Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal in an aerobic granular sludge sequencing batch reactor with high dissolved oxygen: Effects of carbon to nitrogen ratios

Performance and mechanism of a novel aerobic phosphorus release/anoxic phosphorus uptake process for simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal

To investigate the feasibility of a novel Nitritation and Denitrification for Simultaneous Nitrogen and Phosphorus Removal system, a 133-day experiment was conducted. The results showed that combining aerobic phosphorus release capacity with denitrification phosphorus uptake capacity was feasible to achieve N and P removal. The removal efficiencies of TN and TP in ND-SNPR system were 98.16 ± 1.75 % and 81.70 ± 8.03 %. In addition, the phosphorus removal pathway of the system was identified as biological phosphorus removal. It is worth noting that the aerobic phosphorus release phenomenon of the ND-SNPR system occurred simultaneously with the short-range nitrification reaction and PHA storage. Thauera played the main role in the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus in the system. The relative abundance of Ploy-P hydrolases, dominated by ppx and relA, increased significantly with the intensification of the aerobic phosphorus release performance. This study provides a new idea for N and P removal and a reference for shortening the path of N and P removal as well as the phenomenon of aerobic phosphorus release.

Interactions between N, P in the overlying water and flooding-induced decomposition of Cynodon dactylon in the water-level fluctuation zone

During flooding in the Water Level Fluctuation Zone (WLFZ), nutrient levels of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the overlying water fluctuate due to soil nutrient release, impacting the decomposition of plants like Cynodon dactylon. However, limited research on the effects of these nutrient changes on plant nutrient release and water dynamics complicates accurate assessments of water quality impacts. This study used 8 water samples with varying initial nutrient levels to simulate N and P changes induced by WLFZ soil nutrients and examined the decomposition and nutrient dynamics of Cynodon dactylon. Results showed that flooding significantly increased initial levels of N and P, especially as particulate nitrogen (PN) and particulate phosphorus (PP), affecting both plant decomposition and nutrient dynamics in the water. After 60 days, Cynodon dactylon lost 47.97%-56.01% dry matter, 43.58%-54.48% total nitrogen (TN), and 14.28%-20.50% total phosphorus (TP). Initial PN and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) promoted dry matter loss, PN and PP promoted TP loss, while PN and TDN inhibited TN loss. By day 60, no positive correlation was found between plant-released N and P and TN or TP in the overlying water. However, initial PP and PN levels were negatively correlated with TN and TP, indicating an inhibitory effect. Further analysis indicates that PN and PP released from the soil supported the formation of microbial aggregates, enhancing denitrification and phosphorus removal and thus improving water purification over time.

Color removal in acidogenic reactor followed by aerobic granular sludge reactor: Operational and microbiological aspects

This work investigated the operational and microbiological aspects of the decolorization of the azo dye Reactive Black 5 in acidogenic reactors followed by aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactors, evaluating the effect of the acidogenic hydraulic retention time (HRT) (3, 2, and 1 h), effluent recirculation in the AGS reactor (50 mL min-1), dye concentration (50 and 100 mg L-1), and the redox mediator sodium anthraquinone-2-disulfonate (AQS) (50 μM). The acidogenic reactors were mainly responsible for the dye decolorization, with AQS significantly improving its efficiency and enabling the use of a shorter HRT (2 h). The recirculation effect was not so evident, probably masked by the adaptation of the acidogenic microbiota. Increasing the dye concentration did not affect the total decolorization, but reduced nitrogen removal in the AGS reactors. Furthermore, the dye and its byproducts may have negatively affected the long-term AGS stability. While the acidogenic microbiota maintained its diversity, the AGS tended to become more specialist. However, in both, some abundant genera that may have acted in reducing the dye were found, such as Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and Raoutella in the acidogenic sludge and Dechloromonas and Defluviicoccus in the AGS.

The influence of vermicompost on atrazine microbial degradation performance and pathway in black soil, Northeast China

The atrazine (ATR) is extensively used in dryland crops like corn and sorghum in black soil region of Northeast China, posing ecological risks due to toxic metabolites. Vermicompost are known for soil organic pollution remediation but their role in pesticide degradation in black soil remains understudied. The influence of vermicompost on the microbial degradation pathway of atrazine was assessed in this study. Although vermicompost didn't significantly boost atrazine removal, they notably aided in primary metabolite degradation, hydroxyatrazine (HYA), deisopropylatrazine (DIA), and deethylatrazine (DEA), reducing their content by 38.67 %. They also altered the soil microbial community structure, favoring atrazine-degrading bacteria like Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria. Five secondary degradation products were identified in vermicompost treatments. Atrazine degradation occurred via dechlorination, dealkylation, and deamination pathways mainly by Nocardioidacea, Streptomycetaceae, Bacillaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, Comamonadaceae and Nitrososphaeraceae. pH and available nitrogen (AN) influenced microbial community structure and atrazine degradation, correlating with vermicompost application rates. Future black soil remediation should optimize application rates based on atrazine content and soil properties.

Effect of settling time and organic loading rates on aerobic granulation processes treating high strength wastewater

Despite its numerous advantages, the aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process faces several challenges that hinder its widespread implementation. One such challenge is the requirement for high organic load ratios (OLR), which significantly impacts AGS formation and stability, posing a barrier to commercialization. In response to these challenges, this study investigates the granulation and treatment efficacy of the AGS process for treating high-concentration wastewater under various OLR and settling time. Three sequential batch reactors (R1, R2, R3) were operated at OLRs of 0.167, 0.33, and 1 kg COD/m3·day. The study focuses on analyzing key parameters including sludge characteristics, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content, PN/PS ratio, and microbial clusters. Results demonstrate that reducing settling time from 90 to 30 min enhances sludge settleability, resulting in a maximum 50.8 % decrease in SVI30 (from 98.1 to 122.8 mL/g to 51.9-81.3 mL/g), thereby facilitating the selection of beneficial microorganisms during granulation. Particularly, at R2, the PN/PS ratio was 4.3, and EPS content increased by 1.52-fold, leading to a 1.41-fold increase in sludge attachment. This observation suggests a progressive maturation of AGS. Additionally, analysis of microbial diversity and cluster composition highlights the influence of OLR variations on the ratios of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes. These findings emphasize the significant impact of SBR operational strategies on AGS process performance and biological stability, offering valuable insights for the efficient operation of future high-concentration wastewater treatment processes.

Bibliometric analysis of research trends in biogranulation technology for wastewater treatment

Inadequate management and treatment of wastewater pose significant threats, including environmental pollution, degradation of water quality, depletion of global water resources, and detrimental effects on human well-being. Biogranulation technology has gained increasing traction for treating both domestic and industrial wastewater, garnering interest from researchers and industrial stakeholders alike. However, the literature lacks comprehensive bibliometric analyses that examine and illuminate research hotspots and trends in this field. This study aims to elucidate the global research trajectory of scientific output in biogranulation technology from 1992 to 2022. Utilizing data from the Scopus database, we conducted an extensive analysis, employing VOSviewer and the R-studio package to visualize and map connections and collaborations among authors, countries, and keywords. Our analysis revealed a total of 1703 journal articles published in English. Notably, China emerged as the leading country, Jin Rencun as the foremost author, Bioresource Technology as the dominant journal, and Environmental Science as the prominent subject area, with the Harbin Institute of Technology leading in institutional contributions. The most prominent author keyword identified through VOSviewer analysis was "aerobic granular sludge," with "sequencing batch reactor" emerging as the dominant research term. Furthermore, our examination using R Studio highlighted "wastewater treatment" and "sewage" as notable research terms within the field. These findings underscore a diverse research landscape encompassing fundamental aspects of granule formation, reactor design, and practical applications. This study offers valuable insights into biogranulation potential for efficient wastewater treatment and environmental remediation, contributing to a sustainable and cleaner future.

Optimizing carbon sources regulation in the biochemical treatment systems for coal chemical wastewater: Aromatic compounds biodegradation and microbial response strategies

The complex composition of coal chemical wastewater (CCW), marked by numerous highly toxic aromatic compounds, induces the destabilization of the biochemical treatment system, leading to suboptimal treatment efficacy. In this study, a biochemical treatment system was established to efficiently degrade aromatic compounds by quantitatively regulating the dosage of co-metabolized substrates (specifically, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) Glucose: COD Sodium acetate = 3:1, 1:3, and 1:1). The findings demonstrated that the system achieved optimal performance under the condition that the ratio of COD Glucose to COD Sodium acetate was 3:1. When the co-metabolized substrate was added to the system at an optimal ratio, examination of pollutant removal and cumulative effects revealed that the removal efficiencies for COD and total organic carbon (TOC) reached 94.61 % and 86.40 %, respectively. The removal rates of benzene series, nitrogen heterocyclic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and phenols were 100 %, 100 %, 63.58 %, and 94.12 %, respectively. Research on the physiological response of microbial cells showed that, under optimal ratio regulation, co-metabolic substrates led to a substantial rise in microbial extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) secretion, particularly extracellular proteins. When the system reached the end of its operation, the contents of loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) and tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) for proteins in the optimal group were 7.12 mg/g-SS and 152.28 mg/g-SS, respectively. Meanwhile, the ratio of α-Helix / (β-Sheet + Random coil) and the proportion of intermolecular interaction forces were also increased in the optimal group. At system completion, the ratio of α-Helix / (β-Sheet + Random coil) reached 0.717 (LB-EPS) and 0.618 (TB-EPS), respectively. Additionally, the proportion of intermolecular interaction forces reached 74.83 % (LB-EPS) and 55.03 % (TB-EPS). An in-depth analysis of the metabolic regulation of microorganisms indicated that the introduction of optimal ratios of co-metabolic substrates contributed to a noteworthy upregulation in the expression of Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C23O) and Dehydrogenase (DHA). The expression levels of C23O and DHA were measured at 0.029 U/mg Pro·g MLSS and 75.25 mg TF·(g MLSS·h)-1 (peak value), respectively. Correspondingly, enrichment of aromatic compound-degrading bacteria, including Thauera, Saccharimonadales, and Candidatus_Competibacter, occurred, along with the upregulation of associated functional genes such as Catechol 1,2-dioxygenase, Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, Protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase, and Protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase. Considering the intricate system of multiple coexisting aromatic compounds in real CCW, this study not only obtained an optimal ratio for carbon source addition but also enhanced the efficient utilization of carbon sources and improved the capability of the system to effectively degrade aromatic compounds. Additionally, this paper established a theoretical foundation for metabolic regulation and harmless treatment within the biochemical treatment of intricate systems, exemplified by real CCW.

Characteristics of bacterial community structure in the sediment of Chishui River (China) and the response to environmental factors

Sediment microorganisms performed an essential function in the biogeochemical cycle of aquatic ecosystems, and their structural composition was closely related to environmental carrying capacity and water quality. In this study, the Chishui River (Renhuai section) was selected as the research area, and the concentrations of environmental factors in the water and sediment were detected. High⁃throughput sequencing was adopted to reveal the characteristics of bacterial community structures in the sediment. In addition, the response of bacteria to environmental factors was explored statistically. Meanwhile, the functional characteristics of bacterial were also analyzed based on the KEGG database. The results showed that the concentration of environmental factors in the water and sediment displayed spatial differences, with the overall trend of midstream > downstream > upstream, which was related to the wastewater discharge from the Moutai town in the midstream directly. Proteobacteria was the most dominant phylum in the sediment, with the relative abundance ranged from 52.06% to 70.53%. The distribution of genus-level bacteria with different metabolic activities varied in the sediment. Upstream was dominated by Massilia, Acinetobacter, and Thermomonas. In the midstream, Acinetobacter, Cloacibacterium and Comamonas were the main genus. Nevertheless, the abundance of Lysobacter, Arenimonas and Thermomonas was higher in the downstream. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) were the main environmental factors which affected the structure of bacterial communities in sediment, while total organic carbon (TOC) was the secondary. The bacterial community was primarily associated with six biological pathway categories such as metabolism. Carbohydrate metabolism and amino acid metabolism were the most active functions in the 31 subfunctions. This study could contribute to the understanding of the structural composition and driving forces of bacteria in the sediment, which might benefit for the ecological protection of Chishui River.

Rapid static feeding combined with Fe2+ addition for improving the formation and stability of aerobic granular sludge in low-strength wastewater

Aerobic granular sludge (AGS) needs a long start-up time and always shows unstable performance when it is used to treat low-strength wastewater. In this study, a rapid static feeding combined with Fe2+ addition as a novel strategy was employed to improve the formation and stability of AGS in treating low-strength wastewater. Fe-AGS was formed within only 7 days and showed favorable pollutant removal capability and settling performance. The ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration in the effluent were lower than 5 mg/L and 50 mg/L after day 23, respectively. The sludge volume index (SVI) and mixed liquid suspended solids (MLSS) was 37 mL/g and 2.15 g/L on day 50, respectively. Rapid static feeding can accelerate granules formation by promoting the growth of heterotrophic bacteria, but the granules are unstable due to filamentous bacteria overgrowth. Fe2+ addition can inhibit the growth of filamentous bacteria and promote the aggregation of functional bacteria (eg. Nitrosomonas, Nitrolancea, Paracoccus, Diaphorobacter) by enhancing the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). This study provides a new way for AGS application in low-strength wastewater treatment.

Managing stability of aerobic granules by coordinating diameter and denitrification

Aerobic Granular Sludge (AGS) technology is a promising solution for wastewater treatment due to its structure and high biomass retention capacity. However, the stability of AGS is still a challenge for widespread use. This study investigated the relationships among granule stability, granule diameter, biomass retention capacity, and denitrification efficiency. The results showed that granule diameter did not necessarily indicate granule stability, nor was it associated with biomass retention capacity. For mature granules, promoting simultaneous nitrification and denitrification rather than anoxic denitrification was found to improve granule stability. The deterioration of clarification capacity caused by increased anoxic denitrification at high nitrate concentration was not indicated by diameters or the commonly used SVI5/SVI30. Therefore, ensuring coordination between diameter and denitrification control is crucial for the stability of AGS. These results provide a basis for further research and development of efficient and user-friendly methods for monitoring granular stability.

Effect of C/N on the microbial interactions of aerobic granular sludge system

The main focus of this study was to evaluate the operational stability and changes in microbial interactions of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) systems at reduced C/N (16, 8 and 4). The results showed that the removal efficiency of total nitrogen and total phosphorus decreased from 95.99 ± 0.93% and 84.44 ± 0.67% to 48.46 ± 1.92% and 50.93 ± 2.67%, respectively, when C/N was reduced from 16 to 4. The granule settling performance and stability also deteriorated. Molecular ecological network analysis showed that the reduction of the C/N ratio made the overall network as well as the subnetworks of the Proteobacteria and Bacteroidota more complex and tightly connected. Similarly, the subnetworks of two dominant genera (Thiothrix and Defluviicoccus) became more complex as the C/N decreased. Meanwhile, the decreased C/N ratio might promote competition among microbes in these overall networks and subnetworks. In conclusion, reduced C/N added complexity and tightness to microbial linkages within the AGS system, while increased competition between species might have contributed to the deterioration in pollutant removal performance. This study adds a new dimension to our understanding of the effects of C/N on the microbial community of AGS using a molecular ecological network approach.

Nitrogen removal by a strengthened comprehensive floating bed with embedded pellets made by a newly isolated Pseudomonas sp. Y1

A newly heterotrophic nitrification aerobic denitrification(HN-AD) bacterium Pseudomonas sp. Y1 with highly nitrogen removal ability was isolated from the activated sludge, TN removal rate of which was 99.73%. In this study, two types of different ecology floating bed systems were designed to achieve efficient nitrogen removal in the urban eutrophic landscape water body, one is the comprehensive ecological floating bed(CEFB) system with only Lythrum salicari and the other is the strengthened comprehensive ecological floating bed (SCEFB) system with both Lythrum and embedded pellets made by Y1. The TN removal rates of the CEFB system were 33.82%, 83.84% and 88.91% at 8±1℃, 15±1℃ and 25±1℃, respectively, while the TN removal rates of the SCEFB system increased by nearly 40%, 16% and 11% at the same environment, respectively. The result shows that the SCEFB system can purify the simulated water from surface water body class V to class IV. Thus it has a broad application prospect in the urban eutrophic landscape water body.

Influence of nitrogen sources on wastewater treatment performance by filamentous algae in constructed wetland system

Although filamentous algae have the characteristics of high nutrient assimilation ability, and adaptation to different conditions, studies on their role in water purification of constructed wetlands (CWs) are limited. In this study, the wastewater treatment capacity under different nitrogen sources was explored by constructing a filamentous algal CW (FACW) system. Results confirmed the fast and stable operation efficiency of the FACW system. Ammonia nitrogen was preferred in Cladophora sp. absorption and assimilation. The nutrient consumption rate (NCR) for total nitrogen (TN) of AG was 2.65 mg g-1 d-1, much higher than that of nitrate nitrogen (NG) (0.89 mg g-1 d-1). The symbiosis of bacteria and Cladophora sp. Contributed to pollutant removal. A stable and diverse community of microorganisms was found on Cladophora sp. Surface, which revealed different phylogenetic relationships and functional bacterial proportions with those attached on sediment surface. In addition, temperature and light intensity have great influence on the purification ability of plants, and low hydraulic retention time is beneficial to the cost-effective operation of the system. This study provides a method to expand the utilization of wetland plants and apply large filamentous algae to the purification of wetland water quality.

Coupling of endogenous/exogenous nitrification and denitrification in an aerobic granular sequencing batch reactor

The performance of endogenous/exogenous nitrification and denitrification in an aerobic granular sequencing batch reactor was investigated for treating inorganic wastewater with ammonia nitrogen of 250 mg/L. The sequencing batch reactor with an effective volume of 120.5 L was started by seeding autotrophic nitrifying granular sludge (ANGS) and operated under oxic (110 min)/anoxic (120 min)/oxic (110 min) aeration mode. The total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal efficiency of ANGS was between 60% and 70% without external carbon sources in days 1-25. However, the operation mode was unsustainable as endogenous nitrification and denitrification would lead to an obvious decrease of sludge concentration. After sodium acetate (the contributed chemical oxygen demand in the reactor was 250-300 mg/L) was added at the beginning of the anaerobic/anoxic stage from day 26, aerobic granules were inadaptable in a few days, which resulted in particle disintegration and SVI increase. As microbes gradually acclimated to the new environment, the aerobic granular sludge became smoother and denser, the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria increased to 66.07%, and the removal efficiency of TIN gradually increased to more than 90% from day 89. Contributions of endogenous/exogenous nitrification and denitrification to TIN removal were 54.09% and 46.01%, respectively. The coupling of endogenous/exogenous nitrification and denitrification could reduce the aeration consumption, save the external carbon source dosage and decrease the alkalinity consumption, which provided another option for treating wastewater from ionic rare earth mine.

Aerobic granular sludge formation and stability in enhanced biological phosphorus removal system under antibiotics pressure: Performance, granulation mechanism, and microbial successions

Wastewater containing antibiotics can pose a significant threat to biological wastewater treatment processes. This study investigated the establishment and stable operation of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) by aerobic granular sludge (AGS) under mixed stress conditions induced by tetracycline (TC), sulfamethoxazole (SMX), ofloxacin (OFL), and roxithromycin (ROX). The results show that the AGS system was efficient in removing TP (98.0%), COD (96.1%), and NH₄⁺-N (99.6%). The average removal efficiencies of the four antibiotics were 79.17% (TC), 70.86% (SMX), 25.73% (OFL), and 88.93% (ROX), respectively. The microorganisms in the AGS system secreted more polysaccharides, which contributed to the reactor's tolerance to antibiotics and facilitated granulation by enhancing the production of protein, particularly loosely bound protein. Illumina MiSeq sequencing revealed that putative phosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs)-related genera (Pseudomonas and Flavobacterium) were enormously beneficial to the mature AGS for TP removal. Based on the analysis of extracellular polymeric substances, extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory, and microbial community, a three-stage granulation mechanism was proposed including adaption to the stress environment, formation of early aggregates and maturation of PAOs enriched microbial granules. Overall, the study demonstrated the stability of EBPR-AGS under mixed antibiotics pressure, providing insight into the granulation mechanism and the potential use of AGS for wastewater treatment containing antibiotics.

Retention and recycling of granules in continuous flow-through system to accomplish denitrification and perchlorate reduction

This study employed a completely anoxic reactor and a gravity-settling design for continuously separating from flocculated biomass and hydraulically recycling granules back to the main reactor. The average chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal in the reactor was 98 %. Average nitrate (NO₃^--N) and perchlorate (ClO₄^-) removal efficiencies of 99 % and 74 ± 19 % were observed, respectively. Preferential utilization of NO₃^- over ClO₄^- led to COD limiting conditions, which resulted in ClO₄^- in the effluent. The average granule diameter in continuous flow-through bubble-column (CFB) anoxic granular sludge (AxGS) bioreactor was 6325 ± 2434 µm, and the average SVI₃₀/SVI₁ was > 90% throughout its operation. 16s rDNA amplicon sequencing revealed Proteobacteria (68.53% - 88.57%) and Dechloromonas (10.46% - 54.77%) to be the most abundant phylum and genus present in reactor sludge representing the denitrifying and ClO₄^- reducing microbial community. This work represents a pioneering development of CFB-AxGS bioreactor.

Investigating the biodegradability of iodinated X-ray contrast media in simultaneous nitrification and denitrification system

The present study investigated the biodegradation of three iodinated X-ray contrast media (ICM), namely, iopamidol, iohexol, and iopromide, in simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) system maintained in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The results showed that variable aeration patterns (anoxic-aerobic-anoxic) and micro-aerobic condition were most effective in the biotransformation of ICM while achieving organic carbon and nitrogen removal. The highest removal efficiencies of iopamidol, iohexol, and iopromide were 48.24%, 47.75%, and 57.46%, respectively, in micro-aerobic condition. Iopamidol was highly resistant to biodegradation and possessed the lowest K_bio value, followed by iohexol and iopromide, regardless of operating conditions. The removal of iopamidol and iopromide was affected by the inhibition of nitrifiers. The transformation products after hydroxylation, dehydrogenation, and deiodination of ICM were detected in the treated effluent. Due to the addition of ICM, the abundance of denitrifier genera Rhodobacter and Unclassified Comamonadaceae increased, and the abundance of class TM7-3 decreased. The presence of ICM affected the microbial dynamics, and the diversity of microbes in SND resulted in improving the biodegradability of the compounds.

Performance and mechanism of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in zeolite spheres internal loop airlift reactor

An internal loop airlift reactor was constructed with zeolite spheres as biofilm carriers (ZS-ALR), and the performance and mechanism of nitrogen removal were investigated. The results indicated that the TN, NH₄⁺-N and TOC removal efficiencies of ZS-ALR reached 96.12%, 100% and 94.54% under appropriate conditions (HRT of 6-8 h, aeration rates of 80-120 mL/min, C/N ratios of 4-6), and the highest TN removal rate constant was 0.01156 min^-1. Further investigating the influence of ammonia-N concentrations on nitrogen removal and biofilm stability revealed that catabolism was important in TN removal, and the prominent genera for nitrogen removal included Sphaerotilus (42.20%), Flavobacterium (17.47%) and Fusibacter (6.14%). Meanwhile, the abundance of amoA, napA, narG and nosZ genes was markedly influenced by ammonia-N concentrations. The nitrogen removal of ZS-ALR was mainly through ammonia-N adsorption by zeolite spheres and simultaneous nitrification and denitrification by biofilm.

Start-up phase optimization of pyrite-intensified hybrid sequencing batch biofilm reactor (PIHSBBR): Mixotrophic denitrification performance and mechanism

Pyrite-based autotrophic denitrification (PAD) is an emerging biological process to diminish nitrate pollution, but the relatively low NO₃^--N removal rate limits its practical application. In this research, a pyrite-intensified hybrid sequencing batch biofilm reactor (PIHSBBR) was designed to treat low C/N ratio domestic wastewater. The results showed that PIHSBBR could achieve optimal removal of COD, NH₄⁺-N, and TN under the aeration rate of 1.0 L/L∙min and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 h, with removal rates of 69.67 ± 4.37%, 77.04 ± 4.84%, and 63.92 ± 6.66%, respectively. The PAD efficiency in PIHSBBR during the stable operation was not high (13.05-31.01%), and the main nitrogen removal pathway in PIHSBBR, especially in the aerobic zone, was simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND). High-throughput sequencing analysis unraveled that Planctomycetota (3.65%) had a high abundance in the anoxic zone of PIHSBBR, implying that anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) might have occurred in the anoxic zone. In addition, the nitrogen cycle function gene with the highest abundance was nirBD, indicating the possible presence of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) within the system (aerobic and anoxic zones). Our research can provide useful information for the improvement and future application of PIHSBBR.

Systematic review: External carbon source for biological denitrification for wastewater

Nitrogen mitigation is serious environmental issue around the globe. Several methods for wastewater treatment have been introduced, but biological denitrification has been recommended, particularly with addition of the best external carbon source. The key sites of denitrification are wetlands; it can be carried out with different methods. To highlight the aforementioned technology, this paper deals to review the literature to evaluate biological denitrification and to demonstrate cost effective external carbon sources. The results of systematic review disclose the denitrification process and addition of different external carbon sources. The online literature exploration was accomplished using the most well-known databases, that is, science direct and the web of science database, resulting 625 review articles and 3084 research articles, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2015 and 2021 were identified in first process. After doing an in-depth literature survey and exclusion criteria, we started to shape the review from selected review and research articles. A number of studies confirmed that both nitrification and denitrification are significant for biological treatment of wastewater. The studies proved that the carbon source is the main contributor and is a booster for the denitrification. Based on the literature reviewed it is concluded that biological denitrification with addition of external carbon source is cost effective and best option in nitrogen mitigation in a changing world. Our study recommends textile waste for recovery of carbon source.

Aerobic denitrification of oligotrophic source water driven by reduced metal manganese

The lack of organic electron donors limits the potential utility of aerobic denitrification in treatment of oligotrophic source water. Here, reduced manganese (Mn) was used as an inorganic electron donor to improve the denitrification of oligotrophic source water under the high dissolved oxygen condition (7-9 mg L^-1). Over 30 days, the total nitrogen removed by the treatment with reduced Mn was 76.21 ± 2.11% (maximum), substantially higher than that of the control treatment, which was 41.48 ± 2.33%. Furthermore, the addition of Mn resulted in the directional evolution of the microbial community. Water samples with Mn added showed a higher abundance of Limnohabitans, the dominant denitrifying genus, reaching 51.02%, 36.79%, and 20.19% (with 30, 50, and 70 g Mn, respectively), versus only 5.54% in the control. In biofilm, Mn promoted Hydrogenophaga and Brevundimonas growth while Pseudarthrobacter growth was promoted by 30 and 50 g Mn, but inhibited by 70 g Mn. This study demonstrates an improved performance in aerobic denitrification of water sources through the use of inorganic electron donors.

Swine manure treatment technologies as drivers for circular economy in agribusiness: A techno-economic and life cycle assessment approach

Anaerobic digestion has been employed as a technology capable of adding value to waste coupled with environmental impact mitigation. However, many issues need to be elucidated to ensure the systems viability based on this technology. In this sense, the present study evaluated technically, environmentally, and economically, four configurations of swine waste treatment systems focused on the promotion of decarbonization and circularity of the swine chain. For this, a reference plant, based on a compact treatment process named SISTRATES® (Portuguese acronym for swine effluent treatment system) was adopted to serve as a model for comparison and validation. The results showed the importance of prioritization of the energy recuperation routes through anaerobic digestion, providing increased economic benefits and minimizing environmental damage. Thus, the SISTRATES® configuration was the one that presented the best designs in a circular context, maximizing the recovery of energy and nutrients, along with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, ensuring the sustainability of the pig production chain.

Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal: What have we done so far and how do we need to do in the future?

Nitrogen and phosphorus contamination in wastewater is a serious environmental concern and poses a global threat to sustainable development. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the studies on simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal (SNPR) during 1986-2022 (538 publications) was conducted using bibliometrics, which showed that simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal (SNDPR) is the most promising process. To better understand SNDPR, the dissolved oxygen, carbon to nitrogen ratio, carbon source type, sludge retention time, Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺, pH, salinity, electron acceptor type of denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating organisms (DPAOs), temperature, and other influencing factors were analyzed. Currently, SNDPR has been successfully implemented in activated sludge systems, aerobic granular sludge systems, biofilm systems, and constructed wetlands; sequential batch mode of operation is a common means to achieve this process. SNDPR exhibits a significant potential for phosphorus recovery. Future research needs to focus on: (1) balancing the competitiveness between denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organisms (DGAOs) and DPAOs, and countermeasures to deal with the effects of adverse conditions on SNDPR performance; (2) achieving SNDPR in continuous flow operation; and (3) maximizing the recovery of P during SNDPR to achieve resource sustainability. Overall, this study provides systematic and valuable information for deeper insights into SNDPR, which can help in further research.

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification in membrane bioreactor: Effect of dissolved oxygen

Membrane bioreactor with the floc activated sludge (mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) = 7500 mg/L) was constructed in this work for simultaneously nitrification and denitrification (SND). The effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) on SND process and the nitrogen pathways were investigated. The average TN removal efficiencies were 63.05%, 91.17%, 87.04% and 70.02% for DO 0.5, 1, 2 and 3 mg/L systems, respectively. The effluent ammonia concentration was continuously lower than 5.0 mg/L when the DO was higher than 1 mg/L. Nitrogen in DO 1 and DO 2 mg/L systems was mainly removed via the SND process. The rise of DO concentration increased the abundance of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and Nitrospira was the predominant NOB in all the four MBRs. Dechloromonas and Azoarcus were the dominant denitrifying bacteria (DNB) in DO 1 systems responsible for nitrite denitrification. The dominant aerobic DNB Pseudomonas also contributed SND via nitrate denitrification and was little affected by DO changes. Nitrate reductase was the main enzyme for the reduction of NO₃^--N to NO₂^--N, and narG was the main responsible gene. Nitrite oxidoreductase was the main enzyme for the oxidation of NO₂^--N to NO₃^--N, and nxrA was the main responsible gene in all the four MBR systems.

Consistency between the metabolic performance of two aerobic granular sludge systems and the functional groups of bacteria detected by amplicon sequencing

Two sequential batch reactors (R1 and R2) of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were inoculated with activated sludge of different origins. The objective was to investigate the granulation and the consistency between the structure of the microbial communities (16S rRNA amplicon sequencing) in each reactor and their metabolic performance (removal of C, N, and P). Both reactors were fed with acetate-based synthetic wastewater, targeting an anaerobic-aerobic cycle reputed to favor the phosphorus- and glycogen-accumulating organisms (PAO and GAO). Stable granulation was achieved in both reactors, where, instead of PAO, the dominant genera were ordinary heterotrophic organisms (OHO) such as Thauera, Paracoccus, and Flavobacterium known for their high capacity of aerobic storage of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA). Generally, there was good consistency between the metabolic behavior of each reactor and the bacterial genera detected. Both reactors showed high removals of C and complete nitrification (Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira detected) but a low level of simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) during the aerated phase. The latter causes that nitrates were recycled to the initial phase, in detriment of PAO selection. Meanwhile, the study showed that selecting slow-growing OHOs (with aerobic storage capacity) favors stable granulation, revealing an alternative AGS technology for C and N removal.

Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification in biofilm systems for wastewater treatment: Key factors, potential routes, and engineered applications

Simultaneous nitrification-denitrification (SND) is an advantageous bioprocess that allows the complete removal of ammonia nitrogen through sequential redox reactions leading to nitrogen gas production. SND can govern nitrogen removal in single-stage biofilm systems, such as the moving bed biofilm reactor and aerobic granular sludge system, as oxygen gradients allow the development of multilayered biofilms including nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. Environmental and operational conditions can strongly influence SND performance, biofilm development and biochemical pathways. Recent advances have outlined the possibility to reduce the carbon and energy consumption of the process via the "shortcut pathway", and simultaneously remove both N and phosphorus under specific operational conditions, opening new possibilities for wastewater treatment. This work critically reviews the factors influencing SND and its application in biofilm systems from laboratory to full scale. Operational strategies to enhance SND efficiency and hints to reduce nitrous oxide emission and operational costs are provided.

Simultaneous Removal of Organic Matter and Nutrients from High Strength Organic Wastewater Using Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)

Industrial wastewater discharges often contain high levels of organic matter and nutrients, which can lead to eutrophication and constitute a serious hazard to receiving waters and aquatic life. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of using a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) to treat high-strength organic wastewater for the removal of both chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus). At a constant COD concentration of approximately 1000 mg/L, the effects of cycle time (3 and 9 h) and various C:N:P ratios (100:5:2, 100:5:1, 100:10:1, and 100:10:2) were investigated using four identical SBRs (R1, R2, R3, and R4). According to experimental data, a significant high removal, i.e., 90%, 98.5%, and 84.8%, was observed for COD, NH3-N, and PO43−-P, respectively, when C:N:P was 100:5:1, at a cycle time of 3 h. Additionally, when cycle time was increased to 9 h, the highest levels of COD removal (95.7%), NH3-N removal (99.6%), and PO43−-P removal (90.31%) were accomplished. Also, in order to comprehend the primary impacts and interactions among the various process variables, the data was statistically examined using analysis of variance (ANOVA) at a 95% confidence level, which revealed that the interaction of cycle time and C/N ratio, cycle time and C/P ratio is significant for COD and NH3-N removal. However, the same interaction was found to be insignificant for PO43−-P removal. Sludge volume index (SVI30 and SVI10) and sludge settleability were studied, and the best settling was found in R3 with SVI30 of 55 mL/g after 9 h. Further evidence that flocs were present in reactors came from an average ratio of SVI 30/SVI 10 = 0.70 after 9 h and 0.60 after 3 h.

Simultaneous denitrification and phosphorus removal: A review on the functional strains and activated sludge processes

Eutrophication has attracted extensive attention owing to its harmful effects to the organisms and aquatic environment. Studies on the functional microorganisms with the ability of simultaneously nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal is of great significance for alleviating eutrophication. Thus far, several strains from various genera have been reported to accomplish simultaneous N and P removal, which is primarily observed in Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Paracoccus, and Arthrobacter. The mechanism of N and P removal by denitrifying P accumulating organisms (DPAOs) is different from the traditional biological N and P removal. The denitrifying P removal (DPR) technology based on the metabolic function of DPAOs can overcome the problem of carbon source competition and sludge age contradiction in traditional biological N and P removal processes and can be applied to the treatment of urban sewage with low C/N ratio. This paper reviews the mechanism of N and P removal by DPAOs from the aspect of the metabolic pathways and enzymatic processes. The research progress on DPR processes is also summarized and elucidated. Further research should focus on the efficient removal of N and P by improving the performance of functional microorganisms and development of new coupling processes. This review can serve as a basis for screening DPAOs with high N and P removal efficiency and developing new DPR processes in the future.

Step feed mode synergistic mixed carbon source to improve sequencing batch reactor simultaneous nitrification and denitrification efficiency of domestic wastewater treatment

The limited efficiency of nitrogen removal has traditionally hindered wide application of simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) technology. Here, the nitrogen removal characteristics of a sequencing batch reactor were studied by adopting a strategy of a step-feeding mode, synergistic regional oxygen limitation, and a mixed carbon source. The changes of the microbial population succession and nitrogen metabolism functional genes were analyzed. This strategy provided a favorable level of dissolved oxygen and continuous carbon sources for driving the denitrification process. The total nitrogen removal efficiency and SND rate reached 92.60% and 96.49%, respectively, by regulating the ratio of sodium acetate to starch in the step feed to 5:1. This procedure increased the relative abundance of denitrifying functional genes and induced the growth of a variety of traditional denitrifying bacteria and aerobic denitrifying bacteria participating in the process of nitrogen removal. Overall, this work offers a new strategy for achieving efficient SND.

The phylogeny, ecology and ecophysiology of the glycogen accumulating organism (GAO) Defluviicoccus in wastewater treatment plants

This comprehensive review looks critically what is known about members of the genus Defluviicoccus, an example of a glycogen accumulating organism (GAO), in wastewater treatment plants, but found also in other habitats. It considers the operating conditions thought to affect its performance in activated sludge plants designed to remove phosphorus microbiologically, including the still controversial view that it competes with the polyphosphate accumulating bacterium Ca. Accumulibacter for readily biodegradable substrates in the anaerobic zone receiving the influent raw sewage. It looks at its present phylogeny and what is known about it's physiology and biochemistry under the highly selective conditions of these plants, where the biomass is recycled continuously through alternative anaerobic (feed); aerobic (famine) conditions encountered there. The impact of whole genome sequence data, which have revealed considerable intra- and interclade genotypic diversity, on our understanding of its in situ behaviour is also addressed. Particular attention is paid to the problems in much of the literature data based on clone library and next generation DNA sequencing data, where Defluviicoccus identification is restricted to genus level only. Equally problematic, in many publications no attempt has been made to distinguish between Defluviicoccus and the other known GAO, especially Ca. Competibacter, which, as shown here, has a very different ecophysiology. The impact this has had and continues to have on our understanding of members of this genus is discussed, as is the present controversy over its taxonomy. It also suggests where research should be directed to answer some of the important research questions raised in this review.

Laboratory-scale study of a biodegradable microplastic polylactic acid stabilizing aerobic granular sludge system

The effects of microplastics on aerobic granular sludge technology are an emerging issue, although the impact of degradable microplastics (DMPs) on the aerobic granular system is still unexplored. In this study, degradable microplastic polylactic acid (DMP-PLA) was added at three concentrations (5, 15, 40 mg/L), which strengthened the granular stability and consequently stabilized pollutant removal compared to the control (without DMP-PLA). The experiment showed that adding DMP-PLA made cells secrete more extracellular polymeric substances [64.8 mg/g MLVSS (mixed liquor suspended solids)], particularly retaining β-D-glucopyranose polysaccharides in experimental group. In addition, abundant hydrogen bonds were also maintained. The reactor under the stress of DMP-PLA exhibited high pollutant removal efficiency (COD>88%, TP>91%, TIN>86%), indicating high performance of the microbes. Microbial analysis at the genus level indicated that Defuviicoccus and Candidatus_Competibacter were dominant after DMP-PLA addition, which identified denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organisms as beneficial for nitrogenous compound removal. Redundancy analysis showed that the abundance of Candidatus_Competibacter was positively related to the addition of DMP-PLA. This study demonstrated that DMP-PLA was feasibly employed in the aerobic granular water treatment process, and presents a new method to optimize the stability and extracellular secretion of the microbial community.

Start-up strategies to develop aerobic granular sludge and photogranules in sequential batch reactors

In this study, start-up strategies to develop conventional aerobic granular sludge (AGS) and algal aerobic granular sludge (AAGS) (photogranules), were investigated. The granulation experiment was conducted in four sequencing batch reactors (SBR), of which two were conventional SBRs (RC1, RC2) used as control, and two were photo-SBRs (R1, R2). R1 and RC1 were operated with a 40-min feeding during the reactors´ anaerobic cycle period, whereas R2 and RC2 with a 60-min feeding. All the reactors were operated in two phases with a C:N = 4:1 in Phase I and 8:1 in Phase II. In Phase I, AGS in RC1 and RC2 was formed 15 days before the AAGS development in R1 and R2. However, the AAGS generally presented better stability and higher diameter. On the other hand, AGS presented greater abundance of extracellular polymeric substances producing organisms, such as Xanthomonadacea and Rhodocyclaceae. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH₄⁺-N removal efficiencies were similar in all the four reactors of approximately 70% and 60%, respectively. In this phase, despite the good biomass structure, the reactors were not able to completely oxidize the high influent concentration of NH₄⁺-N (100 mg.L^-1) and COD (400 mg.L^-1). This can be associated to the short time of the aerobic phase and low biomass content. In Phase II in all the reactors, a good increase in COD and NH₄⁺-N removal efficiencies to values above 95% and 93%, respectively, was achieved under a higher C:N ratio of 8 with lower influent concentration of NH₄⁺-N (50 mg.L^-1). The 60-min anaerobic feeding period in R2 and RC2 resulted in greater removal efficiency of nitrogen, confirming that small variation on cycle periods can affect the biomass composition; the biomass presented more compact granules and larger diameters under 60 min-feeding when compared with those obtained with 40 min-feeding in Phase I.

Functional analysis of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) during the granulation of aerobic sludge: Relationship among EPS, granulation and nutrients removal

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with high molecular weights, secreted from microorganisms, play a critical functional role in the aerobic granular sludge (AGS). To investigate the level and function of EPS during the granulation of aerobic sludge and in the mature AGS, a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated for 70 days. Aerobic granules with an average diameter of 0.25 mm were obtained with reducing settling time of sludge. Simultaneous removals of COD, nitrogen and phosphorus by the mature AGS exceeded 90, 95 and 95%, respectively. The EPS content increased significantly to above 333 mg/g MLVSS during the initial stage, and after that, it stabilized at about 240 mg/g MLVSS as the mature AGS formed, higher than that of the seed sludge (212 mg/g MLVSS). The increased EPS contents showed a negative correlation with SVI values, while a strong positive relationship with the formation of the AGS. The protein/polysaccharide (PN/PS) ratio in the EPS increased from 1.42 to 4.17, and TP/MLSS increased to about 6%, with the formation of AGS. The proportion of extracellular-P increased with the increase of EPS, and then maintained stable at about 20%, indicating EPS promoted the removal of phosphorus. Furthermore, the results from the Standards, Measurements and Testing (SMT) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) showed that phosphorus in the AGS mainly existed in the form of inorganic phosphorus (IP) and the proportion of Ca₅(PO₄)₃(OH) in IP was up to 92%. This investigation demonstrated that EPS had a positive relationship with the sludge granulation and nutrients removal.

Simultaneous shortcut nitrification and denitrification in a hybrid membrane aerated biofilms reactor (H-MBfR) for nitrogen removal from low COD/N wastewater

The residues of nitrogen contaminants due to insufficient organic carbon sources in sewage has always been the main problem faced by wastewater treatment plants in the process of nitrogen removal. In this study, simultaneous shortcut nitrification and denitrification (SND) was achieved in the hybrid membrane aerated biofilm reactor (H-MBfR) for treating low COD/N ratio (∼x223C 4: 1) wastewater. The effects of the aeration pressure and the influent COD/N ratio in H-MBfR were investigated and further optimized by the response surface methodology (RSM). By controlling the dissolved oxygen to achieve SND, the removal efficiencies of NH₄⁺-N, COD and TN of low COD/N ratio wastewater reached maximum values of 95.52%, 96.61% and 72.23%, respectively. Microbial community analysis showed that the influent COD/N ratio had an obvious influence on the microbial community structure. In particular, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and denitrifying bacteria had a good commensalism when the COD/N ratio was 4.3. Compared to control reactor, the analysis of membrane bio-fouling showed that H-MBfR has a lower amount of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) on membrane and a low concentration of MLSS in bulk liquid, which is helpful for the longer-term operation of H-MBfR.

Strengthening anoxic glycogen consumption in SNEDPR-CW as a strategy to control PAO-GAO competition under carbon limited condition

Cooperation between Phosphate and Glycogen Accumulating Organisms (PAOs and GAOs) plays a pivotal role in nutrients removal in simultaneous nitrification endogenous denitrification and phosphorous removal (SNEDPR) systems. Recent findings have expanded the application of SNEDPR from activated sludge system to constructed wetland (CW). However, how to regulate competition between PAOs and GAOs in SNEDPR-based CW is still unclear. Here we showed that, GAOs could easily gain dominance over PAOs in SNEDPR-CW under alternating anaerobic/aerobic (A/O) operational mode. Shortening aerobic hydraulic retention time (HRT) at low oxygen concentration was benefit for simultaneous nitrification endogenous denitrification (SNED) and denitrifying dephosphatation but would reduce the overall phosphorus uptake rate and lead to high phosphorus effluent concentrations. Extended aerobic HRT promoted the proliferation of aerobic GAOs over PAOs, decreasing both enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) and SNED performance. Surprisingly, by switching the operation of system to alternating anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic (A/O/A) mode, an extraordinary nutrients removal performance with mean nitrogen and phosphorus removal efficiency of 84.57% and 89.37% was achieved under carbon sources limited condition. Stoichiometric analysis demonstrated that adding anoxic stage strengthened the intracellular glycogen oxidization of GAOs for denitrification which compromised its subsequent anaerobic carbon sources uptake and PHA storage and provided sufficient carbon sources for PAOs. Microbial community analysis showed that numerical ratio of GAOs to PAOs decreased from 6.67 under A/O to 4.89 under A/O/A mode, which further indicated strengthening glycogen denitrification of GAOs should be an effective way to regulate microbial competition in order to obtain a desired nutrients removal performance in SNEDPR-CW.

Enrichment of phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) in a microfluidic model biofilm system by mimicking a typical aerobic granular sludge feast/famine regime

Wastewater treatment using aerobic granular sludge has gained increasing interest due to its advantages compared to conventional activated sludge. The technology allows simultaneous removal of organic carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in a single reactor system and is independent of space-intensive settling tanks. However, due to the microscale, an analysis of processes and microbial population along the radius of granules is challenging. Here, we introduce a model system for aerobic granular sludge on a small scale by using a machine-assisted microfluidic cultivation platform. With an implemented logic module that controls solenoid valves, we realized alternating oxic hunger and anoxic feeding phases for the biofilms growing within. Sampling during ongoing anoxic cultivation directly from the cultivation channel was achieved with a robotic sampling device. Analysis of the biofilms was conducted using optical coherence tomography, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and amplicon sequencing. Using this setup, it was possible to significantly enrich the percentage of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) belonging to the family Rhodocyclaceae in the community compared to the starting inoculum. With the aid of this miniature model system, it is now possible to investigate the influence of a multitude of process parameters in a highly parallel way to understand and efficiently optimize aerobic granular sludge-based wastewater treatment systems.

Key points

• Development of a microfluidic model to study EBPR.

• Feast-famine regime enriches polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs).

• Microfluidics replace sequencing batch reactors for aerobic granular sludge research.

Stability and nutrients removal performance of a Phanerochaete chrysosporium-based aerobic granular sludge process by step-feeding and multi A/O conditions

A Phanerochaete chrysosporium-based aerobic granular sludge (PC-AGS) was developed by inoculating fungal mycelial pellets into a lab-scale aerobic granular sequencing batch reactor (AGSBR). A strategy using step-anaerobic feeding coupled with multi A/O conditions was adopted. The results showed that the removal efficiencies for total phosphorus (TP) and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) were 94.56 ± 2.92% and 75.20 ± 7.74%, respectively, under relatively low aeration time. Compared with original AGS, the content of extracellular proteins for PC-AGS obviously increased from 18.61 to 41.44 mg/g MLSS by the end of phase I. Moreover, the mature granules had a larger size and better stability during the 100 days operation. Furthermore, the analysis of microbial diversity detected many key functional groups in PC-AGS granules that were beneficial to nutrients removal. This work demonstrated that the addition of fungal pellets not only enhanced the removal performance, but also improved the stability of the AGS system.

Effect of bacteria-to-algae volume ratio on treatment performance and microbial community of a novel heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification bacteria-chlorella symbiotic system

A novel symbiotic system combined by heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) mixed bacteria and Chlorella pyrenoidosa was firstly proposed to resolve the poor tolerance and nitrogen removal performance of traditional symbiotic system for treating high ammonia biogas slurry. Results showed that the volume ratio of bacteria to algae had significant effects on nitrogen removal efficiency, microbial community structure, functional bacteria and genes. The optimal ratio was 1/3, and the average removal efficiency of TN and TP increased by 28.9% and 67.6% respectively, compared to those of HN-AD bacteria. High-throughput sequencing indicated nitrogen removal was jointly completed by HN-AD and heterotrophic denitrification. HN-AD bacteria Halomonas and Pseudomonas played a key role in nitrogen removal, and Rhodocyclaceae and Paracoccus took an important part in phosphorus removal. According to the functional gene prediction, the total relative abundance of nitrogen removal genes (0.0127%) and narG, narH and narL genes (0.0054%) were highest in 1/3 system.

Enhanced nutrient removal and facilitating granulation via intermittent aeration in simultaneous partial nitrification endogenous denitrification and phosphorus removal (SPNEDpr) process

A novel simultaneous partial nitrification, endogenous denitrification and phosphorus removal (SPNEDpr) system was operated for 213 days in a sequencing batch reactor to treat real domestic sewage. The nutrient removal was achieved under an operation mode of intermittent aeration at unequal intervals with low oxygen concentrations. Through optimizing intermittent aeration conditions, the removal efficiencies of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN), PO₄^3-P and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reached 78.40%, 98.13% and 84%, respectively. Low-oxygen (0.1-0.7 mg/L) and intermittent aeration effectively inhibited nitrite oxidation bacteria (NOB), maintaining stable partial nitrification with nitrite accumulation ratio of 96.45%. Notably, intermittent aeration promoted the formation of aerobic granular sludge, with the sludge particle size increasing from 217.2 ± 5.3 to 351.8 ± 4.8 μm, thereby enhancing the TIN loss efficiency (81.3%). The predominant genus was Candidatus_Competibacter (11.6%), which stored COD as intracellular carbon source and performed the endogenous denitrification. The SPNEDpr process provided a highly efficient and economical method for treating urban sewage.

Understanding the role of cations and hydrogen bonds on the stability of aerobic granules from the perspective of the aggregation and adhesion behavior of extracellular polymeric substances

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were essential for the granulation and stability of aerobic granular sludge (AGS). In this study, the effects of electrostatic interactions, bridging effect of divalent cations, and hydrogen bonds on the EPS-EPS and EPS-surface interaction were verified by enhancing or reducing the specific interaction with the addition of cations or urea. The size and the surface properties of EPS aggregates were investigated, the adhesion behavior and viscoelasticity of EPS were analyzed by quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. The changes of EPS in response to the various condition were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy and fluorescence spectrum. The electrostatic repulsion between EPS could be significantly reduced by Ca²⁺ addition. With the bridging effect, 10 μM of Ca²⁺ could reduce the negative charge of EPS more effectively than 200 μM of Na⁺. As Ca²⁺ could form the complex with the protein and Ca²⁺ was more inclined to bind with COO^-, the Ca²⁺ took advantage of boosting the EPS-EPS and EPS-surface interaction than Mg²⁺ at the same ionic strength, which resulted in the denser structure of calcium-treated EPS. The destruction of hydrogen bonds by urea addition reduced the EPS-EPS and EPS-surface interaction, which confirmed the potential existence of hydrogen bonds in the interaction of EPS-EPS and EPS-surface. The removal of hydrogen bonds of EPS destroyed the protein's secondary structure and caused the unfolded state of the protein, which led to the looser structure of the EPS layer.

Advances in Studies on Microbiota Involved in Nitrogen Removal Processes and Their Applications in Wastewater Treatment

The discharge of excess nitrogenous pollutants in rivers or other water bodies often leads to serious ecological problems and results in the collapse of aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogenous pollutants are often derived from the inefficient treatment of industrial wastewater. The biological treatment of industrial wastewater for the removal of nitrogen pollution is a green and efficient strategy. In the initial stage of the nitrogen removal process, the nitrogenous pollutants are converted to ammonia. Traditionally, nitrification and denitrification processes have been used for nitrogen removal in industrial wastewater; while currently, more efficient processes, such as simultaneous nitrification-denitrification, partial nitrification-anammox, and partial denitrification-anammox processes, are used. The microorganisms participating in nitrogen pollutant removal processes are diverse, but information about them is limited. In this review, we summarize the microbiota participating in nitrogen removal processes, their pathways, and associated functional genes. We have also discussed the design of efficient industrial wastewater treatment processes for the removal of nitrogenous pollutants and the application of microbiome engineering technology and synthetic biology strategies in the modulation of the nitrogen removal process. This review thus provides insights that would help in improving the efficiency of nitrogen pollutant removal from industrial wastewater.

Evaluation of biochar addition and circulation control strengthening measures on efficiency and microecology of food waste treatment in anaerobic reactor

The process of strengthening an expanded granular sludge blanket (EGSB) reactor under ammonia nitrogen stress conditions and by adopting three strengthening measures, namely, opening the circulation (OC), adding modified biochar (MB), adding modified biochar along with opening the circulation (MBOC), to treat food waste was studied. When the ammonia nitrogen concentration of influent increased to 1200 mg/L, the removal rate of COD reduced to about 75%, while the removal rate of ammonia nitrogen was about 6%. The average COD removal rate of the anaerobic reactor in the last 5 days of each operating cycle i.e. OC, MB and MBOC, was 85.51%, 84.11% and 90.03%, respectively. At the 30th day of each treatment-OC, MB and MBOC, the protease content in the sludge was 44.61, 42.47, 46.24 NH₂-N (mg)/mg, respectively. and the content of coenzyme F₄₂₀ was 0.244, 0.217 and 0.267 mmol/g, respectively. Proteobacteria was the most abundant phylum in the stage I (OC), reaching 34.36%. It was accounted for 16.68% and 21.38%, respectively, in the stage II (MB) and stage III (MBOC). The dominant archaea in the three stages were Methanosaeta, whose abundance was 38.98% in stage I, which increased to 64.94% and 64.01% in stage II and III, respectively. Among the active carbohydrate enzymes, the gene abundance of Glycoside transferases in the MBOC stage was the largest among the three stages.

Treatment of Synthetic Ammonium Sulfate Wastewater by Mixed Culture of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Enriched Nitrobacteria

Ammonium sulfate wastewater can cause eutrophication and black odor of water body. Although ammonia nitrogen can be used as nutrient of microalgae, high ammonia nitrogen levels could inhibit the growth of microalgae. Nitrobacteria can transform ammonia nitrogen into nitrate nitrogen. In this study, mono Chlorella pyrenoidosa culture (mono-C.py), synchronous mixed culture (mixed-a), and asynchronous mixed culture (mixed-b) systems were examined for their ability to treat ammonium sulfate wastewater. Nitrogen removal rate of mixed-b at the end of culture (52.96%) was higher than that of the mono-C.py (46.37%) and the mixed-a (39.11%). Higher total suspended solid concentration (2.40 g/L), crude protein yield (0.76 g/L), and heating value yield (35.73 kJ/L) were obtained in mixed-b, meanwhile with excellent settlement performance (91.43 ± 0.51%). Mechanism analysis of settlement showed that the relative abundance of floc-forming-related bacteria Sphingopyxis and Acidovorax were increased generally, while nitrification/denitrifying members were decreased in mixed-b along with the culture proceeding.

Conventional bioretention column with Fe-hydrochar for stormwater treatment: Nitrogen removal, nitrogen behaviour and microbial community analysis

An FeCl3-modified rice husk hydrochar ('Fe-hydrochar') was used as the filler in a conventional bioretention column to remove nitrogen from synthetic stormwater. When the ammonia nitrogen (NH4-N) and nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) concentrations of the influent were both 20 mg/L, the average removal rates of NH4-N and total nitrogen (TN) were approximately 97% and 50%, respectively. Nitrogen was mainly removed by microbial nitrification and denitrification, with 25% of NH4-N being adsorbed by the Fe-hydrochar. The remaining NH4-N was converted into NO3-N by nitrification in the upper layer, and NO3-N was mainly converted to nitrogen gas (N2) by denitrification in the lower layer. The organic matter released by the Fe-hydrochar was degraded and used as the carbon source for denitrification. The dominant bacteria were Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, and Flavobacterium at the genus level. Pseudomonas and Rhizobium were responsible for heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification, while Flavobacterium was related to the degradation of organic matter.

Impact of fungal pellets dosage on long-term stability of aerobic granular sludge

The effects of fungal pellets (FPs) dosage on both structural and functional stability of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were investigated during 200-day operation. Results showed that the AGS induced by low (a dry mass ratio of FPs to seed sludge, 30%) and high FPs dosage (60%) exhibited good morphology integrity during the entire phase of operation, while the filamentous overgrowth and AGS breakup were observed in the control reactor (0% FPs). Moreover, the granules developed at high FPs dosage demonstrated excellent nutrients removal (COD: 93%; NH4⁺-N: 100%; TN: 77%) and stable bioactivity with a maximum specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR) of 52.6 ± 2.6 mg O₂/(gVSS·h), a value being 12.2% and 26.7% higher than that of 30% and 0% dosage. The microbial community analysis revealed 60% FPs dosage enriched various functional bacteria involved in nutrients removal. This study suggests a sustainable strategy for improving structural and functional stability of AGS.

Effect of hydraulic retention time, ZVI concentration, and Fe2+ concentration on autotrophic denitrification efficiency with iron cycle bacterium strain CC76

The immobilized reactor of iron-reducing bacteria and zero-valent iron (ZVI) integrated system was established. This study has shown that the effects of hydraulic retention times (9, 11, 13 h), ZVI concentrations (2, 4, 6, 8 mg/L), and Fe²⁺ concentrations (5, 10, 15 mg/L) on the denitrification characteristics of iron cycle bacterium strain CC76. The results show that the longer the HRT is, the stronger ability of bacteria to remove nitrate. When ZVI concentration was 4 mg/L and the Fe²⁺ concentration is 15 mg/L, the removal efficiency of nitrate was the highest, reaching the maximum value of 93.02% (1.07 mg/L/h). Since increasing ZVI concentration in a certain range can not only promote chemical reduction but also make use of strain CC76 as an electron donor. Also, the abundance of strain CC76 decreased with the increase of ZVI concentration, which indicated that adding a low concentration of ZVI could reduce the inhibitory effect on bacteria. Hypothesis analysis of principal components showed that a low concentration of ZVI is beneficial to increase nitrate removal rate. Community structure analysis indicated that strain CC76 and related bacteria were the most abundant bacteria in the reactor.

Formation of filamentous fungal pellets in aerobic granular sludge via reducing temperature and dissolved oxygen: Characteristics of filamentous fungi and denitrification performance

A lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) using glucose as carbon source was operated for 500 days to investigate the formation of filamentous organisms and their function on stability of AGS system. After 250 days' stable operation under conditions of 25 ± 2 °C and dissolved oxygen (DO) of 4-5 mg/L (stage I), the temperature and DO were reduced to 10 ± 2 °C and DO of 1-2 mg/L until 280 days (stage II), to induce the growth of filamentous microorganisms. After that until 500 days (stage III), overgrowth of filamentous microorganisms with relative abundances of up to 19.46%, formation of black filamentous fungal pellets, and reconstruction of AGS granules were observed in turn. The relation between settling of AGS (SVI 30-72 mL/g) and filamentous microorganisms was revealed. Filamentous pellets were purified and identified as fungal Bradymyces and Knufia, with stronger denitrification performance on nitrite than nitrate. The results indicated that filamentous fungal pellets contributed to good sludge settling performance and promoted the denitrification process in AGS.

Temperature-induced difference in microbial characterizations accounts for the fluctuation of sequencing batch biofilm reactor performance

Generally, the purification performance of bioreactors could be influenced by temperature variation via shaping different microbial communities. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, the variation trends of microbial communities in three sequencing batch biofilm reactors (SBBRs) under four different temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30 °C) were compared. It was found that temperature increment led to an obvious enhancement in nutrient removal which was mainly occurred in the aerobic section. Meanwhile, distinct differences in dominant microbial communities or autotrophic nitrifiers were also observed. The performance of the SBBR reactors was closely associated with nitrifier communities since the treated wastewater was characterized by a severe lack of carbon sources (mean effluent COD ≤ 14.4 mg/L). Spearman correlation unraveled that: most of the differentiated microbes as well as the dominant potential functions were strongly associated with nutrient removal, indicating the temperature-induced difference in microbial community well explained the distinction in purification performance.

Effect of organic loading on phosphorus forms transformation and microbial community in continuous-flow A2/O process

A continuous-flow Anaerobic/Anoxic/Oxic (A²/O) system was operated at different organic concentrations to systematically investigate the effect on the nutrient removal, secretion characteristics of extracellular polymer, phosphorus forms transformation and changes in functional flora in this system. The results showed that high organic loading was more conducive to promote the secretion of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), the increase of polysaccharide content was more obvious compared with protein, the impact of organic loading on the components of loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) was higher than that of tight-bound EPS (TB-EPS). Phosphorus in sludge floc mainly existed in the form of inorganic phosphorus (IP), and IP mainly existed in the form of apatite inorganic phosphorus (AP). High organic load showed higher phosphorus storage in EPS, and the phosphorus content in EPS was positively correlated with the content of EPS. Non-apatite phosphorus (NAIP) content played an important role in the extracellular dephosphorization. The abundance of Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira responsible for nitrification decreased with the increase in organic loading. The group of denitrifiers was large, and Azospira was the most abundant genus among them. Dechloromonas, Acinetobacter, Povalibacter, Chryseolinea and Pirellula were the functional genera closely associated with phosphorus removal.