Effect of external hydrazine addition on anammox reactor start-up time

Effect of long-term dosage of hydrazine on mainstream anammox process: Biofilm characteristics and microbial community

The impact of the long-term trace hydrazine (N2H4) exogenous supplementation on activity of the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) biofilm was investigated in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for mainstream wastewater treatment. The results of this study demonstrated that the addition of 2-5 mg/L N2H4 enhanced anammox biofilm activity, as evidenced by the augmented nitrogen removal rate (NRR), which increased from 113.4 g/(m3·d) to 126.7 g/(m3·d) with the introduction of 2 mg/L N2H4. However, a higher concentration of N2H4 (10 mg/L) suppressed anammox activity, leading to a reduced NRR of 91.5 g/(m3·d). Bioindicators revealed that the long-term addition of 2 mg/L N2H4 fostered the accumulation of anammox bacteria (AnAOB) biomass, elevating the volatile suspended solids (VSS) content by 12%. Moreover, the structural composition of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) within the biofilm was altered, resulting in enhanced biofilm strength within the reactor. The protective mechanism of the biofilm was activated, and EPS secretion was stimulated by the continuous N2H4 supplementation. The introduction of an excess dosage of N2H4 led to alterations in the microbial communities, ultimately resulting in a decline in the performance of the reactor. These findings collectively illustrate that N2H4, as an intermediate product, can effectively enhance anammox activity within the MBBR for mainstream wastewater treatment. This study contributes to the understanding of the optimization strategies for anammox processes in wastewater treatment systems.

Enhancement of hydrazine accumulation in anammox bioreactors

The role of hydrazine (N2H4) in anammox metabolism has been widely studied; however, studies on N2H4 biosynthesis by anammox bacteria are limited in the literature. In this context, the current research aims to investigate the enhancement of biological N2H4 production in the anammox process in a long-term manner. The experimental studies started with the optimization of the operating conditions to achieve maximum N2H4 accumulation. Under favorable conditions (pH = 8.97 ± 0.08; T = 35.5 ± 0.5 °C; initial hydroxylamine dose = 1.46 ± 0.01 mM), 17.16 ± 0.64 mg L-1 of N2H4 accumulated in the batch systems. The continuity of N2H4 bioproduction was then evaluated by long-term observations. A continuous flow bioreactor was operated in four consecutive manipulated periods under optimized conditions. In the long-term operated bioreactor, 55.10 ± 0.30 mg L-1 N2H4 was accumulated at optimal conditions, which was 2.5 times higher than reported in the literature. Although manipulation of the bioreactor operating conditions initially resulted in a significant increase in N2H4 bioaccumulation, it subsequently caused a severe deterioration in anammox activity. However, this could be mitigated by increasing the biomass concentration in the anammox systems. In addition, the relative abundance of Candidatus Kuenenia decreased by 1.88% throughout the long-term operation.

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

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

Regulation mechanism of hydrazine and hydroxylamine in nitrogen removal processes: A Comprehensive review

As the new fashioned nitrogen removal process, short-cut nitrification and denitrification (SHARON) process, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process, completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) process, partial nitrification and anammox (PN/A) process and partial denitrification and anammox (PD/A) process entered into the public eye due to its advantages of high nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) and low energy consumption. However, the above process also be limited by long-term start-up time, unstable operation, complicated process regulation and so on. As intermediates or by-metabolites of functional microorganisms in above processes, hydroxylamine (NH2OH) and hydrazine (N2H4) improved NRE of the above processes by promoting functional enzyme activity, accelerating electron transport efficiency and regulating distribution of microbial communities. Therefore, this review discussed effects of NH2OH and N2H4 on stability and NRE of above processes, analyzed regulatory mechanism from functional enzyme activity, electron transport efficiency and microbial community distribution. Finally, the challenges and limitations for nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) produced from regulation of NH2OH and N2H4 are discussed. In additional, perspectives on future trends in technology development are proposed.

Dual-edged effects and mechanisms of hydroxylamine in partial denitrification-anaerobic ammonium oxidation system

The combination of partial denitrification (PD) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a novel and promising nitrogen removal process. Regulating the synergistic reaction between denitrifiers and anammox bacteria (AnAOB) is the key to achieving stable and efficient PD-anammox performance. In this study, 10 mg/L of hydroxylamine (NH2OH) was considered to efficiently promote the bacterial activity, microbial energy flow, and the synergy of functional microflora. As a result, the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) significantly increased from 0.05 to 0.30 g N/L/d in parallel with an increase in the nitrogen loading rate (NLR) from 0.10 to 0.40 g N/L/d. However, the dual-edged effect of NH2OH was also confirmed. The long-term presence of NH2OH caused overgrowth of complete-denitrifying bacteria and decreased the NRR to 0.11 g N/L/d. Additionally, NH2OH enhanced nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions via chemical pathways as well as enhanced denitrification Fortunately, the inhibition caused by NH2OH was reversible by stopping the dosing, the reactor restored to stable operation with an NRR of 0.27 g N/L/d. Analysis of metabolic intensity and pathways revealed the effecting process and mechanism of NH2OH on the PD-anammox system. This study verified the dual-edged effects and mechanisms of NH2OH, therefore proving a theoretical basis and technical reference for the application of PD-anammox.

Effects of reducing, stabilizing, and antibiotic agents on "Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis"

Anaerobic ammon ium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria oxidize ammonium and reduce nitrite, producing N₂, and could play a major role in energy-optimized wastewater treatment. However, sensitivity to various environmental conditions and slow growth currently hinder their wide application. Here, we attempted to determine online the effect of environmental stresses on anammox bacteria by using an overnight batch activity test with whole cells, in which anammox activity was calculated by quantifying N₂ production via headspace-pressure monitoring. A planktonic mixed culture dominated by "Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis" strain CSTR1 was cultivated in a 30-L semi-continuous stirring tank reactor. In overnight resting-cell anammox activity tests, oxygen caused strong inhibition of anammox activity, which was reversed by sodium sulfite (30 µM). The tested antibiotics sulfamethoxazole, kanamycin, and ciprofloxacin elicited their effect on a dose-dependent manner; however, strain CSTR1 was highly resistant to sulfamethoxazole. Anammox activity was improved by activated carbon and Fe₂O₃. Protein expression analysis from resting cells after anammox activity stimulation revealed that NapC/NirT family cytochrome c (KsCSTR_12840), hydrazine synthase, hydrazine dehydrogenase, hydroxylamine oxidase, and nitrate:nitrite oxidoreductase were upregulated, while a putative hydroxylamine oxidoreductase HAO (KsCSTR_49490) was downregulated. These findings contribute to the growing knowledge on anammox bacteria physiology, eventually leading to the control of anammox bacteria growth and activity in real-world application. KEY POINTS: • Sulfite additions can reverse oxygen inhibition of the anammox process • Anammox activity was improved by activated carbon and ferric oxide • Sulfamethoxazole marginally affected anammox activity.

A strategy for fast anammox biofilm formation under mainstream conditions

One of the bottlenecks to applying anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) is the long start-up time, especially under mainstream conditions. This study proposed a strategy for fast anammox biofilm formation under mainstream conditions. By first cultivating an aerobic heterotrophic biofilm, and then transferring to anoxic conditions, a pre-cultivated heterotrophic biofilm can be formed in 12 days. The pre-cultivated heterotrophic biofilm then functions as a "glue" to accelerate anammox bacteria adhesion and biofilm formation. Secondary settled effluent with externally added 15-30 mg-N·L^-1 ammonium and nitrite was applied as reactor influent. With a single inoculation of suspended growth anammox-laden biomass and no bioaugmentation, an anammox-enriched biofilm formed after 5 months of operation under uncontrolled temperature of 15-20 °C. Both the nitrogen removal rate and specific anammox activity exponentially increased over the course of study, corresponding to an estimated anammox doubling time of 10.8 days. The biofilm thickness on primed carriers was 2-3 times higher than on the non-primed carriers over the first 5 months of operation, and the hszA gene copy number in primed biofilms revealed was consistently 1 to 2 times higher than the non-primed carrier biofilm, indicating that biofil m carrier priming via selection for a pre-cultivated heterotrophic biofilm base can effectively improve the anammox enrichment rate at early stages of reactor operation. Time, rather than the type of biofilm (primed versus non-primed), had a stronger influence on microbial community structure over the full 230 days of reactor operation. Candidatus Brocadia was the only detected anammox bacteria genus. Overall, pre-cultivation of heterotrophs on biofilm carriers provides a simple route to accelerate anammox-enriched biofilm formation under mainstream conditions.

Effects of hydroxylamine on treatment of anaerobic digestate of pig manure in partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonium oxidation

Partial nitrification-anaerobic ammonium oxidation (PN-anammox) was started up within 40 days by bioaugmentation and aeration control, and its performance in the treatment of anaerobic digestate of pig manure (ADPM) was evaluated. Inhibitors in ADPM decreased the nitrogen removal rate (NRR) by 0.24 g N/L/d. The effect and mechanism of hydroxylamine (NH₂OH) alleviation of PN-anammox inhibition during ADPM treatment were investigated. As an intermediate product of anammox and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, NH₂OH strengthened energy metabolism, improved the activity and abundance of functional bacteria, and eliminated miscellaneous bacteria, increasing the average NRR by 31%. However, the average nitrous oxide emission was increased by 10.1% via hydroxylamine oxidation. The results showed that synergy and competition among nitrogen-transforming microorganisms were crucial for NRR and that NH₂OH played an essential role in maintaining efficient operation. This study lays a foundation for restoring PN-anammox for treating livestock wastewater.

Nitrogen contribution and microbial community of size-fractionated anammox sludge in continuous stirred-tank reactors

In this study, the microbial diversity of size-fractionated anammox sludge in a well-mixed system and their contribution to nitrogen transformation were investigated. Results showed that small granules (0.2-1.0 mm) contributed to the major part of the nitrogen removal rate (56 %) due to its largest mixed liquor volatile suspended solids (1240 ± 80 mg·L^-1). However, large granules (>1.0 mm) possessed the highest relative abundances of Ca. Kuenenia stuttgartiensis and specific anammox activity, representing 49.34 % and 24.45 ± 0.01 mg-N·g^-1-mixed liquor volatile suspended solids·h^-1, respectively. The microbial diversity decreased as the increase of granular size, resulting in microbial community shifting to a simpler model. Metagenomic analysis showed that fine sludge might be the potential major for NO/N₂O production in the mature well-mixed system under inorganic conditions. This study provides guidance for the evaluation of nitrogen contribution by anammox size-fractionated sludge and the inhibition of the potential NO/N₂O emission in anammox processes.

Key enzymes involved in anammox-based processes for wastewater treatment: An applied overview

The anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process has attracted significant attention as an economic, robustness, and sustainable method for the treatment of nitrogen (N)-rich wastewater. Anammox bacteria (AnAOB) coexist with other microorganisms, and particularly with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and/or heterotrophic bacteria (HB), in symbiosis in favor of the substrate requirement (ammonium and nitrite) of the AnAOB being supplied by these other organisms. The dynamics of these microbial communities have a significant effect on the N-removal performance, but the corresponding metabolic pathways are still not fully understood. These processes involve many common metabolites that may act as key factors to control the symbiotic interactions between these organisms, to maximize N-removal efficiency from wastewater. Therefore, this work overviews the current state of knowledge about the metabolism of these microorganisms including key enzymes and intermediate metabolites and summarizes already reported experiences based on the employment of certain metabolites for the improvement of N-removal using anammox-based processes. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Approaches knowledge about the biochemistry and metabolic pathways involved in anammox-based processes. Some molecular tools can be used to determine enzymatic activity, serving as an optimization in nitrogen removal processes. Enzymatic evaluation allied to the physical-chemical and biomolecular analysis of the nitrogen removal processes expands the application in different effluents.

Hydroxylamine metabolism in mainstream denitrifying ammonium oxidation (DEAMOX) process: Achieving fast start-up and robust operation with bio-augmentation assistance under ambient temperature

Nitrogen removal from mainstream wastewater via DEnitrifying AMmonium OXidation (DEAMOX) is often challenged by undulated actual temperature and high loading rate. Here, we discovered NH₂OH addition (HA) and bio-augmentation (BA) tactics on start-up and operation performance of DEAMOXs (R1 and R2) under ambient temperature (11.3-31.7 °C). Over 340-day operation suggested that R2 received 10 mg/L HA and 1:25 BA ratio (v/v, anammox/partial denitrification sludge) achieved desirable nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) of 97.22% after 145-day, while R1 under higher BA ratio of 1:12.5 without HA obtained lower NRE (90.86%) after 184-day. Batch tests revealed that nitrate-nitrite transformation ratio reached 98.64% at low COD/NO₃^--N of 2.6 with HA. Significantly, compared with R2, R1 recovered quickly with satisfactory effluent total nitrogen of 4.21 mg/L despite nitrogen loading rate greater than 0.15 kg N/m³/d and temperature decreased to 14.6 °C. The abundant narG represented high nitrate reduction potential, hzsA and hdh were extensively detected as the symbolisation of anammox metabolism. Thauera, Denitratisoma and unclassified f Comamonadaceae dominated nitrite accumulation. Ca. Brocadia as the dominant anammox bacteria, and its population maintained stable against low temperature and load shocks by NH₂OH intensification. Overall, this study offers an opportunity for the wide-applications of DEAMOX treating mainstream wastewater.

Recovery profile of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) bacteria inhibited by ZnO nanoparticles

The potential effects of nanoparticles (NPs) on biological treatment processes have become significant due to their increasing industrial applications. The purpose of this research was to investigate the self-recovery ability of anammox bacteria following acute ZnO NPs toxicity. In this context, a 2-liter lab-scale anammox reactor was operated for 550 days to enrich the biomass required to the batch exposure tests. Anammox culture was firstly exposed to four different doses of ZnO NPs (50, 75, 100 and 200 mg/L) for 24 h. Then, the ZnO NPs were removed and self-recovery performance of the anammox bacteria was assessed by evaluating the nitrogen removal capacities for 72 h. Besides the nitrogen removal performance, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production was also detected to deeply understand the response of the enriched anammox culture against ZnO NPs exposure. The results revealed that sudden and high load of ZnO NPs (100 and 200 mg/L) resulted in persistent impairment to the nitrogen removal performance of the enriched anammox culture. However, relatively lower doses (50 and 75 mg/L) caused deceleration of the nitrogen removal performance during the recovery period. In addition, EPS content in the reactor decreased along with escalating load of ZnO NPs.

Layered inoculation of anaerobic digestion and anammox granular sludges for fast start-up of an anammox reactor

Layered inoculation of anaerobic digestion (AD) and anammox granular sludges was performed for fast start-up of anammox using an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor (R1) with the cell lysis phase and the lag phase being shortened. The maximum nitrogen loading rate (NLR) and nitrogen removal rate (NRR) of R1 were 11 kg N/m³ d and 9.9 kg N/m³ d on day 42, respectively. The domesticated AD granular sludge on the upper layer was collected to another EGSB reactor (R2) to investigate its anammox activity. The results showed that AD granular sludge in R1 had anammox activity and could be cultured into anammox granular sludge. Adsorption, interception and domestication enhanced the biomass of anammox bacteria in R1, accelerating the start-up of the reactor. The findings of this work were expected to solve the problem of fast start-up of an anammox reactor with insufficient anammox seeding sludge in industrial application.

Calcium nitrate as a bio-stimulant for anaerobic ammonium oxidation process

This study explored the role of calcium nitrate as a bio-stimulant for anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process. The anaerobic sequencing batch reactor was firstly inoculated with malodorous river sediment and only fed with calcium nitrate until no marked endogenous release of ammonium in effluent (Phase 1). Subsequently, nitrite and ammonium were supplied to test the performance of anammox process (Phase 2). During the operation of Phase 1, the effluent ammonium increased firstly and then decreased. Additionally, continuous nitrite (about 1.54 mgN/L) was observed in the effluent. The microbial analysis showed the simultaneous increase of the relative abundance of heterotrophic denitrifier Denitratisoma and sulfur autotrophic denitrifier Thiobacillus from 0.15% to 5.37% and 0.21% to 4.19%, respectively. Besides, ¹⁵N isotopes trace and qPCR results showed that the contribution of anammox to total nitrogen (TN) removal increased from 3.07% to 27.6%, and that the anammox functional gene hzsB increased from 1.37 × 10⁵ to 2.90 × 10⁶ copies/g. These results indicated that calcium nitrate may induce partial mixotrophic denitrification (heterotrophic and sulfur autotrophic denitrification) to provide nitrite as electron acceptor for anammox, thus promoting the occurrence of anammox. In Phase 2, rapid ammonium and TN removal were accomplished in the initial operation with the reduction efficiency of 80.1% and 90.0%, respectively. The relative abundance of anammox bacteria Candidatus_Brocadia significantly increased from 0.01% to 7.15% during the operation of Phase 2. These findings further confirmed the above deduction. Taken together, calcium nitrate can be a promising bio-stimulant for anammox process by promoting the coupling of mixotrophic denitrification with anammox.

Start-Up of Anammox SBR from Non-Specific Inoculum and Process Acceleration Methods by Hydrazine

Biological nutrient removal from wastewater to reach acceptable levels is needed to protect water resources and avoid eutrophication. The start-up of an anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process from scratch was investigated in a 20 L sequence batch reactor (SBR) inoculated with a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic sludge at 30 ± 0.5 °C with a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 2–3 days. The use of NH4Cl, NaNO2, and reject water as nitrogen sources created different salinity periods, in which the anammox process performance was assessed: low (<0.2 g of Cl−/L), high (18.2 g of Cl−/L), or optimum salinity (0.5–2 g of Cl−/L). Reject water feeding gave the optimum salinity, with an average nitrogen removal efficiency of 80%, and a TNRR of 0.08 kg N/m3/d being achieved after 193 days. The main aim was to show the effect of a hydrazine addition on the specific anammox activity (SAA) and denitrification activity in the start-up process to boost the autotrophic nitrogen removal from scratch. The effect of the anammox intermediate hydrazine addition was tested to assess its concentration effect (range of 2–12.5 mg of N2H4/L) on diminishing denitrifier activity and accelerating anammox activity at the same time. Heterotrophic denitrifiers’ activity was diminished by all hydrazine additions compared to the control; 5 mg of N2H4/L added enhanced SAA compared to the control, achieving an SAA of 0.72 (±0.01) mg N/g MLSS/h, while the test with 7.5 mg of N2H4/L reached the highest overall SAA of 0.98 (±0.09) mg N g/MLSS/h. The addition of trace amounts of hydrazine for 6 h was also able to enhance SAA after inhibition by organic carbon source sodium acetate addition at a high C/N ratio of 10/1. The start-up of anammox bacteria from the aerobic–anaerobic suspended biomass was successful, with hydrazine significantly accelerating anammox activity and decreasing denitrifier activity, making the method applicable for side-stream as well as mainstream treatment.

Genome-based analysis to understanding rapid resuscitation of cryopreserved anammox consortia via sequential supernatant addition

Simple cryopreservation of anaerobic ammonium-oxidation (anammox) consortia has become a promising preservation technology for the fast start-up of the anammox process. Here, we use genome-resolved metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to understand of the microbial interaction in a simple and effective resuscitation process for long-term cryopreserved anammox consortia by sequential addition of anammox SBR supernatant. Performance results showed that sequential addition of anammox supernatant significantly reduced the resuscitation time of the granule-based anammox process from 40 to 20 days. Genome-centric metagenomics were used to recover 19 high-quality draft genomes of anammox and heterotrophic bacteria. Comparative metatranscriptomic analysis was conducted to examine the gene expression of Candidatus Kuenenia stuttgartiensis, the dominant anammox bacterium, and heterotrophic bacteria to better understand their potential interactions. Proteobacteria-affiliated bacteria found in the supernatant were highly active in producing the secondary metabolites molybdopterin cofactor and folate which are needed for growth of the auxotrophic anammox bacteria. In addition, the significantly higher expression levels of hzsA and CO₂-fixtion genes in the Candidatus Kuenenia genome indicated the anammox bacteria were likely more active and growing faster after sequential anammox supernatant addition during the resuscitation process. The resuscitation treatment pulse assays confirmed that sequential addition of supernatant was an effective way for the rapid resuscitation of anammox consortia. Our findings offer the first evidence of cross-feeding during the rapid resuscitation of cryopreserved anammox consortia.

Review of characteristics of anammox bacteria and strategies for anammox start-up for sustainable wastewater resource management

Wastewater management has experienced different stages, including pollutant removal, resource recovery, and water nexus. Within these stages, anaerobic ammonia oxidation-based biotechnology can be incorporated for nitrogen removal, which can help achieve sustainable wastewater management, such as reclamation and ecologization of wastewater. Here, the physiology, metabolism, reaction kinetics and microbial interactions of anammox bacteria are discussed, and strategies to start-up the anammox system are presented. Anammox bacteria are slow growers with a high doubling time and a low reaction rate. Although most anammox bacteria grow autotrophically, some types can grow mixotrophically. The reaction stoichiometric coefficients can be affected by loading rates and other biological reactions. Microbial interactions also contribute to enhanced biological nitrogen removal and promote activities of anammox bacteria. The start-up of the anammox process is the key aspect for its practical application, which can be realized through seed selection, system stimulation, and biomass concentration enhancement.

Effect of storage conditions on maintaining anammox cell viability during starvation and recovery

Anammox bacteria can easily undergo starvation due to fluctuations in feed flowrate and concentration in wastewater treatment plants. In this study, we analyzed the effects of different types of storage conditions (presence of ammonium (R_a), nitrite (R_n), hydrazine (R_h), and no substrate (R_c)) in aiding the viability of anammox bacteria during starvation and recovery. After starvation, the bacteria were subjected to a 15-week recovery period. Anammox bacteria showed better results during starvation and recovery in R_h as compared to other conditions. Decay rate values obtained after starvation in R_a, R_n, R_h, and R_c were 0.032/day, 0.042/day, 0.019/day, and 0.037/day, respectively. Meanwhile, µ_max values obtained in R_h, R_a, R_n, and R_c on the 15th week of recovery were 0.092, 0.075, 0.011, and 0.067 d^-1, respectively. This indicated that the availability of hydrazine helps to reduce the mortality rate of anammox bacteria during starvation and enhances the recovery of anammox process.