Simultaneous arsenite and nitrate removal from simulated groundwater based on pyrrhotite autotrophic denitrification

Tourmaline mediated enhanced autotrophic denitrification: The mechanisms of electron transfer and Paracoccus enrichment

Autotrophic denitrification (AD) without carbon source is an inevitable choice for denitrification of municipal wastewater under the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. This study first employed sulfur-tourmaline-AD (STAD) as an innovative nitrate removal trial technique in wastewater. STAD demonstrated a 2.23-fold increase in nitrate‑nitrogen (NO3--N) removal rate with reduced nitrite‑nitrogen (NO2--N) accumulation, effectively removing 99 % of nitrogen pollutants compared to sulfur denitrification. Some denitrifiers microorganisms that could secrete tyrosine, tryptophan, and aromatic protein (extracellular polymeric substances (EPS)). Moreover, according to the EPS composition and characteristics analysis, the secretion of loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances (LB-EPS) that bound to the bacterial endogenous respiration and enriched microbial abundance, was produced more in the STAD system, further improving the system stability. Furthermore, the addition of tourmaline (Tm) facilitated the discovery of a new genus (Paracoccus) that enhanced nitrate decomposition. Applying optimal electron donors through metabolic pathways and the microbial community helps to strengthen the AD process and treat low carbon/nitrogen ratio wastewater efficiently.

Effect of copper, arsenic and nickel on pyrite-based autotrophic denitrification

Pyritic minerals generally occur in nature together with other trace metals as impurities, that can be released during the ore oxidation. To investigate the role of such impurities, the presence of copper (Cu(II)), arsenic (As(III)) and nickel (Ni(II)) during pyrite mediated autotrophic denitrification has been explored in this study at 30 °C with a specialized microbial community of denitrifiers as inoculum. The three metal(loid)s were supplemented at an initial concentration of 2, 5, and 7.5 ppm and only Cu(II) had an inhibitory effect on the autotrophic denitrification. The presence of As(III) and Ni(II) enhanced the nitrate removal efficiency with autotrophic denitrification rates between 3.3 [7.5 ppm As(III)] and 1.6 [7.5 ppm Ni(II)] times faster than the experiment without any metal(loid) supplementation. The Cu(II) batches, instead, decreased the denitrification kinetics with 16, 40 and 28% compared to the no-metal(loid) control for the 2, 5 and 7.5 ppm incubations, respectively. The kinetic study revealed that autotrophic denitrification with pyrite as electron donor, also with Cu(II) and Ni(II) additions, fits better a zero-order model, while the As(III) incubation followed first-order kinetic. The investigation of the extracellular polymeric substances content and composition showed more abundance of proteins, fulvic and humic acids in the metal(loid) exposed biomass.

Performance and microbial response to nitrate nitrogen removal from simulated groundwater by electrode biofilm reactor with Ti/CNT/Cu5-Pd5 catalytic cathode

To enhance the removal of nitrate nitrogen (NO3 - -N) in groundwater with a low C/N ratio, electrocatalytic reduction of NO3 - -N has received extensive attention since its electrons can be directly produced in situ while simultaneously providing a clean electronic donor of hydrogen for denitrifying bacteria. In this study, Ti/CNT/CuPd bimetallic catalytic electrodes with different copper-palladium (CuPd) ratios were prepared by electrodeposition onto carbon nanotube (CNT) using titanium (Ti) plates. The results showed that the NO3 - -N conversion rate by Ti/CNT/Cu5-Pd5 electrode was the highest (53.60%) compared with other CuPd electrode ratios because of the combined role of the copper's high NO3 - -N catalytic activity and the palladium's high N2 selectivity. A new type of electrode biofilm reactor (EBR) with Ti/CNT/Cu5-Pd5 cathode, biochar substrate was constructed to explore the removal ability of NO3 - -N in simulated low C/N groundwater. When the influent NO3 - -N concentration was 30 mg/L, under the condition of a 30 mA electronic current and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 12 h, the removal rate of NO3 - -N could reach as high as 78.1 ± 1.2%, and the N2 conversion rate was 99.7%. The horizontal distribution of microbial communities in EBR showed that the denitrification capacity was significantly improved through the electrochemical catalytic reduction of the Ti/CNT/Cu5-Pd5 cathode and the supply of the hydrogen electron donor to autotrophic denitrogenerating microbes such as Anaerobacillus, Thauera, and Hydrophaga. This study provides a new bimetallic catalytic cathode to enhance the removal of NO3 - -N in groundwater with a low C/N ratio. PRACTITIONER POINTS: The Cu5Pd5/CNTs/Ti electrode is beneficial to the adsorption and reduction of NO3 - -N to N2 . The production of hydrogen electron donors by cathode promoted nitrogen degradation. Activated electrodes together with denitrifying microorganisms contributed to the improved N removal rate.

Microbial community structure and functional prediction in five full-scale industrial park wastewater treatment plants

The development of industrial parks has become an important global trend contributing significantly to economic and industrial growth. However, this growth comes at a cost, as the treatment of multisource industrial wastewater generated in these parks can be difficult owing to its complex composition. Microorganisms play a critical role in pollutant removal during industrial park wastewater treatment. Therefore, our study focused on the microbial communities in five full-scale industrial park wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) with similar treatment processes and capacities. The results showed that denitrifying bacteria were dominant in almost every process section of all the plants, with heterotrophic denitrification being the main pathway. Moreover, autotrophic sulfur denitrification and methane oxidation denitrification may contribute to total nitrogen (TN) removal. In plants where the influent had low levels of COD and TN, dominant bacteria included oligotrophic microorganisms like Prosthecobacter (2.88 % ~ 10.02 %) and hgcI_clade (2.05 % ~ 9.49 %). Heavy metal metabolizing microorganisms, such as Norank_f__PHOS-HE36 (3.96 % ~ 5.36 %) and Sediminibacterium (1.86 % ~ 5.34 %), were prevalent in oxidation ditch and secondary settling tanks in certain plants. Functional Annotation of Prokaryotic Taxa (FAPROTAX) revealed that microbial communities in the regulation and hydrolysis tanks exhibited higher potential activity in the nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) cycles than those in the oxidation ditch. Sulfate/sulfite reduction was common in most plants, whereas the potential occurrence of sulfide compounds and thiosulfate oxidation tended to be higher in plants with a relatively high sulfate concentration and low COD content in their influent. Our study provides a new understanding of the microbial community in full-scale industrial park WWTPs and highlights the critical role of microorganisms in the treatment of industrial wastewater.

Advance in the sulfur-based electron donor autotrophic denitrification for nitrate nitrogen removal from wastewater

In the field of wastewater treatment, nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) is one of the significant contaminants of concern. Sulfur autotrophic denitrification technology, which uses a variety of sulfur-based electron donors to reduce NO3--N to nitrogen (N2) through sulfur autotrophic denitrification bacteria, has emerged as a novel nitrogen removal technology to replace heterotrophic denitrification in the field of wastewater treatment due to its low cost, environmental friendliness, and high nitrogen removal efficiency. This paper reviews the advance of reduced sulfur compounds (such as elemental sulfur, sulfide, and thiosulfate) and iron sulfides (such as ferrous sulfide, pyrrhotite, and pyrite) electron donors for treating NO3--N in wastewater by sulfur autotrophic denitrification technology, including the dominant bacteria types and the sulfur autotrophic denitrification process based on various electron donors are introduced in detail, and their operating costs, nitrogen removal performance and impacts on the ecological environment are analyzed and compared. Moreover, the engineering applications of sulfur-based electron donor autotrophic denitrification technology were comprehensively summarized. According to the literature review, the focus of future industry research were discussed from several aspects as well, which would provide ideas for the application and optimization of the sulfur autotrophic denitrification process for deep and efficient removal of NO3--N in wastewater.

Coupling of selenate reduction and pyrrhotite oxidation by indigenous microbial consortium in natural aquifer

Pyrrhotite is ubiquitously found in natural environment and involved in diverse (bio)processes. However, the pyrrhotite-driven bioreduction of toxic selenate [Se(VI)] remains largely unknown. This study demonstrates that Se(VI) is successfully bioreduced under anaerobic condition with the participation of pyrrhotite for the first time. Completely removal of Se(VI) was achieved at initial concentration of 10 mg/L Se(VI) and 0.56 mL/min flow rate in continuous column experiment with indigenous microbial consortium and pyrrhotite. Variation in hydrochemistry and hydrodynamics affected Se(VI) removal performance. Se(VI) was reduced to insoluble Se(0) while elements in pyrrhotite were oxidized to Fe(III) and SO₄^2-. Breakthrough study indicated that biotic activity contributed 81.4 ± 1.07% to Se(VI) transformation. Microbial community analysis suggested that chemoautotrophic genera (e.g., Thiobacillus) could realize pyrrhotite oxidation and Se(VI) reduction independently, while heterotrophic genera (e.g., Bacillus, Pseudomonas) contributed to Se(VI) detoxification by utilizing metabolic intermediates generated through Fe(II) and S(-II) oxidation, which were further verified by pure culture tests. Metagenomic and qPCR analyses indicated genes encoding enzymes for Se(VI) reduction (e.g., serA, napA and srdBAC), S oxidation (e.g., soxB) and Fe oxidation (e.g., mtrA) were upregulated. The elevated electron transporters (e.g., nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, cytochrome c) promoted electron transfer from pyrrhotite to Se(VI). This study gains insights into Se biogeochemistry under the effect of Fe(II)-bearing minerals and provides a sustainable strategy for Se(VI) bioremediation in natural aquifer.

Pyrite and sulfur-coupled autotrophic denitrification system for efficient nitrate and phosphate removal

The inefficiency of nitrogen removal in pyrite autotrophic denitrification (PAD) and the low efficiency of PO₄^3--P removal in sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) limit their potential for engineering applications. This study examined the use of pyrite and sulfur coupled autotrophic denitrification (PSAD) in batch and column experiments to remove NO₃^--N and PO₄^3--P from sewage. The effluent concentration of NO₃^--N was 0.32 ± 0.11 mg/L, with an average Total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency of 99.14%. The highest PO₄^3--P removal efficiency was 100% on day 18. There was a significant correlation between pH and the efficiency of PO₄^3--P removal. Thiobacillus, Thiomonas and Thermomonas were found to be dominant at the bacterial genus level in PSAD. Additionally, the abundance of Thermomonas in the PSAD was greater than that observed in the SAD reactor. This result indirectly indicates that the PSAD system has more advantages in reducing N₂O.

Microbial response to nitrogen removal driven by combined iron and biomass in subsurface flow constructed wetlands with plants of different ages

This study investigated the nitrogen removal enhanced by combined iron scraps and plant biomass, and its microbial response in the wetland with different plant ages and temperatures. The results showed that older plants benefitted the efficiency and stability of nitrogen removal, which could reach 1.97 ± 0.25 g m^-2 d^-1 in summer and 0.42 ± 0.12 g m^-2 d^-1 in winter. Plant age and temperature were the main factors determining the microbial community structure. Compared with temperature, plant ages affected more significantly on relative abundance of microorganisms such as Chloroflexi, Nitrospirae, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria, and functional genera for nitrification (e.g., Nitrospira) and iron reduction (e.g., Geothrix). The absolute abundance of total bacterial 16S rRNA ranged from 5.22 × 10⁸ to 2.63 × 10⁹ copies g^-1 and presented extremely significant negative correlation to plant age, which would lead to a decline in microbial function on information storage and processing. The quantitative relationship further revealed that the ammonia removal was related to 16S rRNA and AOB amoA, while nitrate removal was controlled by 16S rRNA, narG, norB and AOA amoA jointly. These findings suggested that a mature wetland for nitrogen removal enhancement should focus on aging microbes caused by old plants and possible endogenous pollution.

Starting-up performances and microbial community shifts in the coupling process (SAPD-A) with sulfide autotrophic partial denitrification (SAPD) and anammox treating nitrate and ammonium contained wastewater

A novel coupling process (SAPD-A) with sulfide autotrophic partial denitrification (SAPD) (NO₃^--N→NO₂^--N) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) was developed using anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) in this work. The integrated process comprised two stages. Firstly, the starting-up of SAPD process succeeded by gradually increasing the influent nitrate and sulfide in 95 days. The average nitrate removal efficiency (NRE) and NO₂^--N accumulation rates were 71.24% ± 0.21% and 46.44% ± 0.53% at SAPD process (days 75-95). Then, successful coupling process (SAPD-A) was implemented in two stages (stage I and stage II of SAPD-A). In stage I, it is feasible to promote the successful construction of SAPD-A process by elevating influent ammonium only based on SAPD system, making the NRE increased from 44.45% ± 0.46% (day 95) to 64.62% ± 0.12% at the end of stage I in SAPD-A system (day 126). Meanwhile, the ammonium nitrogen removal efficiency (ARE) and total nitrogen removal efficiency (TN-RE) also rose up to 42.46% ± 2.02% and 63.28% ± 0.54% respectively. Furthermore, the average ARE, NRE and TN-RE during the stage II in the bioreactor could reach 65.17% ± 1.45%, 74.50% ± 0.81% and 77.81% ± 0.37% by loading some biofilters (with of approximate 10% of the volume of the bioreactor) attached anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria (AnAOB). High-throughput sequencing results showed that the dominant genera concerning nitrogen removal were norank_f_norank_o_Fimbriimonadates (with the abundance of 2.88-8.54%), norank_ o_ norank _ c_ OM190 (2.48-4.41%), norank_f_norank_o_norank_c_WWE3 (11.01-17.69%), subgroup_10 (1.97-3.81%), Limnobacter（2.17-3.49%）, norank_f_n orank_ o_norank_ c_OLB14 (2.03-5.23%), norank-f-PHOS-HE36 (2.18-5.5%), Ellin6067 (1.34-2.24%) and Candidatus_ Brocadia (1.95-2.42%) during the whole starting-up period of coupling SAPD-A process. Batch experiments revealed that the sulfide was fully oxidized within 2 h, with the maximum reaction rate of 38.30 ± 1.53 mg (L h)^-1 in the first 1 h. Simultaneously, the concentration of nitrate sharply decreased from 53.08 ± 0.23 mg L^-1 to 24.16 ± 0.42 mg L^-1 with the reaction rate of 66.41 ± 2.12 mg (L h)^-1 in 0.5 h. Also, the ammonium concentration significantly declined from 47.88 ± 0.34 mg L^-1 to 10.98 ± 0.39 mg L^-1 in 8 h. Anammox process was responsible for the dominant nitrogen removal in the coupling SAPD-A system.

Synergetic effects of pyrrhotite and biochar on simultaneous removal of nitrate and phosphate in autotrophic denitrification system

In the trend of upgrading wastewater treatment plants, developing advanced treatment technologies for more efficient nutrient removal is crucial. This study prepared a pyrrhotite-biochar composite (Fe_x S_y @BC) to investigate its potential for simultaneous removal of nitrate and phosphate under autotrophic denitrification conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the novel composite of Fe_x S_y @BC, which exhibited 9.2 mg N/(L·d) NO₃ ^- -N reduction rate, 97.3% N₂ production, and 81.8 mmol N/(kg·d) NO₃ ^- -N material load with small solid/liquid ratio (0.008). The NO₃ ^- -N removal with Fe_x S_y @BC was 1.2-2.2 times higher than that with pure iron sulfides or biochar or their mixtures, whereas the Δn(S)/Δn(N) of Fe_x S_y @BC was the lowest (1.80). Moreover, the PO₄ ^3- -P reduction rate of Fe_x S_y @BC reached 3.23 mg P/(L·d), as high as that of pure pyrite or pyrrhotite. Thiobacillus was the most dominant denitrifying bacterium. Fe_x S_y @BC exhibited great promise for enhancing nutrient removal from secondary effluent without additional carbon source. PRACTITIONER POINTS: FexSy@BC enhanced nitrate and phosphate removal simultaneously. First-order kinetics and Monod model were fitted for denitrification with FexSy@BC. FexSy@BC had smaller molar ratio of sulfate release to nitrate removal. Thiobacillus was the dominant bacterium in FexSy@BC autotrophic denitrification. Synergistic effects on nutrients removal existed between biochar and pyrrhotite.

Simultaneous removal of nitrate, lead, and tetracycline by a fixed-biofilm reactor assembled with kapok fiber and sponge iron: Comparative analysis of operating conditions and biotic community

In recent years, under the condition of lack of carbon source, the presence of composite micro-pollutants make the removal of nitrate seriously damaged, and to find a suitable way to solve this problem is imminent. A fixed-biofilm carrier modified by mixing sponge iron (SI) and kapok fiber (KF) combined with strain Zoogloea sp. FY6 was constructed in this study to get a fixed-biofilm reactor with merit denitrification performance. By adjusting the operation parameters, it can be concluded that when the carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratio was 1.5, the hydraulic retention time (HRT) was 6.0 h, and the pH was 6.0, the nitrate removal efficiency (NRE) of the fixed-biofilm reactor was up to 95.4% (2.95 mg L^-1 h^-1). In addition, the fixed-biofilm reactor constructed in this study can remove lead (Pb²⁺) and tetracycline (TC) excellently in the presence of SI and Zoogloea sp. FY6, and the denitrification performance can still maintain a high level under the influence of different concentrations of Pb²⁺ and TC. Furthermore, the addition of SI not only removes the compound pollutants, but also protects the toxicity of the pollutant inflow in the bioreactor, and the metabolic process of microorganisms in the bioreactor also removes some of the compound pollutants. The high-throughput data showed the abundance of strain Zoogloea sp. FY6 was still the highest value under the influence of various pollutants, and the metagenomic prediction showed that the fixed-biofilm reactor had perfect denitrification process and iron redox cycle benefits. This study provides a valuable reference for sustainable utilization of natural biological resources and reduction of material costs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).

Vanadate Bio-Detoxification Driven by Pyrrhotite with Secondary Mineral Formation

Vanadium(V) is a redox-sensitive heavy-metal contaminant whose environmental mobility is strongly influenced by pyrrhotite, a widely distributed iron sulfide mineral. However, relatively little is known about microbially mediated vanadate [V(V)] reduction characteristics driven by pyrrhotite and concomitant mineral dynamics in this process. This study demonstrated efficient V(V) bioreduction during 210 d of operation, with a lifespan about 10 times longer than abiotic control, especially in a stable period when the V(V) removal efficiency reached 44.1 ± 13.8%. Pyrrhotite oxidation coupled to V(V) reduction could be achieved by an enriched single autotroph (e.g., Thiobacillus and Thermomonas) independently. Autotrophs (e.g., Sulfurifustis) gained energy from pyrrhotite oxidation to synthesize organic intermediates, which were utilized by the heterotrophic V(V) reducing bacteria such as Anaerolinea, Bacillus, and Pseudomonas to sustain V(V) reduction. V(V) was reduced to insoluble tetravalent V, while pyrrhotite oxidation mainly produced Fe(III) and SO₄^2-. Secondary minerals including mackinawite (FeS) and greigite (Fe₃S₄) were produced synchronously, resulting from further transformations of Fe(III) and SO₄^2- by sulfate reducing bacteria (e.g., Desulfatiglans) and magnetotactic bacteria (e.g., Nitrospira). This study provides new insights into the biogeochemical behavior of V under pyrrhotite effects and reveals the previously overlooked mineralogical dynamics in V(V) reduction bioprocesses driven by Fe(II)-bearing minerals.

Role of iron(II) sulfide in autotrophic denitrification under tetracycline stress: Substrate and detoxification effect

Autotrophic denitrification using inorganic compounds as electron donors has gained increasing attention in the field of wastewater treatment due to its numerous advantages, such as no need for exogenous organic carbon, low energy input, and low sludge production. Tetracycline (TC), a refractory contaminant, is often found coexisting with nutrients (NO₃^- and PO₄^3-) in wastewater, which can negatively affect the biological nutrient removal process because of its biological toxicity. However, the performance of autotrophic denitrification under TC stress has rarely been reported. In this study, the effects of TC on autotrophic denitrification with thiosulfate (Na₂S₂O₃) and iron (II) sulfide (FeS) as the electron donors were investigated. With Na₂S₂O₃ as the electron donor, TC slowed down the nitrate removal rate, which decreased from 1.32 to 0.18 d^-1, when TC concentration increased from 0 mg/L to 50 mg/L. When TC concentration was higher than 2 mg/L, nitrite reduction was seriously inhibited, leading to nitrite accumulation. With FeS as the electron donor, nitrate removal was much more efficient under TC-stressed conditions, and no distinct nitrite accumulation was observed when the initial TC concentration was as high as 10 mg/L, indicating the effective detoxification of FeS. The detoxification effects in the FeS autotrophic denitrification system mainly resulted from the rapid adsorption of TC by FeS and effective degradation of TC, as proven by a relatively higher living biomass area. This study offers new insights into the response of sulfur-based autotrophic denitrifiers to TC stress and demonstrates that the FeS-based autotrophic denitrification process is a promising technology for the treatment of wastewater containing emerging contaminants and nutrients.

Simultaneous denitrification and iron-phosphorus precipitation driven by plant biomass coupled with iron scraps in subsurface flow constructed wetlands

This study investigated the interaction between plant biomass and iron scraps and their influence on nitrogen (including nitrate and ammonia) and phosphorus removal in the subsurface flow constructed wetland. The results showed that with the addition of 0.5 g L^-1 of plant biomass and 5.0 g L^-1 of iron scraps, the nitrate, total nitrogen and total phosphorus removal were simultaneously improved. During 35 days of continuous operation, the plant biomass played main effect on the enhanced denitrification, accounting for about 57%, while iron scraps enhanced the other 43% of nitrogen removal and most phosphorus removal through precipitation inside the wetlands. Iron scraps could benefit the degradation of cellulose into low molecular carbohydrates by 10%, and the biomass could promote the oxidation of iron and increase the total phosphorus removal by 15%. Plant biomass coupled with iron scraps also improved simultaneously the richness, diversity and evenness of microbial community and promoted the abundance of Nitrospira (17.37%) and Thiobacillus (8.46%) in wetlands. In practice, putting iron scraps as matrix and placing plant biomass in the influent region would be a better choice. This research would provide a new method for effective utilization of plant biomass and iron scraps and further treatment of low-polluted wastewater in the wetlands.

New insights on simultaneous nitrate and phosphorus removal in pyrite-involved mixotrophic denitrification biofilter for a long-term operation: Performance change and its underlying mechanism

Simultaneous nitrate and phosphorus removal can be completed by pyrite- and influent organics-involved mixotrophic denitrification and chemical phosphorus removal via iron precipitation. However, so far, how their removal performances change with iron precipitation accumulation remains unclear. In this study, the differences in nitrate and phosphorus removal from municipal tailwater between volcanic and pyrite supported biofilters (V-BF, P-BF) for a long-term operation were investigated, as well as the underlying mechanism for these differences. The nitrate removal efficiencies (NREs) in P-BF were greater than those in V-BF due to the synergistic effect of influent organic and pyrite, as evidenced by comparable TOC consumption and Fe²⁺/SO₄^2- production. The NREs in P-BF were gradually lower than in V-BF as a result of bacterial cell-iron encrustation observed in TEM images, which would deteriorate microbial activity. However, the phosphorus removal efficiencies (PREs) in P-BF remained consistently higher than in V-BF, resulting from chemical phosphorus removal which was confirmed that P, Fe and O elements dominated on the pyrite surface after use by SEM-EDS. The dominant denitrifying bacteria differed significantly, autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrifying microorganisms coexisted in P-BF. The relative abundances of the narG coding gene in P-BF were higher than that in V-BF, which was consistent with the total relative abundances of identified denitrifying bacteria. Besides, the mechanism of simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal in the pyrite-involved mixotrophic denitrification process has been deduced. This work has significant implications for the practical application of a pyrite-involved mixotrophic denitrification process for low C/N wastewater treatment.

Synthesis of self-renewing Fe(0)-dispersed ordered mesoporous carbon for electrocatalytic reduction of nitrates to nitrogen

In electrocatalytic reduction of nitrates to nitrogen, key issues are electrode activity, sustainable materials, preparation methods and cost. Herein, lignin, Fe³⁺ ion, and non-ionic surfactant were combined with evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) to prepare zero-valent Fe-dispersed ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) electrode materials denoted as Fe#OMC. The method developed for preparing Fe-coordinated OMC material avoids the use of toxic phenols, aldehyde reagents and metal doping compounds. When synthesized Fe#OMC samples were applied as electrode materials for the electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate in aqueous solutions, maximum nitrate nitrogen removal was as high as 5373 mg N·g^-1 Fe from aqueous solutions containing 400 mg·L^-1 NO₃^--N, while nitrogen selectivity was close to 100%, exceeding catalytic performance of comparable materials. Active hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water during the reaction re-reduced Fe ions formed in the OMC material and stabilized Fe#OMC electrode performance and recycle. The Fe#OMC electrode is self-renewing with respect to its Fe zero-valent state, is simple to prepare from sustainable materials and is effective for electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate or nitrogen-containing compounds in water.

Recent advances in the source identification and remediation techniques of nitrate contaminated groundwater: A review

Researchers have long been committed to identify nitrate sources in groundwater and to develop an advanced technique for its remediation because better apply remediation solution and management of water quality is highly dependent on the identification of the NO₃^- sources contamination in water. In this review, we systematically introduce nitrate source tracking tools used over the past ten years including dual isotope and multi isotope techniques, water chemistry profile, Bayesian mixing model, microbial tracers and land use/cover data. These techniques can be combined and exploited to track the source of NO₃^- as mineral or organic fertilizer, sewage, or atmospheric deposition. These available data have significant implications for making an appropriate measures and decisions by water managers. A continuous remediation strategy of groundwater was among the main management strategies that need to be applied in the contaminated area. Nitrate removal from groundwater can be accomplished using either separation or reduction based process. The application of these processes to nitrate removal is discussed in this review and some novel methods were presented for the first time. Moreover, the advantages and limitations of each approach are critically summarized and based on our own understanding of the subject some solutions to overcomes their drawbacks are recommended. Advanced techniques are capable to attain significantly higher nitrate and other co-contaminants removal from groundwater. However, the challenges of by-products generation and high energy consumption need to be addressed in implementing these technologies for groundwater remediation for potable use.

Influence of nitrate concentration on trichloroethylene reductive dechlorination in weak electric stimulation system

The co-existence of volatile chlorinated hydrocarbons (VCHs) and nitrate pollution in groundwater is prominent, but how nitrate exposure affects weak-electrical stimulated bio-dechlorination activity of VCH is largely unknown. Here, by establishing weak-electrical stimulated trichloroethylene (TCE) dechlorination systems, the influence on TCE dechlorination by exposure to the different concentrations (25-100 mg L^-1) of nitrate was investigated. The existence of nitrate in general decreased TCE dechlorination efficiency to varying degrees, and the higher nitrate concentration, the stronger the inhibitory effects, verified by the gradually decreased transcription levels of tceA. Although the TCE dechlorination kinetic rate constant decreased by 36% the most, under all nitrate concentration ranges, TCE could be completely removed within 32 h and no difference in generated metabolites was found, revealing the well-maintained dechlorination activity. This was due to the quickly enriched bio-denitrification activity, which removed nitrate completely within 9 h, and thus relieved the inhibition on TCE dechlorination. The obvious bacterial community structure succession was also observed, from dominating with dechlorination genera (e.g., Acetobacterium, Eubacterium) to dominating with both dechlorination and denitrification genera (e.g., Acidovorax and Brachymonas). The study proposed the great potential for the in situ simultaneous denitrification and dehalogenation in groundwater contaminated with both nitrate and VCHs.

Alkalinity regulation in a sulfur autotrophic denitrifying filter substantially reduced total dissolved solids and sulfate in effluent

Sulfur autotrophic denitrification (SAD) filters are considered a promising technology due to their stable and excellent performance in nitrogen removal, affordable costs, and operational advantages. In this work, a novel operational strategy that employed sodium bicarbonate as an alkalinity source in the autotrophic denitrification filter (S-SAD) was established. With the sufficient supply of alkalinity, the S-SAD reached an excellent denitrification performance (98.01%±0.43%) with a nitrate concentration of 10 mg/L in influent and hydraulic retention time of 3 hrs. The total dissolved solids increment and sulfate concentration in effluent were significantly reduced by one-third, compared with that of the traditional SAD process under the same conditions. The analysis of microbial community indicated that Thiobacilhus, typical species with the functions of simultaneous sulfur oxidation and denitrification, was evidently enriched in the S-SAD. Thus, this present work demonstrated a feasible, relatively cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to operate SAD towards further application.

Simultaneous removal of nitrogen and arsenite by heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification bacterium Hydrogenophaga sp. H7

Introduction

Nitrogen and arsenic contaminants often coexist in groundwater, and microbes show the potential for simultaneous removal of nitrogen and arsenic. Here, we reported that Hydrogenophaga sp. H7 was heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HNAD) and arsenite [As(III)] oxidation bacterium.

Methods

The appearance of nitrogen removal and As(III) oxidation of Hydrogenophaga sp. H7 in liquid culture medium was studied. The effect of carbon source, C/N ratio, temperature, pH values, and shaking speeds were analyzed. The impact of strains H7 treatment with FeCl3 on nitrogen and As(III) in wastewater was assessed. The key pathways that participate in simultaneous nitrogen removal and As(III) oxidation was analyzed by genome and proteomic analysis.

Results and discussion

Strain H7 presented efficient capacities for simultaneous NH₄ ⁺-N, NO₃ ^--N, or NO₂ ^--N removal with As(III) oxidation during aerobic cultivation. Strikingly, the bacterial ability to remove nitrogen and oxidize As(III) has remained high across a wide range of pH values, and shaking speeds, exceeding that of the most commonly reported HNAD bacteria. Additionally, the previous HNAD strains exhibited a high denitrification efficiency, but a suboptimal concentration of nitrogen remained in the wastewater. Here, strain H7 combined with FeCl3 efficiently removed 96.14% of NH₄ ⁺-N, 99.08% of NO₃ ^--N, and 94.68% of total nitrogen (TN), and it oxidized 100% of As(III), even at a low nitrogen concentration (35 mg/L). The residues in the wastewater still met the V of Surface Water Environmental Quality Standard of China after five continuous wastewater treatment cycles. Furthermore, genome and proteomic analyses led us to propose that the shortcut nitrification-denitrification pathway and As(III) oxidase AioBA are the key pathways that participate in simultaneous nitrogen removal and As(III) oxidation.

High redox potential promotes oxidation of pyrite under neutral conditions: Implications for optimizing pyrite autotrophic denitrification

Pyrite autotrophic denitrification (PAD) represents an important natural attenuation process of nitrate pollution and plays a pivotal role in linking nitrogen, sulfur, and iron cycles in a variety of anoxic environments. However, there are knowledge gaps about the oxidation mechanism of pyrite under anaerobic neutral conditions. This study explored the performance of PAD in the presence of EDTA and revealed the mechanism of anaerobic pyrite oxidation and microbial mineral transformation. It was demonstrated that ~200 mV was the electrochemical threshold for converting pyrite into bioavailable forms in PAD conditions, and accelerated pyrite oxidation by Fe³⁺-EDTA complexes can improve the performance of PAD effectively. Furthermore, genus related to sulfur and nitrogen cycle (Sulfurimonas, Denitrobacter) were found at higher abundances in cultures containing EDTA. The analysis of metagenomic binning showed that the microbial community in PAD culture with EDTA addition exhibited higher levels of functional diversity and redundancy. These results will further the understanding of the oxidation mechanism of pyrite under anaerobic neutral conditions and the corresponding microbial activities, and provide insights into the practical application of PAD.