Abstract

BLANQUICET, Yirley Angélica Rincón et al. Succession of Periphyton and Identification of Metabolites as Indicators of Organic Degradation in a Wastewater Treatment Plant. Luna Azul [online]. 2026, n.63, pp.104-127.  Epub Sep 10, 2026. ISSN 1909-2474.  https://doi.org/10.17151/luaz.2026.63.6.

Wastewater treatment plants are exposed to physical and chemical factors that allow communities such as periphyton to develop, thanks to the nutrients present in the wastewater, which are important for their ability to absorb and transform contaminants. This study analyzed the composition and succession of the periphyton community at a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to evaluate the influence of physicochemical factors on its development and to identify key metabolites of biological interest in bioremediation. To this end, artificial substrates were installed in the biodigesters of a university-affiliated WWTP to monitor colonization over a 72-hour period. The collected samples were processed using microscopic techniques, gas chromatography analysis, and analysis of the water’s physicochemical parameters. The results showed a succession process with biofilm formation at six hours and the establishment of a periphytic community at 72 hours, indicating eutrophic conditions that accelerate periphytic succession dominated by cyanobacteria, green algae, protozoa, and invertebrates. In addition, chromatographic analysis identified metabolites characteristic of decomposition processes involved in the development of periphyton, such as 3-methylindole and p-cresol. These results, combined with the reported values for dissolved oxygen, phosphorus, nitrites, and nitrates, are indicative of intense microbial activity, demonstrating that this community, as it develops within the WWTP system, uses pollutants as its primary source for establishment.

Keywords : wastewater; water quality; eutrophication; metabolites; ecological succession.

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