Webinar Series - Impact of microbial ecology on operation of biosolids treatment trains. Presenter: Dr Christian Krohn RMIT
Author Editor
Updated May 2025
This presentation is part of our ongoing webinar series being undertaken as part of the IWN Webinar Series Circular Economy – Solids stream.
This on-line webinar was presented on 29 May 2025. The recording of this webinar can be found via the IWN members site .
Below is the Flyer that was published for this event:
Impact of microbial ecology on operation of biosolids treatment trains
In project 1C of the ARC Transforming Biosolids Training Centre we investigated microbial consortia to improve the management of biological sludge treatment. This topic is fascinating because the treatment reactor biomass includes a diverse range of naturally occurring microbes, which are crucial for the performance of sewage treatment systems. However, due to the complexities of biological systems and technological limitations, many important microbes remain unidentified, and their roles unclear, despite decades of research. These knowledge gaps present untapped opportunities for process optimisation.
A key objective was to understand the role of microbes in anaerobic digestion foaming, a problematic yet poorly understood phenomenon. By employing next-generation sequencing and advanced data science methods, we examined microbial consortia over time in both laboratory-scale and full-scale anaerobic reactors. The findings will be presented, and the long-term benefits of this research—including next-generation monitoring tools to enhance process health—will be discussed.
About the speaker
Dr Chris Krohn is a postdoctoral research assistant at RMIT University for Project 1C. Chris is fascinated by complex microbial systems and the tools to explore them. In 2021, he completed his PhD in soil science at La Trobe University, focusing on the role microbial ecology in the dissipation of legacy pollutants in soils. Chris is a recipient of the Nancy Millis Medal for exceptional high quality of a thesis and the CG Stephens medal for best PhD thesis in soil science.