Effect of initial sulfide concentration on sulfide and phenol oxidation under denitrifying conditions

Sustainable synergistic approach to chemolithotrophs-supported bioremediation of wastewater and flue gas

Flue gas emissions are the waste gases produced during the combustion of fuel in industrial processes, which are released into the atmosphere. These identical processes also produce a significant amount of wastewater that is released into the environment. The current investigation aims to assess the viability of simultaneously mitigating flue gas emissions and remediating wastewater in a bubble column bioreactor utilizing bacterial consortia. A comparative study was done on different growth media prepared using wastewater. The highest biomass yield of 3.66 g L-1 was achieved with the highest removal efficiencies of 89.80, 77.30, and 80.77% for CO2, SO2, and NO, respectively. The study investigated pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and biochemical and chemical oxygen demand to assess their influence on the process. The nutrient balance validated the ability of bacteria to utilize compounds in flue gas and wastewater for biomass production. The Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectrometry (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses detected commercial-use long-chain hydrocarbons, fatty alcohols, carboxylic acids, and esters in the biomass samples. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics detected the potential mechanism pathways followed by the bacteria for mitigation. The techno-economic assessment determined a feasible total capital investment of 245.74$ to operate the reactor for 288 h. The bioreactor's practicability was determined by mass transfer and thermodynamics assessment. Therefore, this study introduces a novel approach that utilizes bacteria and a bioreactor to mitigate flue gas and remediate wastewater.

How halogenated aromatic compounds affect the electron supply and consumption in glucose supported denitrification?

Halogenated aromatic compounds possess bidirectional effects on denitrifying bio-electron behavior, providing electrons and potentially interfering with electron consumption. This study selected the typical 4-chlorophenol (4-CP, 0-100 mg/L) to explore its impact mechanism on glucose-supported denitrification. When COD(glucose)/COD(4-CP)=28.70-3.59, glucose metabolism remained the dominant electron supply process, although its removal efficiency decreased to 73.84-49.66 %. When COD(glucose)/COD(4-CP)=2.39-1.43, 4-CP changed microbial carbon metabolism priority by inhibiting the abundance of glucose metabolizing enzymes, gradually replacing glucose as the dominant electron donor. Moreover, 5-100 mg/L 4-CP reduced adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by 15.52-24.67 % and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 31.13-63.47 %, causing severe lipid peroxidation, thus inhibiting the utilization efficiency of glucose. Activated by glucose, 4-CP dechlorination had stronger electron consumption ability than NO2--N reduction (NO3--N > 4-CP > NO2--N), combined with the decreased nirS and nirK genes abundance, resulting in NO2--N accumulation. Compared with the blank group (0 mg/L 4-CP), 5-40 mg/L and 60-100 mg/L 4-CP reduced the secretion of cytochrome c and flavin adenine dinucleotides (FAD), respectively, further decreasing the electron transfer activity of denitrification system. Micropruina, a genus that participated in denitrification based on glucose, was gradually replaced by Candidatus_Microthrix, a genus that possessed 4-CP degradation and denitrification functions after introducing 60-100 mg/L 4-CP.

A comprehensive review of flue gas bio-mitigation: chemolithotrophic interactions with flue gas in bio-reactors as a sustainable possibility for technological advancements

Flue gas mitigation technologies aim to reduce the environmental impact of flue gas emissions, particularly from industrial processes and power plants. One approach to mitigate flue gas emissions involves bio-mitigation, which utilizes microorganisms to convert harmful gases into less harmful or inert substances. The review thus explores the bio-mitigation efficiency of chemolithotrophic interactions with flue gas and their potential application in bio-reactors. Chemolithotrophs are microorganisms that can derive energy from inorganic compounds, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and sulfur dioxide (SO2), present in the flue gas. These microorganisms utilize specialized enzymatic pathways to oxidize these compounds and produce energy. By harnessing the metabolic capabilities of chemolithotrophs, flue gas emissions can be transformed into value-added products. Bio-reactors provide controlled environments for the growth and activity of chemolithotrophic microorganisms. Depending on the specific application, these can be designed as suspended or immobilized reactor systems. The choice of bio-reactor configuration depends on process efficiency, scalability, and ease of operation. Factors influencing the bio-mitigation efficiency of chemolithotrophic interactions include the concentration and composition of the flue gas, operating conditions (such as temperature, pH, and nutrient availability), and reactor design. Chemolithotrophic interactions with flue gas in bio-reactors offer a potentially efficient approach to mitigating flue gas emissions. Continued research and development in this field are necessary to optimize reactor design, microbial consortia, and operating conditions. Advances in understanding the metabolism and physiology of chemolithotrophic microorganisms will contribute to developing robust and scalable bio-mitigation technologies for flue gas emissions.

Optimizing granulation of a sulfide-based autotrophic denitrification (SOAD) sludge: Reactor configuration and mixing mode

Challenges such as long-term cultivation and sludge floatation are common in flocculent sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification (SOAD) systems. The present study aims to optimize the granulation of SOAD sludge by mainly adjusting the reactor configuration and mixing mode. Three liquid-lift upflow reactors viz. a reactor equipped with a three-phase separator (Reactor A), a modified version of Reactor A equipped with a hydraulic regulator (Reactor B), and a reactor with a mounted baffle and intermittent mechanical mixing (Reactor C). These reactors were operated for more than 160 days. The results showed that dense and compact granules with 200 μm of diameter developed within 40 days and gradually increased to approximately 400 μm in Reactor C, which had a volatile suspended solids (VSS) concentration of 7500 mg VSS/L of sludge concentration; this Reactor C was also subject to modified reactor configuration and operating conditions. In comparison, filamentous granules formed in Reactor A due to a low substrate loading and granules formed in Reactor B but with significant biomass loss caused by sludge flotation. Both of the reactors only have ≤1000 mg VSS/L VS 7500 mg VSS/L in Reactor C. Also, Reactor C having 0.77 h of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and 0.94 kgNO₃^--N/m³ d & 1.87 kgS^2--S/m³ d of nitrogen and sulfide loading rate, respectively, showed a better performance in terms of nitrate removal (89%) and sulfur conversion (above 70%) due to its enrichment by the typical autotrophic denitrifiers (39.0% of Thiobacillus, 22.4% of Sulfurimonas) in the granules. Our findings provide a method to optimize the design and operation of granulation reactors that can be extended to similar processes treating organic-deficient wastewaters.

Simultaneous biological nitrification and desulfurization treatment of ammonium and sulfide-rich wastewater: Effectiveness of a sequential batch operation

Sulfide inhibition to nitrifying bacteria has prevented the integration of digestate nitrification and biogas desulfurization to simplify anaerobic digestion systems. In this study, liquid digestate with NaHS solution was treated using nitrifying sludge in a sequential-batch reactor with a long fill period, with an ammonium loading rate of 293 mg-N L^-1 d^-1 and a stepwise increase in the sulfide loading rate from 0 to 32, 64, 128, and 256 mg-S L^-1 d^-1. Batch bioassays and microbial community analysis were also conducted with reactor sludge under each sulfide loading rate to quantify the microbial acclimatization to sulfide. In the reactor, sulfide was completely removed. Complete nitrification was maintained up to a sulfide load of 128 mg-S L^-1 d^-1, which is higher than that in previous reports and sufficient for biogas treatment. In the batch bioassays, the sulfide tolerance of NH₄⁺ oxidizing activity (the 50% inhibitory sulfide concentration) increased fourfold over time with the compositional shift of nitrifying bacteria to Nitrosomonas nitrosa and Nitrobacter spp. However, the sulfur removal rate of the sludge slightly decreased, although the abundance of the sulfur-oxidizing bacteria Hyphomicrobium increased by 30%. Therefore, nitrifying sludge was probably acclimatized to sulfide not by the increasing sulfide removal rate but rather by the increasing nitrifying bacteria, which have high sulfide tolerance. Successful simultaneous nitrification and desulfurization were achieved using a sequential-batch reactor with a long fill period, which was effective in facilitating the present acclimatization.

Effect of external resistance on substrate removal and electricity generation in microbial fuel cell treating sulfide and nitrate simultaneously

The effect of external resistance on substrate removal and electricity generation was explored in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) simultaneously treating sulfide and nitrate. The MFCs were operated under three different conditions keeping open-circuit MFC as control. In batch mode, all the MFCs showed good capacity of simultaneously removing sulfide and nitrate regardless of external resistance. The voltage profile could be divided into rapid descent zone, bulge zone, and stability zone, which represents typical polarization behavior. Taking open circuit as control, low external resistance promoted the production of sulfate and nitrogen gas, while a strong link between product production and external resistance was evident based on Pearson correlation analyses. In addition, low external resistance improved the amount of transferred electrons, while the peak electronic quantity was noticed when the external resistance was equivalent to internal resistance. Moreover, the mechanism of substrate removal and electricity generation was hypothesized for the MFCs simultaneously treating sulfide and nitrate which explained the results well.

Simultaneous removal of nitrate and hydrogen sulfide by autotrophic denitrification in nitrate-contaminated water treatment

Nitrate contamination is a risk to human health and may cause eutrophication, whereas H₂S is an undesirable constituent in biogas. In order to better understand denitrification using gaseous H₂S as electron donor, this study investigated denitrification at different molar ratios of sulfur and nitrogen (S/N ratios) and H₂S dosages. Although nitrate continued to decrease, a lag in sulfate generation was observed, implying the generation of sulfide oxidizing intermediates, which accumulated even though nitrate was in excess at lower S/N ratios of 0.19 and 0.38. More addition of H₂S could result in a longer lag of sulfate generation. Before depletion of dissolved sulfide, denitrification could proceed with little nitrite accumulation. High throughout sequencing analysis identified two major genera, Thiobacillus and Sulfurimonas, that were responsible for autotrophic denitrification. The simultaneous removal of nitrate and H₂S using a wide range of concentrations could be achieved.

Physiologic impact of 2-chlorophenol on denitrification process in mixture with different electron sources

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiologic behavior of sludge in the absence and presence of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) with different electron donors (phenol, glucose, and acetate) during denitrification process. In batch assays with phenol in the presence of 2-CP, a significant decrease of phenol consumption efficiencies (E _phenol) up to 99% was observed regarding the cultures without 2-CP. However, in most of the cases, nitrate consumption efficiencies ( E NO 3 - ), and yields of nitrogen gas ( Y N 2 ) and bicarbonate ( Y HCO 3 - ) were high, showing that the denitrifying respiratory process successfully occurred with phenol and 2-CP. The specific consumption rates of nitrate ( q NO 3 - ) and phenol (q _phenol) decreased up to 6.0 and 32.3 times, respectively. In assays with glucose in the presence of 2-CP, the denitrifying performance was not significantly altered in terms of efficiencies and product yields; however, q NO 3 - was up to 1.6 times smaller than that obtained without 2-CP whereas q _glucose was increased up to 1.17 times. In assays with acetate plus 2-CP, the E NO 3 - , E _acetate, and Y N 2 values remained high but 2-CP caused a decrease in Y HCO 3 - . Moreover, q NO 3 - and q _acetate increased up to 1.4 and 2.0 times, respectively. These results show that the negative or positive effects of 2-CP on denitrification process depend on the type and concentration of electron source. The obtained physiologic and kinetic information might be useful to define strategies to maintain successful denitrification processes in wastewater treatment bioreactors fed with 2-CP.

Investigation of transient forms of sulfur during biological treatment of spent caustic

In the present study, the production of various transient forms of sulfur during biological oxidation of sulfidic spent caustics under haloalkaline conditions in a stirred tank bioreactor is investigated. Also, the effects of abiotic aeration (chemical oxidation), dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration and sodium concentration on forms of sulfur during biological treatment are demonstrated. Thioalkalivibrio versutus strain was used for sulfide oxidation in spent caustic (SC). The aeration had an important effect on sulfide oxidation and its final products. At DO concentrations above 2 mg l^-1, majority of sulfide was oxidized to sulfate. Maximum sulfide removal efficiency (%R) and yield of sulfate production [Formula: see text] was obtained in Na⁺ concentration ranging from 0.6 to 2 M. Abiotic aeration, which is the most important factor of production of thiosulfate, resulted in the formation of an undesired product-polysulfide. However, abiotic aeration can be used as a pretreatment to biological treatment. In the bioreactor the removal efficiency was obtained as 82.7% and various forms of sulfur such as polysulfide, biosulfur, thiosulfate and sulfate was observed during biological treatment of SC.

Treatment of synthetic refinery wastewater in anoxic-aerobic sequential moving bed reactors and sulphur recovery

Objective of the present study was to simultaneously biodegrade synthetic petroleum refinery wastewater containing phenol (750 mg/L), sulphide (750 mg/L), hydrocarbon (as emulsified diesel of 300 mg/L), ammonia-nitrogen (350 mg/L) at pH >9 in anoxic-aerobic sequential moving bed reactors. The optimum mixing speed of anoxic reactor was observed at 20 rpm and beyond that, removal rate remained constant. In anoxic reactor the minimum hydraulic retention time was observed to be 2 days for complete removal of sulphide, 40-50% removal of phenol and total hydrocarbons and 52% of sulphur recovery. The optimum HRT of aerobic moving bed reactor was observed as 16 h (total HRT of 64 h for anoxic and aerobic reactors) for complete removals of phenol, total hydrocarbons, COD (chemical oxygen demand) and ammonia-nitrogen with nitrification.

Denitrifying sulfide removal process on high-salinity wastewaters in the presence of Halomonas sp

Biological conversion of sulfide, acetate, and nitrate to, respectively, elemental sulfur (S(0)), carbon dioxide, and nitrogen-containing gas (such as N2) at NaCl concentration of 35-70 g/L was achieved in an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor. A C/N ratio of 1:1 was noted to achieve high sulfide removal and S(0) conversion rate at high salinity. The extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) quantities were increased with NaCl concentration, being 11.4-mg/g volatile-suspended solids at 70 mg/L NaCl. The denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR) consortium incorporated Thauera sp. and Halomonas sp. as the heterotrophs and Azoarcus sp. being the autotrophs at high salinity condition. Halomonas sp. correlates with the enhanced DSR performance at high salinity.

Concurrence of Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation and Organotrophic Denitrification in Presence of p-Cresol

This study was carried out to evaluate the capacity of anaerobic granular sludge for oxidizing ammonium and p-cresol with nitrate as terminal electron acceptor. Kinetics for the anaerobic oxidation of ammonium and p-cresol is described in this paper. The phenolic compound was very efficiently consumed, achieving 65 % of mineralization. Ammonium and nitrate were also consumed at 83 and 92 %, respectively, being the main product N2. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation was promoted owing to accumulation of nitrite, and it allowed the synergy of anaerobic ammonium oxidation and organotrophic denitrification for the simultaneous removal of ammonium, nitrate, and p-cresol. A carbonaceous intermediate partially identified was transiently accumulated, and it transitorily truncated the respiratory process of denitrification. These experimental results might be considered for defining strategies in order to remove nitrate, ammonium, and phenolic compounds from wastewaters.

Regeneration of elemental sulfur in a simultaneous sulfide and nitrate removal reactor under different dissolved oxygen conditions

A continuous reactor in microaerobic conditions was adopted for sulfide-oxidizing, nitrate-reducing and elemental sulfur (S(0)) regenerating, simultaneously. The results showed that appropriate dissolved oxygen (DO) enhanced S(0) regeneration efficiency, sulfide oxidation efficiency, and nitrate reduction efficiency. When the DO concentration was 0.1-0.3 mg L(-1), the microaerobic bioreactor simultaneously converted 8.16 kg-Sm(-3)d(-1) of sulfide to S(0) and 2.48 kg-Nm(-3)d(-1) of nitrate to nitrogen with the sulfide and nitrate removal efficiency of 100% and 90% respectively. Compared with anaerobic sulfide and nitrate removal process previously reported, the loading sulfide was higher and more S(0) was generated during the operation in microaerobic reactor. Analysis using the 16S rDNA gene clone library revealed that Azoarcus, Thauera, Paracoccus, Sulfurospirillum, Arcobacter and Clostridium were the dominant microorganisms in the sulfide and nitrate removal system.

Acclimation of nitrifying biomass and its effect on 2-chlorophenol removal

The metabolic and kinetic behavior of a nitrifying sludge exposed to 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) was evaluated in batch cultures. Two kinds of nitrifying culture were used; one acclimated to 4-methylphenol (4-mp), and the other unacclimated to 4-mp. The unacclimated culture was affected adversely by the 2-CP's presence, since neither nitrification nor 2-CP oxidation was observed. Nonetheless, the acclimated culture showed metabolic capacity to nitrify and mineralize 2-CP. Ammonium removal was 100%, with a nitrifying yield of 0.92 ± 0.04 mg NO(3)(-)-N/mg NH(4)(+)-N consumed. The consumption efficiency for 2-CP was 100% and the halogenated compound was mineralized to CO2. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) patterns showed the shift in microbial community structure, indicating that microbial diversity was due to the acclimation process. This is the first evidence where nitrifying culture acclimated to 4-mp completely removed ammonium and 2-CP.

Integrated simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification (ISDD) process at various COD/sulfate ratios

The integrated simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification (ISDD) is a novel treatment process to handle sulfate and nitrate-laden wastewaters of high loadings. This study experimentally explored the effect of COD/SO4(2-) ratio on the performance of ISDD process, particularly considering the complex interactions between sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), heterotrophic denitrifiers (hNRB) and autotrophic denitrifiers (aNRB). There existed an optimal COD/SO4(2-) ratio (=1.5:1 in the present study) to reach 100% SO4(2-) and NO3(-) removals and 42.6% S(0) recovery. At COD/SO4(2-)=1.5:1, the functional strains could form granules with high retention in the ISDD reactor. The microbial community analysis identified the SRB, hNRB and aNRB in the studied system, whose shifts correlated well with the noted ISDD performance change at different COD/SO4(2-) ratio. Interactions between different groups of bacteria and the possible strategy to enhance the ISDD performance were discussed.

The effect of sulfide inhibition on the ANAMMOX process

The feasibility of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) process to treat wastewaters containing sulfide was studied in this work. Serum bottles were used as experimental containers in batch tests to analyze the short-term response of the ANAMMOX process under sulfide stress. The IC(50) of sulfide-S for ANAMMOX biomass was substrates-dependent and was calculated to be 264 mg L(-1) at an initial total nitrogen level of 200 mg L(-1) (molar ratio of ammonium and nitrite was 1:1). The long-term effects and the performance recovery under sulfide stress were continuously monitored and evaluated in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. The performance of the ANAMMOX system was halved at an sulfide-S level of 32 mg L(-1) within 13 days; however, the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) decreased by only 17.2% within 18 days at an sulfide-S concentration of 40 mg L(-1) after long-time acclimatization of sludge in the presence of sulfide. The ANAMMOX performance recovered under sulfide-S level of 8 mg L(-1) with a steady NRR increasing speed, linear relationship between the NRR and operation time. The synchronic reduce in the specific ANAMMOX activity and the biomass extended the apparent doubling time of the nitrogen removal capacity and decreased biomass growth rate.

Autotrophic denitrification with sulphide in a sequencing batch reactor

In this study a sequencing batch reactor was used to simultaneously remove both sulphide and nitrate via an autotrophic denitrification process. The sulphide loading rates were gradually increased from 200 mg S(2-) L(-1) d(-1)-450 mg S(2-) L(-1)d(-1)while the nitrogen loading rates were kept at 450 mg NO(3)(-)-N L(-1)d(-1). The obtained results demonstrated that it was possible to carry out autotrophic denitrification in a Sequencing Batch Reactor with removal efficiencies of sulphide and nitrogen of 100% and 67%, respectively. The efficiency of the process was influenced by the pH value in the reactor. The operation at pH values higher than 9.0 decreased the efficiency of sulphide oxidation into sulphate to 11.3%. The main bacteria populations present in the sludge belonged to Thiobacillus genus.

Simultaneous biological removal of nitrogen-sulfur-carbon: recent advances and challenges

Biological removal of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur is drawing increasing research interest in search for an efficient and cost-effective wastewater treatment. While extensive work on separate removal of nitrogen and sulfur is well documented, investigation on simultaneous denitrifying sulfide removal has only been reported recently. Most of the work on denitrifying sulfide removal has been focusing on bioreactor performance, loading and operating conditions. Nonetheless, underlying principles elucidating the biochemical reactions and the mechanisms of the microbial degradation are yet to be established. In addition, unstable denitrifying sulfide removal which is a major operating problem that hinders practical application of the process, is yet to be resolved. This paper provides a review on the state-of-the-art development of simultaneous biological removal of sulfur, nitrogen and carbon. Research on bioreactor operation and performance, reactor configurations, mechanisms and modeling work including the use of mass balance analysis and artificial neural networks is delineated. An in-depth discussion on the microbial community and functional consortium is also provided. Challenges and future work on simultaneous biological removal of nitrogen-sulfur-carbon are also outlined.

Simultaneous oxidation of ammonium and p-cresol linked to nitrite reduction by denitrifying sludge

The metabolic capability of denitrifying sludge to oxidize ammonium and p-cresol was evaluated in batch cultures. Ammonium oxidation was studied in presence of nitrite and/or p-cresol by 55 h. At 50 mg/L NH4+-N and 76 mg/L NO2--N, the substrates were consumed at 100% and 95%, respectively, being N2 the product. At 50 mg/L NH4+-N and 133 mg/L NO2--N, the consumption efficiencies decreased to 96% and 70%, respectively. The increase in nitrite concentration affected the ammonium oxidation rate. Nonetheless, the N2 production rate did not change. In organotrophic denitrification, the p-cresol oxidation rate was slower than ammonium oxidation. In litho-organotrophic cultures, the p-cresol and ammonium oxidation rates were affected at 133 mg/L NO2--N. Nonetheless, at 76 mg/L NO2--N the denitrifying sludge oxidized ammonium and p-cresol, but at different rate. Finally, this is the first work reporting the simultaneous oxidation of ammonium and p-cresol with the production of N2 from denitrifying sludge.

Harvesting biohydrogen from cellobiose from sulfide or nitrite-containing wastewaters using Clostridium sp. R1

Harvesting biohydrogen from inhibiting wastewaters is of practical interest since the toxicity of compounds in a wastewater stream commonly prevents the bioenergy content being recovered. The isolated Clostridium sp. R1 is utilized to degrade cellobiose in sulfide or nitrite-containing medium for biohydrogen production. The strain can effectively degrade cellobiose free of severe inhibitory effects at up to 200 mgl(-1) sulfide or to 5 mgl(-1) nitrite, yielding hydrogen at >2.0 mol H2 mol(-1) cellobiose. Principal metabolites of cellobiose fermentation are acetate and butyrate, with the concentration of the former increases with increasing sulfide and nitrite concentrations. The isolated strain can yield hydrogen from cellobiose in sulfide-laden wastewaters. However, the present of nitrite significantly limit the efficiency of the biohydrogen harvesting process.

Enhanced performance of denitrifying sulfide removal process under micro-aerobic condition

The denitrifying sulfide removal (DSR) process with bio-granules comprising both heterotrophic and autotrophic denitrifiers can simultaneously convert nitrate, sulfide and acetate into di-nitrogen gas, elementary sulfur and carbon dioxide, respectively, at high loading rates. This study determines the reaction rate of sulfide oxidized into sulfur, as well as the reduction of nitrate to nitrite, would be enhanced under a micro-aerobic condition. The presence of limited oxygen mitigated the inhibition effects of sulfide on denitrifier activities, and enhanced the performance of DSR granules. The advantages and disadvantages of applying the micro-aerobic condition to the DSR process are discussed.