J. Schuler, N. Majed, V. Bucci, F. L. Hellweger, Y. Tu and A. Z. Gu

About: Agent-based models (ABMs) simulate individual units within a system, such as the bacteria in a biological wastewater treatment system. This paper outlines past, current and potential future applications of ABMs to wastewater treatment. ABMs track heterogeneities within microbial populations, and this has been demonstrated to yield different predictions of bulk behaviors than the conventional, “lumped” approaches for enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) completely mixed reactors systems. Current work included the application of the ABM approach to bacterial adaptation/evolution, using the model system of individual EBPR bacteria that are allowed to evolve a kinetic parameter (maximum glycogen storage) in a competitive environment. 

Published In: Water Science and Technology Volume 63 Issue 8 (pages 1590-1598)