The expanded granular sludge blanket reactor (EGSB) was operated for 198 days to study the long-term effects of phenanthrene (PHE) enrichment on system performance and microbial community. The results showed that the PHE was significantly enriched in the reactor. The final PHE concentration in effluent and sludge reached to 1.764±0.05 mg/L and 12.52±0.42 mg/gTS, respectively. While the average daily methane production was decreased by 5.0%-9.8% under long-term PHE exposure. The 3D-EEM of effluent indicated that PHE stimulated the microbial metabolism with the higher intensity of soluble microbial byproduct-like materials (SMP) and proteins. Moreover, the removal efficiency of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) and NH4+-N gradually diminished with the enrichment of PHE. PHE shaped the microbial community, and the predominant fermentative bacteria (Mesotoga) was severely inhibited. Contrarily, the bacteria (Syntrophorhabdus, Acinetobacter, Desulfovibrio, Desulfomicrobium) involved in PHE-degradation was enriched at end of Phase V. In addition, the relative abundance (RA) of hydrotrophic methanogens (Methanofastidiosum, Methanolinea, Methanobacterium, Methanomassiliicoccus) increased by 0.96-fold with the long-term enrichment of PHE, while the RA of acetoclastic Methanosaeta obviously decreased.

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