Biodegradation of organic pollutants can occur naturally. It relies on the growth of bacteria to break down organics and facilitate conversion of inorganics. Acclimatized bacteria can be used to degrade fat, oil, grease (FOG), easily biodegradable organics, recalcitrant organics that are considered as DBP precursors, and achieve nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal under certain engineered conditions.

I consider biodegradation as an important mechanism of DBP precursor removal in engineered water and wastewater treatment systems. My investigations on biodegradation are primarily associated with exploration of soluble microbial products as DBP precursors, and bioaugmentation of nitrifiers and FOG-degrading bacteria. Representative publications in this regard are as follows: (# denotes my student author, * denotes the corresponding author)

Long, S.M.#; Tang, H.L.* A feasibility study of disinfection by-product precursor removal from surface water by a membrane bioreactor acclimatized with wastewater organic matter. Water Science and Technology, 2018, 78, 991-998. DOI: 10.2166/wst.2018.386

Yu, J.; Wu, X.; Song, Y.; Ren, W.; Tang, H.L.* Metabolic degradation of 1,4-dichloronaphthalene by Pseudomonas sp. HY. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2015, 12, 10300-10313. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120910300

Tang, H.L.*; Chen, H. Nitrification at full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants: Evaluation of inhibition and bioaugmentation of nitrifiers. Bioresource Technology, 2015, 190, 76-81. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2015.04.063

Liu, J.-L.; Li, X.-Y.; Xie, Y.-F.; Tang, H. Characterization of soluble microbial products as precursors of disinfection byproducts in drinking water supply. Science of the Total Environment, 2014, 472, 818-824. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.11.139

Tang, H.L.; Xie, Y.F.; Chen, Y.-C. Use of Bio-Amp, a commercial bio-additive for the treatment of grease trap wastewater containing fat, oil, and grease. Bioresource Technology, 2012, 124, 52-58. DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2012.08.012

Tang, H.L.; Chen, Y.-C.; Regan, J.M.; Xie, Y.F. Disinfection by-product formation potentials in wastewater effluents and their reductions in a wastewater treatment plant. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 2012, 14, 1515-1522. DOI: 10.1039/C2EM00015F