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Shao YH, Wu JH, Chen HW. Comammox Nitrospira cooperate with anammox bacteria in a partial nitritation-anammox membrane bioreactor treating low-strength ammonium wastewater at high loadings. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 257:121698. [PMID: 38705066 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121698] [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: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Research has revealed that comammox Nitrospira and anammox bacteria engage in dynamic interactions in partial nitritation-anammox reactors, where they compete for ammonium and nitrite or comammox Nitrospria supply nitrite to anammox bacteria. However, two gaps in the literature are present: the know-how to manipulate the interactions to foster a stable and symbiotic relationship and the assessment of how effective this partnership is for treating low-strength ammonium wastewater at high hydraulic loads. In this study, we employed a membrane bioreactor designed to treat synthetic ammonium wastewater at a concentration of 60 mg N/L, reaching a peak loading of 0.36 g N/L/day by gradually reducing the hydraulic retention time to 4 hr. Throughout the experiment, the reactor achieved an approximately 80 % nitrogen removal rate through strategically adjusting intermittent aeration at every stage. Notably, the genera Ca. Kuenena, Nitrosomonas, and Nitrospira collectively constituted approximately 40 % of the microbial community. Under superior intermittent aeration conditions, the expression of comammox amoA was consistently higher than that of Nitrospira nxrB and AOB amoA in the biofilm, despite the higher abundance of Nitrosomonas than comammox Nitrospira, implying that the biofilm environment is favorable for fostering cooperation between comammox and anammox bacteria. We then assessed the in situ activity of comammox Nitrospira in the reactor by selectively suppressing Nitrosomonas using 1-octyne, thereby confirming that comammox Nitrospira played the primary role in facilitating the nitritation (33.1 % of input ammonium) rather than complete nitrification (7.3 % of input ammonium). Kinetic analysis revealed a specific ammonia-oxidizing rate 5.3 times higher than the nitrite-oxidizing rate in the genus Nitrospira, underscoring their critical role in supplying nitrite. These findings provide novel insights into the cooperative interplay between comammox Nitrospira and anammox bacteria, potentially reshaping the management of nitrogen cycling in engineered environments, and aiding the development of microbial ecology-driven wastewater treatment technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Hsien Shao
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No.1, University Road, East District, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
| | - Jer-Horng Wu
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No.1, University Road, East District, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
| | - Huei-Wen Chen
- Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, No.1, University Road, East District, Tainan 70101, Taiwan
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2
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Niu C, Ying Y, Zhao J, Zheng M, Guo J, Yuan Z, Hu S, Liu T. Superior mainstream partial nitritation in an acidic membrane-aerated biofilm reactor. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 257:121692. [PMID: 38713935 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121692] [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: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Shortcut nitrogen removal holds significant economic appeal for mainstream wastewater treatment. Nevertheless, it is too difficult to achieve the stable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and simultaneously maintain the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). This study proposes to overcome this challenge by employing the novel acid-tolerant AOB, namely "Candidatus Nitrosoglobus", in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR). Superior partial nitritation was demonstrated in low-strength wastewater from two aspects. First, the long-term operation (256 days) under the acidic pH range of 5.0 to 5.2 showed the successful NOB washout by the in situ free nitrous acid (FNA) of approximately 1 mg N/L. This was evidenced by the stable nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) close to 100 % and the disappearance of NOB shown by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Second, oxygen was sufficiently supplied in the MABR, leading to an unprecedentedly high ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) at 2.4 ± 0.1 kg N/(m3 d) at a short hydraulic retention time (HRT) of a mere 30 min. Due to the counter diffusion of substrates, the present acidic MABR displayed a significantly higher apparent oxygen affinity (0.36 ± 0.03 mg O2/L), a marginally lower apparent ammonia affinity (14.9 ± 1.9 mg N/L), and a heightened sensitivity to FNA and pH variations, compared with counterparts determined by flocculant acid-tolerant AOB. Beyond supporting the potential application of shortcut nitrogen removal in mainstream wastewater, this study also offers the attractive prospect of intensifying wastewater treatment by markedly reducing the HRT of the aerobic unit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenkai Niu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yifeng Ying
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China.
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3
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Pan J, Li J, Zhang T, Liu T, Xu K, Wang C, Zheng M. Complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) at pH 3-4 supports stable production of ammonium nitrate from urine. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 257:121686. [PMID: 38705065 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121686] [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: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
This study developed a new process that stably produced ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), an important and commonly used fertilizer, from the source-separated urine by comammox Nitrospira. In the first stage, the complete conversion of ammonium to nitrate was achieved by comammox Nitrospira. In this scenario, the pH was maintained at 6 by adding external alkali, which also provided sufficient alkalinity for full nitrification. In the second stage, the NH4NO3 was produced directly by comammox Nitropsira by converting half of the ammonium in urine into nitrate. In this case, no alkali was added and pH automatically dropped and self-maintained at an extremely acidic level (pH 3-4). In both scenarios, negligible nitrite accumulation was observed, while the final product of the second stage contained ammonium and nitrate at the molar ratio of 1:1. The dominance of comammox Nitrospira over canonical ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was systematically proved by the combination of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and metagenomics. Notably, metagenomic sequencing suggested that the relative abundance of comammox Nitrospira was over 20 % under the acidic condition at pH 3-4, while canonical AOB and NOB were undetectable. Batch experiments showed that the optimal pH for the enriched comammox Nitrospira was ∼7, which could sustain their activity in a wider pH range from 4 to 8 surprisingly but lost activity at pH 3 and 9. The findings not only present an application potential of comammox Nitrospira in nitrogen recovery from urine wastewater but also report the survivability of comammox bacteria in acidic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhao Pan
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Jiyun Li
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Kangning Xu
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Source Control Technology of Water Pollution, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Chengwen Wang
- School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Min Zheng
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
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4
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Wu H, Nie WB, Tan X, Xie GJ, Qu H, Zhang X, Xian Z, Dai J, Yang C, Chen Y. Different oxygen affinities of methanotrophs and Comammox Nitrospira inform an electrically induced symbiosis for nitrogen loss. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 256:121606. [PMID: 38631236 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121606] [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: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 04/01/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Aerobic methanotrophs establish a symbiotic association with denitrifiers to facilitate the process of aerobic methane oxidation coupled with denitrification (AME-D). However, the symbiosis has been frequently observed in hypoxic conditions continuing to pose an enigma. The present study has firstly characterized an electrically induced symbiosis primarily governed by Methylosarcina and Hyphomicrobium for the AME-D process in a hypoxic niche caused by Comammox Nitrospira. The kinetic analysis revealed that Comammox Nitrospira exhibited a higher apparent oxygen affinity compared to Methylosarcina. While the coexistence of comammox and AME-D resulted in an increase in methane oxidation and nitrogen loss rates, from 0.82 ± 0.10 to 1.72 ± 0.09 mmol CH4 d-1 and from 0.59 ± 0.04 to 1.30 ± 0.15 mmol N2 d-1, respectively. Furthermore, the constructed microbial fuel cells demonstrated a pronounced dependence of the biocurrents on AME-D due to oxygen competition, suggesting the involvement of direct interspecies electron transfer in the AME-D process under hypoxic conditions. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analysis revealed that Methylosarcina efficiently oxidized methane to formaldehyde, subsequently generating abundant NAD(P)H for nitrate reduction by Hyphomicrobium through the dissimilatory RuMP pathway, leading to CO2 production. This study challenges the conventional understanding of survival mechanism employed by AME-D symbionts, thereby contributing to the characterization responsible for limiting methane emissions and promoting nitrogen removal in hypoxic regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wu
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
| | - Wen-Bo Nie
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China.
| | - Xin Tan
- The Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Guo-Jun Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Han Qu
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
| | - Xin Zhang
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
| | - Zhihao Xian
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
| | - Jingyi Dai
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
| | - Chun Yang
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
| | - Yi Chen
- College of Environment and Ecology, Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-Environment, Ministry of Education, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China.
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5
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Guo Z, Ma XS, Ni SQ. Journey of the swift nitrogen transformation: Unveiling comammox from discovery to deep understanding. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 358:142093. [PMID: 38679176 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142093] [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: 02/23/2024] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
COMplete AMMonia OXidizer (comammox) refers to microorganisms that have the function of oxidizing NH4+ to NO3- alone. The discovery of comammox overturned the two-step theory of nitrification in the past century and triggered many important scientific questions about the nitrogen cycle in nature. This comprehensive review delves into the origin and discovery of comammox, providing a detailed account of its detection primers, clades metabolic variations, and environmental factors. An in-depth analysis of the ecological niche differentiation among ammonia oxidizers was also discussed. The intricate role of comammox in anammox systems and the relationship between comammox and nitrogen compound emissions are also discussed. Finally, the relationship between comammox and anammox is displayed, and the future research direction of comammox is prospected. This review reveals the metabolic characteristics and distribution patterns of comammox in ecosystems, providing new perspectives for understanding nitrogen cycling and microbial ecology. Additionally, it offers insights into the potential application value and prospects of comammox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Guo
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Shandong, 266237, China
| | - Xue Song Ma
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Shandong, 266237, China
| | - Shou-Qing Ni
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Shandong, 266237, China.
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6
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Ma Y, Liu T, Yuan Z, Guo J. Single cell protein production from methane in a gas-delivery membrane bioreactor. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 259:121820. [PMID: 38815339 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Revised: 05/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024]
Abstract
Single cell protein (SCP, or microbial protein) is one of the emerging alternative protein sources to address the global challenge of food insecurity. Recently, the SCP produced from methane has attracted substantial attention since methane is a renewable resource attainable from anaerobic digestion. However, the supply of methane, an insoluble gas in water, is one of the major challenges in producing methane-based SCP. This work developed a novel bioreactor configuration, in which hollow fiber membrane was used for efficient methane supply while microorganisms were growing in the suspended form favourable for the biomass harvest. Over a 312-day operation, the impacts of three critical parameters on the SCP production were investigated, including the ratio of methane loading to ammonium loading, the ratio of methane loading to oxygen loading, and the sludge retention time (SRT). Under the condition of 4 g CH4/g NH4+, 4 g O2/g CH4, and SRT of 4 days, the highest SCP production yield was observed and determined to be 1.36 g SCP/g CH4 and 5.05 g SCP/g N, respectively. The protein content was up to 67 %, which is higher than the majority of reported values to date. Moreover, the methane and ammonium utilization efficiencies were both close to 100 %, suggesting the highly efficient utilization of substrates in this new bioreactor configuration. A high relative abundance of essential amino acids (EAA) above 42 % was achieved, representing the highest EAA content reported. These findings provide valuable insights into SCP production using methane as a feedstock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yicheng Ma
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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7
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Li Y, Chai Z, Song C, Chen J, Gu A, Mu G, Ge R, Zheng M. The superiority of hydrophilic polyurethane in comammox-dominant ammonia oxidation during low-strength wastewater treatment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 935:173017. [PMID: 38719054 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Carriers have been extensively employed to enhance nitrification performance during low-strength wastewater treatment by retaining slow-growing ammonia oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs). Still, there is a dearth of systematic understanding of biofilm properties and microbial community structure formed on different carriers. In this study, hydrophilic polyurethane foam (PUF) carriers were prepared and compared with five widely used commercial carriers, namely Kaldness 3, Biochip, activated carbon, volcanic rock, and zeolite. The results indicated that the biofilms formed on carriers enhanced microbial ammonia oxidation activity. Additionally, the biofilm developed on the PUF demonstrated the most superior performance among all selected carriers, not only exhibiting the highest abundant and the most active AOMs, with amoA gene abundance of 1.41 × 1013 copies/m3 and specific ammonia oxidation rate of 9.84 g NH4+-N/(m3 × h), but also possessing a compact structure, with 3.41 kg VSS/m3 and 46.83 mg extracellular polymeric substances/g VSS. The high-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the comammox (CMX) Nitrospira dominated on biofilm due to the intrinsically low apparent half-saturation constant for substrate. A unique ecological community structure was established on PUF, characterized by low species diversity and high homogeneity in alignment with community characteristics of CMX. The biofilms on PUF contributed to the proliferation of CMX Nitrospira dominated by Nitrospira nitrosa, achieving the highest proportion among colonial three AOMs at 86.58 %. The appropriate average pore size, superior hydrophilicity, and large specific surface area of PUF carriers provided a robust foundation for the exceptional ammonia oxidation performance of the formed biofilms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Li
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Zimin Chai
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Chao Song
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Jin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Ailu Gu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Guangli Mu
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Ruxin Ge
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
| | - Maosheng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Systems Optimization, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China.
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8
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Zajac O, Zielinska M, Zubrowska-Sudol M. Enhancing wastewater treatment efficiency: A hybrid technology perspective with energy-saving strategies. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 399:130593. [PMID: 38493937 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.130593] [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: 12/16/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The study aimed to investigate how hybrid technology, combined with various intermittent aeration (IA) strategies, contributes to reducing the energy costs of wastewater treatment while simultaneously ensuring a high treatment efficiency. Even with IA subphases lasting half as long as those without aeration, and oxygen levels reduced from 3.5 to 1.5 mg O2/L, pollutants removal efficiency remains robust, allowing for a 1.41-fold reduction in energy consumption (EO). Hybrid technology led to a 1.34-fold decrease in EO, along with improved denitrification efficiency from 74.05 ± 4.71 to 81.87 ± 2.43 % and enhanced biological phosphorus removal from 35.03 ± 4.25 to 87.32 ± 3.64 %. The high nitrification efficiency may have been attributed to the abundance of Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Rhodococcus, which outcompeted the genera of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria, suggesting that the hybrid system is favorable for the growth of heterotrophic nitrifiers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olga Zajac
- Department of Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment, Faculty of Building Services Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Magdalena Zielinska
- Department of Environmental Biotechnology, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Słoneczna St. 45G, 10-709 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Monika Zubrowska-Sudol
- Department of Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment, Faculty of Building Services Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
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9
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Ren Z, Li D, Zhang Z, Sun W, Liu G. Enhancing the relative abundance of comammox nitrospira in ammonia oxidizer community decreases N 2O emission in nitrification exponentially. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 356:141883. [PMID: 38583528 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141883] [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: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 03/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Comammox Nitrospira and canonical ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (cAOB) generally coexist in activated sludge. In present study, the effect of comammox Nitrospira on N2O production during nitrification of activated sludge was investigated. Comammox Nitrospira and cAOB were separately enriched in two nitrifying reactors, with respective relative abundance of approximately 98% in ammonia oxidizer community. The N2O emission factor (EF) of nitrification in comammox Nitrospira dominated reactor was 0.35%, consistently lower than that (2.2%) in cAOB dominated reactor. When increasing the relative abundance of comammox Nitrospira in ammonia oxidizer community, the N2O EF of nitrification decreased exponentially, which suggested that comammox Nitrospira not only decreased N2O production directly but also might have reduced N2O yield by cAOB. When cAOB dominated the ammonia oxidizer community of sludge, decreasing pH to 6.3, lowering DO to less than 0.5 mg/L, and increasing nitrite concentration enhanced N2O EF dramatically. When comammox Nitrospira became the dominant ammonia oxidizer, however, the N2O EF correlated to nitrite insignificantly and a low DO of 0.2 mg/L and weakly acidic pH (6.3) decreased N2O EF by approximately 70% and 60%, respectively. These results imply that enhancing the relative abundance of comammox Nitrospira in sludge is an effective way to reducing N2O emissions and can also offset the promoting effects of acidic pH, low DO, and high nitrite concentration on N2O production during nitrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichang Ren
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, And 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, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, And Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Zhuang Zhang
- Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, And Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Weimin Sun
- Institute of Eco-environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510650, 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, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, And Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, 519000, China.
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10
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Liang C, Svendsen SB, de Jonge N, Carvalho PN, Nielsen JL, Bester K. Eat seldom is better than eat frequently: Pharmaceuticals degradation kinetics, enantiomeric profiling and microorganisms in moving bed biofilm reactors are affected by feast famine cycle times. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 468:133739. [PMID: 38401210 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.133739] [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: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
Feast-famine (FF) regimes improved the removal of recalcitrant pharmaceuticals in moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs), but the optimal FF cycle remained unresolved. The effects of FF cycle time on the removal of bulk substrates (organic carbon and nitrogen) and trace pharmaceuticals by MBBR are systematically evaluated in this study. The feast to famine ratio was fixed to 1:2 to keep the same loading rate, but the time for the FF cycles varied from 18 h to 288 h. The MBBR adapted to the longest FF cycle time (288 h equaling 48 × HRT) resulted in significantly higher degradation rates (up to +183%) for 12 out of 28 pharmaceuticals than a continuously fed (non-FF) reactor. However, other FF cycle times (18, 36, 72 and 144 h) only showed a significant up-regulation for 2-3 pharmaceuticals compared to the non-FF reactor. Enantioselective degradation of metoprolol and propranolol occurred in the second phase of a two phase degradation, which was different for the longer FF cycle time. N-oxidation and N-demethylation pathways of tramadol and venlafaxine differed across the FF cycle time suggestin the FF cycle time varied the predominant transformation pathways of pharmaceuticals. The abundance of bacteria in the biofilms varied considerably between different FF cycle times, which possibly caused the biofilm to remove more recalcitrant bulk organic C and pharmaceuticals under long cycle times.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chuanzhou Liang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China; Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
| | - Sif B Svendsen
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
| | - Nadieh de Jonge
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Pedro N Carvalho
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde 4000, Denmark
| | - Jeppe Lund Nielsen
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Fredrik Bajers Vej 7H, DK-9220 Aalborg, Denmark
| | - Kai Bester
- Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, Roskilde 4000, Denmark.
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11
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Li Y, Pan Z, Liao J, Dai R, Lin JG, Ling J, Xu Y. Micro-aeration and low influent C/N are key environmental factors for achieving ANAMMOX in livestock farming wastewater treatment plants. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 253:120141. [PMID: 38377919 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120141] [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: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX)-mediated system is a cost-effective green nitrogen removal process. However, there are few examples of successful application of this advanced wastewater denitrification process in wastewater treatment plants, and the understanding of how to implement anaerobic ammonia oxidation process in full-scale is still limited. In this study, it was found that the abundance of anaerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) in the two livestock wastewater plants named J1 and J2, respectively, showed diametrically opposed trends of waxing and waning with time. The microbial communities of the activated sludge in the two plants at different time were sampled and analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. Structural equation models (SEMs) were used to reveal the key factors affecting the realization of the ANAMMOX. Changes in the concentration of dissolved oxygen and C/N had a significant effect on the relative abundance of anaerobic ammonia oxidation bacteria (AnAOB). The low concentration of DO (0.2∼0.5 mg/L) could inhibit the activity of nitrifying bacteria (NOB) to achieve partial oxidation of ammonia nitrogen and provide sufficient substrate for the growth of AnAOB, similar to the CANON (Completely Autotrophic Nitrogen removal Over Nitrite). Unlike CANON, heterotrophic denitrification is also a particularly critical part of the livestock wastewater treatment, and a suitable C/N of about 0.6 could reduce the competition risk of heterotrophic microorganisms to AnAOB and ensure a good ecological niche for AnAOB. Based on the results of 16S rRNA and microbial co-occurrence networks, it was discovered that microorganisms in the sludge not only had a richer network interaction, but also achieved a mutually beneficial symbiotic interaction network among denitrifying bacteria (Pseudomonas sp., Terrimonas sp., Dokdonella sp.), AnAOB (Candidatus Brocadia sp.) at DO of 0.2∼0.5 mg/L and C/N of 0.6. Among the top 20 in abundance of genus level, AnAOB had a high relative abundance of 27.66%, followed by denitrifying bacteria of 3.67%, AOB of 0.64% and NOB of 0.26%, which is an essential indicator for the emergence of an AnAOB-dominated nitrogen removal cycle. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of dissolved oxygen and C/N regulation by analyzing the mechanism of ANAMMOX sludge extinction and growth in two plants under anthropogenic regulation of AnAOB in full-scale wastewater treatment systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxin Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Zhenzhong Pan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Jingsong Liao
- Yikangsheng Environmental Science and Technology Limited Company of Guangdong, Yunfu, 527400, China
| | - Ruizhi Dai
- Yikangsheng Environmental Science and Technology Limited Company of Guangdong, Yunfu, 527400, China
| | - Jih-Gaw Lin
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, 1001 University Road, Hsinchu City, 30010, Taiwan
| | - Jiayin Ling
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Zhaoqing University, Zhaoqing, 526061, China
| | - Yanbin Xu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China.
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12
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Hou J, Zhu Y, Liu J, Lin L, Zheng M, Yang L, Wei W, Ni BJ, Chen X. Competitive enrichment of comammox Nitrospira in floccular sludge. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 251:121151. [PMID: 38246075 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The discovery of complete ammonium oxidation (comammox) has subverted the traditional perception of two-step nitrification, which plays a key role in achieving biological nitrogen removal from wastewater. Floccular sludge-based treatment technologies are being applied at the majority of wastewater treatment plants in service where detection of various abundances and activities of comammox bacteria have been reported. However, limited efforts have been made to enrich and subsequently characterize comammox bacteria in floccular sludge. To this end, a lab-scale sequencing batch reactor (SBR) in the step-feeding mode was applied in this work to enrich comammox bacteria through controlling appropriate operational conditions (dissolved oxygen of 0.5 ± 0.1 g-O2/m3, influent ammonium of 40 g-N/m3 and uncontrolled longer sludge retention time). After 215-d operation, comammox bacteria gradually gained competitive advantages over counterparts in the SBR with a stable nitrification efficiency of 92.2 ± 2.2 %: the relative abundance of Nitrospira reached 42.9 ± 1.3 %, which was 13 times higher than that of Nitrosomonas, and the amoA gene level of comammox bacteria increased to 7.7 ± 2.1 × 106 copies/g-biomass, nearly 50 times higher than that of conventional ammonium-oxidizing bacteria. The enrichment of comammox bacteria, especially Clade A Candidatus Nitrospira nitrosa, in the floccular sludge led to (i) apparent affinity constants for ammonium and oxygen of 3.296 ± 0.989 g-N/m3 and 0.110 ± 0.004 g-O2/m3, respectively, and (ii) significantly low N2O and NO production, with emission factors being 0.136 ± 0.026 % and 0.023 ± 0.013 %, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaying Hou
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Jinzhong Liu
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Limin Lin
- School of Engineering, Westlake University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310030, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Linyan Yang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Xueming Chen
- College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China.
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13
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Wang K, Li J, Gu X, Wang H, Li X, Peng Y, Wang Y. How to Provide Nitrite Robustly for Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation in Mainstream Nitrogen Removal. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:21503-21526. [PMID: 38096379 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Innovation in decarbonizing wastewater treatment is urgent in response to global climate change. The practical implementation of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) treating domestic wastewater is the key to reconciling carbon-neutral management of wastewater treatment with sustainable development. Nitrite availability is the prerequisite of the anammox reaction, but how to achieve robust nitrite supply and accumulation for mainstream systems remains elusive. This work presents a state-of-the-art review on the recent advances in nitrite supply for mainstream anammox, paying special attention to available pathways (forward-going (from ammonium to nitrite) and backward-going (from nitrate to nitrite)), key controlling strategies, and physiological and ecological characteristics of functional microorganisms involved in nitrite supply. First, we comprehensively assessed the mainstream nitrite-oxidizing bacteria control methods, outlining that these technologies are transitioning to technologies possessing multiple selective pressures (such as intermittent aeration and membrane-aerated biological reactor), integrating side stream treatment (such as free ammonia/free nitrous acid suppression in recirculated sludge treatment), and maintaining high activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and anammox bacteria for competing oxygen and nitrite with nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. We then highlight emerging strategies of nitrite supply, including the nitrite production driven by novel ammonia-oxidizing microbes (ammonia-oxidizing archaea and complete ammonia oxidation bacteria) and nitrate reduction pathways (partial denitrification and nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation). The resources requirement of different mainstream nitrite supply pathways is analyzed, and a hybrid nitrite supply pathway by combining partial nitrification and nitrate reduction is encouraged. Moreover, data-driven modeling of a mainstream nitrite supply process as well as proactive microbiome management is proposed in the hope of achieving mainstream nitrite supply in practical application. Finally, the existing challenges and further perspectives are highlighted, i.e., investigation of nitrite-supplying bacteria, the scaling-up of hybrid nitrite supply technologies from laboratory to practical implementation under real conditions, and the data-driven management for the stable performance of mainstream nitrite supply. The fundamental insights in this review aim to inspire and advance our understanding about how to provide nitrite robustly for mainstream anammox and shed light on important obstacles warranting further settlement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaichong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Jia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Xin Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Han Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, P. R. 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, P. R. China
| | - Yayi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
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14
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Zhu Y, Hou J, Liu J, Huo P, Yang L, Zheng M, Wei W, Ni BJ, Chen X. Model-based development of strategies enabling effective enrichment and application of comammox bacteria in floccular sludge under mainstream conditions. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 895:165051. [PMID: 37391158 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
The discovery of complete ammonium oxidation (comammox) has redefined the perception of the nitrification process which plays a vital part in biological nitrogen removal (BNR) from wastewater. Despite the reported detection or cultivation of comammox bacteria in biofilm or granular sludge reactors, limited attempts have been made to enrich or assess comammox bacteria in floccular sludge reactors with suspended growth of microbes, which are most extensively applied at wastewater treatment plants. Therefore, through making use of a comammox-inclusive bioprocess model reliably evaluated using batch experimental data with joint contributions of different nitrifying guilds, this work probed into the proliferation and functioning of comammox bacteria in two commonly-used floccular sludge reactor configurations, i.e., continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and sequencing batch reactor (SBR), under mainstream conditions. The results indicated that compared with the studied SBR, the CSTR was observed to favor the enrichment of comammox bacteria through maintaining a sufficient sludge retention time (40-100 d) while avoiding an extremely low DO level (e.g., 0.05 g-O2/m3), irrespective of the varied influent NH4+-N of 10-100 g-N/m3. Meanwhile, the inoculum sludge was found to greatly influence the start-up process of the studied CSTR. By inoculating the CSTR with a sufficient amount of sludge, finally enriched floccular sludge with a high abundance of comammox bacteria (up to 70.5 %) could be rapidly obtained. These results not only benefitted further investigation and application of comammox-inclusive sustainable BNR technologies but also explained, to some extent, the discrepancy in the reported presence and abundance of comammox bacteria at wastewater treatment plants adopting floccular sludge-based BNR technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Zhu
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Jiaying Hou
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Jinzhong Liu
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Pengfei Huo
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
| | - Linyan Yang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Wei Wei
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Bing-Jie Ni
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Xueming Chen
- Fujian Provincial Engineering Research Center of Rural Waste Recycling Technology, College of Environment and Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China.
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15
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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: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [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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16
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Martinez-Rabert E, Smith CJ, Sloan WT, Gonzalez-Cabaleiro R. Competitive and substrate limited environments drive metabolic heterogeneity for comammox Nitrospira. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 3:91. [PMID: 37644216 PMCID: PMC10465561 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-023-00288-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
Nitrospira has been revealed as a high versatile genus. Although previously considered only responsible for the conversion of nitrite to nitrate, now we know that Nitrospira can perform complete ammonia oxidation to nitrate too (comammox). Comammox activity was firstly reported as dominant in extremely limited oxygen environments, where anaerobic ammonia oxidation was also occurring (anammox). To explain the comammox selection, we developed an Individual-based Model able to describe Nitrospira and anammox growth in suspended flocs assembled in a dynamic nitrogen and oxygen-limiting environment. All known and hypothesized nitrogen transformations of Nitrospira were considered: ammonia and nitrite oxidation, comammox, nitrate-reducing ammonia oxidation, and anaerobic nitrite-reducing ammonia oxidation. Through bioenergetics analysis, the growth yield associated to each activity was estimated. The other kinetic parameters necessary to describe growth were calibrated according to the reported literature values. Our modeling results suggest that even extremely low oxygen concentrations (~1.0 µM) allow for a proportional growth of anammox versus Nitrospira similar to the one experimentally observed. The strong oxygen limitation was followed by a limitation of ammonia and nitrite, because anammox, without strong competitors, were able to grow faster than Nitrospira depleting the environment in nitrogen. These substrate limitations created an extremely competitive environment that proved to be decisive in the community assembly of Nitrospira and anammox. Additionally, a diversity of metabolic activities for Nitrospira was observed in all tested conditions, which in turn, explained the transient nitrite accumulation observed in aerobic environments with higher ammonia availability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloi Martinez-Rabert
- James Watt School of Engineering, Infrastructure and Environment Research Division, University of Glasgow, Advanced Research Centre, Glasgow, UK
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Cindy J Smith
- James Watt School of Engineering, Infrastructure and Environment Research Division, University of Glasgow, Advanced Research Centre, Glasgow, UK
| | - William T Sloan
- James Watt School of Engineering, Infrastructure and Environment Research Division, University of Glasgow, Advanced Research Centre, Glasgow, UK
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17
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Zhang Y, Liu T, Li MM, Hua ZS, Evans P, Qu Y, Tan S, Zheng M, Lu H, Jiao JY, Lücker S, Daims H, Li WJ, Guo J. Hot spring distribution and survival mechanisms of thermophilic comammox Nitrospira. THE ISME JOURNAL 2023:10.1038/s41396-023-01409-w. [PMID: 37069235 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01409-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
The recent discovery of Nitrospira species capable of complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) in non-marine natural and engineered ecosystems under mesothermal conditions has changed our understanding of microbial nitrification. However, little is known about the occurrence of comammox bacteria or their ability to survive in moderately thermal and/or hyperthermal habitats. Here, we report the wide distribution of comammox Nitrospira in five terrestrial hot springs at temperatures ranging from 36 to 80°C and provide metagenome-assembled genomes of 11 new comammox strains. Interestingly, the identification of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in thermophilic comammox Nitrospira lineages suggests that they have versatile ecological functions as both sinks and sources of ammonia, in contrast to the described mesophilic comammox lineages, which lack the DNRA pathway. Furthermore, the in situ expression of key genes associated with nitrogen metabolism, thermal adaptation, and oxidative stress confirmed their ability to survive in the studied hot springs and their contribution to nitrification in these environments. Additionally, the smaller genome size and higher GC content, less polar and more charged amino acids in usage profiles, and the expression of a large number of heat shock proteins compared to mesophilic comammox strains presumably confer tolerance to thermal stress. These novel insights into the occurrence, metabolic activity, and adaptation of comammox Nitrospira in thermal habitats further expand our understanding of the global distribution of comammox Nitrospira and have significant implications for how these unique microorganisms have evolved thermal tolerance strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhang
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, China
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Meng-Meng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zheng-Shuang Hua
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
| | - Paul Evans
- The Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Yanni Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sha Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Hui Lu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Jian-Yu Jiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Sebastian Lücker
- Department of Microbiology, RIBES, Radboud University, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
| | - Holger Daims
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- The Comammox Research Platform, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Wen-Jun Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Resources and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, Australia.
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18
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Vilardi K, Cotto I, Bachmann M, Parsons M, Klaus S, Wilson C, Bott CB, Pieper KJ, Pinto AJ. Co-Occurrence and Cooperation between Comammox and Anammox Bacteria in a Full-Scale Attached Growth Municipal Wastewater Treatment Process. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:5013-5023. [PMID: 36913533 PMCID: PMC10061930 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Cooperation between comammox and anammox bacteria for nitrogen removal has been recently reported in laboratory-scale systems, including synthetic community constructs; however, there are no reports of full-scale municipal wastewater treatment systems with such cooperation. Here, we report intrinsic and extant kinetics as well as genome-resolved community characterization of a full-scale integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS) system where comammox and anammox bacteria co-occur and appear to drive nitrogen loss. Intrinsic batch kinetic assays indicated that majority of the aerobic ammonia oxidation was driven by comammox bacteria (1.75 ± 0.08 mg-N/g TS-h) in the attached growth phase, with minimal contribution by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Interestingly, a portion of total inorganic nitrogen (∼8%) was consistently lost during these aerobic assays. Aerobic nitrite oxidation assays eliminated the possibility of denitrification as a cause of nitrogen loss, while anaerobic ammonia oxidation assays resulted in rates consistent with anammox stoichiometry. Full-scale experiments at different dissolved oxygen (DO = 2 - 6 mg/L) setpoints indicated persistent nitrogen loss that was partly sensitive to DO concentrations. Genome-resolved metagenomics confirmed the high abundance (relative abundance 6.53 ± 0.34%) of two Brocadia-like anammox populations, while comammox bacteria within the Ca. Nitrospira nitrosa cluster were lower in abundance (0.37 ± 0.03%) and Nitrosomonas-like ammonia oxidizers were even lower (0.12 ± 0.02%). Collectively, our study reports for the first time the co-occurrence and cooperation of comammox and anammox bacteria in a full-scale municipal wastewater treatment system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Vilardi
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Irmarie Cotto
- School
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
| | - Megan Bachmann
- Hampton
Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia
Beach, Virginia 23455, United States
| | - Mike Parsons
- Hampton
Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia
Beach, Virginia 23455, United States
| | - Stephanie Klaus
- Hampton
Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia
Beach, Virginia 23455, United States
| | - Christopher Wilson
- Hampton
Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia
Beach, Virginia 23455, United States
| | - Charles B. Bott
- Hampton
Roads Sanitation District, 1434 Air Rail Avenue, Virginia
Beach, Virginia 23455, United States
| | - Kelsey J. Pieper
- Department
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Ameet J. Pinto
- School
of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 311 Ferst Drive, Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
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19
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Zhao ZC, Fan SQ, Lu Y, Dang CC, Wang X, Liu BF, Xing DF, Ma J, Ren NQ, Wang Q, Xie GJ. Reactivated biofilm coupling n-DAMO with anammox achieved high-rate nitrogen removal in membrane aerated moving bed biofilm reactor. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 220:115184. [PMID: 36586714 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2022.115184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
As a promising technology, the combination of nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) with Anammox offers a solution to achieve effective and sustainable wastewater treatment. However, this sustainable process faces challenges to accumulate sufficient biomass for reaching practical nitrogen removal performance. This study developed an innovative membrane aerated moving bed biofilm reactor (MAMBBR), which supported sufficient methane supply and excellent biofilm attachment, for cultivating biofilms coupling n-DAMO with Anammox. Biofilms were developed rapidly on the polyurethane foam with the supply of ammonium and nitrate, achieving the bioreactor performance of 275 g N m-3 d-1 within 102 days. After the preservation at -20 °C for 8 months, the biofilm was successfully reactivated and achieved 315 g N m-3 d-1 after 188 days. After reactivation, MAMBBR was applied to treat synthetic sidestream wastewater. Up to 99.9% of total nitrogen was removed with the bioreactor performance of 4.0 kg N m-3 d-1. Microbial community analysis and mass balance calculation demonstrated that n-DAMO microorganisms and Anammox bacteria collectively contributed to nitrogen removal in MAMBBR. The MAMBBR developed in this study provides an ideal system of integrating n-DAMO with Anammox for sustainable wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Cheng Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Sheng-Qiang Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
| | - Yang Lu
- The Australian Centre for Ecogenomics, School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Cheng-Cheng Dang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Xuan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Bing-Feng Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - De-Feng Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Jun Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Nan-Qi Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Qilin Wang
- Centre for Technology in Water and Wastewater, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Guo-Jun Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China.
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