Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b bioaugmentation unleashes polyhydroxybutyrate-accumulating potential in waste-activated sludge.

Background: Wastewater treatment plants contribute approximately 6% of anthropogenic methane emissions. Methanotrophs, capable of converting methane into polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), offer a promising solution for utilizing methane as a carbon source, using activated sludge as a seed culture for PHB production. However, maintaining and enriching PHB-accumulating methanotrophic communities poses challenges.