Enhancement and mechanisms of iron-assisted anammox process

Refractory dissolved organic matters in sludge leachate trigger the combination of anammox and denitratation for advanced nitrogen removal

The cost-effective treatment of sludge leachate (SL) with high nitrogen content and refractory dissolved organic matter (rDOM) has drawn increasing attention. This study employed, for the first time, a rDOM triggered denitratation-anammox continuous-flow process to treat landfill SL. Moreover, the mechanisms of exploiting rDOM from SL as an inner carbon source for denitratation were systematically analyzed. The results demonstrated outstanding nitrogen and rDOM removal performance without any external carbon source supplement. In this study, effluent concentrations of 4.27 ± 0.45 mgTIN/L and 5.58 ± 1.64 mgTN/L were achieved, coupled with an impressive COD removal rate of 65.17 % ± 1.71 %. The abundance of bacteria belonging to the Anaerolineaceae genus, which were identified as rDOM degradation bacteria, increased from 18.23 % to 35.62 %. As a result, various types of rDOM were utilized to different extents, with proteins being the most notable, except for lignins. Metagenomic analysis revealed a preference for directing electrons towards NO3--N reductase rather than NO2--N reductase, indicating the coupling of denitratation bacteria and anammox bacteria (Candidatus Brocadia). Overall, this study introduced a novel synergy platform for advanced nitrogen removal in treating SL using its inner carbon source. This approach is characterized by low energy consumption and operational costs, coupled with commendable efficiency.

Enhancing anammox process with granular activated carbon: A study on Microbial Extracellular Secretions (MESs)

Granular activated carbon (GAC), a porous carbon-based material, provides increased attachment space for functional microorganisms and enhances nitrogen removal by facilitating extracellular electron transfer in the anammox process. This study investigates the effects of GAC on the biosynthesis of microbial extracellular secretions (MESs) and explores the roles of these secretions in anammox activities. Four lab-scale reactors were operated: two downstream UASB reactors (D1 and D2) receiving effluents from the upstream UASB reactors (U1: no-GAC, U2: yes-GAC). Our results indicate that MESs were enhanced with the addition of GAC. The effluent from U2 exhibited a 59.62 % higher amino acid content than that from U1. These secretions contributed to an increase in the nitrogen loading rate (NLR) in the downstream reactors. Specifically, NLR in D1 increased from 130.5 to 142.7 g N/m3/day, and in D2, it escalated from 137.5 to 202.8 g N/m3/day, likely through acting as cross-feeding substrates or vital nutrients. D2 also showed increased anammox bacterial activity, enriched Ca. Brocadia population and hao gene abundance. Furthermore, this study revealed that D2 sludge has significantly higher extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) (48.71 mg/g VSS) and a larger average granule size (1.201 ± 0.119 mm) compared to D1 sludge. Overall, GAC-stimulated MESs may have contributed to the enhanced performance of the anammox process.

Start-up of pilot-scale ANAMMOX reactor for low-carbon nitrogen removal from anaerobic digestion effluent of kitchen waste

The pilot-scale simultaneous denitrification and methanation (SDM)-partial nitrification (PN)-anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) system was designed to treat anaerobic digestion effluent of kitchen waste (ADE-KW). The SDM-PN was first started to avoid the inhibition of high-concentration pollutants. Subsequently, Anammox was coupled to realize autotrophic nitrogen removal. Shortcut nitrification-denitrification achieved by the SDM-PN. The NO2--N accumulation (92 %) and NH4+-N conversion (60 %) were achieved by PN, and the removal of TN and COD from the SDM-PN was 70 % and 73 %, respectively. After coupling Anammox, the TN (95 %) was removed with a TN removal rate of 0.51 kg·m-3·d-1. Microbiological analyses showed a shift from dominance by Methanothermobacter to co-dominance by Methanothermobacter, Thermomonas, and Flavobacterium in SDM during the SDM-PN. While after coupling Anammox, Candidatus kuenenia was enriched in the Anammox zone, the SDM zone shifted back to being dominated by Methanothermobacter. Overall, this study provides new ideas for the treatment of ADE-KW.

Recovery strategies and mechanisms of anammox reaction following inhibition by environmental factors: A review

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a promising biological method for treating nitrogen-rich, low-carbon wastewater. However, the application of anammox technology in actual engineering is easily limited by environmental factors. Considerable progress has been investigated in recent years in anammox restoration strategies, significantly addressing the challenge of poor reaction performance following inhibition. This review systematically outlines the strategies employed to recover anammox performance following inhibition by conventional environmental factors and emerging pollutants. Additionally, comprehensive summaries of strategies aimed at promoting anammox activity and enhancing nitrogen removal performance provide valuable insights into the current research landscape in this field. The review contributes to a comprehensive understanding of restoration strategies of anammox-based technologies.

Ferric and sulfate coupled ammonium oxidation enhanced nitrogen removal in two-stage partial nitrification - Anammox/denitrification process for food waste liquid digestate treatment

Liquid digestate of food waste is an ammonium-, ferric- and sulfate-laden leachate produced during digestate dewatering, where the carbon source is insufficient for nitrogen removal. A two-stage partial nitrification-anammox/denitrification process was established for nitrogen removal of liquid digestate without pre-treatment (>300 d), through which nitrogen (95 %), biodegradable organics (100 %), sulfate (78 %) and iron (100 %) were efficiently removed. Additional ammonium conversion (20 %N) might be coupled with ferric and sulfate reduction, while produced nitrite could be further converted to di-nitrogen gas through anammox (75 %) and denitrification (25 %). Notably, since increasingly contribution of hydroxylamine producing nitrous oxide, and up-regulated expression of electron transfer and cytochrome c protein, the enhanced ammonium oxidation was probably conducted through extracellular polymeric substances-mediated electron transfer between sulfate/ferric-reducers and aerobic ammonium oxidizers. Thus, the established partial nitrification-anammox/denitrification process might be a cost-efficient nitrogen removal technology for liquid digestate, benefitting to domestic waste recycling and carbon neutralization.

Emerging biotechnological applications of anaerobic ammonium oxidation

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is an energy-efficient method for nitrogen removal that opens the possibility for energy-neutral wastewater treatment. Research on anammox over the past decade has primarily focused on its implementation in domestic wastewater treatment. However, emerging studies are now expanding its use to novel biotechnological applications and wastewater treatment processes. This review highlights recent advances in the anammox field that aim to overcome conventional bottlenecks, and explores novel and niche-specific applications of the anammox process. Despite the promising results and potential of these advances, challenges persist for their real-world implementation. This underscores the need for a transition from laboratory achievements to practical, scalable solutions for wastewater treatment which mark the next crucial phase in the evolution of anammox research.

Metagenomic insights into the mechanism for the rapid enrichment and high stability of Candidatus Brocadia facilitated by Fe(Ⅲ)

The rapid enrichment of anammox bacteria and its fragile resistance to adverse environment are the critical problems facing of anammox processes. As an abundant component in anammox bacteria, iron has been proved to promote the activity and growth of anammox bacteria in the mature anammox systems, but the functional and metabolic profiles in Fe(III) enhanced emerging anammox systems have not been evaluated. Results indicated that the relative abundance of functional genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation, nitrogen metabolism, cofactors synthesis, and extracellular polymers synthesis pathways was significantly promoted in the system added with 5 mg/L Fe(III) (R5). These enhanced pathways were crucial to energy generation, nitrogen removal, cell activity and proliferation, and microbial self-defense, thereby accelerating the enrichment of anammox bacteria Ca. Brocadia and facilitating their resistance to adverse environments. Microbial community analysis showed that the proportion of Ca. Brocadia in R5 also increased to 64.42 %. Hence, R5 could adapt rapidly to the increased nitrogen loading rate and increase the nitrogen removal rate by 108 % compared to the system without Fe(III) addition. However, the addition of 10 and 20 mg/L Fe(III) showed inhibitory effects on the growth and activity of anammox bacteria, which exhibited the lower relative abundance of Ca. Brocadia and unstable or even collapsed nitrogen removal performance. This study not only clarified the concentration range of Fe(III) that promoted and inhibited the enrichment of anammox bacteria, but also deepened our understanding of the functional and metabolic mechanisms underlying enhanced enrichment of anammox bacteria by Fe(III), providing a potential strategy to hasten the start-up of anammox from conventional activated sludge.

Biochar mediated high-rate anaerobic bioreactors: A critical review on high-strength wastewater treatment and management

Treatment of high-strength wastewater is critical for the aquatic environment and receiving water bodies around the globe. Untreated or partially treated high-strength wastewater may cause severe damage to the existing water bodies. Various high-rate anaerobic bioreactors have been developed in the last decades for treating high-strength wastewater. High-rate anaerobic bioreactors are effective in treating industrial wastewater and provide energy in the form of methane as well. However, the physical or chemical properties of high-strength industrial wastewater, sometimes, disrupt the functioning of a high-rate anaerobic bioreactor. For example, the disintegration of granular sludge in up flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor or membrane blocking in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor are the results of a high-strength wastewater treatment which hamper the proper functioning and may harm the wastewater treatment plant economically. Biochar, if added to these bioreactors, may help to alleviate the ill-functioning of high-rate anaerobic bioreactors. The primary mechanisms by biochar work in these bioreactors are direct interspecies electron transfer, microbial immobilization, or gene level alternations in microbial structure. The present article explores and reviews the recent application of biochar in a high-rate anaerobic bioreactor treating high-strength industrial wastewater.

Waste iron scraps promote anammox bacteria to resist inorganic carbon limitation

The anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process is adversely affected by the limitation of inorganic carbon (IC). In this research, a new technique was introduced to assist anammox biomass in counteracting the adverse effects of IC limitation by incorporating waste iron scraps (WIS), a cheap and easily accessible byproduct of lathe cutting. Results demonstrated that reducing the influent IC/TN ratio from 0.08-0.09 to 0.04 resulted in a 20 % decrease in the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) for the control reactor, with an average specific anammox activity (SAA) of 0.65 g N/g VSS/day. Nevertheless, the performance of the WIS-assisted anammox reactor remained robust despite the reduction in IC supply. In fact, the NRR and SAA of the WIS-assisted reactor exhibited substantial improvements, reaching approximately 1.86 kg/(m3·day) and 0.98 g N/g VSS/day, respectively. These values surpassed those achieved by the control reactor by approximately 39 % and 51 %, respectively. The microbial analysis confirmed that the WIS addition significantly stimulated the proliferation of anammox bacteria (dominated by Candidatus Kuenenia) under IC limitation. The anammox gene abundances in the WIS-assisted anammox reactor were 3-4 times higher than those in the control reactor. Functional genes prediction based on the KEGG database revealed that the addition of WIS significantly enhanced the relative abundances of genes associated with nitrogen metabolism, IC fixation, and central carbon metabolism. Together, the results suggested that WIS promoted carbon dioxide fixation of anammox species to resist IC limitation. This study provided a promising approach for effectively treating high ammonium-strength wastewater using anammox under IC limitation.

Functions and mechanisms of sponge iron-mediated multiple metabolic processes in anaerobic ammonium oxidation

Sponge iron (SI) is a promising material for nitrogen removal from wastewater. This study reveals the potential functions and mechanisms of SI-mediated multiple metabolic processes in the nitrogen removal of Anammox. The results showed that although the SI application prolonged the start-up time of the reactor, achieved efficient and stable nitrogen removal after a successful start-up. The total nitrogen removal efficiency of the SI-Anammox system (92.62%) was 13.30% higher than that of R0 without SI (79.32%). The increase in nitrogen removal performance was accompanied by an increase in SAA and EPS content. Further microbial analysis showed significant enrichment of functional microorganisms, such as Candidatus_Brocadia, Nitrosomonas, Ellin6067, and Nitrospira. Multi-omics evidence suggests that efficient nitrogen removal is ultimately attributable to the enhancement of the specific key Fe- and N-functional genes in Anammox.

Affinity difference determines the assembly and interaction mode of anammox community reconstructed by siderophores

Anammox community is the core of anammox process. The constancy of the anammox community determines the stability of the anammox process and the ability of withstand environmental impact. Community stability is influenced by the assembly and interaction mode of the community. This study aimed to explore the assembly, interaction mode, and stability of anammox community influenced by two siderophores (enterobactin and putrebactin) specific for Ca. Brocadia and Ca. Kuenenia as produced in our previous research. Siderophores improved the stability of the anammox community, among which vulnerability dropped by 30.02 % and 72.53 % respectively. Enterobactin and putrebactin altered the succession speed and assembly pattern of communities, with a respective increase of 9.77 % and 80.87 % in the deterministic process of anammox community assembly, respectively. Enterobactin and putrebactin reduced the dependence of Ca. Brocadia and Ca. Kuenenia on companion bacteria by 60 items and 27 items respectively. The affinity of different siderophore-Fe with bacterial membrane receptors caused variations in community reconstruction, with Ca. Brocadia and Ca. Kuenenia exhibiting the highest affinity with enterobactin-Fe (-11.4 kcal/mol) and putrebactin-Fe (-9.0 kcal/mol), respectively. This study demonstrated how siderophores can enhance the stability of anammox process by regulating assembly and interaction mode of anammox community, while also revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Enhanced aquaculture wastewater treatment in a biofilm reactor filled with sponge/ferrous oxalate/biochar composite (Sponge-C2FeO4@NBC) biocarriers: Performance and mechanism

Fabricating low-cost and efficient biofilm carriers for moving bed biofilm reactors in wastewater treatment is crucial for achieving environmental sustainability. Herein, a novel sponge biocarrier doped with NaOH-loaded biochar and nano ferrous oxalate (sponge-C₂FeO₄@NBC) was prepared and evaluated for nitrogenous compounds removal from recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) wastewater by stepwise increasing ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) loading rates. The prepared NBC, sponge-C₂FeO₄@NBC, and matured biofilms were characterized using SEM, FTIR, BET, and N₂ adsorption-desorption techniques. The results reveal that the highest removal rates of NH₄⁺-N reached 99.28 ± 1.3% was yielded by the bioreactor filled with sponge-C₂FeO₄@NBC, with no obvious nitrite (NO₂^--N) accumulation in the final phase. The reactor packed with sponge-C₂FeO₄@NBC biocarrier had the highest relative abundance of functional microorganisms responsible for nitrogen metabolism than in the control reactor, confirmed from 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis. Our study provides new insights into the newly developed biocarriers for enhancing RAS biofilters treatment performance in keeping water quality within the acceptable level for the rearing of aquatic species.