Co-metabolic enhancement of 1H-1,2,4-triazole biodegradation through nitrification

Triazoles in the environment: An update on occurrence, fate, health hazards, and removal techniques

The triazole fungicides are widely utilized in agriculture and have the potential to leach into surface water from agricultural fields, resulting in significant environmental contamination. Prolonged exposure to triazole fungicides may pose potential risks to human health. Therefore, it is imperative to develop rapid, cost-effective, and efficient methods for the removal of triazoles in order to mitigate their detrimental impact on both the environment and human health. The present study provides a comprehensive review of the occurrence, distribution, and fate of triazoles in the general environment. Furthermore, an extensive comparison of current removal techniques, encompassing biodegradation, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) and adsorption in various environmental samples, is thoroughly discussed. AOPs-based methods are currently the most widely utilized removal technology and represent a primary direction for future development. The application of hybrid removal techniques presents promising opportunities for the development of innovative methods for triazole removal. The paper also provides an analysis of the advantages/disadvantages and challenges associated with triazoles removal. In conclusion, this comprehensive review offers an in-depth evaluation of state-of-the-art technologies for triazoles removal.

New insights into algal-bacterial sludge granulation based on the tightly-bound extracellular polymeric substances regulation in response to N-Methylpyrrolidone

Algal-bacterial granular sludge (ABGS) system is promising in wastewater treatment for its potential in energy-neutrality and carbon-neutrality. However, traditional cultivation of ABGS poses significant challenges attributable to its long start-up period and high energy consumption. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which could be stimulated as a self-defense strategy in cells under toxic contaminants stress, has been considered to contribute to the ABGS granulation process. In this study, photogranulation of ABGS by EPS regulation in response to varying loading rates of N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) was investigated for the first time. The results indicated the formation of ABGS with a maximum average diameter of ∼3.3 mm and an exceptionally low SVI5 value of 67 ± 2 mL g-1 under an NMP loading rate of 125 mg L-1 d-1, thereby demonstrating outstanding settleability. Besides, almost complete removal of 300 mg L-1 NMP could be achieved at hydraulic retention time of 48 h, accompanied by chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies higher than 90 % and 70 %, respectively. Moreover, possible degradation pathway and metabolism mechanism in the ABGS system for enhanced removal of NMP and nitrogen were proposed. In this ABGS system, the mycelium with network structure constituted by filamentous microorganisms was a prerequisite for photogranulation, instead of necessarily leading to granulation. Stress of 100-150 mg L-1 d-1 NMP loading rate stimulated tightly-bound EPS (TB-EPS) variation, resulting in rapid photogranulation. The crucial role of TB-EPS was revealed with the involved mechanisms being clarified. This study provides a novel insight into ABGS development based on the TB-EPS regulation by NMP, which is significant for achieving the manipulation of photogranules.

Effects of nitrate reduction on the biotransformation of 1H-1,2,4-triazole: Mechanism and community evolution

Due to the refractory of 1 H-1,2,4-triazole (TZ), conventional anaerobic biological treatment technology is usually restricted by low removal efficiency and poor system stability. In this study, TZ biodegradation and nitrate reduction was coupled to improve the removal efficiency of TZ from polluted wastewater. Batch assay was performed with pure culture strain Raoultella sp. NJUST42, which was reported to have the capability to degrade TZ in our previous study. Based on batch assay result, complete removal of TZ could be achieved in the presence of nitrate, whereas only 50% of TZ could be removed in the control system. Long-term stability experiment indicated that the relative abundance of microorganisms (Bacteroidetes_vadinHA17, Georgenia, Anaerolinea, etc) was obviously enhanced under nitrate reduction condition. During long-term period, major intermediates for TZ biodegradation such as [1,2,4]Triazolidine-3,5-diol, hydrazine dibasic carboxylic acid and carbamic acid were detected. A novel TZ biotransformation approach via hydration, TZ-ring cleavage, deamination and oxidation was speculated. PICRUSt1 and KEGG pathway analyses indicated that hydration (dch), oxidation (adhD, oah, pucG, fdhA) of TZ and nitrate reduction (Nar, napA, nrfA, nirBK, norB, nosZ) were significantly enhanced in the presence of nitrate. Moreover, the significant enrichment of TCA cycle (gab, sdh, fum, etc.) indicated that carbon and energy metabolism were facilitated with the addition of nitrate, thus improved TZ catabolism. The proposed mechanism demonstrated that TZ biodegradation coupled with nitrate reduction would be a promising approach for efficient treatment of wastewater contaminated by TZ.

Novel insights into the co-metabolism of pyridine with different carbon substrates: Performance, metabolism pathway and microbial community

Pyridine is a widely employed nitrogen-containing heterocyclic organic, and the discharge of pyridine wastewater poses substantial environmental challenges due to its recalcitrance and toxicity. Co-metabolic degradation emerged as a promising solution. In this study, readily degradable glucose and the structurally analogous phenol were used as co-metabolic substrates respectively, and the corresponding mechanisms were thoroughly explored. To treat 400 mg/L pyridine, all reactors achieved remarkably high removal efficiencies, surpassing 98.5%. And the co-metabolism reactors had much better pyridine-N removal performance. Batch experiments revealed that glucose supplementation bolstered nitrogen assimilation, thereby promoting the breakdown of pyridine, and resulting in the highest pyridine removal rate and pyridine-N removal efficiency. The high abundance of Saccharibacteria (15.54%) and the enrichment of GLU and glnA substantiated this finding. On the contrary, phenol delayed pyridine oxidation, potentially due to its higher affinity for phenol hydroxylase. Nevertheless, phenol proved valuable as a carbon source for denitrification, augmenting the elimination of pyridine-N. This was underscored by the abundant Thauera (30.77%) and Parcubacteria (7.21%) and the enriched denitrification enzymes (narH, narG, norB, norC, and nosZ, etc.). This study demonstrated that co-metabolic degradation can bolster the simultaneous conversion of pyridine and pyridine-N, and shed light on the underling mechanism.

Application oriented bioaugmentation processes: Mechanism, performance improvement and scale-up

Bioaugmentation is an optimization method with great potential to improve the treatment effect by introducing specific strains into the biological treatment system. In this study, a comprehensive review of the mechanism of bioaugmentation from the aspect of microbial community structure, the optimization methods facilitating application as well as feasible approaches of scale-up application has been provided. The different contribution of indigenous and exogenous strains was critically analyzed, the relationship between microbial community variation and system performance was clarified. Operation regulation and immobilization technologies are effective methods to deal with the possible failure of bioaugmentation. The gradual expansion from lab-scale, pilot scale to full-scale, the transformation and upgrading of wastewater treatment plants through the combination of direct dosing and biofilm, and the application of side-stream reactors are feasible ways to realize the full-scale application. The future challenges and prospects in this field were also proposed.

Aerobic biodegradation of emerging azole contaminants by return activated sludge and enrichment cultures

Azoles are an emerging class of contaminants with a growing ubiquitous presence in the environment. This study investigates the aerobic microbial degradation of four azoles, pyrazole (PA), 1,2,4-triazole (TA), benzotriazole (BTA) and 5-methylbenzotriazole (5-MBTA), with return activated sludge and microbial enrichment cultures. Slow degradation of PA was observed in the presence of glucose and NH₄⁺ with a peak degradation rate of 0.5 mg d^-1 gVSS^-1. TA was found to be highly persistent, with no significant degradation observed in 6-8 months under any incubation condition. In contrast, the benzotriazoles were readily degraded at faster rates in all incubation conditions. The degradation rates observed for BTA and 5-MBTA, when provided as the sole substrates, were 8.1 and 16.5 mg d^-1 gVSS^-1, respectively. Two enrichment cultures, one degrading BTA and the other degrading 5-MBTA, were developed from the activated sludge. Mass balance studies revealed complete mineralization of 5-MBTA and partial breakdown of BTA by the enrichment cultures. Nocardioides sp. and Pandoraea pnomenusa were the most abundant bacteria in the BTA and 5-MBTA degrading enrichment cultures, respectively. The research shows large differences in the biodegradability of various azoles, ranging from complete mineralization of 5-MBTA to complete persistence for TA.

Recovery of the nitrifying ability of acclimated biomass exposed to para-nitrophenol

Para-nitrophenol (PNP) is often detected in industrial wastewater that is discharged into municipal wastewater treatment plants. Intermittent discharge of PNP into municipal treatment facilities puts their biological process at risk of inhibition, and the risk is especially great for nitrification. In this work, nitrifying biomass was acclimated to PNP. The acclimated biomass retained most of its ammonium-removal activity when it was exposed to PNP at up to 100 mg/L, while the normal (unacclimated) biomass had nearly complete inhibition. PNP was effectively biodegraded by the acclimated biomass, but the normal biomass had minimal PNP biodegradation. After PNP disappeared, the acclimated biomass recovered its ability for NH₄⁺-N removals within one to two days, but the normal biomass did not fully recovery even after seven days. The acclimated biomass had superior ability to sustain nitrification due to its ability to biodegrade PNP and its selection of nitrifying bacteria more resistant to PNP. The PNP-acclimated community was enriched in genera that could have been active in the biodegradation of PNP, such as Chloroflexi. Although the abundance of well-known nitrifiers, Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira, decreased, Nitrosospira and other genera within the Proetobacteria phylum increased, presumably because they were more resistant to PNP.

Degradation pathway of triazole fungicides and synchronous removal of transformation products via photo-electrocatalytic oxidation tandem MoS2 adsorption

A simple and effective tandem process of photo-electrocatalytic oxidation (PECO)-MoS₂ adsorption was developed for the synchronous removal of triazole fungicides (TFs) and toxicological transformation products (TPs). In order to accurately identify trace TPs and evaluate degradation pathway during water treatment, a sensitive analytical method was developed on the basis of the stir bar sorptive extraction (SBSE) pretreatment tandem LC-MS/MS technique. Firstly, the typical TFs (PRO, TET, and DIN, C₀ = 1.0 mg/L) in actual water samples were treated under the optimal process (bias voltage 1.8 V, pH 4, irradiation intensity 50 mW/cm², 0.05 g MoS₂/100 mL, 350 rpm, adsorption of 5 min). The result indicated that the residues of PRO, TET, and DIN in secondary effluent were 0.0973, 0.0617, and 0.0012 mg/L, respectively, with the removal rates of 90.3%, 93.8%, and 99.9%, respectively, undergoing 30-min photo-electrocatalysis and 5-min adsorption. The alkaline medium was favorable for the adsorption of MoS₂ to TFs. The assessment results of potential cancer risk indicated that the residues of TFs in secondary effluent were safe for drinking water consumption. Besides, the major TPs were identified via the SBSE-HRLC-MS/MS technique, and one possible transformation pathway of TFs was proposed. TFs mainly underwent dehydrochlorination, cyclization, hydroxylation, etc. to produce a series of nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds that possess higher polarity than parents, hinting that TPs might pose potential aquatic toxicity. However, TPs can be removed synchronously by this tandem technique. The current study can provide a theoretical basis for the harmless treatment of TFs in the water environment.

In situ growth of carbon nitride on titanium dioxide/hemp stem biochar toward 2D heterostructured photocatalysts for highly photocatalytic activity

In this work, hierarchical structure TiO₂/hemp stem biochar carbon (HSBC) and C₃N₄-TiO₂/HSBC were successfully fabricated, which were used as efficient visible-light photocatalyst degradation for ammonia nitrogen from aqueous solution. The as-prepared C₃N₄-TiO₂/HSBC hybrid catalyst showed the higher efficient photocatalytic activity for decomposition of ammonia nitrogen than those of pure TiO₂ and TiO₂/HSBC, suggesting suppressed recombination of photogenerated charges and promoted mass transfer due to synergistic effect, and thus increased photocatalytic degradation activity. The degradation of ammonia follows a pseudo-first-order kinetics. All prepared catalysts demonstrated extremely photocatalytic efficiency under visible-light and UV light illumination; the ammonia nitrogen photocatalytic degradation activity of C₃N₄-TiO₂/HSBC can reach 90.3% under UV light while the degradation activity achieved about 50.7% under visible-light irradiation. The results revealed that the h⁺ was dominantly active intermediates in the process of photocatalytic degradation. The prepared catalysts are promising for the degradation of ammonia nitrogen from water resource.

Facilitated bio-mineralization of N,N-dimethylformamide in anoxic denitrification system: Long-term performance and biological mechanism

Due to highly recalcitrant and toxicological nature of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), efficient removal of DMF is challenging for biological wastewater treatment. In this study, an anoxic denitrification system was developed and continuously operated for 220 days in order to verify the enhanced DMF biodegradation mechanism. As high as 41.05 mM DMF could be thoroughly removed in the anoxic denitrification reactor at hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 24 h, while the total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrate removal efficiencies were as high as 95.7 ± 2.5% and 98.4 ± 1.1%, respectively. Microbial community analyses indicated that the species related to DMF hydrolysis (Paracoccus, Brevundimonas and Chryseobacterium) and denitrification (Paracoccus, Arenimonas, Hyphomicrobium, Aquamicrobium and Bosea) were effectively enriched in the anoxic denitrification system. Transcriptional analysis coupled with enzymatic activity assay indicated that both hydrolysis and mineralization of DMF were largely enhanced in the anoxic denitrification system. Moreover, the occurrence of microbial denitrification distinctly facilitated carbon source utilization to produce electron and energy, which was rather beneficial for better reactor performance. This study demonstrated that the anoxic denitrification system would be a potential alternative for efficient treatment of wastewater polluted by recalcitrant pollutants such as DMF.

In-situ membrane fouling control by electrooxidation and microbial community in membrane electro-bioreactor treating aquaculture seawater

Ammonia and nitrite in aquaculture recirculating seawater need to be strictly controlled to avoid deleterious effects on aquatic organisms. However, traditional biological approach can hardly meet the standard due to the short hydraulic retention time (HRT) and nitrite accumulation. A Membrane Electro-Bioreactor (MEBR) was developed for ammonia removal enhancement and in-situ electrochemical membrane fouling mitigation. The fouling mechanism was first found to proceed via the standard filtration model. The flux decrease was mainly caused by an internal pore clogging phenomenon. Membrane fouling resistance was enhanced by increasing anode potential from 0 to 1.4 V vs. SCE (Saturated Calomel Electrode). The ammonia removal rate in the MEBR was above 95% (HRT: 2 h, after day-13) and membrane fouling was mitigated that operation duration was extended by 71.4%. Higher total proportion of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Planctomycetes and Actinobacteria was obtained in the MEBR, suggesting higher nitrification and nitrogen removal potentials.

Efficient fungal and bacterial facilitated remediation of thiencarbazone methyl in the environment

Triazole herbicide, Thiencarbazone-methyl (TCM) applied on different crops for weedicidal activity is associated with an inherent toxicity towards bladder and urinary functionality. TCM has been first time explored for its biodegradative behavior utilizing microbes, previously isolated from soils. Simulated bio-transformation assemblies of five fungal strains; Aspergillus flavus (AF), Penicillium chrysogenum (PC), Aspergillus niger (AN), Aspergillus terrus (AT), Aspergillus fumigatus (AFu) and two bacterial strains: Xanthomonas citri (XC), Pseudomonassyringae (PS), were utilized. 10 mg/L TCM concentration was set up utilizing each microbe and analysed for 42 days. TCM bio-degradation was evaluated by UV-Visible spectrophotometery and gas chromatography mass spectroscopy. Aspergillus terrus (R² = 0.86) and Penicillium chrysogenum (R² = 0.88) exhibited highest capability to metabolize TCM while forming intermediate metabolites including; 2,4-dihydro-[1,2,4] triazol-3-one, semicarbazide and urea, methyl 4-isocyanatosulfonyl-5-methylthiophene-3-carboxylate. TCM degradation by all strains AF, AFu, AN, PC, AT, PS and XC was found to be 74, 74, 81, 95, 98, 90 and 95%, respectively after 42 days elucidating the effectiveness of all the utilized strains in degrading TCM. Current investigations can impact vital bioremediation approaches for pesticides mitigation from the ecological compartments. Furthermore, present research can be extended to the optimization of the bio-deteriorative assays to be employed on the practical scale for the successful management of environment through sustainable and cost effective ways.

Optimization ofS/Fe ratio for enhanced nitrobenzene biological removal in anaerobicSystem amended withSulfide-modified nanoscale zerovalent iron

Anaerobic reduction of nitrobenzene (NB) can be efficiently enhanced bySupplementing withSulfide-modified nanoscale zerovalent iron (S-nZVI). In thisStudy,S/Fe ratio ofS-nZVI was further optimized for enhancing biological NB removal in anaerobicSystem amended withS-nZVI and inoculated by anaerobicSludge. The results indicated that the performance andStability of the coupled anaerobicSystem for NB reduction and aniline formation were remarkably improved byS-nZVI atS/Fe molar ratio of 0.3 (0.3S-nZVI). TheSecretion of extracellular polymericSubstances (EPS), transformation of volatile fatty acids (VFAs), yield of methane and activity ofSeveral key enzymes could be efficiently improved by 0.3S-nZVI. Furthermore,Species related to NB reduction, fermentation, electroactivity and methanogenesis could be enriched in 0.3S-nZVI coupled anaerobicSystem, with remarkable improvement in the biodiversity observed. ThisStudy demonstrated thatSulfidation would be a promising method to improve the performance of nZVI in coupled anaerobicSystems for the removal of recalcitrant nitroaromatic compounds from wastewater.

Formation of microbial products by activated sludge in the presence of a metabolic uncoupler o-chlorophenol in long-term operated sequencing batch reactors

Metabolic uncouplers are widely used for reducing excess sludge in biological wastewater treatment systems. However, the formation of microbial products, such as extracellular polymeric substances, polyhydroxyalkanoate and soluble microbial products by activated sludge in the presence of metabolic uncouplers remains unrevealed. In this study, the impacts of a metabolic uncoupler o-chlorophenol (oCP) on the reduction of activated sludge yield and formation of microbial products in laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were evaluated for a long-term operation. The results show the average reduction of sludge yield in the four reactors was 17.40%, 25.80%, 33.02% and 39.50%, respectively, when dosing 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg/L oCP. The oCP addition slightly reduced the pollutant removal efficiency and decreased the formation of soluble microbial products in the SBRs, but stimulated the productions of extracellular polymeric substances and polyhydroxyalkanoate in activated sludge. Furthermore, the significant reduction of electronic transport system activity occurred after the oCP addition. Microbial community analysis of the activated sludge indicates dosing oCP resulted in a decrease of sludge richness and diversity in the SBRs. Hopefully, this study would provide useful information for reducing sludge yield in biological wastewater treatment systems and behaviors of activated sludge in the presence of uncouplers.

Nitrate stimulation of N-Methylpyrrolidone biodegradation by Paracoccus pantotrophus: Metabolite mechanism and Genomic characterization

Due to the toxicological nature of N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), the conventional anaerobic bioprocess is quite ineffective for NMP removal from wastewater. In order to achieve effective NMP biodegradation under anoxic condition, Paracoccus pantotrophus NJUST38 was isolated for the first time. The supplementation of nitrate into anoxic system resulted in complete removal of 5 mM NMP by NJUST38 within 11 h compared to 24% in the anaerobic control system in the absence of nitrate. Genome characterization revealed that NMP biodegradation catalyzed by several key enzymes/genes, including N-methylhydantoin amidohydrolase (hyuB), methyltransferase (cobA), 4-aminobutyrate-2-oxoglutarate transaminase (gabT), succinate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase (gabD) and so on. NMP biodegradation pathway was proposed based on several intermediates, where NMP was biodegraded mainly for providing electrons and reducing power to support microbial denitrification through tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. The proposed mechanism should aid our mechanistic understanding of NMP biodegradation by Paracoccus pantotrophus and the development of sustainable bioremediation strategies.

Microbial Enrichment Culture Responsible for the Complete Oxidative Biodegradation of 3-Amino-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (ATO), the Reduced Daughter Product of the Insensitive Munitions Compound 3-Nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO)

3-Nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) is one of the main ingredients of many insensitive munitions, which are being used as replacements for conventional explosives. As its use becomes widespread, more research is needed to assess its environmental fate. Previous studies have shown that NTO is biologically reduced to 3-amino-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (ATO). However, the final degradation products of ATO are still unknown. We have studied the aerobic degradation of ATO by enrichment cultures derived from the soil. After multiple transfers, ATO degradation was monitored in closed bottles through measurements of inorganic carbon and nitrogen species. The results indicate that the members of the enrichment culture utilize ATO as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen. As ATO was mineralized to CO₂, N₂, and NH₄⁺, microbial growth was observed in the culture. Co-substrates addition did not increase the ATO degradation rate. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the organisms that enriched using ATO as carbon and nitrogen source were Terrimonas spp., Ramlibacter-related spp., Mesorhizobium spp., Hydrogenophaga spp., Ralstonia spp., Pseudomonas spp., Ectothiorhodospiraceae, and Sphingopyxis. This is the first study to report the complete mineralization of ATO by soil microorganisms, expanding our understanding of natural attenuation and bioremediation of the explosive NTO.

Substantially enhanced anaerobic reduction of nitrobenzene by biochar stabilized sulfide-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron: Process and mechanisms

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), although being increasingly used in anaerobic systems for strengthening the removal of various refractory pollutants, is limited by various inherent drawbacks, such as easy precipitation, passivation, poor mass and electron transfer. To address the above issues, biochar stabilized sulfide-modified nZVI (S-nZVI@BC) was added into an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) to investigate the enhancement of anaerobic biodegradation of nitrobenzene (NB) and its impacts on microbial community structure. The results demonstrated that both NB reduction and aniline formation could be substantially facilitated in S-nZVI@BC coupled system compared to other anaerobic ones coupled with nZVI or S-nZVI. The dosage of S-nZVI@BC resulted in the formation of densely packed aggregates, evidently increased the extracellular polymeric substances content, promoted the volatile fatty acids transformation and stimulated the methane yield. Furthermore, species related to fermentation (Bacteroides and Longilinea), methanogenesis (Methanosarcina and Methanomethylovorans), electroactivity (Pelobacter, Thiobacillus and Phaselicystis) as well as reduction (Desulfovibrio) were considerably enriched in S-nZVI@BC coupled system. The activities of electron transport, total adenosine triphosphate, nitroreductase and NAD(P)H, which were closely related to microbial activity and NB transformation, were increased noticeably in S-nZVI@BC coupled anaerobic system. This study demonstrated the promising potential for long-term operation and full-scale application of S-nZVI@BC coupled system for the treatment of NB containing wastewater.

Influence of aluminium accumulation on biological nitrification and phosphorus removal in an anoxic-oxic membrane bioreactor

Poly-aluminium chloride (PAC) is often used to enhance phosphorus removal and control membrane fouling in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). However, the influence of aluminium accumulation on the biological nitrification and phosphorus removal of MBRs has not been well assessed. In the present study, the effects of accumulated aluminium on sludge activity and morphology were investigated in a lab-scale anoxic-oxic membrane bioreactor. The reasonably high removal efficiencies of NH₄⁺-N, TN, and COD, i.e. 94.9%, 84.8%, and 92.8%, respectively, were achieved in the reactor when the percentage of atomic aluminium on sludge surface increased to 14.2%. However, the decreases in the ammonia oxidation rate, nitrite oxidation rate, and specific oxygen uptake rate of sludge by 82.1%, 79.8%, and 46.4%, respectively, were observed. Meanwhile, the activity of phosphate-accumulating organisms was completely inhibited. Furthermore, the protein content in the extracellular polymeric substances of sludge decreased substantially, and the sludge became more dispersed due to the alum accumulation, compared with that of the initial phase. Therefore, long-term dosing of PAC in the MBR should be managed to avoid excessive aluminium accumulation in the sludge.

A novel integrated system of three-dimensional electrochemical reactors (3DERs) and three-dimensional biofilm electrode reactors (3DBERs) for coking wastewater treatment

Treatment of coking wastewater is a great challenge due to their instinct characteristics of high concentration, complex composition and biological toxicity. In this work, a novel integrated system comprising three-dimensional electrochemical reactors (3DERs) and three-dimensional biofilm electrode reactors (3DBERs) in series is developed for coking wastewater treatment. Results indicate that 79.63% of COD as well as 76.30% of total nitrogen could be removed at the low energy consumption of 15.6 kWh/m³. 3DERs mainly contribute to COD and nitrogen removal through electrochemical oxidation/reduction, while 3DBERs are responsible for nitrification process by enriched functional microbes. After treating by the integrated system, only long-chain alkanes are left in the wastewater and the toxicity of effluent is significantly reduced. This integrated 3DERs-3DBERs system exhibits capability of simultaneously eliminating carbonaceous and nitrogenous contaminants in coking wastewater, and greatly saves the energy with synergy of electricity and biofilm.

Simultaneous debromination and mineralization of bromophenol in an up-flow electricity-stimulated anaerobic system

Due to highly recalcitrant and toxicological nature of halogenated organic compounds, conventional anaerobic dehalogenation is often limited by low removal rate and poor process stability. Besides, the reduction intermediates or products formed during dehalogenation process, which are still toxic, required further energy-intensive aerobic post-treatment. In this study, an up-flow electricity-stimulated anaerobic system (ESAS) was developed by installing cathode underneath and anode above to realize simultaneous anaerobic debromination and mineralization of 4-bromophenol (4-BP). When cathode potential was -600 mV, high TOC removal efficiency (98.78 ± 0.96%), complete removal of 4-BP and phenol could be achieved at 4-BP loading rate of 0.58 mol m^-3 d^-1, suggesting debrominated product of 4-BP from cathode (i.e., phenol) would be utilized as the fuel by the bioanode of ESAS. Under high 4-BP loading rate (2.32 mol m^-3 d^-1) and low electron donor dosage (4.88 mM), 4-BP could be completely removed at acetate usage ratio as low as 4.21 ± 1.42 mol acetate mol^-1 4-BP removal in ESAS, whereas only 13.45 ± 1.38% of 4-BP could be removed at acetate usage ratio as high as 31.28 ± 3.38 mol acetate mol^-1 4-BP removal in control reactor. Besides, electrical stimulation distinctly facilitated the growth of various autotrophic dehalogenation species, phenol degradation related species, fermentative species, homoacetogens and electrochemically active species in ESAS. Moreover, based on the identified intermediates and the bacterial taxonomic analysis, possible metabolism mechanism involved in enhanced anaerobic debromination and mineralization of 4-BP in ESAS was proposed.