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Li S, Kang X, Men J, Islam MS, Yang S, Zuo Z, Liang P, Huang X, Liu Y. Initial free ammonia is critical for robust acidic partial nitrification in sequencing batch reactor. WATER RESEARCH 2025; 278:123385. [PMID: 40037100 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2025.123385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2025] [Revised: 02/13/2025] [Accepted: 02/24/2025] [Indexed: 03/06/2025]
Abstract
The full implementation of partial nitrification (PN) is still limited by low influent NH4+-N concentrations. The stability and boundary conditions for nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) inhibition in the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) mode for low-strength wastewater with dynamic environments remain ambiguous. This study attempted to identify the critical factors and extended boundary conditions for the stable PN in SBR. In this study, based on the long-term operation (580 days) of a conventionally configured SBR, we investigated the robustness of the more complex combined inhibition by dynamic free ammonia (FA) and free nitrous acid conversion on different NOB in SBR. The experimental results revealed that the initial FA concentration was critical for establishing PN under low-alkalinity influent conditions. The NOB genus Nitrospira, which grows in periodically acidic environments, was extremely sensitive to FA inhibition (KI_FA=0.35 mg NH3-N/L) and significantly reduced the FA concentration required for NOB inhibition. When the pH was lowered to 5.4, the acid-intolerant NOB genus Ca. Nitrotoga was effectively inhibited, which was essential for maintaining PN. Further, the influent concentration boundaries and corresponding discharge ratios for achieving PN in the SBR mode were predicted by measuring kinetic parameters and model development, and the results suggest that the initial FA concentration in the reactor is critical for achieving acidic PN. The results of this study can provide guidance for achieving robust acidic PN in conventionally configured SBR for low strength wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xiaofeng Kang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Jiang Men
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Beijing Engineering Research Center of Environmental Material for Water Purification, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Md Sahidul Islam
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shaolin Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhiqiang Zuo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China; Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Peng Liang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xia Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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Hu X, Yang H, Fang X, Liu X, Wang J, Wang X, Bai Y, Su B. Stable partial nitrification was achieved for nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater by gel immobilization: A pilot-scale study. J Environ Sci (China) 2025; 151:529-539. [PMID: 39481958 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2024.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 11/03/2024]
Abstract
As an energy and carbon saving process for nitrogen removal from wastewater, the partial nitrification and denitrification process (PN/D) has been extensively researched. However, achieving stable PN in municipal wastewater has always been challenging. In this study, a gel immobilized PN/D nitrogen removal process (GI-PN/D) was established. A 94 days pilot-scale experiment was conducted using real municipal wastewater with an ammonia concentration of 43.5 ± 5.3 mg N/L at a temperature range of 11.3-28.7℃. The nitrogen removal performance and associated pathways, shifts in the microbial community as well as sludge yield were investigated. The results were as follows: the effluent TN and COD were 0.6 ± 0.4 mg/L and 31.1 ± 3.8 mg/L respectively, and the NAR exceeding 95%. GI-PN/D achieved deep nitrogen removal of municipal wastewater through stable PN without taking any other measures. The primary pathways for nitrogen removal were identified as denitrification, simultaneous nitrification-denitrification, and aerobic denitrification. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the immobilized fillers facilitated the autonomous enrichment of functional bacteria in each reactor, effectively promoting the dominance and stability of the microbial communities. In addition, GI-PN/D had the characteristic of low sludge yield, with an average sludge yield of 0.029 kg SS/kg COD. This study provides an effective technical for nitrogen removal from municipal wastewater through PN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Hu
- Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environmental Recovery Engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Hong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environmental Recovery Engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Civil and Transportation Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Xiaoyue Fang
- Beijing General Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing 100044, China
| | - Xuyan Liu
- Hebei GEO University, Shijiazhuang 050031, China
| | - Jiawei Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Water Quality Engineering and Comprehensive Utilization of Water Resources, Hebei University of Architecture, Zhangjiakou 075000, China
| | - Xiaotong Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Safety Engineering, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin 300384, China
| | - Yongsheng Bai
- Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd., Beijing 100022, China
| | - Bojun Su
- Beijing Drainage Group Co. Ltd., Beijing 100022, China
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3
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Bian Y, Fu K, Xu R, Guan T, Huo A, Zhang R, Li X, Qiu F, Zhang Y. Achieving partial nitrification and denitrification coupled with simultaneous partial nitrification, anammox, and denitrification (PND-SNAD) by the inhibition of sulfide to accomplish stabilized nitrogen removal. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2025; 278:121630. [PMID: 40274089 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2025] [Revised: 04/14/2025] [Accepted: 04/15/2025] [Indexed: 04/26/2025]
Abstract
The simultaneous partial nitrification, anammox, and denitrification (SNAD) process is widely applied for treating high-ammonia wastewater, but its application to low-ammonia organic wastewater has been scarcely explored. In this study, a partial nitrification and denitrification coupled with simultaneous partial nitrification, anammox, and denitrification (PND-SNAD) system was established to treat organic wastewater with low ammonia concentration. Experimental results revealed that sulfide at 5 mg/L selectively inhibited nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) but had little effect on ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Finally, NOB was suppressed in PND system by intermittently adding sulfide to the PND system. The PND system provided nitrite and activated sludge enriched with AOB to the SNAD system during stable operation. The SNAD system demonstrated chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen removal efficiencies of 89.86 % and 86.45 %. Candidatus Brocadia and Nitrosomonas were the main ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) and AOB. The contribution of AOB and denitrifying bacteria (DNB) to nitrogen transformation was 67.15 % and 25.33 % in the PND system. In the SNAD system, the contributions of AnAOB, AOB, and DNB were 34.40 %, 33.59 %, and 27.56 %, respectively. Overall, this study provided a new sustainable strategy for treating organic wastewater with low ammonia concentration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihao Bian
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China; Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Kunming Fu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China.
| | - Ruotong Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Teng Guan
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Aotong Huo
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Ruibao Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Xueqin Li
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Fuguo Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Yongji Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, 200092, China
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Yu H, Jia W, Luo Y, Zhang R, Zhao J, Lu C, Dong Y, Shuo Han, Li B, Qu C. Accelerating enrichment of ARGs and MGEs with increasing ammonium removal during partial nitrification treating high-strength ammonia wastewater. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2025; 278:121657. [PMID: 40258466 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.121657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2025] [Revised: 04/17/2025] [Accepted: 04/19/2025] [Indexed: 04/23/2025]
Abstract
Free ammonia (FA) and free nitrous acid (FNA) are critical operational parameters to maintain partial nitrification (PN) in treating high-strength ammonia wastewater. However, whether FA and FNA, as non-antibiotic antimicrobial chemicals, could directly enhance antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) enrichment during PN is still unclear. This study deciphered the prevalence of ARGs, potential mobility, and hosts under different ammonium removal efficiencies (ARE) (different FA and FNA) during stable PN. The results showed that when ARE increased from 52.2 ± 6.2 % to 91.8 ± 3.3 %, total abundances of ARGs and mobile gene elements (MGEs) were stepwise increased. In particular, four types of ARGs (aminoglycoside, bacitracin, peptide, and sulfonamide) and six subtypes of ARGs (bacA, ugd, sul2, baeR, aph(3")-I and aph(6)-I) increased with the increasing ARE. Under selection pressures of FA and FNA, plasmids tended to encode aminoglycoside and MLS, while chromosomes had a tendency to carry multidrug, bacitracin, peptide, and fosmidomycin. Furthermore, FA and FNA enhanced the spread of ARGs mediated by the dominated transposase and recombinase. Nitrosomonas dominated the host of ARGs co-occurring with MGEs during the operation of PN. This study highlights the effect of FA and FNA on ARGs and provides theoretical support for the control of ARGs in biological nitrogen removal processes via nitrite pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
| | - Weiyi Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yuqiu Luo
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
| | - Junkai Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
| | - Cong Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
| | - Yue Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shuo Han
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
| | - Bing Li
- School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China.
| | - Chengtun Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Pollution Control, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China; Shaanxi Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Reservoir Protection Technology of Oilfields, Xi'an Shiyou University, Xi'an, China
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Du Z, Du Y, Wang J, Zhang Y, Lu H, Zhang F, Peng Y. Acidophilic partial nitrification rapid startup and robustness validation for municipal wastewater treatment: Operation performance and microorganism insights. WATER RESEARCH 2025; 272:122922. [PMID: 39657562 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2024] [Revised: 11/22/2024] [Accepted: 12/05/2024] [Indexed: 12/12/2024]
Abstract
Acidophilic partial nitrification (a-PN) is a promising short-flow nitrogen conversion biotechnology, but achieving a rapid startup remains a significant challenge. This study explored strategies for starting up a-PN in real municipal wastewater treatment using sequencing batch reactors (SBRs). The influent alkalinity-to-NH4+ molar ratio was maintained at 0.5-0.6 in the control reactor (SBRa), while other reactors were supplemented with sodium formate (150 mg COD/L, SBRb), hydroxylamine (5 mg/L, SBRc), and sludge alkaline fermentation liquid (NH4+-N=227.97±7.08 mg/L, COD=2463.98±125.17 mg/L, SBRd). Results indicated that the system using the composite strategy with sodium formate addition achieved a 93.7 % nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) within just 4 days. Furthermore, stable a-PN performance was maintained in the systems without external substrate addition with pH ranging from 5.7 to 7.4. The established a-PN systems demonstrated robust performance, maintained a high NAR of 92.84 %-98.84 %, even under the intense impact of traditional nitrification biomass for 13 consecutive days. Although the relative abundances of Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira temporarily increased, traditional ammonia oxidizing bacteria and nitrite oxidizing bacteria were completely eliminated, falling to undetectable levels after long-term operation. Notably, amo and hao genes exhibited opposite trends: amo decreased significantly from 356 reads to 22-46 reads, while hao substantially increased by 186.6 %-613.1 %, from 626 reads to 1168-2838 reads. This suggests that hao may play a more crucial functional role in the a-PN process, and unidentified nitrifying communities may be driving acidophilic partial nitrification. Overall, our study advances the understanding of rapid startup strategies of a-PN and provides novel perspectives on the microbial structure and functional genes involved in a-PN system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyi Du
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yujia Du
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Jiahui Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yujing Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Hongying Lu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Fangzhai Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China.
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
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Li D, Teng L, Guo K, Zhu Y, Zhang J. Achieving stable partial nitrification by exploiting lag phase of NOB recovery for selective washout. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2025; 268:120762. [PMID: 39756781 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2025.120762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2024] [Revised: 12/12/2024] [Accepted: 01/03/2025] [Indexed: 01/07/2025]
Abstract
Stable inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) is a significant challenge in achieving partial nitrification (PN) and partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonia oxidation (PNA). Growing evidence suggested that NOB can develop resistance to suppression over time, leading to the re-enrichment of NOB within reactors. To address these issues, this study aimed to achieve stable PN by regulating SRT to selectively washout NOB during the lag phase of activity recovery following FA/FNA exposure. The effects of this new strategy on nitrifying bacteria, sludge characteristics, and microbial interspecies relationships were investigated over a 150-day trial. Under the new strategy operation, the effluent ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate concentrations were 4.72 mg/L, 51.81 mg/L, and 3.30 mg/L, respectively, at a dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration of 0.18 mg/L, with a nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) remaining above 95%. This was attributed to the increasing relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) (Nitrosomonas) up to 25.86% and the decreasing relative abundance of NOB (Nitrospira, Nitrobacter and Candidatus Nitrotoga) to below the detection limit (1%) during the stabilization period. Analysis of the PN sludge characteristics revealed a tendency for sludge to form loosely structured aggregates, facilitating the potential rapid start-up of the PNA biofilm system or granular sludge. These findings suggest that the new strategy is a straightforward and effective method for achieving PN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Li
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100123, China.
| | - Luyao Teng
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100123, China
| | - Kehuan Guo
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100123, China
| | - Yanjun Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100123, China
| | - Jie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Water Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, 100123, China; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, 150090, China
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Su Q, Domingo-Félez C, Zhi M, Jensen MM, Xu B, Ng HY, Smets BF. Formation and Fate of Reactive Nitrogen during Biological Nitrogen Removal from Water: Important Yet Often Ignored Chemical Aspects of the Nitrogen Cycle. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:22480-22501. [PMID: 39671298 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c03086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2024]
Abstract
Hydroxylamine, nitrous acid, and nitric oxide are obligate intermediates or side metabolites in different nitrogen-converting microorganisms. These compounds are unstable and susceptible to the formation of highly reactive nitrogen species, including nitrogen dioxide, dinitrogen trioxide, nitroxyl, and peroxynitrite. Due to the high reactivity and cytotoxicity, the buildup of reactive nitrogen can affect the interplay of microorganisms/microbial processes, stimulate the reactions with organic compounds like organic micropollutants (OMP) and act as the precursors of nitrous oxide (N2O). However, there is little understanding of the occurrence and significance of reactive nitrogen during biological nitrogen conversions in engineered water systems. In this review, we evaluate the formation and fate of reactive nitrogen produced by microorganisms involved in biological nitrogen removal (BNR) processes, i.e., nitritation/nitrification, denitratation/denitrification, anammox, and the combined processes. While the formation of reactive nitrogen intermediates is entirely controlled by microbial activities, the consumption can be either biological or purely chemical. Changes in environmental conditions, such as redox transition, pH, and substrate availability, can imbalance the production and consumption of these reactive intermediates, thus leading to the transient accumulation of species. Based on previous experimental evidence, environmental relevance of reactive nitrogen in BNR systems, particularly related to abiotic N2O production and OMP transformation, is demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingxian Su
- Center for Water Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087 Zhuhai, China
- National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411 Singapore
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Carlos Domingo-Félez
- James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Mei Zhi
- Center for Water Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087 Zhuhai, China
| | - Marlene Mark Jensen
- Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Boyan Xu
- Center for Water Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087 Zhuhai, China
- National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411 Singapore
| | - How Yong Ng
- Center for Water Research, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai, 519087 Zhuhai, China
- National University of Singapore Environmental Research Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, 117411 Singapore
| | - Barth F Smets
- Center for Water Technology (WATEC), Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Petrilli R, Fabbretti A, Pucci K, Pagliaretta G, Napolioni V, Falconi M. Development and Characterization of Ammonia Removal Moving Bed Biofilms for Landfill Leachate Treatment. Microorganisms 2024; 12:2404. [PMID: 39770607 PMCID: PMC11677484 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12122404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2024] [Revised: 10/29/2024] [Accepted: 11/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/11/2025] Open
Abstract
Urbanization growth has intensified the challenge of managing and treating increasing amounts of municipal solid waste (MSW). Landfills are commonly utilized for MSW disposal because of their low construction and operation costs. However, this practice produces huge volumes of landfill leachate, a highly polluting liquid rich in ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3-N), organic compounds, and various heavy metals, making it difficult to treat in conventional municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In recent years, research has shown that microbial biofilms, developed on carriers of different materials and called "moving bed biofilm reactors" (MBBRs), may offer promising solutions for bioremediation. This study explored the biofilm development and the nitrification process of moving bed biofilms (MBBs) obtained from high ammonia-selected microbial communities. Using crystal violet staining and confocal laser-scanning microscopy, we followed the biofilm formation stages correlating nitrogen removal to metagenomic analyses. Our results indicate that MBBs unveiled a 10-fold more enhanced nitrification rate than the dispersed microbial community present in the native sludge of the Porto Sant'Elpidio (Italy) WWTP. Four bacterial families, Chitinophagaceae, Comamonadaceae, Sphingomonadaceae, and Nitrosomonadaceae, accumulate in structured biofilms and significantly contribute to the high ammonium removal rate of 80% in 24 h as estimated in leachate-containing wastewaters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossana Petrilli
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, MC, Italy; (R.P.); (A.F.); (V.N.)
- Eco Control Laboratorio Ascolano s.r.l., 63900 Fermo, FM, Italy;
| | - Attilio Fabbretti
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, MC, Italy; (R.P.); (A.F.); (V.N.)
| | - Kathleen Pucci
- Eco Elpidiense s.r.l., 63821 Porto Sant’Elpidio, FM, Italy;
| | - Graziella Pagliaretta
- Eco Control Laboratorio Ascolano s.r.l., 63900 Fermo, FM, Italy;
- Eco Elpidiense s.r.l., 63821 Porto Sant’Elpidio, FM, Italy;
| | - Valerio Napolioni
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, MC, Italy; (R.P.); (A.F.); (V.N.)
| | - Maurizio Falconi
- School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Gentile III Da Varano, 62032 Camerino, MC, Italy; (R.P.); (A.F.); (V.N.)
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Gao L, Abasi S, Tarre S, Gu JD, Green M. Single-stage versus two-stage partial nitritation - anammox reactor systems for deammoniafication under hypersaline conditions. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 368:143802. [PMID: 39581440 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.143802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2024] [Revised: 11/14/2024] [Accepted: 11/21/2024] [Indexed: 11/26/2024]
Abstract
The production of increasing amounts of high salinity wastewaters in our industrialized society has prioritized their treatment to prevent environmental pollution. The partial nitritation - anammox (PN/A) process for nitrogen removal has been little investigated for hypersaline wastewaters (salinity greater than 3%). In the investigation presented here, single-stage versus two-stage partial nitritation - anammox (PN/A) reactor systems for deammonification at 4% (40 g/kg) saline conditions were investigated and compared in completely mixed fixed bed reactors. In the two-stage system, the first stage reactor achieved a nitritation rate of 1.9 gN/L-reactor/d. Effluent from the partial nitritation reactor was then fed to the second two-stage anammox reactor and the maximal nitrogen removal of 0.8 g/L-reactor/d was achieved. The dominant microbial species for the ammonia oxidizing and anammox reactions in the nitritation (first) reactor and the second reactor were identified as Nitrosococcus oceani and Candidatus Scalindua wagneri, respectively, both obligate halophiles. In the single-stage reactor, deammonification rates reached 0.6 gN/L-reactor/d. Nitrosomonas marina and Candidatus Scalindua wagneri were the dominant AOB and anammox bacteria, respectively. Maintaining free ammonia (FA) concentrations above 1 mg/L was found to selectively inhibit nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and resulted in long term stable nitritation. At FA concentrations lower than 1 mg/L, nitrate began to appear after 20 days of reactor operation. Nitritation was recovered after increasing FA in the reactor to inhibitory concentrations. Overall N2O emissions were shown to be significantly lower in the single-stage PN/A reactor than the two stage PN/A reactor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Gao
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel.
| | - Samah Abasi
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel.
| | - Sheldon Tarre
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel.
| | - Ji-Dong Gu
- Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Environmental Science and Engineering Research Group, Shantou, China; Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials and Technologies for Energy Conversion, Shantou, China.
| | - Michal Green
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel.
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10
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Li S, Kang X, Zuo Z, Islam MS, Yang S, Liu Y, Huang X. Dynamic pH regulation drives Nitrosomonas for high-rate stable acidic partial nitritation. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 262:122078. [PMID: 39018585 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
How to intensify the ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) is still a bottleneck impeding the technology development for the innovative acidic partial nitritation because the eosinophilic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), such as Nitrosoglobus or Nitrosospira, were inhibited by the high-level free nitrous acid (FNA) accumulation in acidic environments. In this study, an innovative approach of dynamic acidic pH regulation control strategy was proposed to realize high-rate acidic partial nitritation driven by common AOB genus Nitrosomonas. The acidic partial nitrification process was carried out in a laboratory-scale sequencing batch moving bed biofilm reactor (SBMBBR) for long-term (700 days) to track the effect of dynamic acidic pH on nitrifying bacterial activity. The results indicated that the influent NH4+-N concentration was about 100 mg/L, the nitrite accumulation ratio was exceeding 90%, and the maximum AOR can reach 14.5 ± 2.6 mg N L-1h-1. Although the half-saturation inhibition constant of NOB (KI_FNA(AOB)) reached 0.37 ± 0.10 mg HNO2N/L and showed extreme adaptability in FNA, the inactivation effect of FNA (6.1 mg HNO2N/L) for NOB was much greater than that of AOB, with inactivation rates of 0.61 ± 0.08 h-1 and 0.06 ± 0.01 h-1, respectively. The effluent pH was gradually reduced to 4.5 by ammonia oxidation process and the periodic FNA concentration reached 6.5 mg HNO2N/L to inactivate nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) without negatively affecting Nitrosomonas during long-term operation. This result provides new insights for the future implementation of high-rate stabilized acidic partial nitritation by Nitrosomonas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Xiaofeng Kang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Zhiqiang Zuo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China; Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Md Sahidul Islam
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Shaolin Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
| | - Xia Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
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11
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Li B, Liu C, Bai J, Huang Y, Su R, Wei Y, Ma B. Strategy to mitigate substrate inhibition in wastewater treatment systems. Nat Commun 2024; 15:7920. [PMID: 39256375 PMCID: PMC11387818 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52364-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Global urbanization requires more stable and sustainable wastewater treatment to reduce the burden on the water environment. To address the problem of substrate inhibition of microorganisms during wastewater treatment, which leads to unstable wastewater discharge, this study proposes an approach to enhance the tolerance of bacterial community by artificially setting up a non-lethal high substrate environment. And the feasibility of this approach was explored by taking the inhibition of anammox process by nitrite as an example. It was shown that the non-lethal high substrate environment could enhance the nitrite tolerance of anammox bacterial community, as the specific anammox activity increasing up to 24.71 times at high nitrite concentrations. Moreover, the system composed of anammox bacterial community with high nitrite tolerance also showed greater resistance (two-fold) in response to nitrite shock. The antifragility of the system was enhanced without affecting the operation of the main reactor, and the non-lethal high nitrite environment changed the dominant anammox genera to Candidatus Jettenia. This approach to enhance tolerance of bacterial community in a non-lethal high substrate environment not only allows the anammox system to operate stably, but also promises to be a potential strategy for achieving stable biological wastewater treatment processes to comply with standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beiying Li
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Conghe Liu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Jingjing Bai
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Yikun Huang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Run Su
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Yan Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Resources Utilization in the South China Sea, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China
| | - Bin Ma
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Forestry Environmental Processes and Ecological Regulation of Hainan Province, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228, China.
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12
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Zhou M, Han Y, Zhuo Y, Yu F, Hu G, Peng D. Effect of initial ammonium concentration on a one-stage partial nitrification/anammox biofilm system: Nitrogen removal performance and the microbial community. J Environ Sci (China) 2024; 143:176-188. [PMID: 38644015 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2023.07.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
One-stage partial nitrification coupled with anammox (PN/A) technology effectively reduces the energy consumption of a biological nitrogen removal system. Inhibiting nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) is essential for this technology to maintain efficient nitrogen removal performance. Initial ammonium concentration (IAC) affects the degree of inhibited NOB. In this study, the effect of the IAC on a PN/A biofilm was investigated in a moving bed biofilm reactor. The results showed that nitrogen removal efficiency decreased from 82.49% ± 1.90% to 64.57% ± 3.96% after the IAC was reduced from 60 to 20 mg N/L, while the nitrate production ratio increased from 13.87% ± 0.90% to 26.50% ± 3.76%. NOB activity increased to 1,133.86 mg N/m2/day after the IAC decreased, approximately 4-fold, indicating that the IAC plays an important inhibitory role in NOB. The rate-limiting step in the mature biofilm of the PN/A system is the nitritation process and is not shifted by the IAC. The analysis of the microbial community structure in the biofilm indicates that the IAC was the dominant factor in changes in community structure. Ca. Brocadia and Ca. Jettenia were the main anammox bacteria, and Nitrosomonas and Nitrospira were the main AOB and NOB, respectively. IAC did not affect the difference in growth between Ca. Brocadia and Ca. Jettenia. Thus, modulating the IAC promoted the PN/A process with efficient nitrogen removal performance at medium to low ammonium concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengyu Zhou
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Yun Han
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China.
| | - Yang Zhuo
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Fen Yu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Gaoyuan Hu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
| | - Dangcong Peng
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China; Key Laboratory of Northwest Water Resource, Environment and Ecology, MOE, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi'an 710055, China
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13
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Zhi J, Ma G, Shi X, Dong G, Yu D, Zhang J, Zhang Y, Li J, Zhao X, Xia H, Chen X, Tian Z, Miao Y. Synergy between Nitrogen Removal and Fermentation Bacteria Ensured Efficient Nitrogen Removal of a Mainstream Anammox System at Low Temperatures. TOXICS 2024; 12:629. [PMID: 39330557 PMCID: PMC11436091 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12090629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2024] [Revised: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
Simultaneous partial nitrification, anammox, denitrification, and fermentation (SNADF) is a novel process achieving simultaneous advanced sludge reduction and nitrogen removal. The influence of low temperatures on the SNADF reactor was explored to facilitate the application of mainstream anammox. When temperature decreased from 32 to 16 °C, efficient nitrogen removal was achieved, with a nitrogen removal efficiency of 81.9-94.9%. Microbial community structure analysis indicated that the abundance of Candidatus Brocadia (dominant anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) in the system) increased from 0.03% to 0.18%. The abundances of Nitrospira and Nitrosomonas increased from 1.6% and 0.16% to 2.5% and 1.63%, respectively, resulting in an increase in the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) abundance ratio from 0.1 to 0.64. This ensured sufficient nitrite for AnAOB, promoting nitrogen removal. In addition, Candidatus Competibacter, which plays a role in partial denitrification, was the dominant denitrification bacteria (DNB) and provided more nitrite for AnAOB, facilitating AnAOB enrichment. Based on the findings from microbial correlation network analysis, Nitrosomonas (AOB), Thauera, and Haliangium (DNB), and A4b and Saprospiraceae (fermentation bacteria), were center nodes in the networks and therefore essential for the stability of the SNADF system. Moreover, fermentation bacteria, DNB, and AOB had close connections in substrate cooperation and resistance to adverse environments; therefore, they also played important roles in maintaining stable nitrogen removal at low temperatures. This study provided new suggestions for mainstream anammox application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaru Zhi
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Guocheng Ma
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xueqing Shi
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China; (X.S.); (J.Z.); (H.X.); (X.C.); (Z.T.)
| | - Guoqing Dong
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Deshuang Yu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China; (X.S.); (J.Z.); (H.X.); (X.C.); (Z.T.)
| | - Yu Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Jiawen Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Xinchao Zhao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
| | - Haizheng Xia
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China; (X.S.); (J.Z.); (H.X.); (X.C.); (Z.T.)
| | - Xinyu Chen
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China; (X.S.); (J.Z.); (H.X.); (X.C.); (Z.T.)
| | - Zhuoya Tian
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China; (X.S.); (J.Z.); (H.X.); (X.C.); (Z.T.)
| | - Yuanyuan Miao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China; (J.Z.); (G.M.); (G.D.); (D.Y.); (Y.Z.); (J.L.); (X.Z.)
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China; (X.S.); (J.Z.); (H.X.); (X.C.); (Z.T.)
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14
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Zhang Z, Li D, Zhou C, Huang X, Chen Y, Wang S, Liu G. Enhanced nitrogen removal via partial nitrification/denitrification coupled Anammox using three stage anoxic/oxic biofilm process with intermittent aeration. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 255:121491. [PMID: 38520779 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Pre-capturing organics in municipal wastewater for biogas production, combined with Anammox-based nitrogen removal process, improves the sustainability of sewage treatment. Thus, enhancing nitrogen removal via Anammox in mainstream wastewater treatment becomes very crucial. In present study, a three-stage anoxic/oxic (AO) biofilm process with intermittent aeration was designed to strengthen partial nitrification/denitrification coupling Anammox (PNA/PDA) in treatment of low C/N wastewater, which contained chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 79.8 mg/L and total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) of 58.9 mg/L. With a hydraulic retention time of 8.0 h, the process successfully reduced TIN to 10.6 mg/L, achieving a nitrogen removal efficiency of 83.3 %. The 1st anoxic zone accounted for 32.0 % TIN removal, with 10.3 % by denitrification and 21.7 % by PDA, meanwhile, the 2nd and 3rd anoxic zones contributed 19.4 % and 4.5 % of TIN removal, primarily achieved through PDA (including endogenous PD coupling Anammox). The 1st and 2nd intermittent zones accounted for 27.2 % and 17.0 % of TIN removal, respectively, with 13.7 %-21.3 % by PNA and 3.2 %-5.3 % by PDA. Although this process did not pursue nitrite accumulation in any zone (< 1.5 mg-N/L), PNA and PDA accounted for 35.1 % and 52.1 % of TIN removal, respectively. Only 0.21 % of removed TIN was released as nitrous oxide. The AnAOB of Candidatus Brocadia was enriched in each zone, with a relative abundance of 0.66 %-2.29 %. In intermittent zones, NOB had been partially suppressed (AOB/NOB = 0.73-0.88), mainly due to intermittent aeration and effective nitrite utilization by AnAOB since its population size was much greater than NOB. Present study indicated that the three-stage AO biofilm process with intermittent aeration could enhance nitrogen removal via PNA and PDA with a low N2O emission factor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuang Zhang
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Deyong Li
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Changhui Zhou
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Xiaoshan Huang
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Yantong Chen
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Shijie Wang
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China
| | - Guoqiang Liu
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment and Climate, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519000, China.
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15
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Li G, Yu Y, Li X, Jia H, Ma X, Opoku PA. Research progress of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process based on integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS). ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY REPORTS 2024; 16:e13235. [PMID: 38444262 PMCID: PMC10915381 DOI: 10.1111/1758-2229.13235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
The integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) process is considered one of the cutting-edge solutions to the traditional wastewater treatment challenges, allowing suspended sludge and attached biofilm to grow in the same system. In addition, the coupling of IFAS with anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) can further improve the efficiency of biological denitrification. This paper summarises the research progress of IFAS coupled with the anammox process, including partial nitrification anammox, simultaneous partial nitrification anammox and denitrification, and partial denitrification anammox technologies, and describes the factors that limit the development of related processes. The effects of dissolved oxygen, influent carbon source, sludge retention time, temperature, microbial community, and nitrite-oxidising bacteria inhibition methods on the anammox of IFAS are presented. At the same time, this paper gives an outlook on future research focus and engineering practice direction of the process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Li
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of EducationJilin Jianzhu UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Yunyong Yu
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of EducationJilin Jianzhu UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Xingyu Li
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of EducationJilin Jianzhu UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Hongsheng Jia
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of EducationJilin Jianzhu UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Xiaoning Ma
- Key Laboratory of Songliao Aquatic Environment, Ministry of EducationJilin Jianzhu UniversityChangchunChina
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16
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Suarez C, Rosenqvist T, Dimitrova I, Sedlacek CJ, Modin O, Paul CJ, Hermansson M, Persson F. Biofilm colonization and succession in a full-scale partial nitritation-anammox moving bed biofilm reactor. MICROBIOME 2024; 12:51. [PMID: 38475926 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-024-01762-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Partial nitritation-anammox (PNA) is a biological nitrogen removal process commonly used in wastewater treatment plants for the treatment of warm and nitrogen-rich sludge liquor from anaerobic digestion, often referred to as sidestream wastewater. In these systems, biofilms are frequently used to retain biomass with aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anammox bacteria, which together convert ammonium to nitrogen gas. Little is known about how these biofilm communities develop, and whether knowledge about the assembly of biofilms in natural communities can be applied to PNA biofilms. RESULTS We followed the start-up of a full-scale PNA moving bed biofilm reactor for 175 days using shotgun metagenomics. Environmental filtering likely restricted initial biofilm colonization, resulting in low phylogenetic diversity, with the initial microbial community comprised mainly of Proteobacteria. Facilitative priority effects allowed further biofilm colonization, with the growth of initial aerobic colonizers promoting the arrival and growth of anaerobic taxa like methanogens and anammox bacteria. Among the early colonizers were known 'oligotrophic' ammonia oxidizers including comammox Nitrospira and Nitrosomonas cluster 6a AOB. Increasing the nitrogen load in the bioreactor allowed colonization by 'copiotrophic' Nitrosomonas cluster 7 AOB and resulted in the exclusion of the initial ammonia- and nitrite oxidizers. CONCLUSIONS We show that complex dynamic processes occur in PNA microbial communities before a stable bioreactor process is achieved. The results of this study not only contribute to our knowledge about biofilm assembly and PNA bioreactor start-up but could also help guide strategies for the successful implementation of PNA bioreactors. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Suarez
- Division of Water Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering LTH, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Tage Rosenqvist
- Division of Applied Microbiology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Christopher J Sedlacek
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Oskar Modin
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Catherine J Paul
- Division of Water Resources Engineering, Faculty of Engineering LTH, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Division of Applied Microbiology, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Malte Hermansson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Frank Persson
- Division of Water Environment Technology, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
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17
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Van Tendeloo M, Baptista MC, Van Winckel T, Vlaeminck SE. Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments with sulphide and free ammonia enabled mainstream partial nitritation/anammox. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:169449. [PMID: 38123077 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Selective suppression of nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB) over aerobic and anoxic ammonium-oxidising bacteria (AerAOB and AnAOB) remains a major challenge for mainstream partial nitritation/anammox implementation, a resource-efficient nitrogen removal pathway. A unique multi-stressor floc treatment was therefore designed and validated for the first time under lab-scale conditions while staying true to full-scale design principles. Two hybrid (suspended + biofilm growth) reactors were operated continuously at 20.2 ± 0.6 °C. Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments were applied, consisting of a sulphide-spiked deoxygenated starvation followed by a free ammonia shock. A good microbial activity balance with high AnAOB (71 ± 21 mg N L-1 d-1) and low NOB (4 ± 17 % of AerAOB) activity was achieved by combining multiple operational strategies: recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments, hybrid sludge (flocs & biofilm), short floc age control, intermittent aeration, and residual ammonium control. The multi-stressor treatment was shown to be the most important control tool and should be continuously applied to maintain this balance. Excessive NOB growth on the biofilm was avoided despite only treating the flocs to safeguard the AnAOB activity on the biofilm. Additionally, no signs of NOB adaptation were observed over 142 days. Elevated effluent ammonium concentrations (25 ± 6 mg N L-1) limited the TN removal efficiency to 39 ± 9 %, complicating a future full-scale implementation. Operating at higher sludge concentrations or reducing the volumetric loading rate could overcome this issue. The obtained results ease the implementation of mainstream PN/A by providing and additional control tool to steer the microbial activity with the multi-stressor treatment, thus advancing the concept of energy neutrality in sewage treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Maria Catarina Baptista
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Tim Van Winckel
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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18
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Alfreider A, Harringer M. Vertical Distribution and Seasonal Patterns of Candidatus Nitrotoga in a Sub-Alpine Lake. Microbes Environ 2024; 39:ME23086. [PMID: 38825479 PMCID: PMC11220445 DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.me23086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
The nitrite oxidizing bacterial genus Ca. Nitrotoga was only recently discovered to be widespread in freshwater systems; however, limited information is currently available on the environmental factors and seasonal effects that influence its distribution in lakes. In a one-year study in a dimictic lake, based on monthly sampling along a vertical profile, the droplet digital PCR quantification of Ca. Nitrotoga showed a strong spatio-temporal patchiness. A correlation ana-lysis with environmental parameters revealed that the abundance of Ca. Nitrotoga correlated with dissolved oxygen and ammonium, suggesting that the upper hypolimnion of the lake is the preferred habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albin Alfreider
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Manuel Harringer
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
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19
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Fu K, Bian Y, Yang F, Xu J, Qiu F. Achieving partial nitrification: A strategy for washing NOB out under high DO condition. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 347:119186. [PMID: 37797517 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of high DO concentrations on PN. The experimental setup involved operating at high DO concentrations (1.5-2.5 mg/L) and environmental temperatures (15-20 °C) over a period of 180 days. Through a sludge enrichment process, the kinetic parameters of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were determined. Surprisingly, contrary to conventional reports, it was observed that NOB exhibited a stronger affinity for DO compared to AOB. As a result, high DO concentrations were necessary to provide favorable conditions for the growth of AOB. In order to establish PN, strategies including intermittent aeration, free ammonia (FA), and controlled sludge retention time (SRT) were employed. The successful PN was achieved with a specific ammonia oxidation rate of 24 mg N/g MLVSS/h and a specific nitrite oxidation rate below 0.10 mg N/g MLVSS/h. The nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) was maintained at 100% during stable operation. The abundance of Nitrosomonas, a typical genus of AOB, was found to be 68.62%, which surpasses previous studies in similar research. A slightly higher DO concentrations may increase energy consumption, but achieve higher efficiency and stability in PN. This study provided new insights into the application of PN in wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kunming Fu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China; Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies/Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China.
| | - Yihao Bian
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China; Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies/Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China; Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies/Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Jian Xu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China; Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies/Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
| | - Fuguo Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Urban Storm Water System and Water Environment Ministry of Education, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China; Sino-Dutch R&D Centre for Future Wastewater Treatment Technologies/Key Laboratory of Urban Stormwater System and Water Environment, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Beijing, 100044, China
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20
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Zhang J, Zhang W, Bi X, Gao Z, Li Y, Miao Y. Increasing specific biomass nitrogen load facilitated nitrite accumulation in mainstream wastewater treatment. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 385:129337. [PMID: 37343795 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
By regulating influent nitrogen loading rate (NLR) and solids retention time (SRT), the effect of specific biomass nitrogen load (BNL) on the start-up of mainstream partial nitrification (PN) was investigated in five parallel sequencing batch reactors inoculated with ordinary nitrification sludge. The results showed that increasing BNL by both methods could achieve nitrite accumulation. Moreover, a high initial activity of ammonium oxidizing bacteria (AOB) accelerated nitrite accumulation. Increasing influent NLR (ammonium: 55-70 mg N/L) achieved only 30%-40% of nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) and gradually decreased with reactor operation. By increasing BNL via controlling SRT (30 days), desirable PN with an average NAR of 81.7 ± 4.4% (effluent nitrite: ∼10 mg N/L) was obtained. Nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) were effectively inhibited, and the AOB to NOB activity ratio increased from 1.5 to 7.8, promoting efficient nitrite accumulation. Overall, increasing BNL by regulating SRT was a potential method for start-up of mainstream PN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianhua Zhang
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, PR China
| | - Wenke Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, PR China; Shandong Academy of Environmental Sciences Co., Ltd., Jinan 250013, PR China
| | - Xuejun Bi
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, PR China
| | - Zhongxiu Gao
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, PR China
| | - Yitong Li
- School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, PR China
| | - Yuanyuan Miao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, PR China.
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21
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Su Z, Liu T, Guo J, Zheng M. Nitrite Oxidation in Wastewater Treatment: Microbial Adaptation and Suppression Challenges. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:12557-12570. [PMID: 37589598 PMCID: PMC10470456 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Microbial nitrite oxidation is the primary pathway that generates nitrate in wastewater treatment systems and can be performed by a variety of microbes: namely, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Since NOB were first isolated 130 years ago, the understanding of the phylogenetical and physiological diversities of NOB has been gradually deepened. In recent endeavors of advanced biological nitrogen removal, NOB have been more considered as a troublesome disruptor, and strategies on NOB suppression often fail in practice after long-term operation due to the growth of specific NOB that are able to adapt to even harsh conditions. In line with a review of the history of currently known NOB genera, a phylogenetic tree is constructed to exhibit a wide range of NOB in different phyla. In addition, the growth behavior and metabolic performance of different NOB strains are summarized. These specific features of various NOB (e.g., high oxygen affinity of Nitrospira, tolerance to chemical inhibitors of Nitrobacter and Candidatus Nitrotoga, and preference to high temperature of Nitrolancea) highlight the differentiation of the NOB ecological niche in biological nitrogen processes and potentially support their adaptation to different suppression strategies (e.g., low dissolved oxygen, chemical treatment, and high temperature). This review implicates the acquired physiological characteristics of NOB to their emergence from a genomic and ecological perspective and emphasizes the importance of understanding physiological characterization and genomic information in future wastewater treatment studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zicheng Su
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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22
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Mehrani MJ, Kowal P, Sobotka D, Godzieba M, Ciesielski S, Guo J, Makinia J. The coexistence and competition of canonical and comammox nitrite oxidizing bacteria in a nitrifying activated sludge system - Experimental observations and simulation studies. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 864:161084. [PMID: 36565884 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The second step of nitrification can be mediated by nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB), i.e. Nitrospira and Nitrobacter, with different characteristics in terms of the r/K theory. In this study, an activated sludge model was developed to account for competition between two groups of canonical NOB and comammox bacteria. Heterotrophic denitrification on soluble microbial products was also incorporated into the model. Four 5-week washout trials were carried out at dissolved oxygen-limited conditions for different temperatures (12 °C vs. 20 °C) and main substrates (NH4+-N vs. NO2--N). Due to the aggressive reduction of solids retention time (from 4 to 1 d), the biomass concentrations were continuously decreased and stabilized after two weeks at a level below 400 mg/L. The collected experimental data (N species, biomass concentrations, and microbiological analyses) were used for model calibration and validation. In addition to the standard predictions (N species and biomass), the newly developed model also accurately predicted two microbiological indicators, including the relative abundance of comammox bacteria as well as nitrifiers to heterotrophs ratio. Sankey diagrams revealed that the relative contributions of specific microbial groups to N conversion pathways were significantly shifted during the trial. The contribution of comammox did not exceed 5 % in the experiments with both NH4+-N and NO2--N substrates. This study contributes to a better understanding of the novel autotrophic N removal processes (e.g. deammonification) with nitrite as a central intermediate product.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamad-Javad Mehrani
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Przemyslaw Kowal
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Dominika Sobotka
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Martyna Godzieba
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Sloneczna 45G, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Slawomir Ciesielski
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Department of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Sloneczna 45G, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jacek Makinia
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland.
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23
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Yue X, Liu H, Wei H, Chang L, Gong Z, Zheng L, Yin F. Reactive and microbial inhibitory mechanisms depicting the panoramic view of pH stress effect on common biological nitrification. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 231:119660. [PMID: 36716566 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
pH is a crucial factor of microbial nitrification, which often combines with high-strength ammonium to influence nitrogen removal pathway in wastewater treatment. However, the detailed inhibitory mechanisms of pH stress are not sufficiently disclosed yet. In this study, the pH stress effect on nitrification was comprehensively studied by a set of experiments which identified the reactivity of nitrification processes and activity of nitrifiers, the time dependence of inhibition effect and the hybrid pH stress effect with ammonium. The results revealed two distinct inhibitory mechanisms dominating in alkaline and acid ranges. In alkaline range (pH > 8), pH stress causes physiological damages on microorganisms which is named as microbial inhibition. It has the features of less recoverability of nitrifiers, time-dependent inhibition effect and low pH-tolerance of nitrite oxidation bacteria. Free ammonia enhanced microbial inhibition and greatly promoted nitrite accumulation. A novel reactive inhibition mechanism dominated in acid range (pH < 7) was disclosed. It only impedes ammonia oxidation process (AOP) but not impair microbial activity obviously and the effect is time-independent. The mechanism was clarified from H+ transport because AOP involved H+ production. The H+ transport was impeded under acid stress owing to the decrease of pH gradient across cell membrane. The two mechanisms formed a panoramic view of pH stress effect on nitrification advancing the understanding of nitrifier adaptability and nitritation regulation in wastewater treatment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehai Yue
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Haotian Wei
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Lin Chang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Zhengjun Gong
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
| | - Lei Zheng
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Fengjun Yin
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China.
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24
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Zhang L, Lan S, Dou Q, Hao S, Wang Y, Wang X, Zhang R, Peng Y, Yang J. Metagenomic insights into responses of microbial population and key functional genes to fulvic acid during partial nitritation. J Environ Sci (China) 2023; 124:952-962. [PMID: 36182197 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2022.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2021] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The long-term impact of fulvic acid (FA) on partial nitritation (PN) system was initially examined in this study. The obtained results revealed that the FA lower than 50 mg/L had negligible effect on the nitrite accumulation rate (NAR nearly 100%) and ammonium removal rate (ARR 56.85%), while FA over 50 mg/L decreased ARR from 56.85% to 0.7%. Sludge characteristics analysis found that appropriate FA (<50 mg/L) exposure promoted the settling performance and granulation of PN sludge by removing Bacteroidetes and accumulating Chloroflexi. The analysis of metagenomics suggested that the presence of limited FA (0-50 mg/L) stimulated the generation of NADH, which favors the denitrification and nitrite reduction. The negative impact of FA on the PN system could be divided into two stages. Initially, limited FA (50-120 mg/L) was decomposed by Anaerolineae to stimulate the growth and propagation of heterotrophic bacteria (Thauera). Increasing heterotrophs competed with AOB (Nitrosomonas) for dissolved oxygen, causing AOB to be eliminated and ARR to declined. Subsequently, when FA dosage was over 120 mg/L, Anaerolineae were inhibited and heterotrophic bacteria reduced, resulting in the abundance of AOB recovered. Nevertheless, the ammonium transformation pathway was suppressed because genes amoABC and hao were obviously reduced, leading to the deterioration of reactor performance. Overall, these results provide theoretical guidance for the practical application of PN for the treatment of FA-containing sewage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Shuang Lan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Quanhao Dou
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Shiwei Hao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yueping Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Xiaoxuan Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Ruoyan Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Key Laboratory of Beijing for Water Quality Science and Water Environment Recovery Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jiachun Yang
- Shuifa Shandong Water Development Group Co. Ltd., Shandong 274200, China
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25
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Kowal P, Mehrani MJ, Sobotka D, Ciesielski S, Mąkinia J. Rearrangements of the nitrifiers population in an activated sludge system under decreasing solids retention times. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2022; 214:113753. [PMID: 35772505 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Due to the key role of nitrite in novel nitrogen removal systems, nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) have been receiving increasing attention. In this study, the coexistence and interactions of nitrifying bacteria were explored at decreasing solids retention times (SRTs). Four 5-week washout experiments were carried out in laboratory-scale (V = 10 L) sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) with mixed liquor from two full-scale activated sludge systems (continuous flow vs SBR). During the experiments, the SRT was gradually reduced from the initial value of 4.0 d to approximately 1.0 d. The reactors were operated under limited dissolved oxygen conditions (set point of 0.6 mg O2/L) and two process temperatures: 12 °C (winter) and 20 °C (summer). At both temperatures, the progressive SRT reduction was inefficient for the out-selection of both canonical NOB and comammox Nitrospira. However, the dominant NOB switched from Nitrospira to Ca. Nitrotoga, whereas the dominant AOB was always Nitrosomonas. The results of this study are important for optimizing NOB suppression strategies in the novel N removal processes, which are based on nitrite accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Przemyslaw Kowal
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233, Gdansk, Poland.
| | - Mohamad-Javad Mehrani
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Dominika Sobotka
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233, Gdansk, Poland
| | - Sławomir Ciesielski
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Geoengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Ul. Sloneczna 45G, 10-709, Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Jacek Mąkinia
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Street 11/12, 80-233, Gdansk, Poland
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26
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Feng Y, Wang S, Peng Y. Stable nitrogen removal in the novel continuous flow anammox system under deteriorated partial nitrification: Significance and superiority of the anaerobic-oxic-anoxic-oxic operation mode. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 361:127693. [PMID: 35905875 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Revised: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The collapse of mainstream anammox system caused by deterioration of partial nitrification (PN) is easy to occur and it is vital to quickly restore the stable nitrogen elimination performance. Herein, a novel continuous push-flow anaerobic-oxic-anoxic-oxic (AOAO) process treating sewage was used to restore the nitrogen elimination performance rapidly under deteriorated PN. The increased abundances of Nitrospira and Candidatus Nitrotoga was responsible for the deterioration of PN. Effluent total inorganic nitrogen of 8.7 mg N/L and a stable nitrogen removal rate of 0.083 kg N/m3·d were obtained with the aerobic hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3.75 h even PN deteriorated. Endogenous partial denitrification coupled anammox in the anoxic zone was essential to maintain stable nitrogen removal under the deterioration of PN and the anammox contribution increased from 17.2 % to 23.6 %. The AOAO system shows robustness on nitrogen removal even PN deteriorated under the decrease of HRT from 16 to 12 h.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Feng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Shuying Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China.
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27
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Cho K, Bae S, Jung J, Choi D. Effect of aerobic microbes' competition for oxygen on nitrogen removal in mainstream nitritation-anammox systems. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 305:135493. [PMID: 35764117 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.135493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The effects of C/N ratio in mainstream partial nitritation (PN)-anaerobic ammonia oxidation (ANAMMOX) considering competitive relationship of aerobic microbes competing for oxygen were investigated. Thy system was operated for 501 d with various C/N ratio. Competitive growth of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (AHB) at ≥ 1 of C/N ratio acted effectively on the selective inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) while contributing to stable PN-A. In-depth kinetic analysis indicated oxygen affinity of aerobic microbes was in the order of AHB > ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) > NOB. In addition, potential of denitritation by AHB could contributed to improving nitrogen removal up to 87.5 ± 4.3%. AHB was comparatively clustered into two groups with a C/N ratio of 1. Nitrosomonas sp. PY1 became predominant while Nitrospira spp. were the major NOB. The potential of AHB in establishing selective inhibition of NOB was identified, which could be a novel approach to stabilze the mainstream PN-A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyungjin Cho
- Center for Water Cycle Research, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, South Korea; Division of Energy & Environment Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Seoul, 02792, South Korea
| | - Seongeun Bae
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan-Si, Gyeongbuk, 38541, South Korea
| | - Jinyoung Jung
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan-Si, Gyeongbuk, 38541, South Korea
| | - Daehee Choi
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan-Si, Gyeongbuk, 38541, South Korea.
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28
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Antileo C, Jaramillo F, Candia O, Osorio A, Muñoz C, Farías J, Proal-Nájera JB, Zhang Q, Geissen SU. Long-term nitrite-oxidizing bacteria suppression in a continuous activated sludge system exposed to frequent changes in pH and oxygen set-points. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 318:115545. [PMID: 35752006 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Research has proven the adaptation of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria to unfavorable environmental conditions, and this work presents a novel concept to prevent nitrite oxidation during partial nitrification in wastewater. The approach is based on the real-time updating of mathematical models of the process to search for optimal set-points of pH and oxygen concentration in a continuous activated sludge reactor with a high sludge age (20.3 days). A heuristic optimization technique by 13 optimum set-points simultaneously maximized the degree of ammonia oxidation (α) and nitrite accumulation (β), achieving an (α + β) = 190% per day. The activated sludge reactor was conducted for 780 days under three control schemes: open-loop control, fuzzy model supervisory control and phenomenological supervisory control. The phenomenological supervisory control system achieved the best results, simultaneously reaching 95% ammonium oxidation and 90% nitrite accumulation. The Haldane kinetics were analyzed using steady-state concentrations of all nitrogen species, concluding that the simultaneous maximization of α + β led to selecting set-points at the extreme values of the following ranges: pH = 7.5-8.5 and DO = 0.8-1.0 mg O2/L, which enabled the inhibition of one nitrifier species. At the same time, the other one was relieved from inhibition. The 16sRNA assays indicated that the nitrite-oxidizing bacteria presence (genera Nitrobacter and Nitrospira) shifted from 32% to less than 8% after 280 days of continuous operation with optimal pH and oxygen set-points.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Antileo
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of La Frontera, Cas. 54-D, Temuco, Chile.
| | - Francisco Jaramillo
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Chile, Av. Tupper 2007, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Oscar Candia
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma de Chile, 5 Poniente 1670, Talca, Chile.
| | - Aahilyn Osorio
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of La Frontera, Cas. 54-D, Temuco, Chile.
| | - Carlos Muñoz
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Sciences, University of La Frontera, Cas. 54-D, Temuco, Chile.
| | - Jorge Farías
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of La Frontera, Cas. 54-D, Temuco, Chile.
| | - José B Proal-Nájera
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, CIIDIR-Unidad Durango, Calle Sigma 119, Fracc. 20 de Noviembre II, Durango, Dgo., C.P. 34220, Mexico.
| | - Qiqi Zhang
- Department of Environmental Technology, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Sven-Uwe Geissen
- Department of Environmental Technology, Technische Universität Berlin, 10623, Berlin, Germany.
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29
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Duan H, Watts S, Zheng M, Wang Z, Zhao J, Li H, Liu P, Dwyer J, McPhee P, Rattier M, Larsen E, Yuan Z, Hu S. Achieving robust mainstream nitrite shunt at pilot-scale with integrated sidestream sludge treatment and step-feed. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 223:119034. [PMID: 36067606 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As a promising energy- and carbon efficient process for nitrogen removal from wastewater, mainstream nitrite shunt has been extensively researched. However, beyond the laboratory it is challenging to maintain stable performance by suppressing nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB). In this study, a pilot-scale reactor system receiving real sewage was operated in two stages for >850 days to evaluate two novel NOB suppression strategies for achieving nitrite shunt: i) sidestream sludge treatment based on alternating free nitrous acid (FNA) and free ammonia (FA) and ii) sidestream FNA/FA sludge treatment integrated with in-situ NOB suppression via step-feed. The results showed that, with sidestream sludge treatment alone, NOB developed resistance relatively quickly to the treatment, leading to unstable nitrite shunt. In contrast, robust nitrite shunt was achieved and stably maintained for more than a year when sidestream sludge treatment was integrated with a step-feed strategy. Kinetic analyses suggested that sludge treatment and step-feed worked in synergy, leading to stable NOB suppression. The integrated strategy demonstrated in this study removes a key barrier to the implementation of stable mainstream nitrite shunt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Duan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Shane Watts
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Huijuan Li
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Peng Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jason Dwyer
- Urban Utilities, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Paul McPhee
- Urban Utilities, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Maxime Rattier
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Eloise Larsen
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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Sampara P, Luo Y, Lin X, Ziels RM. Integrating Genome-Resolved Metagenomics with Trait-Based Process Modeling to Determine Biokinetics of Distinct Nitrifying Communities within Activated Sludge. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:11670-11682. [PMID: 35929783 PMCID: PMC9387530 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Conventional bioprocess models for wastewater treatment are based on aggregated bulk biomass concentrations and do not incorporate microbial physiological diversity. Such a broad aggregation of microbial functional groups can fail to predict ecosystem dynamics when high levels of physiological diversity exist within trophic guilds. For instance, functional diversity among nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) can obfuscate engineering strategies for their out-selection in activated sludge (AS), which is desirable to promote energy-efficient nitrogen removal. Here, we hypothesized that different NOB populations within AS can have different physiological traits that drive process performance, which we tested by estimating biokinetic growth parameters using a combination of highly replicated respirometry, genome-resolved metagenomics, and process modeling. A lab-scale AS reactor subjected to a selective pressure for over 90 days experienced resilience of NOB activity. We recovered three coexisting Nitrospira population genomes belonging to two sublineages, which exhibited distinct growth strategies and underwent a compositional shift following the selective pressure. A trait-based process model calibrated at the NOB genus level better predicted nitrite accumulation than a conventional process model calibrated at the NOB guild level. This work demonstrates that trait-based modeling can be leveraged to improve our prediction, control, and design of functionally diverse microbiomes driving key environmental biotechnologies.
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Zulkifli M, Abu Hasan H, Sheikh Abdullah SR, Muhamad MH. A review of ammonia removal using a biofilm-based reactor and its challenges. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 315:115162. [PMID: 35561462 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Revised: 04/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Extensive growth of industries leads to uncontrolled ammonia releases to environment. This can result in significant degradation of the aquatic ecology as well as significant health concerns for humans. Knowing the mechanism of ammonia elimination is the simplest approach to comprehending it. Ammonia has been commonly converted to less hazardous substances either in the form of nitrate or nitrogen gas. Ammonia has been converted into nitrite by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and further reduced to nitrate by nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in aerobic conditions. Denitrification takes place in an anoxic phase and nitrate is converted into nitrogen gas. It is challenging to remove ammonia by employing technologies that do not incur particularly high costs. Thus, this review paper is focused on biofilm reactors that utilize the nitrification process. Many research publications and patents on biofilm wastewater treatment have been published. However, only a tiny percentage of these projects are for full-scale applications, and the majority of the work was completed within the last few decades. The physicochemical approaches such as ammonia adsorption, coagulation-flocculation, and membrane separation, as well as conventional biological treatments including activated sludge, microalgae, and bacteria biofilm, are briefly addressed in this review paper. The effectiveness of biofilm reactors in removing ammonia was compared, and the microbes that effectively remove ammonia were thoroughly discussed. Overall, biofilm reactors can remove up to 99.7% ammonia from streams with a concentration in range of 16-900 mg/L. As many challenges were identified for ammonia removal using biofilm at a commercial scale, this study offers future perspectives on how to address the most pressing biofilm issues. This review may also improve our understanding of biofilm technologies for the removal of ammonia as well as polishing unit in wastewater treatment plants for the water reuse and recycling, supporting the circular economy concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Zulkifli
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Hassimi Abu Hasan
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia; Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Siti Rozaimah Sheikh Abdullah
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia; Research Centre for Sustainable Process Technology (CESPRO), Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Mohd Hafizuddin Muhamad
- Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
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32
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Exploiting Biofilm Characteristics to Enhance Biological Nutrient Removal in Wastewater Treatment Plants. APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/app12157561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/10/2022]
Abstract
Biological treatments are integral processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). They can be carried out using sludge or biofilm processes. Although the sludge process is effective for biological wastewater systems, it has some drawbacks that make it undesirable. Hence, biofilm processes have gained popularity, since they address the drawbacks of sludge treatments, such as the high rates of sludge production. Although biofilms have been reported to be essential for wastewater, few studies have reviewed the different ways in which the biofilm properties can be explored, especially for the benefit of wastewater treatment. Thus, this review explores the properties of biofilms that can be exploited to enhance biological wastewater systems. In this review, it is revealed that various biofilm properties, such as the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), quorum sensing (Qs), and acylated homoserine lactones (AHLs), can be enhanced as a sustainable and cost-effective strategy to enhance the biofilm. Moreover, the exploitation of other biofilm properties such as the SOS, which is only reported in the medical field, with no literature reporting it in the context of wastewater treatment, is also recommended to improve the biofilm technology for wastewater treatment processes. Additionally, this review further elaborates on ways that these properties can be exploited to advance biofilm wastewater treatment systems. A special emphasis is placed on exploiting these properties in simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and biological phosphorus removal processes, which have been reported to be the most sensitive processes in biological wastewater treatment.
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Chen Y, Wang H, Gao X, Li X, Dong S, Zhou H, Tan Z. COD/TN ratios shift the microbial community assembly of a pilot-scale shortcut nitrification-denitrification process for biogas slurry treatment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:49335-49345. [PMID: 35220533 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19285-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In this study, effects of carbon to nitrogen (COD/TN) ratios of biogas slurry on shortcut nitrification-denitrification in a pilot-scale integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) system were investigated. Lowering the COD/TN ratio from 11.7 to 6.2 exerted a negative impact on shortcut nitrification-denitrification performance. Accordingly, the NH3-N and TN removal rates decreased from 94.4 to 91.2% and 92.3 to 85.9%, respectively. The dynamics of microbial assembly was analyzed by MiSeq sequencing, and the denitrifying functional genes were quantified by qPCR. The results showed that ammonia oxidizing bacteria and amoA gene were more abundant on the biofilm of oxic tank, indicating they play a key role in NH3-N removal. Autotrophic, endogenous, and fast heterotrophic kinetics denitrifiers were coexisted and enriched in the IFAS system with a decreasing of COD/TN ratio. TN removal was mainly affected by denitrifiers (including Arenimonas, Acidovorax, and Thaurea) harboring narG and nirS genes. Canonical correspondence analysis proved that COD/TN ratio was the most critical factor driving the succession of microbial community. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and pH were found positively correlated with denitrifiers at low COD/TN ratio conditions. As a result, NH3-N and TN removal were effectively enhanced when the DO level in the oxic tank of IFAS system was increased to 1.0-3.0 mg/L.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangwu Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Huan Wang
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
| | - Xingdong Gao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Xin Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Shiyang Dong
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Houzhen Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
- Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China
| | - Zhouliang Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.
- Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China.
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Wang Z, Zheng M, Duan H, Yuan Z, Hu S. A 20-Year Journey of Partial Nitritation and Anammox (PN/A): from Sidestream toward Mainstream. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:7522-7531. [PMID: 35657148 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) was discovered as a new microbial reaction in the late 1990s, which led to the development of an innovative energy- and carbon-efficient technology─partial nitritation and anammox (PN/A)─for nitrogen removal. PN/A was first applied to remove the nitrogen from high-strength wastewaters, e.g., anaerobic digestion liquor (i.e., sidestream), and further expanded to the main line of wastewater treatment plants (i.e., mainstream). While sidestream PN/A has been well-established with extensive full-scale installations worldwide, practical application of PN/A in mainstream treatment has been proven extremely challenging to date. A key challenge is achieving stable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). This study examines the progress of NOB suppression in both sidestream- and mainstream PN/A over the past two decades. The successful NOB suppression in sidestream PN/A was reviewed, and these successes were evaluated in terms of their transferability into mainstream PN/A. Drawing on the learning over the past decades, we anticipate that a hybrid process, comprised of biofilm and floccular sludge, bears great potential to achieve efficient mainstream PN/A, while a combination of strategies is entailed for stable NOB suppression. Furthermore, the recent discovery of novel nitrifiers would trigger new opportunities and new challenges for mainstream PN/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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35
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Wu Z, Gao J, Cui Y, Wang Z, Zhao Y, Zhang H, Guo Y, Li Z. Feeding low-level benzethonium chloride can promote the start-up, fast recovery and long-term stable maintenance of partial nitrification for low-ammonium wastewater. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 353:127152. [PMID: 35421565 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The establishment of stable partial nitrification (PN) is beneficial to promote the application of anaerobic ammonium oxidation, especially for low-ammonium wastewater. This study demonstrated an innovative approach for achieving PN through feeding low-level benzethonium chloride (BZC). PN was started and maintained for 125 days after the sequential feeding of 0.2 and 1 mg/L BZC for 50 days. The damaged PN recovered rapidly within eight days by feeding 2 mg/L BZC, and it thrived for more than 172 days, indicating that nitrite-oxidizing bacteria did not adapt to BZC. The removal of BZC changed from adsorption to degradation gradually. Increased extracellular polymeric substances secretion and altered protein secondary structures explained sludge granulation during BZC feeding, which may be closely related to long-term stable maintenance of PN. PICRUSt2 revealed the underlying microbial mechanisms in depth. Overall, this research proposed a novel scheme to achieve robust PN treating low-ammonium wastewater through feeding low-level BZC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zejie Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Jingfeng Gao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
| | - Yingchao Cui
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Zhiqi Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yifan Zhao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Haoran Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Yi Guo
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
| | - Ziqiao Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
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36
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Chen Y, Feng G, Guo G, Luo Z, Rong C, Wang T, Guo Y, Li YY. Nitrogen removal by a Hydroxyapatite-enhanced Micro-granule type One-stage partial Nitritation/anammox process following anaerobic membrane bioreactor treating municipal wastewater. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 348:126740. [PMID: 35074463 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.126740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen removal from wastewater by the partial nitritation/anammox (PNA) technology is promising from both economic and environmental perspectives. However, this technology has not been popularized in the mainstream because of low biomass retention and the growth of the nitrite oxidizing bacteria. In this study, a one-stage PNA process with hydroxyapatite (HAP)-enhanced granules was used to treat effluent from a mainstream anaerobic membrane bioreactor. The HAP-enhanced reactor allowed an enriched high biomass of 6.9 ± 0.2 g/L at a low hydraulic retention time of 2 h. A nitrogen removal efficiency of 80 ± 6.0 %, a nitrogen removal rate of 0.36 ± 0.05 kg/m3/d and a COD removal efficiency of 54 ± 15 % were achieved stably, leading to a low total nitrogen concentration of 8.5 ± 2.7 mg/L and a low COD concentration of 19.7 ± 5.9 mg/L in the effluent. Anammox bacteria of Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis and ammonium oxidizing bacteria of Nitrosomonas were found to be the two most predominant bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujie Chen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Gaoxuefeng Feng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Guangze Guo
- Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, 6-6-20 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Zibin Luo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Chao Rong
- Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, 6-6-20 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Tianjie Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan
| | - Yan Guo
- Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 30 Xueyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100083, China
| | - Yu-You Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan; Department of Frontier Science for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, 6-6-20 Aoba, Aramaki-Aza, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan.
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37
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Li J, Deng K, Meng J, Li J, Zheng M. Synergistic denitrification, partial nitrification - Anammox in a novel A 2/O 2 reactor for efficient nitrogen removal from low C/N wastewater. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 302:114069. [PMID: 34763191 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.114069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A biofilm-based anaerobic-aerobic (A2O2) reactor was constructed to treat manure-free piggery wastewater. The reactor contained four compartments, among which the first two were anaerobic (A phase) and the last two were aerobic (O phase). Throughout around one-year operation, high-level nutrient removal was demonstrated. At an optimal reflux ratio of 100%, the average NH4+-N, TN, and COD removal efficiencies were high as 99.4%, 91.7%, and 79.4%, respectively, with the influent concentration of 220.6, 231.6 and 332 mg/L, respectively. The NH4+-N, TN, and COD concentrations in the final effluent were only 1.4, 18.5 and 65 mg/L, respectively. COD and nitrogen removal were mainly removed in the A phase and O phase, respectively. This result revolutionizes the previous perception that nitrogen is only removed in the A phase of conventional A-O configuration. Achievement of PN/A in the O phase was critical to the efficient nitrogen removal. Heterotrophic denitrification in the anaerobic compartments removed the nitrate produced by anammox, ensuring the high-level nitrogen removal. Anaerobic organic degradation was a major pathway for COD removal, as abundant methanogens detected in the A phase. This study provides a feasible technical scheme for the efficient nutrient removal from ammonium-rich wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianzheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin, 150090, PR China
| | - Kaiwen Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin, 150090, PR China
| | - Jia Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin, 150090, PR China.
| | - Jiuling Li
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
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38
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Wang Z, Gao J, Zhang D, Dai H, Zhao Y, Li D, Cui Y, Duan W, Wu Z. Achieving stable and long-term partial nitrification of domestic wastewater by side-stream sludge treatment using a novel nitrite oxidation inhibitor chloroxylenol. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 342:125999. [PMID: 34600319 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Using inhibitors to selectively suppress the activity of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was an emerging way to rapidly achieve partial nitrification (PN). This study explored the feasibility of inactivating NOB by a novel inhibitor chloroxylenol (PCMX) in real domestic wastewater. Different frequencies (periodic strategy and concentrative time strategy) of PCMX side-stream sludge treatment were used to achieve and maintain PN during 250 days. PN was realized by PCMX treatment once a day about 20 days, due to the inhibition of Nitrospira. PN was completely destroyed after 212 days by periodic strategy, caused by the increase of Candidatus Nitrotoga. PN maintained without PCMX in following 201 days by concentrative time strategy. The risks of PCMX were assessed and almost no PCMX was detected in the effluent of mainstream sequencing batch reactors. These results meant PN realized by PCMX side-stream sludge treatment was feasible and concentrative time strategy was a better operating strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiqi Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Jingfeng Gao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China.
| | - Da Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Huihui Dai
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yifan Zhao
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Dingchang Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yingchao Cui
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Wanjun Duan
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Zejie Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Faculty of Environment and Life, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
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Liu T, Lu Y, Zheng M, Hu S, Yuan Z, Guo J. Efficient nitrogen removal from mainstream wastewater through coupling Partial Nitritation, Anammox and Methane-dependent nitrite/nitrate reduction (PNAM). WATER RESEARCH 2021; 206:117723. [PMID: 34637975 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The application of partial nitritation and anammox to remove nitrogen from mainstream wastewater is of great interest because of the potential to reduce energy cost and carbon dosage. However, this process confronts a dilemma of relatively high effluent nitrogen concentration (>10 mg N/L), owning to the unwanted prevalence of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and the intrinsic nitrate production by anammox bacteria. Here, a novel technology, named the one-stage PNAM, that integrates Partial Nitritation, Anammox and Methane-dependent nitrite/nitrate reduction reactions, was developed in a single membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR). With feeding of synthetic mainstream wastewater containing ∼50 mg NH4+-N/L at a hydraulic retention time of 12 h, more than 95% nitrogen was removed in the established one-stage PNAM process at a practically useful rate of 0.1 kg N/m3/d. Microbial community characterization and in-situ batch tests revealed a sophisticated microbial structure consisting of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), anammox bacteria, nitrite/nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) bacteria and archaea, and a small fraction of NOB and aerobic methanotrophs. The role of methane in removing nitrate was confirmed by switching on/off the methane supply, which relaxed the requirement for NOB suppression. In addition, the established system was relatively robust against temperature variations, evidenced by a total nitrogen removal efficiency above 80% at temperature as low as 14 ℃. The results provide a promising alternative for efficient nitrogen removal from domestic wastewater using methane as the sole carbon source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yan Lu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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Ren J, Bai X, Liu Y, Huang X. Simultaneous nitrification and aerobic denitrification by a novel isolated Ochrobactrum anthropi HND19. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 340:125582. [PMID: 34332445 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The study aimed to isolate a novel strain with heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification ability and evaluate the nitrogen removal characteristics. Results showed that Ochrobactrum anthropi HND19 could remove approximately 98.6% of NH4+-N (104.3 mg·L-1) and 97.6% of NO3--N (98.6 mg·L-1), and the removal rates achieved 4.28 and 4.01 mg-N/(L·h) by heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification. The optimal incubate conditions of strain HND19 were 120 rpm (shaking speed), 5 ‰ (salinity), 30 °C (temperature), 7.5 (C/N ratio) with sodium acetate as carbon resource. And the removal efficiency of the total nitrogen (TN) realized 73.4% under the optimal conditions. Functional genes (hao, napA, nirK, norB, and nosZ) involved in the nitrogen removal processes were successfully amplified from strain HND19. These findings indicate that the strain HND19 possesses great application feasibility in treating wastewater with high-intensity nitrogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jilong Ren
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xianyu Bai
- Beijing Enterprise of Technology Service (Guangdong) Co.LTD., Guangzhou 510360, China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Xia Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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Liu J, Peng Y, Qiu S, Wu L, Xue X, Li L, Zhang L. Superior nitrogen removal and sludge reduction in a suspended sludge system with in-situ enriching anammox bacteria for real sewage treatment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 793:148669. [PMID: 34328973 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mainstream partial anammox provides a cost- and energy-efficient alternative for wastewater treatment. This study provided a new strategy to achieve mainstream partial anammox in a single-stage suspended sludge system. The novel method coupling external excess sludge fermentation with simultaneous partial nitritation-anammox-denitrification process (SF-SPNAD) was established for 202 days in an anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactor (AOA-SBR) with real sewage and actual sludge fermentation products. Under the condition of low DO (0.6 ± 0.2 mg/L), short oxic and long anoxic hydraulic retention time (HRToxic = 6.5 h, HRTanoxic = 8 h), the average total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) concentration in the influent and effluent during 110-day operation were 61.0 and 3.4 mg/L, respectively, and the TIN removal efficiency was 94.56%. Under the inhibitory effect of continuous sludge fermentation products addition, nitrite accumulation ratio reached 99.1% and the external sludge reduction ratio reached 38.75%. 15N-stable isotope tracing tests showed the great potential of nitrogen removal by anammox pathway in the system. High-throughput sequencing confirmed that CandidatusBrocadia (not detected to 0.50%) and CandidatusKuenenia (not detected to 0.06%) were successfully in-situ enriched. Nitrogen conversion pathways based on stoichiometry and cycle tests show that 34.69% of the TIN removal was obtained by simultaneous nitritation denitrification and anammox under oxic stage and 35.21% of the TIN removal was carried out by anammox under anoxic stage. Overall, the SF-SPNAD process provides a new possibility for coupling autotrophic and heterotrophic nitrogen removal with excess sludge utilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinjin Liu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Shengjie Qiu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Lei Wu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Xiaofei Xue
- Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited (BEWG), Poly Int Plaza T3, Zone7, Beijing 100102, PR China
| | - Lingyun Li
- Beijing Enterprises Water Group Limited (BEWG), Poly Int Plaza T3, Zone7, Beijing 100102, PR China
| | - Liang Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China.
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Calderon AG, Duan H, Chen X, Wu Z, Yu W, Silva CE, Li Y, Shrestha S, Wang Z, Keller J, Chen Z, Yuan Z, Hu S. Enhancing anaerobic digestion using free nitrous acid: Identifying the optimal pre-treatment condition in continuous operation. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 205:117694. [PMID: 34607085 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Revised: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Free Nitrous Acid (FNA) pre-treatment is a promising technology demonstrated effective in improving waste activated sludge degradability and anaerobic digestion (AD) performance. Pre-treatment conditions including FNA concentration and treatment duration determine operational and capital cost of full-scale implementation, which have not been studied in long-term experiments. The knowledge of FNA pre-treatment conditions improving the AD performance is urgently required to determine suitable conditions for the technology implementation. In this work, five different FNA concentrations (2.2, 4.4, 7.2, 12 mgN/L and nitrite only without pH adjustment) and three treatment durations (8, 24 and 48 h) were studied in four lab-scale semi-continuous AD reactors for over 300 days. FNA pre-treatment was shown under all tested conditions effective in enhancing AD performances, while its effectiveness and resulted benefits varied substantially amongst different pre-treatment conditions. The long-term experiment demonstrated that the methane production, sludge reduction and digested sludge viscosity of AD are positively correlated with the FNA concentration and durations, until an optimal condition is reached, which was identified in this work to be FNA concentration of 7.2 mgN/L and treatment duration of 24 h. Microbial community changes supported the apparent observation of enhanced sludge degradation at elevating FNA concentrations applied during pre-treatment. The short-term sludge solubilization results were inconsistent with the long-term AD performance, which was potentially caused by inhibitions from stringent FNA pre-treatment conditions applied (FNA = 12 mgN/L with 24-hour treatment & FNA = 7.2 mgN/L with 48-hour treatment). Overall, results suggested FNA pre-treatment at the optimized condition is highly beneficial to WWTPs and competitive with other pre-treatment technologies, e.g., thermal hydrolysis pre-treatment. This work comprehensively evaluated the key design parameters of FNA pre-treatment process, reached a major milestone in the development and applications of FNA technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Haoran Duan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Xiaoguang Chen
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Pollution Treatment and Control in Textile Industry, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Ziping Wu
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Wenbo Yu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Carlos E Silva
- Federal University of Piaui Campus Ministro Petronio Portela Ininga, Teresina, PI 64049550, Brazil
| | - Yijing Li
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Sohan Shrestha
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jurg Keller
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhongwei Chen
- School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Hu Z, Duan H, Wang Z, Zhao J, Ye L, Yuan Z, Zheng M, Hu S. Centralized iron-dosing into returned sludge brings multifaceted benefits to wastewater management. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 203:117536. [PMID: 34403845 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Iron salts (i.e. FeCl3) are the most used chemicals in the urban wastewater system. Iron is commonly dosed into sewage or the mainstream system, which provides multiple benefits such as enhanced phosphorus removal and improved sludge settleability/dewaterability. This study reported and demonstrated a new approach that dosed FeCl3 into returned sludge in order to bring two more benefits to wastewater management: short-cut nitrogen removal via the nitrite pathway and less biomass production. This approach is achieved based on our findings that with similar amount of FeCl3, centralized iron dosing into a sidestream sludge unit generated iron concentration two orders of magnitude higher than the common mainstream dosing (e.g. 10-40 mg Fe/L-wastewater), leading to sludge acidification (pH = 2.1) with Fe (III) hydrolysis. Together with accumulated nitrite in the supernatant of the sludge, ppm-level of free nitrous acid was generated and thus enabled sludge disintegration, cell lysis, and selective elimination of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Long-term effects on nitrifying bacteria and overall reactor performance were evaluated using two laboratory reactor experiments for over one year. The experimental reactor showed stable nitrite accumulation with an average NO2-/(NO2- + NO3-) ratio above 80% and ∼30% observed biomass yield reduction compared to those in control reactors. In addition, the centralized sludge dosing strategy still provided benefits such as improved settleability and dewaterability of sludge and enhanced phosphorus removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhetai Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia; School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Liu Ye
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Shihu Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
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Wei SP, Stensel HD, Ziels RM, Herrera S, Lee PH, Winkler MKH. Partitioning of nutrient removal contribution between granules and flocs in a hybrid granular activated sludge system. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 203:117514. [PMID: 34407486 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Sludge granulation in continuous-flow systems is an emerging technology to intensify existing activated sludge infrastructure for nutrient removal. In these systems, the nutrient removal contributions and partitioning of microbial functions between granules and flocs can offer insights into process implementations. To this end, a reactor system that simulates the continuous-flow environment using an equal amount of initial granule and floc biomass was investigated. The two operational strategies for maintaining granule growth in the continuous-flow system were (a) the higher solids retention time (SRT) for the granules versus flocs, as well as (b) selective feeding of carbon to the granules. The SRT of the large granule fractions (>425 µm, LG) and floc/small granule fractions (<425 µm, FSG) were controlled at 20 and 2.7-6.0 days, respectively. Long term operation of the hybrid granule/floc system achieved high PO43- and NH4+ removal efficiencies. Higher polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAO) activity was observed in the FSG than LG, while ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) activities were similar in the two biomass fractions. Nitrite shunt was observed in the FSG, possibly due to out-competition by the high NOB activity in LG. More importantly, washing out the FSG caused a reduction in LG's AOB and PAO activity, indicating a possible dependency of LG on FSG for maintaining its nutrient removal capacity. Our findings highlighted the partitioning and potential competition/cooperation of key microbial functional groups between LG and FSG, facilitating nutrient removal in a hybrid granular activated sludge system, as well as implications for practical application of the treatment platform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany P Wei
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - H David Stensel
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
| | - Ryan M Ziels
- University of British Columbia, Department of Civil Engineering, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
| | - Stephanie Herrera
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Po-Heng Lee
- Imperial College London, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Skempton Building, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom.
| | - Mari-K H Winkler
- University of Washington, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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Spieck E, Wegen S, Keuter S. Relevance of Candidatus Nitrotoga for nitrite oxidation in technical nitrogen removal systems. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2021; 105:7123-7139. [PMID: 34508283 PMCID: PMC8494671 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-021-11487-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Abstract Many biotechnological applications deal with nitrification, one of the main steps of the global nitrogen cycle. The biological oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and further to nitrate is critical to avoid environmental damage and its functioning has to be retained even under adverse conditions. Bacteria performing the second reaction, oxidation of nitrite to nitrate, are fastidious microorganisms that are highly sensitive against disturbances. One important finding with relevance for nitrogen removal systems was the discovery of the mainly cold-adapted Cand. Nitrotoga, whose activity seems to be essential for the recovery of nitrite oxidation in wastewater treatment plants at low temperatures, e.g., during cold seasons. Several new strains of this genus have been recently described and ecophysiologically characterized including genome analyses. With increasing diversity, also mesophilic Cand. Nitrotoga representatives have been detected in activated sludge. This review summarizes the natural distribution and driving forces defining niche separation in artificial nitrification systems. Further critical aspects for the competition with Nitrospira and Nitrobacter are discussed. Knowledge about the physiological capacities and limits of Cand. Nitrotoga can help to define physico-chemical parameters for example in reactor systems that need to be run at low temperatures. Key points • Characterization of the psychrotolerant nitrite oxidizer Cand. Nitrotoga • Comparison of the physiological features of Cand. Nitrotoga with those of other NOB • Identification of beneficial environmental/operational parameters for proliferation Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00253-021-11487-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Spieck
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany.
| | - Simone Wegen
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Sabine Keuter
- Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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Jiang H, Yang P, Wang Z, Ren S, Qiu J, Liang H, Peng Y, Li X, Zhang Q. Novel insights into overcoming nitrite oxidation bacteria acclimatization problem in treatment of high-ammonia wastewater through partial nitrification. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 336:125254. [PMID: 34030062 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
A partial nitrification sequencing batch reactor was operated to reveal mechanisms behind nitrite oxidation bacteria (NOB) acclimatization in high-ammonia wastewater treatment. The influent NH4+-N increased stepwise from 499.7 ± 4.2 mg/L to 6994.5 ± 7.5 mg/L with initial free ammonia (FA) concentration rising from 37.9 ± 3.2 mg NH3-N/L to 715.3 ± 47.3 mg NH3-N/L, respectively. NOB acclimatized this FA range with NO3--N production increasing from 29.2 ± 2.6 mg/L to 144.1 ± 31.0 mg/L in a cycle, which was caused by the shift of dominant NOB genus from Nitrospira to Nitrolencea. Nitrosomonas as ammonia oxidation bacteria, could sustain its activity of 62.1 ± 0.1 mg NH4+-N/(gVSS∙L∙h) under the same condition. Hydroxylamine addition could be implemented as an emergency measure to alleviate NOB acclimatization in short-term operation. The findings expanded knowledge about NOB acclimatization types and provided novel insights for addressing this problem in a targeted way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Jiang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Pei Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China; Engineering Technology Research Center of Beijing MSW Comprehensive Treatment and Utilization, Environmental Engineering Technology Co, Ltd., Beijing, PR China
| | - Zhong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Shang Ren
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Jingang Qiu
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Haoran Liang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China.
| | - Xiyao Li
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Qiong Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
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Activity-Based Cell Sorting Reveals Resistance of Functionally Degenerate Nitrospira during a Press Disturbance in Nitrifying Activated Sludge. mSystems 2021; 6:e0071221. [PMID: 34282936 PMCID: PMC8407113 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00712-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Managing and engineering activated sludge wastewater treatment microbiomes for low-energy nitrogen removal requires process control strategies to stop the oxidation of ammonium at nitrite. Our ability to out-select nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) from activated sludge is challenged by their metabolic and physiological diversity, warranting measurements of their in situ physiology and activity under selective growth pressures. Here, we examined the stability of nitrite oxidation in activated sludge during a press disturbance induced by treating a portion of return activated sludge with a sidestream flow containing free ammonia (FA) at 200 mg NH3-N/liter. The nitrite accumulation ratio peaked at 42% by day 40 in the experimental bioreactor with the press disturbance, while it did not increase in the control bioreactor. A subsequent decrease in nitrite accumulation within the experimental bioreactor coincided with shifts in dominant Nitrospira 16S rRNA amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). We applied bioorthogonal noncanonical amino acid tagging (BONCAT) coupled with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to investigate changes in the translational activity of NOB populations throughout batch exposure to FA. BONCAT-FACS confirmed that the single Nitrospira ASV washed out of the experimental bioreactor had reduced translational activity following exposure to FA, whereas the two Nitrospira ASVs that emerged after process acclimation were not impacted by FA. Thus, the coexistence of functionally degenerate and physiologically resistant Nitrospira populations provided resilience to the nitrite-oxidizing function during the press disturbance. These results highlight how BONCAT-FACS can resolve ecological niche differentiation within activated sludge and inform strategies to engineer and control microbiome function. IMPORTANCE Nitrogen removal from activated sludge wastewater treatment systems is an energy-intensive process due to the large aeration requirement for nitrification. This energy footprint could be minimized with engineering control strategies that wash out nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) to limit oxygen demands. However, NOB populations can have a high degree of physiological diversity, and it is currently difficult to decipher the behavior of individual taxa during applied selective pressures. Here, we utilized a new substrate analog probing approach to measure the activity of NOB at the cellular translational level in the face of a press disturbance applied to the activated sludge process. Substrate analog probing corroborated the time series reactor sampling, showing that coexisting and functionally degenerate Nitrospira populations provided resilience to the nitrite oxidation process. Taken together, these results highlight how substrate analog approaches can illuminate in situ ecophysiologies within shared niches, and can inform strategies to improve microbiome engineering and management.
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Wang Z, Zheng M, Hu Z, Duan H, De Clippeleir H, Al-Omari A, Hu S, Yuan Z. Unravelling adaptation of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in mainstream PN/A process: Mechanisms and counter-strategies. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 200:117239. [PMID: 34029873 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Stable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) is still a major challenge for the implementation of partial nitritation and anammox (PN/A) in mainstream treatment. Despite numerous suppression strategies demonstrated, it is increasingly recognized that NOB could develop resistance to these strategies, threatening the long-term stability of the mainstream PN/A process. This study aims to understand adaption mechanisms and develop counter-strategies to overcome the adaptation. To this end, three previously-demonstrated suppression strategies, including NOB inactivation via side stream sludge treatment with free ammonia (FA), the use of low dissolved oxygen (DO), and the use of anammox to scavenge nitrite, were stepwise applied, over a period of 800 days, to a laboratory-scale reactor treating effluent from a high-rate activated sludge (HRAS) plant. FA sludge treatment alone sustained nitrite accumulation for about two months, after which NOB adaptation occurred causing PN to fail. The FA adaptation was induced by a shift in the NOB community from Nitrospira to Ca. Nitrotoga. The latter was found to have higher resistance to FA and also a higher maximum specific growth rate. Low DO at 0.2-0.4 mg O2 L-1 was then applied, in conjunction with FA treatment, which successfully eliminated Ca. Nitrotoga and re-established PN. However, new and unidentified NOB with a higher apparent oxygen affinity emerged in three months, again leading to PN failure. Lastly, as the third strategy for NOB suppression, anammox was introduced as an in-situ nitrite-scavenger. The combo-strategy delivered reliable NOB suppression with no further adaptation in the remaining experimental period (eight months). The resulted one-stage PN/A reactor achieved a nitrogen removal efficiency of 84.2 ± 5.37%. A control reactor, operated in parallel under the same conditions but without FA treatment, only achieved 10.4 ± 4.6% nitrogen removal, with anammox completely outcompeted by NOB in the last phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Zhetai Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haydée De Clippeleir
- District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, 5000 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20032, USA
| | - Ahmed Al-Omari
- District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, 5000 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20032, USA
| | - Shihu Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Yan C, Ma T, Wang M, Yang S, Yang L, Gao Y. Electrolysis-enhanced ecological floating bed and its factors influencing nitrogen and phosphorus removal in simulated hyper-eutrophic water. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:22832-22842. [PMID: 33432406 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-12261-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
To enhance ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and phosphate (PO43--P) removal in hyper-eutrophic water, electrolysis-enhanced ecological floating bed (EEEFB) was designed with a Mg-Al alloy anode, a Ir-Ta-Ti metal oxide-coated titanium anode, and an Fe anode with the same graphite cathode. The results showed that the Mg-Al alloy anode with graphite cathode had a better ability to enhance NH3-N and PO43--P removal. When the current density was 0.37 mA·cm-2, the electrolysis time was 24 h/d, and the net removal rates of NH3-N and PO43--P were 62% and 99.4%, respectively. In winter, the purification efficiencies of NH3-N and PO43--P were as high as 7388.4 mg·m-2 and 4297.5 mg·m-2, respectively, by EEEFBs which were significantly higher than the traditional ecological floating bed (p < 0.05). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray spectrometry confirmed that the PO43--P was deposited in the sediment of EEEFBs with Mg-Al alloy anode and Fe anode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Yan
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Tangming Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Mingxuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Shunqing Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Liuyan Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China
| | - Yan Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, People's Republic of China.
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A review of partial nitrification in biological nitrogen removal processes: from development to application. Biodegradation 2021; 32:229-249. [PMID: 33825095 DOI: 10.1007/s10532-021-09938-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
To further reduce the energy consumption in the wastewater biological nitrogen removal process, partial nitrification and its integrated processes have attracted increasing attentions owing to their economy and efficiency. Shortening the steps of ammonia oxidation to nitrate saves a large amount of aeration, and the accumulated nitrite could be reduced by denitritation or anammox, which requires less electron donors compared with denitrification. Therefore, the strategies through mainstream suppression and sidestream inhibition for the achievement of partial nitrification in recent years are reviewed. Specifically, the enrichment strategies of functional microorganisms are obtained on the basis of their growth and metabolic characteristics under different selective pressures. Furthermore, the promising developments, current application bottlenecks and possible future trends of some biological nitrogen removal processes integrating partial nitrification are discussed. The obtained knowledge would provide a new idea for the fast realization of economic, efficient and long-term stable partial nitrification and biological nitrogen removal process.
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