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Zheng Y, Wang B, Chen H, Zhou J, Song C, Chen J, Chai Z, Zheng M. Rhizosphere as hotspot for ammonia oxidation in secondary effluent constructed wetlands: Role of comammox Nitrospira. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2025; 431:132621. [PMID: 40319949 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2025] [Revised: 05/01/2025] [Accepted: 05/02/2025] [Indexed: 05/07/2025]
Abstract
Secondary effluent constructed wetlands (SECWs) are engineered ecosystems for advanced wastewater treatment, yet the functional roles and survival strategies of complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) within these systems remain poorly understood, particularly from a rhizosphere view. The results of this study demonstrated that comammox was numerically and functionally dominant (60.4 % to 70.6 %) in SECWs. The rhizosphere acted as a hotspot for ammonia oxidation and N2O production, compared to the nonrhizosphere. Enhanced nitrification was attributed to radial oxygen loss and humic acid-like compounds in root exudates. Furthermore, variations in comammox community structure and ammonia kinetic properties (Km(app) = 0.140 ± 0.026 mg N L-1) revealed niche differentiation among comammox species: the r-strategist Nitrospira sp. HN-bin3 thrived over time, whereas the K-strategist Nitrospira nitrificans was outcompeted, with ammonia concentration identified as the main driving factor. These results highlighted the vital but underappreciated role of comammox in the nitrogen cycle of constructed wetlands and provided new insights into their ecological functions and adaptive strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yize Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Bowen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Hongwei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Jinyang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chao Song
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Jin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zimin Chai
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
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Zhu Y, Hou J, Meng F, Xu M, Lin L, Yang L, Chen X. Comparative enrichment of complete ammonium oxidation bacteria in floccular sludge reactors: Sequencing batch reactor vs. continuous stirred tank reactor. WATER RESEARCH X 2025; 27:100305. [PMID: 39926342 PMCID: PMC11802381 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2025.100305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2024] [Revised: 01/15/2025] [Accepted: 01/22/2025] [Indexed: 02/11/2025]
Abstract
This study attempted to compare the enrichment of complete ammonium oxidation (comammox) bacteria, which are affiliated with Nitrospira and not able to generate nitrous oxide (N2O, a potent greenhouse gas) through biological pathways, in two commonly-utilized configurations of floccular sludge reactors, i.e., sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), under the ammonium condition of mainstream wastewater (i.e., 40.0 g-N/m3). The results in terms of nitrification performance and microbial analyses during 216-d operation showed that compared with SBR offering a fluctuating but generally higher in-situ ammonium concentration (i.e., 1.0-6.0 g-N/m3) which was favorable for the growth of ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB, belonging to Nitrosomonas in this study), CSTR managed to lower the in-situ ammonium level to < 2.0 g-N/m3, thus creating a competitive advantage for comammox bacteria with a highly oligotrophic lifestyle. Such an argument was further supported by dedicated batch tests which revealed that Nitrospira-dominant sludge had a lower maximum ammonium oxidation rate and lower apparent ammonium and oxygen affinity constants than Nitrosomonas-dominant sludge (i.e., 33.5 ± 2.1 mg-N/h/g-MLVSS vs. 139.9 ± 26.7 mg-N/h/g-MLVSS, 1.1 ± 0.1 g-N/m3 vs. 17.6 ± 4.6 g-N/m3, and 0.017 ± 0.002 g-O2/m3 vs. 0.037 ± 0.013 g-O2/m3, respectively), proving the nature of comammox bacteria as a K-strategist. Overall, this study not only provided useful insights into the effective enrichment of comammox bacteria in floccular sludge but also further revealed the interactions between comammox bacteria and AOB, thereby contributing to the future development of comammox-inclusive biological nitrogen removal technologies for sustainable wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhu
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, PR China
| | - Jiaying Hou
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, PR China
| | - Fangang Meng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangzhou 510275, PR China
| | - Meiying Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
| | - Limin Lin
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310030, PR China
| | - Linyan Yang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, PR China
| | - Xueming Chen
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, PR China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology (Sun Yat-sen University), Guangzhou 510275, PR China
- State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Institute of Microbiology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510070, PR China
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Guo K, Li D, Teng L, Ji B, Li S, Zeng H, Zhang J. Enrichment of Nitrosocosmicus-AOA in situ and their vertical distribution characteristics in aerated biofilters. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2025; 277:121590. [PMID: 40220886 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2025] [Revised: 03/24/2025] [Accepted: 04/09/2025] [Indexed: 04/14/2025]
Abstract
Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are promising candidates for replacing ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in wastewater treatment. However, limited efforts have been made to enrich copiotrophic-AOA in situ competitively. To this end, two laboratory-scale intermittent aerated biofilters (upflow-aerated biofilter (R1) and downflow-aerated biofilter (R2)) were comparatively employed for the treatment of mainstream wastewater. An extended non-aerobic cycling strategy led to higher residual ammonia-nitrogen levels (0.01-18.7 mg/L), denser biofilms, and facilitated the dominance of Nitrosocosmicus-like AOA (R1: 70.31%; R2: 82.32%). Additionally, the AOA in both biofilters were the main contributors (62%-66%) to the highly efficient nitrification process. Compared with R1, R2 had a higher abundance of Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira, a lower ammonia oxidation rate, and a simpler co-occurrence network of nitrifiers. The protein content induced by intermittent aeration significantly affected the AOA community. Candidatus Brocadia (3.62%-7.82%) was also auto-enriched in both biofilters. Therefore, in situ enrichment of Nitrosocosmicus-dominant nitrifying microorganisms is conducive to developing an environment-friendly, energy-efficient, high ammonia-nitrogen removal AOA-based partial nitrification-anammox process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kehuan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100123, China
| | - Dong Li
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100123, China.
| | - Luyao Teng
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100123, China
| | - Bin Ji
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, China
| | - Shuai Li
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100123, China
| | - Huiping Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100123, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100123, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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Sonthiphand P, Songkriengkrai N, Charanaipayuk N, Termsaithong T, Suwannasilp BB, Mhuantong W, Limpiyakorn T. Dynamics of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in gradient temperature-regulated reactors under low ammonia loading condition. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2025; 380:124943. [PMID: 40090093 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.124943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2025] [Accepted: 03/09/2025] [Indexed: 03/18/2025]
Abstract
Ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) play a crucial role in nitrogen removal in engineered systems. However, temperature fluctuations can lead to ammonia oxidation failure. This study investigated the effects of a broad temperature range (10.5, 14, 17.5, 21, 26.4, 35, 38.5, 42, and 45.5 °C) on the distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and comammox together with Nitrospira and Nitrobacter in gradient temperature-regulated reactors operated under low ammonia loading condition. Quantitative PCR and high throughput sequencing revealed that the AOA amoA gene numbers (∼104 copies/ng DNA) were relatively high at 38.5 °C to 42 °C, suggesting AOA favoring higher temperature than lower temperature. The amoA genes of AOA (∼103 - 104 copies/ng DNA) outcompeted those of AOB (∼103 copies/ng DNA) and comammox (
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Affiliation(s)
- Prinpida Sonthiphand
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Napong Songkriengkrai
- International Program in Hazardous Substance and Environmental Management, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Nampetch Charanaipayuk
- International Program in Hazardous Substance and Environmental Management, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Teerasit Termsaithong
- Learning Institute, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand; Theoretical and Computational Physics (TCP) Group, Center of Excellence in Theoretical and Computational Science (TaCS-CoE), King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Benjaporn Boonchayaanant Suwannasilp
- Department of Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; Biotechnology for Wastewater Engineering Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wuttichai Mhuantong
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Tawan Limpiyakorn
- Department of Environmental and Sustainable Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand; Biotechnology for Wastewater Engineering Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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Li X, Hua Z, Zhang J, Jin J, Wang Y. Effects of perfluoroalkyl acids on nitrogen release, transformation and microbial community during the debris decomposition of Alisma orientale and Iris pseudacorus. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2025; 278:107171. [PMID: 39577360 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2024.107171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2024] [Revised: 11/14/2024] [Accepted: 11/17/2024] [Indexed: 11/24/2024]
Abstract
The release of nutrients into water during debris decomposition is a serious concern, leading to severe environmental pollution. To understand the effects of extensively present emerging contaminants (such as perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs)) on the nitrogen (N) release and transformation, the concentration dynamics of different N species in surrounding water and changes in microbial communities on biofilm during the 70-days decomposition of two typical submerged macrophyte (Alisma orientale and Iris pseudacorus) debris were studied. The results showed that large amounts of N species (especially organic and ammonium N) were released during decomposition. PFAAs with a low concentration (1 μg/L) could stimulate total N (TN) release, whereas PFAAs with a high concentration (≥ 10 μg/L) might have inhibited TN release. Higher intensities of ammonification, nitrosification, and denitrification, but lower intensities of nitrification were observed in water in the presence of PFAAs. Microbiota associated with organic matter hydrolysis, nitrification and denitrification, as well as PFAA degrading/tolerant bacteria, were beneficial and might have occupied dominant states. Redundancy analysis showed that PFAAs were positively associated with the amounts of nitrate, denitrifiers, and azotobacteria but negatively correlated with the TN, ammonia, nitrite, organic N, and nitrosobacteria amounts (p = 0.0002). The complete N metabolism pathway was identified using PICRUSt and KEGG. Functional genes related to ammonification (0.76‰-2.16‰), N reduction (3.43‰-5.05‰), and assimilation (0.81‰-2.16‰) were more abundant than others in all treatments. This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of N cycling during debris decomposition under the increasingly intractable threat of emerging contaminants in aquatic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqing Li
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Jiangsu, 210098, PR China
| | - Zulin Hua
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China; Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Jiangsu, 210098, PR China.
| | - Jianyun Zhang
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Jiangsu, 210098, PR China
| | - Junliang Jin
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Jiangsu, 210098, PR China
| | - Yifan Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lakes, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, PR China
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Yang C, Chen Y, Sun W, Zhang Q, Diao M, Sun J. Extreme soil salinity reduces N and P metabolism and related microbial network complexity and community immigration rate. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2025; 264:120361. [PMID: 39547566 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.120361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2024] [Revised: 11/06/2024] [Accepted: 11/12/2024] [Indexed: 11/17/2024]
Abstract
Soil microbiomes are well known to suffer from the effects of rising salinity. There are, however, no current understandings regarding its specific effects on microbial metabolic functions associated with nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) cycling, particularly in the Yellow River Delta (YRD), one of the largest estuaries in the world. This research examined soil microbiomes at 50 sites in the YRD region to analyze their co-occurrence networks and their relationship with N (nitrification, denitrification, dissimilatory, assimilatory, fixation, and mineralization) and P (solubilization, mineralization, transportation, and regulation) metabolism processes. Our findings indicate a notable reduction in soil multifunctionality as salinity levels increase, with Halofilum-ochraceum playing a significant role in nitrification, whereas Bacteroidetes-SB0662-bin-6 helps solubilize inorganic P in highly saline areas. High soil salinity negatively affected the amoA gene involved in nitrification and increased the nosZ gene involved in denitrification in extreme salinity soil with 8.2 g/kg salt content. Extreme salinity significantly reduced the expression of genes involved in inorganic P solubilization, such as ppa and ppx. Additionally, the alkaline P gene phoD exhibited significant decreases in extremely saline soils, thereby impeding the mineralization of organic P. The neutral community models indicated that microbial community immigration rate showed a linear negative relationship with soil EC in the six N and four P processes. Salinization, however, displayed a nonlinear pattern with clearly defined thresholds on the community of microbes involved in N and P cycling. Reduced microbial diversity and interactions are causing a decline in soil multifunctionality, and the soil multifunctionality and network edges jointly limited the microbial community immigration rate involved in N and P cycling. It is crucial to preserve soil microbial functions to support nutrient cycling and predict the ecological effects of soil salinization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chao Yang
- College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China; Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Grassland Resources and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China; Shandong Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation of Saline-Alkaline Tolerant Grasses and Trees, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China
| | - Yitong Chen
- College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China
| | - Wenyao Sun
- College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China
| | - Mengmeng Diao
- College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China; Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Grassland Resources and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China; Shandong Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation of Saline-Alkaline Tolerant Grasses and Trees, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China
| | - Juan Sun
- College of Grassland Science, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China; Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Grassland Resources and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China; Shandong Key Laboratory for Germplasm Innovation of Saline-Alkaline Tolerant Grasses and Trees, Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266109, China.
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Wimalaweera I, Zuo F, Tang Q, Sui Q, Jinadasa S, Weragoda S, Ritigala T, Weerasooriya R, Wang Y, Zhong H, Makehelwala M, Wei Y. Synchronised removal of nitrogen and sulphate from rubber industrial wastewater by coupling of Sulfammox and sulphide-driven autotrophic denitrification in anaerobic membrane bioreactor. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2025; 416:131785. [PMID: 39542062 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2024] [Revised: 11/06/2024] [Accepted: 11/07/2024] [Indexed: 11/17/2024]
Abstract
Global rubber industry, growing 4-6 % annually with 13.76 million Mt of rubber produced in 2019, significantly impacts the economy. This study explores coupling sulfate-dependent ammonium oxidation (Sulfammox) and sulfide-driven autotrophic denitrification (SDAD) within an anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) to treat high-strength natural rubber wastewater. Over 225 days, the AnMBR system achieved maximal chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N), and sulfate sulfur (SO42--S) removal efficiencies of 58 %, 31 %, 13 %, and 45 %, respectively. TN is predominantly removed through Sulfammox (accounting for 49 % of NH4+-N removal), SDAD, and conventional denitrification pathways. Sulfate removal is achieved via Sulfammox (responsible for 43 % of SO42--S removal), and Dissimilatory sulfate-reducing (DSR) processes (contributing 57 % of SO42--S removal). Microbial analysis identified Desulfovibrio and Sulfurospirillum as key microbes, while metagenomic analysis highlighted crucial sulfur and nitrogen cycling pathways. The findings support Sulfammox and SDAD as promising eco-friendly strategies for treating ammonia- and sulfate-rich industrial wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ishanka Wimalaweera
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology, Ministry of Water Supply, Meewathura, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
| | - Fumin Zuo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qihe Tang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Qianwen Sui
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shameen Jinadasa
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Peradeniya, Kandy 20400, Sri Lanka; School of Engineering and Technology, Central Queensland University, Bundaberg QLD4670, Australia
| | - Sujithra Weragoda
- China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology, Ministry of Water Supply, Meewathura, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka; National Water Supply and Drainage Board, Katugastota 20800, Sri Lanka
| | - Tharindu Ritigala
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Rohan Weerasooriya
- National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hanthana Road, Kandy 20000, Sri Lanka
| | - Yawei Wang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Hui Zhong
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Madhubhashini Makehelwala
- China-Sri Lanka Joint Research and Demonstration Center for Water Technology, Ministry of Water Supply, Meewathura, Peradeniya 20400, Sri Lanka
| | - Yuansong Wei
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Hanthana Road, Kandy 20000, Sri Lanka.
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8
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Blom P, Smith GJ, van Kessel MAHJ, Koch H, Lücker S. Comprehensive evaluation of primer pairs targeting the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A gene of complete ammonia-oxidizing Nitrospira. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0051624. [PMID: 39166864 PMCID: PMC11448142 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.00516-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Since the discovery of complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) within the genus Nitrospira, their distribution and abundance across habitats have been intensively studied to better understand their ecological significance. Many primers targeting their ammonia monooxygenase subunit A gene (amoA) have been designed to detect and quantify comammox bacteria and to describe their community structure. We identified 38 published primers, but only few had high coverage and specificity for all known comammox Nitrospira or one of the two described subclades. For each target group, we comprehensively evaluated selected primer pairs using in silico analyses, endpoint PCRs, qPCRs, and amplicon sequencing on samples from various environments. Endpoint PCRs and qPCRs showed that the most commonly used primer pairs (comaA-244F/659R, comaB-244F/659R, and Ntsp-amoA162F/359R) produced several bands, which likely inflated quantifications via qPCR. In contrast, the recently published primer combinations CA377F/C576R, CB377F/C576R, and CA-CB377F/C576R resulted mostly in a single band. Furthermore, amplicon sequencing demonstrated that these primer combinations also captured the highest richness of comammox Nitrospira. Taken together, our results indicate that few existing comammox amoA primer combinations have both high specificity and coverage and that the choice of these high-specificity and high-coverage primer pairs substantially impacts the accurate detection, quantification, and community description of comammox bacteria. We, therefore, recommend using the CA377F/C576R, CB377F/C576R, and CA-CB377F/C576R primer pairs.IMPORTANCEBacteria that can fully convert ammonia via nitrite to nitrate, the complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox), were recently discovered and are found in many natural and engineered environments. PCR-based tools to study their abundance and diversity were rapidly developed, resulting in a plethora of primers available, many of which are widely used. The presence of comammox bacteria in an environment can, however, only be correctly determined if the used primers detect all members of this group while not detecting any other guilds. This study assesses the coverage and specificity of existing primers targeting comammox bacteria using both computational and standard molecular techniques, revealing large differences in their performance. The uniform usage of well-performing primers across studies could aid in generating comparable and generalizable data to better understand the importance of comammox bacteria in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pieter Blom
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Garrett J Smith
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Maartje A H J van Kessel
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Hanna Koch
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Bioresources Unit, Center for Health & Bioresources, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Tulln an der Donau, Austria
| | - Sebastian Lücker
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud Institute for Biological and Environmental Sciences, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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Wu YJ, Wu JY, Hsieh CW, Chang BC, Whang LM. Biological treatment of N-methylpyrrolidone, cyclopentanone, and diethylene glycol monobutyl ether distilled residues and their effects on nitrogen removal in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 362:142585. [PMID: 38866333 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Revised: 05/31/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Manufacturing processes in semiconductor and photonics industries involve the use of a significant amount of organic solvents. Recycle and reuse of these solvents produce distillate residues and require treatment before being discharged. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of the biological treatment system in a full-scale wastewater treatment plant that treats wastewater containing distillate residues from the recycling of electronic chemicals. Batch experiments were conducted to investigate the optimal operational conditions for the full-scale wastewater treatment plant. To achieve good nitrogen removal efficiency with effluent ammonia and nitrate concentrations below 20 mg N/L and 50 mg N/L, respectively, it was suggested to control the ammonia concentration and pH of the influent below 500 mg N/L and 8.0, respectively. In addition, the biodegradability of N-methylpyrrolidone, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, and cyclopentanone distillate residues from the electronic chemicals manufacturing process were evaluated under aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic conditions. N-methylpyrrolidone and cyclopentanone distillate residues were suggested to be treated under anoxic condition. However, substrate inhibition occurred when using cyclopentanone distillate residue as a carbon source with chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels higher than 866 mg/L and nitrate levels higher than 415 mg N/L. Under aerobic condition, the COD from both N-methylpyrrolidone and cyclopentanone distillate residues could be easily degraded. Nevertheless, a negative effect on nitrification was observed, with a prolonged lag time for ammonia oxidation as the initial COD concentration increased. The specific ammonia oxidation rate and nitrate production rate decreased under high COD concentration contributed by N-methylpyrrolidone and cyclopentanone distillate residues. Furthermore, the biodegradability of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether distillate residue was found to be low under aerobic, anoxic, and anaerobic conditions. With respect to the abundance of nitrogen removal microorganisms in the wastewater treatment plant, results showed that Comammox may have an advantage over ammonia oxidizing bacteria under high pH conditions. In addition, Comammox may have higher resistance to environmental changes. Dominance of Comammox over ammonia oxidizing bacteria under high ammonia condition was first reported in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Ju Wu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, 701, Taiwan
| | - Jie-Yu Wu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, 701, Taiwan
| | - Chung-Wei Hsieh
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, 701, Taiwan
| | - Ben-Chiao Chang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, 701, Taiwan
| | - Liang-Ming Whang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, 701, Taiwan; Sustainable Environment Research Laboratory (SERL), National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), No. 1, University Road, 701, Taiwan.
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10
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Jin D, Zhang X, Zhang X, Zhou L, Zhu Z, Deogratias UK, Wu Z, Zhang K, Ji X, Ju T, Zhu X, Gao B, Ji L, Zhao R, Ruth G, Wu P. A critical review of comammox and synergistic nitrogen removal coupling anammox: Mechanisms and regulatory strategies. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174855. [PMID: 39034010 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Revised: 05/13/2024] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Nitrification is highly crucial for both anammox systems and the global nitrogen cycle. The discovery of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) challenges the inherent concept of nitrification as a two-step process. Its wide distribution, adaptability to low substrate environments, low sludge production, and low greenhouse gas emissions may make it a promising new nitrogen removal treatment process. Meanwhile, anammox technology is considered the most suitable process for future wastewater treatment. The diverse metabolic capabilities and similar ecological niches of comammox bacteria and anammox bacteria are expected to achieve synergistic nitrogen removal within a single system. However, previous studies have overlooked the existence of comammox, and it is necessary to re-evaluate the conclusions drawn. This paper outlined the ecophysiological characteristics of comammox bacteria and summarized the environmental factors affecting their growth. Furthermore, it focused on the enrichment, regulatory strategies, and nitrogen removal mechanisms of comammox and anammox, with a comparative analysis of hydroxylamine, a particular intermediate product. Overall, this is the first critical overview of the conclusions drawn from the last few years of research on comammox-anammox, highlighting possible next steps for research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Jin
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Xiaonong Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Xingxing Zhang
- School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, PR China
| | - Li Zhou
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Zixuan Zhu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Ufoymungu Kisa Deogratias
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Zhiqiang Wu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Kangyu Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Xu Ji
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Ting Ju
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Xurui Zhu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Bo Gao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Luomiao Ji
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Rui Zhao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Guerra Ruth
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China
| | - Peng Wu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China; National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China; Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Technology and Material of Water Treatment, No. 1 Kerui Road, Suzhou 215009, PR China.
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11
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Zhang A, Zhu M, Zheng Y, Tian Z, Mu G, Zheng M. The significant contribution of comammox bacteria to nitrification in a constructed wetland revealed by DNA-based stable isotope probing. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 399:130637. [PMID: 38548031 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2024] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The discovery of Comammox bacteria (CMX) has changed our traditional concept towards nitrification, yet its role in constructed wetlands (CWs) remains unclear. This study investigated the contributions of CMX and two canonical ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea to nitrification in four regions (sediment, shoreside, adjacent soil, and water) of a typical CW using DNA-based stable isotope probing. The results revealed that CMX not only widely occurred in sediment and shoreside zones with high abundance (5.08 × 104 and 6.57 × 104 copies g-1 soil, respectively), but also actively participated in ammonia oxidation, achieving ammonia oxidation rates of 1.43 and 2.00 times that of AOB in sediment and shoreside, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that N. nitrosa was the dominant and active CMX species. These findings uncovered the crucial role of CMX in nitrification of sediment and shoreside, providing a new insight into nitrogen cycle of constructed wetlands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Mingyang Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yize Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zhichao Tian
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Guangli Mu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
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12
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Zheng R, Feng Y, Kong L, Wu X, Zhou J, Zhang L, Liu S. Blue-light irradiation induced partial nitrification. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 254:121381. [PMID: 38442606 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The role of ray radiation from the sunlight acting on organisms has long-term been investigated. However, how the light with different wavelengths affects nitrification and the involved nitrifiers are still elusive. Here, we found more than 60 % of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in nitrifiers were observed under irradiation of blue light with wavelengths of 440-480 nm, which were 13.4 % and 20.3 % under red light and white light irradiation respectively. Blue light was more helpful to achieve partial nitrification rather than white light or red light, where ammonium oxidization by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) with the increased relative abundance from 8.6 % to 14.2 % played a vital role. This was further evidenced by the enhanced TCA cycle, reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenge and DNA repair capacity in AOA under blue-light irradiation. In contrast, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was inhibited severely to achieve partial nitrification, and the newly discovered encoded blue light photoreceptor proteins made them more sensitive to blue light and hindered cell activity. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) expressed genes for DNA repair capacity under blue-light irradiation, which ensured their tiny impact by light irradiation. This study provided valuable insights into the photosensitivity mechanism of nitrifiers and shed light on the diverse regulatory by light with different radiation wavelengths in artificial systems, broadening our comprehension of the nitrogen cycle on earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ru Zheng
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Yiming Feng
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Lingrui Kong
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaogang Wu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jianhang Zhou
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Liguo Zhang
- School of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, 030006, China.
| | - Sitong Liu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China.
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13
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Ghimire-Kafle S, Weaver ME, Kimbrel MP, Bollmann A. Competition between ammonia-oxidizing archaea and complete ammonia oxidizers from freshwater environments. Appl Environ Microbiol 2024; 90:e0169823. [PMID: 38349190 PMCID: PMC10952389 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01698-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Aerobic ammonia oxidizers (AOs) are prokaryotic microorganisms that contribute to the global nitrogen cycle by performing the first step of nitrification, the oxidation of ammonium to nitrite and nitrate. While aerobic AOs are found ubiquitously, their distribution is controlled by key environmental conditions such as substrate (ammonium) availability. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) are generally found in oligotrophic environments with low ammonium availability. However, whether AOA and comammox share these habitats or outcompete each other is not well understood. We assessed the competition for ammonium between an AOA and comammox enriched from the freshwater Lake Burr Oak. The AOA enrichment culture (AOA-BO1) contained Nitrosarchaeum sp. BO1 as the ammonia oxidizer and Nitrospira sp. BO1 as the nitrite oxidizer. The comammox enrichment BO4 (cmx-BO4) contained the comammox strain Nitrospira sp. BO4. The competition experiments were performed either in continuous cultivation with ammonium as a growth-limiting substrate or in batch cultivation with initial ammonium concentrations of 50 and 500 µM. Regardless of the ammonium concentration, Nitrospira sp. BO4 outcompeted Nitrosarchaeum sp. BO1 under all tested conditions. The dominance of Nitrospira sp. BO4 could be explained by the ability of comammox to generate more energy through the complete oxidation of ammonia to nitrate and their more efficient carbon fixation pathway-the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle. Our results are supported by the higher abundance of comammox compared to AOA in the sediment of Lake Burr Oak. IMPORTANCE Nitrification is a key process in the global nitrogen cycle. Aerobic ammonia oxidizers play a central role in the nitrogen cycle by performing the first step of nitrification. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) are the dominant nitrifiers in environments with low ammonium availability. While AOA have been studied for almost 20 years, comammox were only discovered 8 years ago. Until now, there has been a gap in our understanding of whether AOA and comammox can co-exist or if one strain would be dominant under ammonium-limiting conditions. Here, we present the first study characterizing the competition between freshwater AOA and comammox under varying substrate concentrations. Our results will help in elucidating the niches of two key nitrifiers in freshwater lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matt E. Weaver
- Department of Microbiology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA
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14
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Hou J, Zhu Y, Liu J, Lin L, Zheng M, Yang L, Wei W, Ni BJ, Chen X. Competitive enrichment of comammox Nitrospira in floccular sludge. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 251:121151. [PMID: 38246075 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The discovery of complete ammonium oxidation (comammox) has subverted the traditional perception of two-step nitrification, which plays a key role in achieving biological nitrogen removal from wastewater. Floccular sludge-based treatment technologies are being applied at the majority of wastewater treatment plants in service where detection of various abundances and activities of comammox bacteria have been reported. However, limited efforts have been made to enrich and subsequently characterize comammox bacteria in floccular sludge. To this end, a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) in the step-feeding mode was applied in this work to enrich comammox bacteria through controlling appropriate operational conditions (dissolved oxygen of 0.5 ± 0.1 g-O2/m3, influent ammonium of 40 g-N/m3 and uncontrolled longer sludge retention time). After 215-d operation, comammox bacteria gradually gained competitive advantages over counterparts in the SBR with a stable nitrification efficiency of 92.2 ± 2.2 %: the relative abundance of Nitrospira reached 42.9 ± 1.3 %, which was 13 times higher than that of Nitrosomonas, and the amoA gene level of comammox bacteria increased to 7.7 ± 2.1 × 106 copies/g-biomass, nearly 50 times higher than that of conventional ammonium-oxidizing bacteria. The enrichment of comammox bacteria, especially Clade A Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa, in the floccular sludge led to (i) apparent affinity constants for ammonium and oxygen of 3.296 ± 0.989 g-N/m3 and 0.110 ± 0.004 g-O2/m3, respectively, and (ii) significantly low N2O and NO production, with emission factors being 0.136 ± 0.026 % and 0.023 ± 0.013 %, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Hou
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Jinzhong Liu
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Limin Lin
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310030, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Linyan Yang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Xueming Chen
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China.
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15
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Zhu Y, Hou J, Liu J, Huo P, Yang L, Zheng M, Wei W, Ni BJ, Chen X. Model-based development of strategies enabling effective enrichment and application of comammox bacteria in floccular sludge under mainstream conditions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165051. [PMID: 37391158 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of complete ammonium oxidation (comammox) has redefined the perception of the nitrification process which plays a vital part in biological nitrogen removal (BNR) from wastewater. Despite the reported detection or cultivation of comammox bacteria in biofilm or granular sludge reactors, limited attempts have been made to enrich or assess comammox bacteria in floccular sludge reactors with suspended growth of microbes, which are most extensively applied at wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, through making use of a comammox-inclusive bioprocess model reliably evaluated using batch experimental data with joint contributions of different nitrifying guilds, this work probed into the proliferation and functioning of comammox bacteria in two commonly-used floccular sludge reactor configurations, i.e., continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and sequencing batch reactor (SBR), under mainstream conditions. The results indicated that compared with the studied SBR, the CSTR was observed to favor the enrichment of comammox bacteria through maintaining a sufficient sludge retention time (40-100 d) while avoiding an extremely low DO level (e.g., 0.05 g-O2/m3), irrespective of the varied influent NH4+-N of 10-100 g-N/m3. Meanwhile, the inoculum sludge was found to greatly influence the start-up process of the studied CSTR. By inoculating the CSTR with a sufficient amount of sludge, finally enriched floccular sludge with a high abundance of comammox bacteria (up to 70.5 %) could be rapidly obtained. These results not only benefitted further investigation and application of comammox-inclusive sustainable BNR technologies but also explained, to some extent, the discrepancy in the reported presence and abundance of comammox bacteria at wastewater treatment plants adopting floccular sludge-based BNR technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhu
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Jiaying Hou
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Jinzhong Liu
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Pengfei Huo
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Linyan Yang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Xueming Chen
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China.
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16
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Zhang X, Ji B, Tian J, Liu Y. Development, performance and microbial community analysis of a continuous-flow microalgal-bacterial biofilm photoreactor for municipal wastewater treatment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 338:117770. [PMID: 36965425 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This work reported the development, performance and microbial community of microalgal-bacterial biofilms cultivated in a continuous-flow photoreactor for municipal wastewater treatment under various conditions. Results showed that microalgal-bacterial biofilms were successfully developed at a HRT of 9 h without external aeration, with a biofilm concentration of around 4690 mg/L being achieved in the steady-state. It was found that further increase of HRT to 12 h did not improve the overall accumulation of biofilm, whereas the growth of microalgae in biofilms was faster than bacteria in the initial stage, indicated by an increased chlorophyll-a&b content in biofilms. After which, the chlorophyll-a&b content in biofilms gradually stabilized at the level comparable with the seed, suggesting that there was a balanced distribution of microalgae and bacteria in biofilms. About 90% of TOC, 71.4% of total nitrogen and 72.6% of phosphorus were removed by microalgal-bacterial biofilms mainly through assimilation in the steady-state photoreactor run at the HRT of 12 h with external aeration. The community analysis further revealed that Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi were the main components, while Chlorophyta appeared to be the dominant eukaryotic algal community in biofilms. This study could offer new insights into the development of microalgal-bacterial biofilms in a continuous-flow photoreactor for sustainable low-carbon municipal wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyuan Zhang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China; Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore, 637141, Singapore.
| | - Bin Ji
- Department of Water and Wastewater Engineering, School of Urban Construction, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Junli Tian
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment & Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 1 Cleantech Loop, Singapore, 637141, Singapore; School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore.
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17
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Zheng M, Tian Z, Chai Z, Zhang A, Gu A, Mu G, Wu D, Guo J. Ubiquitous occurrence and functional dominance of comammox Nitrospira in full-scale wastewater treatment plants. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 236:119931. [PMID: 37045640 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The recent discovery of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) bacteria has fundamentally upended the traditional two-step nitrification conception, but their functional importance in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is still poorly understood. This study investigated distributions of comammox Nitrospira, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in activated sludge samples collected from 25 full-scale WWTPs. Using quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, our results revealed that comammox Nitrospira ubiquitously occurred in all of 25 WWTPs and even outnumbered AOB and AOA with an average abundance of 1∼183 orders of magnitude higher in 19 WWTPs. Moreover, DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) assays validated that comammox Nitrospira actively participated in ammonia oxidation in the three microcosms seeding with activated sludge from three typical WWTPs, in which the ratios of comammox amoA to AOB amoA were at the range of 1∼10, 10∼100 and >100, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis in heavy fractions further indicated that Nitrospira nitrosa (N. nitrosa) was the dominant and active species. We quantified the contribution of ammonia oxidizers based on the currently available kinetic parameters of the representative species and found that comammox made major contributions to ammonia oxidation than other nitrifiers (5 ∼ 106 times that of AOB). The findings not only demonstrate the ubiquitous occurrence of comammox, but also highlight their functional dominance in ammonia oxidation in WWTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
| | - Zhichao Tian
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zimin Chai
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Anqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Ailu Gu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Guangli Mu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Dedong Wu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
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18
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Kang D, Zhao X, Wang N, Suo Y, Yuan J, Peng Y. Redirecting carbon to recover VFA to facilitate biological short-cut nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment: A critical review. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 238:120015. [PMID: 37146394 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are facing a great challenge to transition from energy-intensive to carbon-neutral and energy-efficient systems. Biological nutrient removal (BNR) can be severely impacted by carbon limitation, particularly for wastewater with a low carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio, which can significantly increase the operational costs. Waste activated sludge (WAS) is a valuable byproduct of WWTPs, as it contains high levels of organic matter that can be utilized to improve BNR management by recovering and reusing the fermentative volatile fatty acids (VFAs). This review provides a comprehensive examination of the recovery and reuse of VFAs in wastewater management, with a particular focus on advancing the preferable biological short-cut nitrogen removal process for carbon-insufficient municipal wastewaters. First, the method of carbon redirection for recovering VFAs was reviewed. Carbon could be captured through the two-stage A/B process or via sludge fermentation with different sludge pretreatment and process control strategies to accelerate sludge hydrolysis and inhibit methanogens to enhance VFA production. Second, VFAs can support the metabolism of autotrophic N-cycling microorganisms involved in wastewater treatment, such as AOB, NOB, anammox, and comammox bacteria. However, VFAs can also cause inhibition at high concentrations, leading to the partition of AOB and NOB; and can promote partial denitrification as an efficient carbon source for heterotrophic denitrifiers. Third, the lab- and pilot-scale engineering practices with different configurations (i.e., A2O, SBR, UASB) were summarized that have shown the feasibility of utilizing the fermentate to achieve superior nitrogen removal performance without the need for external carbon addition. Lastly, the future perspectives on leveraging the relationships between mainstream and sidestream, nitrogen and phosphorus, autotrophs and heterotrophs were given for sustainable and efficient BNR management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Kang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, China
| | - Xuwei Zhao
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, China
| | - Nan Wang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, China
| | - Yirui Suo
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, China
| | - Jiawei Yuan
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, China
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, China.
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19
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Zhao W, Bi X, Bai M, Wang Y. Research advances of ammonia oxidation microorganisms in wastewater: metabolic characteristics, microbial community, influencing factors and process applications. Bioprocess Biosyst Eng 2023; 46:621-633. [PMID: 36988685 DOI: 10.1007/s00449-023-02866-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia oxidation carried out by ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) is a central step in the global nitrogen cycle. Aerobic AOMs comprise conventional ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), novel ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), which could exist in complex and extreme conditions, and complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox), which directly oxidize ammonia to nitrate within a single cell. Anaerobic AOMs mainly comprise anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB), which can transform NH4+-N and NO2--N into N2 under anaerobic conditions. In this review, the unique metabolic characteristics, microbial community of AOMs and the influencing factors are discussed. Process applications of nitrification/denitrification, nitritation/denitrification, nitritation/anammox and partial denitrification/anammox in wastewater treatment systems are emphasized. The future development of nitrogen removal processes using AOMs is expected, enrichment of comammox facilitates the complete nitrification performance, inhibiting the activity of comammox and NOB could achieve stable nitritation, and additionally, AnAOB conducting the anammox process in municipal wastewater is a promising development direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weihua Zhao
- State and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recycling, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, People's Republic of China.
- School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai, 264209, People's Republic of China.
- Qingdao University of Technology, Huangdao District, Qingdao, 266525, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xuejun Bi
- State and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recycling, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Bai
- State and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recycling, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanyan Wang
- State and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recycling, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao, 266033, People's Republic of China
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20
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Hu C, Sun X, Zhang L, Wang H, Dong L, Li S. Long-term stability of reactor microbiome through bioaugmentation with Alcaligenes aquatilis AS1 promotes nitrogen removal of piggery wastewater. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 330:117146. [PMID: 36586372 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.117146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Bioaugmentation is considered as an attractive method for nitrogen removal in water treatment, but its effectiveness in actual high-strength piggery wastewater has not been adequately verified and the mechanism of bioaugmentation in actual wastewater treatment system is not very clear especially from the perspectives of microbial communities and functional genes. This study investigated the mechanisms of a heterotrophic nitrifying-aerobic denitrifying strain Alcaligenes aquatilis AS1 in the bioaugmentation of continuous biological nitrogen removal of actual piggery wastewater at laboratory scale. The addition of strain AS1 significantly improved the nitrogen removal efficiency (more than 95% of NH4+-N and 75% of TN were removed) and raised the activated sludge resistance to shock loading. AS1 addition also significantly shifted the microbiota structure and interactions among microbial networks were enhanced to obtain the stable bacterial communities. Moreover, strain AS1 achieved effective proliferation and long-term colonization in activated sludge with a relative abundance of genus Alcaligenes more than 70% during the whole operation process and played a dominant role in biological nitrogen removal, while different genera were respectively enriched and involved in pollutants removal at different stages in the control group. In addition, the abundances of most functional genes involved in carbon (C) degradation, carbon fixation and nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S) cycling in activated sludge were significantly increased in reactor AS1, indicating that strain AS1 not only relied on its unique C and N metabolic activities, but also recruited microorganisms with diverse functions to jointly remove pollutants in wastewater, which could be a common bioaugmentation mechanism in open reactors. This study proves the promising application prospect of strain AS1 in the treatment of high-strength piggery wastewater and shows great importance for guiding bioaugmentation application of functional strains in practical wastewater treatment systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengcheng Hu
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Xianyun Sun
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Long Zhang
- Shandong Jinniu Group Co., Ltd., Jinan, 250001, China
| | - Hongzhi Wang
- Xinjiang Herun Water Industry Co., Ltd., Urumqi, 830000, China
| | - Liang Dong
- Xinjiang Herun Water Industry Co., Ltd., Urumqi, 830000, China
| | - Shaojie Li
- Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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21
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Cotto I, Vilardi KJ, Huo L, Fogarty EC, Khunjar W, Wilson C, De Clippeleir H, Gilmore K, Bailey E, Lücker S, Pinto AJ. Low diversity and microdiversity of comammox bacteria in wastewater systems suggest specific adaptations within the Ca. Nitrospira nitrosa cluster. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 229:119497. [PMID: 36563511 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Studies have found Ca. Nitrospira nitrosa-like bacteria to be the principal or sole comammox bacteria in nitrogen removal systems for wastewater treatment. In contrast, multiple populations of strict ammonia and nitrite oxidizers co-exist in similar systems. This apparent lack of diversity is surprising and could impact the feasibility of leveraging comammox bacteria for nitrogen removal. We used full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing and genome-resolved metagenomics to compare the species-level diversity of comammox bacteria with that of strict nitrifiers in full-scale wastewater treatment systems and assess whether this comparison is consistent or diverged at the strain-level. Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing indicated that Nitrosomonas-like bacteria exhibited higher species-level diversity in comparison with other nitrifying bacteria, while the strain-level diversity (also called microdiversity) of most Nitrospira-like bacteria were higher than Nitrosomonas-like bacteria with few exceptions (one Nitrospira lineage II population). Comammox bacterial metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs) were associated with Ca. Nitrospira nitrosa. The average amino acid identity between principal comammox bacterial MAGs (93% ± 3) across systems was significantly higher than that of the Nitrosomonas-like ammonia oxidizers (73% ± 8), the Nitrospira_A-like nitrite oxidizer (85% ± 4), and the Nitrospira_D-like nitrite oxidizer (83% ± 1). This demonstrated the low species-level diversity of comammox bacteria compared with strict nitrifiers and further suggests that the same comammox population was detected in all systems. Comammox bacteria (Nitrospira lineage II), Nitrosomonas and, Nitrospira_D (Nitrospira lineage II) MAGs were significantly less microdiverse than the Nitrospira_A (lineage I) MAGs. Interestingly, strain-resolved analysis also indicates that different nitrogen removal systems harbor different comammox bacterial strains within the Ca. Nitrospira nitrosa cluster. These results suggest that comammox bacteria associated with Ca. Nitrospira nitrosa have low species- and strain-level diversity in nitrogen removal systems and may thus harbor specific adaptations to the wastewater ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irmarie Cotto
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Katherine J Vilardi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Linxuan Huo
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Emily C Fogarty
- Committee on Microbiology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | | | | | | | - Kevin Gilmore
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA, United States
| | - Erika Bailey
- City of Raleigh Public Utilities, Raleigh, NC, United States
| | - Sebastian Lücker
- Department of Microbiology, RIBES, Radboud University, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Ameet J Pinto
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States.
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22
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Zheng M, Mu G, Zhang A, Wang J, Chang F, Niu J, Wang X, Gao T, Zhao Z. Predominance of comammox bacteria among ammonia oxidizers under low dissolved oxygen condition. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 308:136436. [PMID: 36115478 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although low-oxygen nitrification can significantly cut down the aeration demand in wastewater treatment plants, little is known about the community dynamics of relevant microorganisms under different oxygen concentrations. Here, by conducting a series of bioreactors with oxygen concentrations of 0%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 70%, we provided a comprehensive investigation on the behaviors and performances of comammox bacteria (CMX), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) during the nitrification process. Quantitative PCR analysis demonstrated that CMX was the dominant ammonia-oxidizer under low oxygen condition (10%) after the four-month operation with the abundance increased by 8.65 times higher than the initial operation, whereas the growth of AOA and AOB was inhibited. Moreover, Nitrospira nitrosa dominated the CMX species (relative abundance >96%) in low dissolved oxygen concentrations, while Nitrospira nitrificans (3.39%) seemed to prefer high oxygen conditions. Our study indicates the long-term effects of oxygen concentrations on the niche differentiation of ammonia oxidizers, and highlights the significance of CMX in low-oxygen nitrification for reducing global carbon emission and energy consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Guangli Mu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Anqi Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Jiawen Wang
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100871, China.
| | - Fang Chang
- Marine Resources Research Centre, Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, M.O.T., Tianjin, 300456, China
| | - Junfeng Niu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Xinwei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Tian Gao
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Zhirong Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
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23
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Zou Y, Yang Y, Wu S, Chen F, Zhu R. Effect of steel slag on ammonia removal and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in zeolite-based tidal flow constructed wetlands. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 309:136727. [PMID: 36209854 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The ammonia removal performance of tidal flow constructed wetlands (TFCWs) requires to be improved under high hydraulic loading rates (HLRs). The pH decrease caused by nitrification may adversely affect the NH4+-N removal and ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) of TFCWs. Herein, TFCWs with zeolite (TFCW_Z) and a mixture of zeolite and steel slag (TFCW_S) were built to investigate the influence of steel slag on NH4+-N removal and AOMs. Both TFCWs were operated under short flooding/drying (F/D) cycles and high HLRs (3.13 and 4.69 m3/(m2 d)). The results revealed that a neutral effluent pH (6.98-7.82) was achieved in TFCW_S owing to the CaO dissolution of steel slag. The NH4+-N removal efficiencies in TFCW_S (91.2 ± 5.1%) were much higher than those in TFCW_Z (73.2 ± 7.1%). Total nitrogen (TN) removal was poor in both TFCWs mainly due to the low influent COD/TN. Phosphorus removal in TFCW_S was unsatisfactory because of the short hydraulic retention time. The addition of steel slag stimulated the flourishing AOMs, including Nitrosomonas (ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, AOB), Candidatus_Nitrocosmicus (ammonia-oxidizing archaea, AOA), and comammox Nitrospira, which may be responsible for the better ammonia removal performance in TFCW_S. PICRUSt2 showed that steel slag also enriched the relative abundance of functional genes involved in nitrification (amoCAB, hao, and nxrAB) but inhibited genes related to denitrification (nirK, norB, and nosZ). Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) revealed that complete AOB (CAOB) and AOB contributed more to the amoA genes in TFCW_S and TFCW_Z, respectively. Therefore, this study revealed that the dominant AOMs could be significantly changed in zeolite-based TFCW by adding steel slag to regulate the pH in situ, resulting in a more efficient NH4+-N removal performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhuan Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yongqiang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China.
| | - Shijun Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Fanrong Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China
| | - Runliang Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, Guangzhou, 510640, China
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24
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Palomo A, Dechesne A, Pedersen AG, Smets BF. Genomic profiling of Nitrospira species reveals ecological success of comammox Nitrospira. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:204. [PMID: 36451244 PMCID: PMC9714041 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01411-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The discovery of microorganisms capable of complete ammonia oxidation to nitrate (comammox) has prompted a paradigm shift in our understanding of nitrification, an essential process in N cycling, hitherto considered to require both ammonia oxidizing and nitrite oxidizing microorganisms. This intriguing metabolism is unique to the genus Nitrospira, a diverse taxon previously known to only contain canonical nitrite oxidizers. Comammox Nitrospira have been detected in diverse environments; however, a global view of the distribution, abundance, and diversity of Nitrospira species is still incomplete. RESULTS In this study, we retrieved 55 metagenome-assembled Nitrospira genomes (MAGs) from newly obtained and publicly available metagenomes. Combined with publicly available MAGs, this constitutes the largest Nitrospira genome database to date with 205 MAGs, representing 132 putative species, most without cultivated representatives. Mapping of metagenomic sequencing reads from various environments against this database enabled an analysis of the distribution and habitat preferences of Nitrospira species. Comammox Nitrospira's ecological success is evident as they outnumber and present higher species-level richness than canonical Nitrospira in all environments examined, except for marine and wastewaters samples. The type of environment governs Nitrospira species distribution, without large-scale biogeographical signal. We found that closely related Nitrospira species tend to occupy the same habitats, and that this phylogenetic signal in habitat preference is stronger for canonical Nitrospira species. Comammox Nitrospira eco-evolutionary history is more complex, with subclades achieving rapid niche divergence via horizontal transfer of genes, including the gene encoding hydroxylamine oxidoreductase, a key enzyme in nitrification. CONCLUSIONS Our study expands the genomic inventory of the Nitrospira genus, exposes the ecological success of complete ammonia oxidizers within a wide range of habitats, identifies the habitat preferences of (sub)lineages of canonical and comammox Nitrospira species, and proposes that horizontal transfer of genes involved in nitrification is linked to niche separation within a sublineage of comammox Nitrospira. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Palomo
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
| | - Arnaud Dechesne
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Anders G. Pedersen
- Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Barth F. Smets
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
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25
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Li X, Wang G, Chen J, Zhou X, Liu Y. Deciphering the concurrence of comammox, partial denitrification and anammox in a single low-oxygen mainstream nitrogen removal reactor. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 305:135409. [PMID: 35728663 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
One-stage anammox-based autotrophic nitrogen removal technology has attracted increasing interest to sustainable biological nitrogen removal for future wastewater treatment. However, its application in mainstream municipal wastewater treatment is still challenging due to low nitrogen and high organics of raw wastewater. Herein, a novel Simultaneous Carbon Oxidation, partial Comammox, Denitratation and Anammox (SCOCDA) was firstly developed in a single sequencing batch biofilm reactor operated at a dissolved oxygen concentration of ∼0.5 mg/L for treating synthetic municipal wastewater (50 mg/L NH4+-N and 100-250 mg/L COD). The long-term operation showed that almost complete COD and nitrogen removal performance could be achieved at a carbon/nitrogen ratio (COD/NH4+-N) of 3-5 with the corresponding effluent total nitrogen (TN)<5 mg/L. Microbial community and amoA-targeting amplicon sequencing analysis further verified that comammox Nitrospira spp., denitrifier Thauera and other aerobic/facultative heterotrophs could work synergistically with anammox bacteria, Candidatus Kuenenia. Moreover, nitrogen metabolic and inorganic carbon fixation pathways through the interaction between comammox and anammox were also revealed with the aid of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Lastly, potential application of proposed SCOCDA process was illustrated. This research sheds new light on advanced nitrogen removal towards limit of technology via the synergy of comammox and anammox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xu Li
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China; Innovation Center for Postgraduate Education in Municipal Engineering of Shanxi Province, Taiyuan, 030024, China
| | - Gonglei Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China; Innovation Center for Postgraduate Education in Municipal Engineering of Shanxi Province, Taiyuan, 030024, China
| | - Jiabo Chen
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China; Innovation Center for Postgraduate Education in Municipal Engineering of Shanxi Province, Taiyuan, 030024, China
| | - Xin Zhou
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China; Innovation Center for Postgraduate Education in Municipal Engineering of Shanxi Province, Taiyuan, 030024, China.
| | - Yu Liu
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637819, Singapore; Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, NEWRI, Nanyang Technological University, 637141, Singapore
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26
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Zhao J, Zheng M, Su Z, Liu T, Li J, Guo J, Yuan Z, Hu S. Selective Enrichment of Comammox Nitrospira in a Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor with Sufficient Oxygen Supply. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:13338-13346. [PMID: 36047990 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The recent discovery of comammox (complete ammonia oxidation) Nitrospira has upended the long-held nitrification paradigm. Although comammox Nitrospira have been identified in wastewater treatment systems, the conditions for their dominance over canonical ammonia oxidizers remain unclear. Here, we report the dominance of comammox Nitrospira in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) fed with synthetic mainstream wastewater. Integrated 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and metagenomic sequencing methods demonstrated the selective enrichment of comammox bacteria when the MBBR was operated at a dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration above 6 mg O2/L. The dominance of comammox Nitrospira over canonical ammonia oxidizers (i.e., Nitrosomonas) was attributed to the low residual ammonium concentration (0.02-0.52 mg N/L) formed in the high-DO MBBR. Two clade A comammox Nitrospira were identified, which are phylogenetically close to Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa. Interestingly, cryosectioning-FISH showed these two comammox species spatially distributed on the surface of the biofilm. Moreover, the ammonia-oxidizing activity of comammox Nitrospira-dominated biofilms was susceptible to the oxygen supply, which dropped by half with the DO concentration decrease from 6 to 2 mg O2/L. These features collectively suggest a low apparent oxygen affinity for the comammox Nitrospira-dominated biofilms in the high-DO nitrifying MBBR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhao
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zicheng Su
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jie Li
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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27
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He S, Zhao Z, Tian Z, Xu C, Liu Y, He D, Zhang Y, Zheng M. Comammox bacteria predominate among ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in municipal but not in refinery wastewater treatment plants. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 316:115271. [PMID: 35594823 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Comammox bacteria have proved to be one dominant and significant ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) in municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), however, it still remains unknown about their abundance and diversity in industrial WWTPs. In this study, activated sludge samples from 8 municipal WWTPs and 6 industrial WWTPs treating refinery wastewater were taken and analyzed using qPCR and amoA gene sequencing. Intriguingly, quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) results suggested that comammox bacteria had a higher numerical abundance compared with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in municipal WWTPs but did not in refinery WWTPs. Moreover, comammox amoA sequences obtained from high-throughput sequencing were retrieved from all the 8 municipal samples but only 1 industrial sample. Further phylogenetic analysis revealed that N. nitrosa cluster accounted for as high as 79.56% of the total comammox affiliated sequences, which was the most numerically abundant comammox species in municipal WWTPs. This study provided new insights into the abundance and diversity of comammox bacteria in the biological nitrification process in municipal and refinery wastewater treatment systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shishi He
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Main Building G619, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Zhirong Zhao
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Main Building G619, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Zhichao Tian
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Main Building G619, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Chi Xu
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Main Building G619, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Yuan Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Main Building G619, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Da He
- Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic Projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem of Ministry of Water Resources, Institute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Yinghui Zhang
- Guangxi Huantou Water Group Co. LTD, Nanning, 530015, China
| | - Maosheng Zheng
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Main Building G619, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China.
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Pornkulwat P, Khan E, Powtongsook S, Mhuantong W, Chawengkijwanich C, Limpiyakorn T. Influence of ammonia and NaCl on nitrifying community and activity: Implications for formulating nitrifying culture augmentation. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 833:155132. [PMID: 35405242 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Bioaugmentation of nitrifying cultures can accelerate nitrification during startup and transition periods of recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) operations. To formulate nitrifying cultures for RASs, impacts of ammonia and salinity (NaCl) on culturing nitrifying microorganisms were comprehensively investigated by including currently known groups of nitrifying microorganisms (ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), comammox, Nitrospira, and Nitrobacter). By varying ammonia loading rate (ALRs of 1.6, 8, 20, 40, 60 and 150 mgN/L/d) of continuous-flow bioreactors fed with inorganic medium experimented for culture preparation, cultures containing distinct patterns of nitrifying communities were produced. Operating the reactors at the ALRs of ≤40 mgN/L/d, resulting in the effluent total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and nitrite concentrations of ≤2.64 and ≤0.53 mgN/L, respectively, delivered the consortia consisting of a broad spectrum of substrate affinity nitrifying microorganisms. At the lower ranges of these ALRs (≤8 mgN/L/d), the most desirable consortia comprising comparable numbers of AOB, AOA, and comammox could be produced (the effluent TAN concentrations of ≤0.20 mgN/L), which would be resilient for applying in various RAS types. Enriching the cultures at the ALRs of ≥60 mgN/L/d allowed only the nitrifying microorganisms with low substrate affinity to dominate, incongruent with the consortia found in actual RASs. AOB were adaptable at all salinity studied (2, 15, and 30 g/L), while AOA and comammox were sensitive to elevated salinity (15 and 30 g/L, respectively). The ammonia removal rate of a culture prepared at 2 g/L salinity decreased largely when applied at 15 and 30 g/L. In contrast, those prepared at 15 and 30 g/L were more robust to different salinity. Separately preparing the cultures at different salinity for uses in freshwater-low salinity and brackish-marine RASs is recommended. The findings of this work enhance our understanding on how to formulate nitrifying culture augmentation for used in different RAS types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Preeyaporn Pornkulwat
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Eakalak Khan
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4015, USA
| | - Sorawit Powtongsook
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand; Center of Excellence for Marine Biotechnology, Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
| | - Wuttichai Mhuantong
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Chamorn Chawengkijwanich
- Environmental Nanotechnology Research Team, National Nanotechnology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand
| | - Tawan Limpiyakorn
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Research Network of NANOTEC-CU on Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand; Research Unit Control of Emerging Micropollutants in Environment, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
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Deterministic Factors Determine the Comammox Community Composition in the Pearl River Estuary Ecosystem. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0101622. [PMID: 35913204 PMCID: PMC9431512 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01016-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) have been widely detected in riverine and estuarine ecosystems. However, knowledge about the process of comammox community assembly from freshwater to marine environments is still limited. Here, based on deep sequencing, we investigated the community composition of comammox along a salinity gradient in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE), South China. Our results showed that comammox microorganisms in the PRE sediments were extremely diverse and displayed distinct distributional patterns between upstream and downstream habitats. Quantitative PCR demonstrated that comammox was the dominant ammonia-oxidizing microorganism (AOM) in the PRE upstream sediments, and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) dominated the PRE downstream sediments, while ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were not dominant in any section of the PRE. Neutral modeling revealed that stochastic processes explained a limited part of the variation in the comammox community. The majority of beta nearest-taxon index values were higher than 2, indicating that comammox community assembly in the PRE sediments was better explained through a deterministic process than through a stochastic process. Salinity and total nitrogen were the most important contributing factors that shaped the comammox community. This study expanded the current knowledge of the diversity and niche preference of comammox in the estuarine ecosystem, and further enhances our understanding of the assembly of comammox community from freshwater to marine environments. IMPORTANCE Microbial communities are shaped by stochastic (emigration, immigration, birth, death, and genetic drift of species) and deterministic (e.g., environmental factors) processes. However, it remains unknown as to which type of process is more important in influencing the comammox community assembly from freshwater to marine environments. In this study, we compared the relative importance of stochastic and deterministic processes in shaping the assembly of the comammox community, which demonstrated that the deterministic process was more important in determining the community assembly patterns in the PRE ecosystem.
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Bai X, Hu X, Liu J, Gu H, Jin J, Liu X, Wang G. Evaluation of four primer sets for analysis of comammox communities in black soils. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:944373. [PMID: 35958136 PMCID: PMC9362984 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.944373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Comammox, as a newly discovered ammonia oxidizer, urgently needs highly efficient and specific primers to detect its community structure and diversity. In this study, the performance of widely used primer set Ntsp-amoA 162F/359R and newly designed primer sets comamoA F/R, CA377f/C576r, and CB377f/C576r were evaluated, for high-throughput sequencing of comammox amoA genes in natural and arable soils sampled from two locations in the black soil region of northeast China. Results showed that, compared with the primer set comamoA F/R, primers Ntsp-amoA 162F/359R had more advantages in detecting comammox operational taxonomic unit (OTU) numbers, diversity, and community structure. The primer sets CA377f/C576r and CB377f/C576r had an advantage in detecting comammox sequences with low relative abundance. In addition, the results of the phylogenetic tree and the relative abundance of dominant OTUs showed that the comammox in the black soils of northeast China was dominated by Nitrospira Clade B. Furthermore, our study found that long-term land use reduced the alpha diversity of the comammox community, but lead to the convergent evolution of community structure. The Mantel test and canonical correspondence analysis indicated that soil NO3–-N content was the most important factor affecting the community structure of comammox. Our study provided experience accumulation for the selection of comammox primers for high-throughput sequencing in the black soil of northeast China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Bai
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaojing Hu
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Junjie Liu
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Haidong Gu
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jian Jin
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Xiaobing Liu
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Guanghua Wang
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Harbin, China
- *Correspondence: Guanghua Wang,
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31
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Zhang SN, Wang JG, Wang DQ, Jiang QY, Quan ZX. Abundance and Niche Differentiation of Comammox in the Sludges of Wastewater Treatment Plants That Use the Anaerobic-Anoxic-Aerobic Process. Life (Basel) 2022; 12:life12070954. [PMID: 35888046 PMCID: PMC9322089 DOI: 10.3390/life12070954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox), which directly oxidize ammonia to nitrate, were recently identified and found to be ubiquitous in artificial systems. Research on the abundance and niche differentiation of comammox in the sludges of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) would be useful for improving the nitrogen removal efficiency of WWTPs. Here, we investigated the relative abundance and diversity of comammox in fifteen sludges of five WWTPs that use the anaerobic−anoxic−aerobic process in Jinan, China, via quantitative polymerase chain reaction and high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and ammonia monooxygenase gene. In the activated sludges in the WWTPs, comammox clade A.1 was widely distributed and mostly comprised Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa-like comammox (>98% of all comammox). The proportion of this clade was negatively correlated (p < 0.01) with the dissolved oxygen (DO) level (1.7−8 mg/L), and slight pH changes (7.20−7.70) affected the structure of the comammox populations. Nitrospira lineage I frequently coexisted with Nitrosomonas, which generally had a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) with the DO level. Our study provided an insight into the structure of comammox and other nitrifier populations in WWTPs that use the anaerobic−anoxic−aerobic process, broadening the knowledge about the effects of DO on comammox and other nitrifiers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Qiu-Yue Jiang
- Correspondence: (Q.-Y.J.); (Z.-X.Q.); Tel.: +86-21-3124-0665 (Z.-X.Q.)
| | - Zhe-Xue Quan
- Correspondence: (Q.-Y.J.); (Z.-X.Q.); Tel.: +86-21-3124-0665 (Z.-X.Q.)
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32
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Al-Ajeel S, Spasov E, Sauder LA, McKnight MM, Neufeld JD. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and complete ammonia-oxidizing Nitrospira in water treatment systems. WATER RESEARCH X 2022; 15:100131. [PMID: 35402889 PMCID: PMC8990171 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2022.100131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via nitrite, is important for many engineered water treatment systems. The sequential steps of this respiratory process are carried out by distinct microbial guilds, including ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and newly discovered members of the genus Nitrospira that conduct complete ammonia oxidation (comammox). Even though all of these nitrifiers have been identified within water treatment systems, their relative contributions to nitrogen cycling are poorly understood. Although AOA contribute to nitrification in many wastewater treatment plants, they are generally outnumbered by AOB. In contrast, AOA and comammox Nitrospira typically dominate relatively low ammonia environments such as drinking water treatment, tertiary wastewater treatment systems, and aquaculture/aquarium filtration. Studies that focus on the abundance of ammonia oxidizers may misconstrue the actual role that distinct nitrifying guilds play in a system. Understanding which ammonia oxidizers are active is useful for further optimization of engineered systems that rely on nitrifiers for ammonia removal. This review highlights known distributions of AOA and comammox Nitrospira in engineered water treatment systems and suggests future research directions that will help assess their contributions to nitrification and identify factors that influence their distributions and activity.
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Kunapongkiti P, Rongsayamanont C, Mhuantong W, Pornkulwat P, Charanaipayuk N, Limpiyakorn T. Substrate loading rates conducive to nitritation in entrapped cell reactors: performance and microbial community structure. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:37722-37736. [PMID: 35072882 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-18632-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to elucidate the boundaries of ammonia and organic loading rates that allow for nitritation in continuous flow phosphorylated-polyvinyl alcohol entrapped cell reactors and to clarify the community structure of microorganisms involving nitrogen transformation in the gel bead matrices. At operating bulk dissolved oxygen concentration of 2 mg/L, nitritation was accomplished when the total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) loading rate was ≥ 0.3 kgN/m3/d. At TAN loading rates of ≤ 0.2 kgN/m3 /d, complete oxidation of ammonia to nitrate took place. Nitritation performance dropped with increased chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rates indicating limitation of nitritation reactor operation at some COD loading conditions. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that the uncultured Cytophagaceae bacterium, Arenimonas, Truepera, Nitrosomonas, Comamonas, unclassified Soil Crenarchaeotic Group, and uncultured Chitinophagaceae bacterium were highly abundant taxa in the reactors' gel bead matrices. qPCR with specific primers targeting amoA genes demonstrated the coexistence of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea, and Comammox in the gel bead matrices. AOB was likely the main functioning ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms due to the amoA gene being of highest abundance in most of the studied conditions. Nitrite-oxidizing microorganisms presented in less relative abundance than ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, with Nitrobacter rather than Nitrospira dominating in the group. Results obtained from this study are expected to further the application of nitritation entrapped cell reactors to real wastewater treatment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pattaraporn Kunapongkiti
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Chaiwat Rongsayamanont
- Environmental Assessment and Technology for Hazardous Waste Management Research Center, Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand
- Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Wuttichai Mhuantong
- National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani, Thailand
| | - Preeyaporn Pornkulwat
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
| | - Nampetch Charanaipayuk
- Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
- International Program in Hazardous Substance and Environmental Management, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Tawan Limpiyakorn
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand.
- Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Research Unit Control of Emerging Micropollutants in Environment, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
- Research Network of NANOTEC-CU on Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
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34
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Vilardi KJ, Cotto I, Rivera MS, Dai Z, Anderson CL, Pinto A. Comammox Nitrospira bacteria outnumber canonical nitrifiers irrespective of electron donor mode and availability in biofiltration systems. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2022; 98:6553816. [PMID: 35325104 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiac032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Complete ammonia oxidizing bacteria coexist with canonical ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria in a wide range of environments. Whether this is due to competitive or cooperative interactions, or a result of niche separation is not yet clear. Understanding the factors driving coexistence of nitrifiers is critical to manage nitrification processes occurring in engineered and natural ecosystems. In this study, microcosm-based experiments were used to investigate the impact of nitrogen source and loading on the population dynamics of nitrifiers in drinking water biofilter media. Shotgun sequencing of DNA followed by co-assembly and reconstruction of metagenome assembled genomes revealed clade A2 comammox bacteria were likely the primary nitrifiers within microcosms and increased in abundance over Nitrsomonas-like ammonia and Nitrospira-like nitrite oxidizing bacteria irrespective of nitrogen source type or loading. Changes in comammox bacterial abundance did not correlate with either ammonia or nitrite oxidizing bacterial abundance in urea amended systems where metabolic reconstruction indicated potential for cross feeding between ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria. In contrast, comammox bacterial abundance demonstrated a negative correlation with nitrite oxidizers in ammonia amended systems. This suggests potentially weaker synergistic relationships between ammonia and nitrite oxidizers might enable comammox bacteria to displace nitrite oxidizers from complex nitrifying communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J Vilardi
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, MA, MA, USA
| | - Irmarie Cotto
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, MA, MA, USA
| | | | - Zihan Dai
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Ameet Pinto
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
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35
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Li S, Peng L, Yang C, Song S, Xu Y. Cometabolic biodegradation of antibiotics by ammonia oxidizing microorganisms during wastewater treatment processes. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 305:114336. [PMID: 34953231 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Studies on antibiotic removal during wastewater treatment processes are crucial since their release into the environment could bring potential threats to human health and ecosystem. Cometabolic biodegradation of antibiotics by ammonia oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) has received special attentions due to the enhanced removal of antibiotics during nitrification processes. However, the interactions between antibiotics and AOMs are less well-elucidated. In this review, the recent research proceedings on cometabolic biodegradation of antibiotics by AOMs were summarized. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox) played significant roles in both nitrification and cometabolic biodegradation of antibiotics. Antibiotics at varying concentrations might pose inhibiting or stimulating effect on AOMs, influencing the microbial activity, community abundance and ammonia monooxygenase subunit A gene expression level. AOMs-induced cometabolic biodegradation products were analyzed as well as the corresponding pathways for each type of antibiotics. The effects of ammonium availability, initial antibiotic concentration, sludge retention time and temperature were assessed on the cometabolic biodegradation efficiencies of antibiotics. This work might provide further insights into the fate and removal of antibiotics during nitrification processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengjun Li
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Lai Peng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
| | - Chenguang Yang
- Institute of Deep Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya Hainan, 572000, China
| | - Shaoxian Song
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China
| | - Yifeng Xu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
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36
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Li J, Yang H, Qin K, Wei L, Xia X, Zhu F, Tan X, Xue C, Zhao Q. Effect of pig manure-derived sulfadiazine on species distribution and bioactivities of soil ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms after fertilization. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 423:126994. [PMID: 34481384 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
To evaluate the effect of pig manure-derived sulfadiazine (SDZ) on the species distribution and bioactivities of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) within the soil were investigated pre- and post-fertilization. Kinetic modeling and linear regression results demonstrated that the DT50 value of different SDZ fractions under initial SDZ concentrations of 50 and 100 mg·kg-1 exhibited the following trend: total SDZ>CaCl2-extractable SDZ>MeOH-extractable SDZ, whereas their inhibiting effect on AOMs showed an opposite trend. qPCR analysis suggested that comammox was the predominant ammonia oxidizer in soils regardless of SDZ addition, accounting for as much as 77.2-94.7% of the total amoA, followed by AOA (5.3-22.5%), whereas AOB (<0.5%) was the lowest. The SDZ exhibited a significant effect on the AOM abundance. Specifically, SDZ exerted the highest inhibitory effect on comammox growth, followed by AOA, whereas negligible for AOB. The community diversity of AOMs within the pig manure-fertilized soils was affected by SDZ, and AOA Nitrososphaera cluster 3 played a key role in potential ammonia oxidation capacity (PAO) maintenance. This study provides new insights into the inhibition mechanisms of pig manure-derived antibiotics on AOMs within the fertilized soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianju Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Haizhou Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Kena Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Liangliang Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
| | - Xinhui Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Fengyi Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Xuefei Tan
- College of Materials and Chemical Engineering, Heilongjiang Institute of Technology, Harbin 100050, China
| | - Chonghua Xue
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Future Urban Design, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Qingliang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resources and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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37
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Wu Z, Gao J, Cui Y, Li D, Dai H, Guo Y, Li Z, Zhang H, Zhao M. Metagenomics insights into the selective inhibition of NOB and comammox by phenacetin: Transcriptional activity, nitrogen metabolism and mechanistic understanding. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 803:150068. [PMID: 34525735 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Phenacetin (PNCT), a common antipyretic and analgesic drug, is often used to treat fever and headache. However, the effect of PNCT on nitrifiers in wastewater treatment processes remains unclear. The practicability of attaining partial nitrification (PN) through inhibitor-PNCT was investigated in this study. The optimal treatment conditions of soaking once for 18 h with 2.50 × 10-3 g PNCT/(g MLSS) were applied to the PN stability experiment. The results showed that ammonia oxidation activity recovered quickly after 3 cycles of operation, while nitrite oxidation activity was suppressed steadily. In addition, average ammonium removal efficiency and nitrite accumulation ratio during 138 cycles could reach 94.94% and 85.38%, respectively. Complimentary DNA high-throughput sequencing and oligotyping analysis showed that the activity of Nitrosomonas would gradually surpass Nitrospira after PNCT treatment only once. The decrease of Nitrospira activity was accompanied by the simplification of oligotypes after PNCT treatment, while Nitrosomonas could adapt to PNCT stress by reducing the differences between oligotypes. Metagenomics revealed that the decrease in the number of NXR in the nitrogen metabolism pathways was the key reason for achieving PN. The potential mechanisms might be that the dominant nitrite-oxidizing bacteria and complete ammonia oxidizers were bio-killed by PNCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zejie Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jingfeng Gao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Yingchao Cui
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Dingchang Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Huihui Dai
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yi Guo
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Ziqiao Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Haoran Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Mingyan Zhao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life Sciences, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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Alam MM, Masud A, Scharf B, Bradley I, Aich N. Long-Term Exposure and Effects of rGO-nZVI Nanohybrids and Their Parent Nanomaterials on Wastewater-Nitrifying Microbial Communities. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:512-524. [PMID: 34931813 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c02586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Single nanomaterials and nanohybrids (NHs) can inhibit microbial processes in wastewater treatment, especially nitrification. While existing studies focus on short-term and acute exposures of single nanomaterials on wastewater microbial community growth and function, long-term, low-exposure, and emerging NHs need to be examined. These NHs have distinctly different physicochemical properties than their parent nanomaterials and, therefore, may exert previously unknown effects onto wastewater microbial communities. This study systematically investigated long-term [∼6 solid residence time [(SRT)] exposure effects of a widely used carbon-metal NH (rGO-nZVI = 1:2 and 1:0.2, mass ratio) and compared these effects to their single-parent nanomaterials (i.e., rGO and nZVI) in nitrifying sequencing batch reactors. nZVI and NH-dosed reactors showed relatively unaffected microbial communities compared to control, whereas rGO showed a significantly different (p = 0.022) and less diverse community. nZVI promoted a diverse community and significantly higher (p < 0.05) biomass growth under steady-state conditions. While long-term chronic exposure (10 mg·L-1) of single nanomaterials and NHs had limited impact on long-term nutrient recovery, functionally, the reactors dosed with higher iron content, that is, nZVI and rGO-nZVI (1:2), promoted faster NH4+-N removal due to higher biomass growth and upregulation of amoA genes at the transcript level, respectively. The transmission electron microscopy images and scanning electron microscopy─energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis revealed high incorporation of iron in nZVI-dosed biomass, which promoted higher cellular growth and a diverse community. Overall, this study shows that NHs have unique effects on microbial community growth and function that cannot be predicted from parent materials alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Mahbubul Alam
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Arvid Masud
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Brianna Scharf
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Ian Bradley
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
- Research and Education in Energy, Environmental and Water (RENEW) Institute, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
| | - Nirupam Aich
- Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, New York 14260, United States
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Xu S, Chai W, Xiao R, Smets BF, Palomo A, Lu H. Survival strategy of comammox bacteria in a wastewater nutrient removal system with sludge fermentation liquid as additional carbon source. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 802:149862. [PMID: 34461473 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Complete ammonia oxidizing (comammox) bacteria are frequently detected in wastewater biological nutrient removal (BNR) systems. This study identified "Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa"-like comammox bacteria as the predominant ammonia oxidizers (97.5-99.4%) in a lab-scale BNR system with acetate and sludge fermentation liquid as external carbon sources. The total nitrogen and phosphorus removals of the system were 75.9% and 86.9% with minimal N2O emission (0.27%). Low ammonia concentration, mixotrophic growth potentials and metabolic interactions with diverse heterotrophs collectively contributed to the survival of comammox bacteria in the system. The recovered draft genomes of comammox bacteria indicated their potentials in using acetate and propionate but not butyrate. Acetate and propionate indeed stimulated the transcription of comammox amoA genes (up-regulated by 4.1 folds compared with no organic addition), which was positively correlated with the ammonia oxidation rate of the community (r = 0.75, p < 0.05). Comammox bacteria could provide vitamins/cofactors (e.g., cobalamin and biotin) to heterotrophs (e.g., Burkholderiaceae), and in return receive amino acids (e.g., phenylalanine and tyrosine) from heterotrophs, which they cannot synthesize. Compared with comammox bacteria, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) exhibited lower metabolic versatility, and lacked more pathways for the synthesis of amino acids and vitamin/cofactors, leading to their washout in the studied system. BNRs with comammox bacteria as the major nitrifiers hold great potentials in achieving superior performance at low aeration cost and low N2O emission and at full-scale plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaoyi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wenbo Chai
- Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Rui Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Barth F Smets
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Alejandro Palomo
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kgs Lyngby, Denmark; State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Integrated Surface Water-Groundwater Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Huijie Lu
- Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
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40
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Zhao M, Tang X, Sun D, Hou L, Liu M, Zhao Q, Klümper U, Quan Z, Gu JD, Han P. Salinity gradients shape the nitrifier community composition in Nanliu River Estuary sediments and the ecophysiology of comammox Nitrospira inopinata. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148768. [PMID: 34247082 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The recent discovery of complete ammonia oxidizers (comammox), which convert ammonia to nitrate in a single organism, revolutionized the conventional understanding that two types of nitrifying microorganisms have to be involved in the nitrification process for more than 100 years. However, how different types of nitrifiers in response to salinity change remains largely unclear. This study not only investigated nitrifier community (including ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), comammox and nitrite-oxidizing Nitrospira) in the Nanliu estuary to find the ecological relationship between salinity and functional communities and also studied the physiology of a typical comammox Nitrospira inopinata in response to a salinity gradient. Based on sequences retrieved with four sets of functional gene primes, comammox Nitrospira was in general, mainly composed of clade A, with a clear separation of clade A1 subgroup in all samples and clade A2 subgroup in low salinity ones. As expected, group I.1b and group I.1a AOA dominated the AOA community in low- and high-salinity samples, respectively. Nitrosomonas-AOB were detected in all samples while Nitrosospira-AOB were mainly found in relatively high-salinity samples. Regarding general Nitrospira, lineages II and IV were the major groups in most of the samples, while lineage I Nitrospira was only detected in low-salinity samples. Furthermore, the comammox pure culture of N. inopinata showed an optimal salinity at 0.5‰ and ceased to grow at 12.8‰ for ammonia oxidation, but remained active for nitrite oxidation. These results show new evidence regarding niche specificity of different nitrifying microorganisms modulated mainly by salinity, and also a clear response by comammox N. inopinata to a wide range of simulated salinity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyue Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Xiufeng Tang
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Dongyao Sun
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Lijun Hou
- State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Min Liu
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Qiang Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Uli Klümper
- Institute for Hydrobiology, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Zhexue Quan
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Institute of Biodiversity Science, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
| | - Ji-Dong Gu
- Environmental Engineering, Guangdong Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, 241 Daxue Road, Shantou, Guangdong 515063, China
| | - Ping Han
- Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science (Ministry of Education), School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China; State Key Laboratory of Estuarine and Coastal Research, East China Normal University, 500 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200241, China; Institute of Eco-Chongming, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai 200062, China.
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41
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Tian Z, Zhou N, You W, He D, Chang F, Zheng M. Mitigating NO and N 2O emissions from a pilot-scale oxidation ditch using bioaugmentation of immobilized aerobic denitrifying bacteria. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 340:125704. [PMID: 34375792 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) requires urgent mitigation because of its significant contribution to the greenhouse effect. In this study, bioaugmentation was applied in a pilot-scale oxidation ditch with the aerobic denitrifying bacteria strain PCN-1 immobilized on polyurethane biocarriers, which demonstrated effective N2O mitigation. Microbial community analysis suggested that the bioaugmentation facilitated a symbiotic relationship of the bacterial populations between the activated sludge and the biocarriers. The denitrifying bacteria with well-known N2O reducing capabilities predominated on the biocarriers. Correspondingly, the increases of denitrifying genes and NO and N2O reductase provided evidence for the enhanced genetic potential for NO and N2O reduction. Besides, the enriched comammox Nitrospira on the biocarriers is proposed as another significant driver for N2O mitigation by avoiding nitrite accumulation. In addition, the bioaugmentation enhanced the stability and recovery capability of the system in the ammonia overload and aeration failure shock tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Tian
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Nan Zhou
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Wenbo You
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Da He
- Key Laboratory of Ecological Impacts of Hydraulic Projects and Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystem of Ministry of Water Resources, Institute of Hydroecology, Ministry of Water Resources & Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Chang
- Marine Resources Research Centre, Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, M.O.T., Tianjin 300456, China
| | - Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
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42
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Zhou X, Li B, Wei J, Ye Y, Xu J, Chen L, Lu C. Temperature Influenced the Comammox Community Composition in Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 82:870-884. [PMID: 33665721 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-021-01724-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nitrification is a pivotal step applied in water engineered systems for nitrogen removal. Temperature variation due to seasonal changes is a great challenge for maintaining nitrogen removal efficiency in water engineered ecosystems by affecting nitrifier activities. Research on the abundance, activity, and metabolic characteristics of nitrifiers can provide information for selecting suitable design parameters to ensure efficient nitrogen removal in different seasons. To date, the temperature-related niche separation of comammox, a newly discovered nitrifier with potential high-growth yield, has been rarely investigated. This study addressed the distribution of comammox and canonical nitrifying guilds in drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in different seasons. qPCR-based surveys showed that comammox ubiquitously distributed and greatly outnumbered other ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in both DWTPs and WWTPs, except in Aug samples from DWTPs, suggesting the potential competitive advantage of AOA in summer. The nitrificans-like comammox and nitrosa-like comammox comprised the majority of the comammox community in DWTPs and WWTPs, respectively, and COD and NH4+ concentrations significantly contributed to the distinct comammox phylotype distribution between DWTPs and WWTPs. The temperature-related distribution pattern of the comammox community was observed at each site. Moreover, the network complex of comammox communities was highest in Dec at all the sites, possibly contributing to the survival of comammox community in low temperature conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Zhou
- College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
- State key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Bolun Li
- School of Geographic Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jun Wei
- Power China Huadong Engineering Corporation Limited, Hangzhou, 311122, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yu Ye
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
- State key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Junzeng Xu
- College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
- State key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Lina Chen
- College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Regulation and Resource Development on Shallow Lake of Ministry of Education, College of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Chunhui Lu
- Yangtze Institute for Conservation and Development, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China.
- State key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, 210098, Jiangsu Province, China.
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43
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Wang H, Gao Q, Liu S, Chen Q. Simultaneous nitrogen and carbon removal in a single biological aerated filter by the bioaugmentation with heterotrophic-aerobic nitrogen removal bacteria. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2021; 42:3716-3724. [PMID: 32149576 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2020.1739147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACTAgrobacterium sp. LAD9 capable of heterotrophic-aerobic nitrogen removal was applied into a single biological aerated filter (BAF) for bioaugmented treatment of municipal wastewater. The achievement of simultaneous nitrogen and carbon removal in the bioaugmented system was systematically evaluated by ratios of COD to nitrogen (COD/N), ranging from 1 to 20. The results showed that at an appropriate COD/N ratio of 10, the BAF exhibited excellent carbon and nutrients removal, the averaged removal efficiencies for COD, NH4+-N and TN were 92.3%, 100% and 80.0%, respectively. Long-term operation of the bioaugmented system also confirmed the stability of the treatment efficiency. Further comparisons of SOUR and PCR-DGGE profiles between the bioaugmented and the control system revealed that the introduction of strain LAD9 greatly changed the structure of original microbial community and facilitated their capabilities of aerobic nutrients removal. The proposed bioaugmentation strategy is of particular importance to upgrading or retrofitting concurrent municipal wastewater treatment systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haizhen Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qiang Gao
- State Key Lab Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, People's Republic of China
| | - Shufeng Liu
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Qian Chen
- State Key Lab Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining, People's Republic of China
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44
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Duan H, Zhao Y, Koch K, Wells GF, Zheng M, Yuan Z, Ye L. Insights into Nitrous Oxide Mitigation Strategies in Wastewater Treatment and Challenges for Wider Implementation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:7208-7224. [PMID: 33975433 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions account for the majority of the carbon footprint of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Many N2O mitigation strategies have since been developed while a holistic view is still missing. This article reviews the state-of-the-art of N2O mitigation studies in wastewater treatment. Through analyzing existing studies, this article presents the essential knowledge to guide N2O mitigations, and the logics behind mitigation strategies. In practice, mitigations are mainly carried out by aeration control, feed scheme optimization, and process optimization. Despite increasingly more studies, real implementation remains rare, which is a combined result of unclear climate change policies/incentives, as well as technical challenges. Five critical technical challenges, as well as opportunities, of N2O mitigations were identified. It is proposed that (i) quantification methods for overall N2O emissions and pathway contributions need improvement; (ii) a reliable while straightforward mathematical model is required to quantify benefits and compare mitigation strategies; (iii) tailored risk assessment needs to be conducted for WWTPs, in which more long-term full-scale trials of N2O mitigation are urgently needed to enable robust assessments of the resulting operational costs and impact on nutrient removal performance; (iv) current mitigation strategies focus on centralized WWTPs, more investigations are warranted for decentralised systems, especially decentralized activated sludge WWTPs; and (v) N2O may be mitigated by adopting novel strategies promoting N2O reduction denitrification or microorganisms that emit less N2O. Overall, we conclude N2O mitigation research is reaching a maturity while challenges still exist for a wider implementation, especially in relation to the reliability of N2O mitigation strategies and potential risks to nutrient removal performances of WWTPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Duan
- School of Chemical Engineering, the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yingfen Zhao
- School of Chemical Engineering, the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Konrad Koch
- Chair of Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technical University of Munich, Am Coulombwall 3, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - George F Wells
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre (AWMC), the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Liu Ye
- School of Chemical Engineering, the University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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45
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Zheng M, He S, Feng Y, Wang M, Liu YX, Dang C, Wang J. Active ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in wastewater treatment systems. J Environ Sci (China) 2021; 102:273-282. [PMID: 33637253 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2020.09.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 09/26/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are two microbial groups mediating nitrification, yet little is presently known about their abundances and community structures at the transcriptional level in wastewater treatment systems (WWTSs). This is a significant issue, as the numerical abundance of AOA or AOB at the gene level may not necessarily represent their functional role in ammonia oxidation. Using amoA genes as molecular markers, this study investigated the transcriptional abundance and community structure of active AOA and AOB in 14 WWTSs. Quantitative PCR results indicated that the transcriptional abundances of AOB amoA (averaged: 1.6 × 108 copies g-1 dry sludge) were higher than those of AOA (averaged: 3.4 × 107 copies g-1 dry sludge) in all WWTSs despite several higher abundances of AOA amoA at the gene level. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that Nitrosomonas europaea and unknown clusters accounted for 37.66% and 49.96% of the total AOB amoA transcripts, respectively, suggesting their dominant role in driving ammonia oxidation. Meanwhile, AOA amoA transcripts were only successfully retrieved from 3 samples, and the Nitrosospaera sister cluster dominated, accounting for 83.46%. Finally, the substrate utilization kinetics of different AOA and AOB species might play a fundamental role in shaping their niche differentiation, community composition, and functional activity. This study provides a basis for evaluating the relative contributions of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) to nitrogen conversions in WWTSs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maosheng Zheng
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Shishi He
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yueqi Feng
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Mingyuan Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Yong-Xin Liu
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic Interactions, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Chenyuan Dang
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jiawen Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
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46
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Zheng M, Zhou N, He S, Chang F, Zhong J, Xu S, Wang Z, Liu T. Nitrous oxide (N 2O) emissions from a pilot-scale oxidation ditch under different COD/N ratios, aeration rates and two shock-load conditions. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 280:111657. [PMID: 33229113 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.111657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Nitrous oxide (N2O) generated from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) has drawn attention due to its high emission load and significant greenhouse effect. In the present study, N2O emissions from a pilot-scale Carrousel oxidation ditch under various chemical oxygen demand (COD) to nitrogen ratio (COD/N) and aeration rates were systematically investigated. The highest N2O emission factor was 0.142 ± 0.013%, at COD/N of 5 and aeration rate of 1.8 m3 h-1, which was much lower than the majority of previous studies. The results could be attributed to the high internal recycle ratio of the oxidation ditch process which lightened the burden of influent load to the system. The profiles of N2O emissions and dissolved N2O concentration along the channels showed a distinct spatial variation that N2O emissions primarily occurred in the aeration zones due to the air stripping effect. However, both the aeration and anoxic zones contributed to N2O generation due to autotrophic nitrification (AN), which was considered to be the main N2O generation process. In addition, two simulated shock-load conditions, ammonia overload shock and aeration failure shock, were carried out to explore the response of the biological nitrogen removal (BNR) system. The results indicated that both shock-loads lead to excessive N2O emissions, especially at higher aeration rates, which could be explained by the improved N2O generation by AN process during the shock-load period. This study offered new insights into the role of operational parameters to N2O emission and the alternative approach for N2O mitigation during both the steady-state operation and shock-load conditions in the oxidation ditch process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Nan Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Shishi He
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Fang Chang
- Marine Resources Research Centre, Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, M.O.T., Tianjin, 300456, China
| | - Jie Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Shuo Xu
- Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Zhe Wang
- Key Laboratory of Regional Energy Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Technology, North China Electric Power University, Beijing, 102206, China
| | - Tang Liu
- College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100871, China.
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47
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Shao YH, Wu JH. Comammox Nitrospira Species Dominate in an Efficient Partial Nitrification-Anammox Bioreactor for Treating Ammonium at Low Loadings. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:2087-2098. [PMID: 33440936 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c05777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria capable of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) are widespread and contribute to nitrification in wastewater treatment facilities. However, their roles in partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) systems remain unclear. In this study, a bench-scale bioreactor with continuous stirring was operated for more than 1000 days with limited oxygen supply to achieve efficient nitrogen removal (70.1 ± 2.7%) at a low ammonium loading of 35.2 mg-N/L/day. High-throughput amplicon sequencing analysis of the comammox ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene revealed seven sequence types from two clusters in clade A of comammox Nitrospira. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analyses suggested that the comammox species dominated the ammonia-oxidizing community, with an abundance as high as 89.2 ± 7.9% in total prokaryotic amoA copies. Multiple linear regression further revealed the substantial contribution of the comammox Nitrospira to ammonia oxidation in the bioreactor. The investigation with bioreactor and batch experiments consistently showed that activities of comammox Nitrospira were inhibited by free ammonia far more severely than other ammonia-oxidizing microbes. Overall, this study provided new insight into the ecology of comammox Nitrospira under hypoxic conditions and suggested comammox-associated partial nitrification-anammox as a potential method for treating low-strength ammonium-containing wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Hsien Shao
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
| | - Jer-Horng Wu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City 701, Taiwan
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48
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Minimization of N2O Emission through Intermittent Aeration in a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR): Main Behavior and Mechanism. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13020210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
To explore the main behavior and mechanism of minimizing nitrous oxide (N2O) emission through intermittent aeration during wastewater treatment, two lab-scale sequencing batch reactors operated at intermittently aerated mode (SBR1), and continuously aerated mode (SBR2) were established. Compared with SBR2, the intermittently aerated SBR1 reached not only a higher total nitrogen removal efficiency (averaged 93.5%) but also a lower N2O-emission factor (0.01–0.53% of influent ammonia), in which short-cut nitrification and denitrification were promoted. Moreover, less accumulation and consumption of polyhydroxyalkanoates, a potential endogenous carbon source promoting N2O emission, were observed in SBR1. Batch experiments revealed that nitrifier denitrification was the major pathway generating N2O while heterotrophic denitrification played as a sink of N2O, and SBR1 embraced a larger N2O-mitigating capability. Finally, quantitative polymerase chain reaction results suggested that the abundant complete ammonia oxidizer (comammox) elevated in the intermittently aerated environment played a potential role in avoiding N2O generation during wastewater treatment. This work provides an in-depth insight into the utilization of proper management of intermittent aeration to control N2O emission from wastewater treatment plants.
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49
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Wang X, Lu L, Zhou X, Tang X, Kuang L, Chen J, Shan J, Lu H, Qin H, Adams J, Wang B. Niche Differentiation of Comammox Nitrospira in the Mudflat and Reclaimed Agricultural Soils Along the North Branch of Yangtze River Estuary. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:618287. [PMID: 33584582 PMCID: PMC7873905 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.618287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The discovery of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox), oxidizing ammonia to nitrate via nitrite in a single organism, has redefined the traditional recognition of the two-step nitrification driven by two functional groups (ammonia-oxidizing and nitrite-oxidizing microorganisms). However, the understanding of the distribution and niche differentiation of comammox Nitrospira in the estuarine mudflats and their reclaimed agricultural soils is still limited. Here, we investigated the abundance, diversity and community structures of comammox Nitrospira in the mudflats and the reclaimed agricultural soils in the northern Yangtze River estuary. Quantitative PCR showed the abundances of amoA genes of comammox were lower than that of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in nearly all samples. Amplicon sequencing of amoA genes revealed that the community structures of comammox Nitrospira were significantly (P < 0.001) different between the original mudflats and the reclaimed agricultural soils, indicating niche differentiation among comammox Nitrospira clades (clade A.1, clade A.2, and clade B). The clade A.1 was the dominant group of comammox Nitrospira in the mudflats, while clade B predominated in the agricultural soils. However, the members of clade A.2 could be clearly divided into two groups, the mudflat-preferred and agricultural soil-preferred groups, suggesting more complicated ecological preferences within this sub-clade. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that salinity, organic matter (OM) and NO3–-N had a significantly influence on the distribution of comammox Nitrospira in the estuarine environment. Clade A.1 and nearly half members of clade A.2 were positively correlated with salinity, and negatively correlated with the concentrations of OM and NO3–-N. In contrast, the clade B and the other half members of clade A.2 showed the exact opposite pattern: a negative correlation with salinity and positive correlation with OM and NO3–-N. The co-occurrence network demonstrated that the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) within the same (sub-)clade were mostly positively correlated, indicating the similar niche preferences among the members from the same (sub-)clade of comammox Nitrospira. Taken together, our results revealed the niche differentiation of comammox Nitrospira in estuarine ecosystems where salinity and OM were the primary factors responsible for the distinct ecological distribution patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinxin Wang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China.,Department of Environmental Engineering, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Lu Lu
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China
| | - Xue Zhou
- College of Agricultural Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiufeng Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Lu Kuang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Junhui Chen
- Key State Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jun Shan
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
| | - Huijie Lu
- Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hua Qin
- Key State Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jonathan Adams
- School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
| | - Baozhan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China.,Key Lab of Microbiology for Agricultural Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
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50
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Truu M, Nõlvak H, Ostonen I, Oopkaup K, Maddison M, Ligi T, Espenberg M, Uri V, Mander Ü, Truu J. Soil Bacterial and Archaeal Communities and Their Potential to Perform N-Cycling Processes in Soils of Boreal Forests Growing on Well-Drained Peat. Front Microbiol 2020; 11:591358. [PMID: 33343531 PMCID: PMC7744593 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.591358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Peatlands are unique wetland ecosystems that cover approximately 3% of the world’s land area and are mostly located in boreal and temperate regions. Around 15 Mha of these peatlands have been drained for forestry during the last century. This study investigated soil archaeal and bacterial community structure and abundance, as well as the abundance of marker genes of nitrogen transformation processes (nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia) across distance gradients from drainage ditches in nine full-drained, middle-aged peatland forests dominated by Scots pine, Norway spruce, or Downy birch. The dominating tree species had a strong effect on the chemical properties (pH, N and C/N status) of initially similar Histosols and affected the bacterial and archaeal community structure and abundance of microbial groups involved in the soil nitrogen cycle. The pine forests were distinguished by having the lowest fine root biomass of trees, pH, and N content and the highest potential for N fixation. The distance from drainage ditches affected the spatial distribution of bacterial and archaeal communities (especially N-fixers, nitrifiers, and denitrifiers possessing nosZ clade II), but this effect was often dependent on the conditions created by the dominance of certain tree species. The composition of the nitrifying microbial community was dependent on the soil pH, and comammox bacteria contributed significantly to nitrate formation in the birch and spruce soils where the pH was higher than 4.6. The highest N2O emission was recorded from soils with higher bacterial and archaeal phylogenetic diversity such as birch forest soils. This study demonstrates that the long-term growth of forests dominated by birch, pine, and spruce on initially similar organic soil has resulted in tree-species-specific changes in the soil properties and the development of forest-type-specific soil prokaryotic communities with characteristic functional properties and relationships within microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marika Truu
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Hiie Nõlvak
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ivika Ostonen
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Kristjan Oopkaup
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Martin Maddison
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Teele Ligi
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mikk Espenberg
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Veiko Uri
- Institute of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ülo Mander
- Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Jaak Truu
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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