removal efficiencies improved to 11-13% and 22-25%, respectively, under 1.25% salinity. Microbial analysis revealed a decline in bacterial richness with increasing salinity. Concurrently, halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms were selectively enriched. These findings support the application of salinity-acclimated sludge as seed biomass for saline domestic wastewater treatment in WWTPs.
Nguyen et al. (2026) studied this question.