Deciphering the short-term deactivation mechanism of the anammox performance under calcium stress

The adaptive regulation mechanism of Anammox granule sludge under calcium ions stress: Defense modes transformation

Anammox granular sludge (AnGS) has received considerable attention due to its low carbon footprint (less aeration energy and carbon source consumption) and high biomass density, but growth rate and stability are still the bottlenecks of AnGS process. Calcium ion (Ca2+) is essential for the growth of anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria (AnAOB) and plays an important role in the formation and stability of AnGS. Response of AnGS to Ca2+ under different concentrations was comprehensively investigated by multi-spectral and metagenomics analysis in four aspects: nitrogen removal performance, surface morphology, extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) composition and characterization, and microbial community. The nitrogen removal efficiency was significantly enhanced at appropriate Ca2+ concentration (2 mmol/L), owning to the more favorable morphology and functional microbial composition of AnGS. However, the nitrogen removal performance of AnGS declined with the Ca2+concentration increased from 2 to 8 mmol/L, due to the negative effects of excess Ca2+on EPS, mass transfer efficiency, and functional microorganisms. Meanwhile, an unexpected slight "rebound" of nitrogen removal efficiency was observed at Ca2+ = 6 mmol/L and attributed to the defense mode transformation of AnGS (from "ion stabilization" to "precipitate shield" modes) against excess Ca2+ stress. Based on the findings, the response mechanism of AnGS to Ca2+ with different concentrations was established. Our results enhanced the understanding of the interaction between AnGS and Ca2+, which may be valuable for filling the theoretical gap in enhancing the granulation and stability of AnGS and providing a reference for the practical operation of the AnGS process.

Roles of entrapped bubbles in methanogenic granules under oscillating pressure: Respiration and embolization for intra-granular transport

Anaerobic granular sludge plays a pivotal role in the treatment of concentrated organic wastewater. However, previous studies on intra- granular transport have generally overlooked lung-like respiration that expedites transport in response to fluctuating pressure. This study explored the activities of calcified and normal granules under simulated hydrostatic pressure oscillations. The results revealed a significant enhancement in the bioactivity of calcified granules under oscillating pressure, contrasting with the comparatively lower bioactivity observed in normal granules. The hypothesis posited that the gas pockets in calcified granules facilitated respiration as the functional structure. The presence of tiny bubbles exhibited a propensity for inducing clogging, thereby diminishing the capillary connectivity essential for substrate diffusion. The proposed respiration and embolization concepts decipher the distinct roles of entrapped bubbles in the granular bioactivity across diverse fluid states. This study offers valuable insights into the impact of fluidization on microscopic transport within granule-based bed reactors.

Larger hydroxyapatite aggregation from Ca2+ adhesion in ANAMMOX granular sludge caused by high dissolved oxygen

Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (ANAMMOX), a sustainable biological process, is promising to remove NH4+-N from municipal sewage. In this study, results showed that the anammox granular sludge morphology changes with the alternation of dissolved oxygen (DO), mainly attributing to the adhesion of calcium ions (Ca2+) to the surface of sludge particles. Diverse characterization methods revealed that gray adhesions in the form of hydroxyapatite covered the original holes on the anammox granular sludge surface, including scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), digital camera images, Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Ex-situ degradation of NH4+-N and NO2--N yielded diverse outcomes. The protein to polysaccharide ratio (PN/PS) in the total extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) across 4 size groups demonstrated a decrease under O2 exposure. Microbial community analysis indicated norank_f_A4b and Nitrolancea being the most abundant genus under O2 exposure at day 1 and day 100, respectively. These findings offer an effective strategy to prevent size-larger granular sludge from deteriorating through changing DO and Ca2+ in municipal wastewater in ANAMMOX.

Development of partial denitrification process in upflow-anaerobic sludge blanket and effect of electric field on partial denitrification performance

Partial denitrification (PD) is an alternative to providing NO2- for the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process. In this study, three upflow anaerobic sludge blankets (UASB) were used to investigate the effect of an external electric field on PD performance. The results indicated that the maximum nitrite transformation ratio (NTR) reached 76.3 %, with an average NTR of 54.1 %, in the presence of external electric field, whereas the average NTR of the control was only 49.8 %. The fitted maximum specific nitrate reduction rates of PD1, PD2, and PD3 were 83.7, 90.5, and 92.3 mg N g-1VSS h-1, respectively, according to the Haldane model analysis. Microbial community analysis demonstrated that the abundance of Thauera, Comamonas, and Accumulibacter increased with electric assistance. In summary, UASB reactor with electrodes set in the upper region was most feasible for the stable PD process, providing an alternative for developing a coupled PD-anammox process.

A pilot-scale SNAD-MBBR process for treating anaerobic digester liquor of swine wastewater: performance and microbial community

In this pilot-scale study, simultaneous partial nitrification, anammox, and denitrification (SNAD) process was achieved successfully in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) for treating anaerobic digester liquor of swine wastewater. After 95 days of operation, when the total nitrogen loading rate of SNAD-MBBR process was 1.09 kg TN/m3/day, the total nitrogen removal rate could reach 0.87 kg TN/m3/day, and the removal efficiencies of ammonium and total nitrogen were 92.0% and 79.7%, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature for SNAD-MBBR process were 8.5 and 35 °C, respectively, and the optimum dissolved oxygen for SNAD1 and SNAD2 were 0.30 and 0.07 mg/L, respectively. The 16S rRNA sequencing suggested that Candidatus Kuenenia, Candidatus Brocadia, Nitrosomonas, and Denitratisoma were the dominant nitrogen removal bacteria. Some of the co-existing bacteria (Truepera, Limnobacter, and Anaerolineaceae uncultured) promoted ammonium oxidation and guaranteed the growth of the anammox bacteria under adverse environmental conditions. Overall, this study demonstrated that the SNAD-MBBR process would be an energy-saving and cost-effective method for the removal of nitrogen from swine wastewater and provided important process parameters for stable operation of the full-scale SNAD process.

Improved regression model for anaerobic ammonium oxidation by repeated and prolonged batch assay under stressful salinity and pH conditions

The aim of this study was to propose repeated and prolonged batch (RPB) assay as a promising specific anammox activity (SAA) methodology assessing the anammox activity under stressed salinity and pH conditions. Response surface analysis (RSA) was used as a regression tool to evaluate statistical significance. The feasibility of RPB was investigated at 0 to 15 g-NaCl/L of salinity and pH 6 to 8 with reflecting the results of preliminary SAA. As a result, conventional SAA was statistically insignificant. In addition, the RSA results obtained from repeated batch did not meet the statistical significance despite ten times iterative reaction. Interestingly, the RPB assay (i.e., applied both repeated and prolonged reaction) was effective to obtain the reliable results. Candidadus Brocadia and Candidadus Jettenia were functional anammox microbiome during RPB. Outcomes of this study suggest that RPB assay can be applied to accurately determine the anammox activity under various stressful conditions.

Improved Properties and Enhancement Strategies of Hydroxyapatite-Based Functional Granular Sludge for a High-Rate Partial Nitritation/Anammox System

Retaining sufficient anammox bacteria (AnAOB) while keeping the anammox-based process stable is the focus of the study of anammox technology, especially in a one-stage partial nitritation/anammox (PNA) process. The use of hydroxyapatite (HAP) granules in an anammox-based process is innovative for its potential to improve the nitrogen removal rate and achieve simultaneous removal of phosphorus. In this study, the HAP-based granular sludge was employed using enhancement strategies for an excellent nitrogen removal performance in a one-stage PNA process. Compared to those of other granular sludge PNA systems, a remarkable sludge volume index of 7.8 mL/g and an extremely high mixed liquor volatile suspended solids of 15 g/L were achieved under a low hydraulic retention time of 2 h. Consequently, an unprecedented nitrogen removal rate as high as 4.8 kg N/m3/d at 25 °C was obtained under a nitrogen loading rate of 6 kg N/m3/d. After a long-term operation of 870 days, the enhancement strategies underlying the superior performance of the granular sludge were identified. These findings clearly demonstrate that the enhancement strategies are crucial for the superior operating performance of the PNA process, and they can promote the application of the anammox-based process.