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Guo N, Zhang H, Wang L, Yang Z, Li Z, Wu D, Chen F, Zhu Z, Song L. Metagenomic insights into the influence of pH on antibiotic removal and antibiotic resistance during nitritation: Regulations on functional genus and genes. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 261:119689. [PMID: 39068965 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
The changes in pH and the resulting presence of free nitrous acid (FNA) or free ammonia (FA) often inhibit antibiotic biodegradation during nitritation. However, the specific mechanisms through which pH, FNA and FA influence antibiotic removal and the fate of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) are not yet fully understood. In this study, the effects of pH, FNA, and FA on the removal of cefalexin and amoxicillin during nitritation were investigated. The results revealed that the decreased antibiotic removal under both acidic condition (pH 4.5) and alkaline condition (pH 9.5) was due to the inhibition of the expression of amoA in ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and functional genes (hydrolase-encoding genes, transferase-encoding genes, lyase-encoding genes, and oxidoreductase-encoding genes) in heterotrophs. Furthermore, acidity was the primary inhibitor of antibiotic removal at pH 4.5, followed by FNA. Antibiotic removal was primarily inhibited by alkalinity at pH 9.5, followed by FA. The proliferation of ARGs mediated by mobile genetic element was promoted under both acidic and alkaline conditions, attributed to the promotion of FNA and FA, respectively. Overall, this study highlights the inhibitory effects of acidity and alkalinity on antibiotic removal during nitritation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ning Guo
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China; Resources and Environment Innovation Institute, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Hengyi Zhang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Lin Wang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China; Resources and Environment Innovation Institute, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Zhuhui Yang
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Zhao Li
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Daoji Wu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China; Resources and Environment Innovation Institute, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Feiyong Chen
- Resources and Environment Innovation Institute, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China
| | - Zhaoliang Zhu
- School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, Jinan, 250101, China.
| | - Li Song
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, Jinan, 250000, China.
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2
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Chen Y, Zhang C, Chen Z, Deng Z, Wang Q, Zou Q, Li J, Zhang Y, Wang X. Achieving nitrite shunt using in-situ free ammonia enriched by natural zeolite: Pilot-scale mainstream anammox with flexible nitritation strategy. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 265:122314. [PMID: 39190951 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2024] [Revised: 08/08/2024] [Accepted: 08/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
The mainstream partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) process represents a significant innovation in decarbonizing municipal wastewater treatment. However, its implementation is considerably hampered by the challenge of stable nitrite supply. In this study, a pilot-scale PN/A system receiving real sewage (20 m3) was operated at room temperature for nearly one year. Remarkable PN performance with relatively high nitrite accumulation ratio of 75.04 ± 10.05 % was obtained via in-situ free ammonia (FA) strategy. The ammonium concentration enriched in the zeolite increased significantly by 548.8 times compared to that in the aqueous phase by ion exchange. This substantial increase robustly inhibited nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), resulting in high relative abundance ratio of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) to NOB of 37.93 ± 12.61 in the zeolite biofilm, compared to 10.22 ± 1.67 in suspended floc sludge. The significant differences in FA concentrations between zeolite biofilm and suspended floc sludge resulted in distinct spatial distribution disparities of AOB and NOB, which were central to achieving stable nitrite accumulation without complex multiple selective pressures. Consequently, compliant effluent with total nitrogen of 10.91 ± 4.23 mg N/L was achieved at 10.4-31.1 °C without external carbon source addition. The biocarriers in the anammox process played a key role in enhancing functional genes and electron flow, supporting anammox-dominated nitrogen removal. This study presents a flexible and adaptable strategy for mainstream nitrite shunting, highlighting its potential for large-scale implementation of mainstream anammox treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongxing Chen
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Chuchu Zhang
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Zhenguo Chen
- School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, 510006, China
| | - Zexi Deng
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Qihan Wang
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Qing Zou
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Jiayi Li
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China
| | - Xiaojun Wang
- School of Environment and Energy, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, China; The Key Lab of Pollution Control and Ecosystem Restoration in Industry Clusters, Ministry of Education, China; Hua An Biotech Co., Ltd., Foshan, 528300, China.
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3
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Li S, Kang X, Zuo Z, Islam MS, Yang S, Liu Y, Huang X. Dynamic pH regulation drives Nitrosomonas for high-rate stable acidic partial nitritation. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 262:122078. [PMID: 39018585 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Abstract
How to intensify the ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) is still a bottleneck impeding the technology development for the innovative acidic partial nitritation because the eosinophilic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), such as Nitrosoglobus or Nitrosospira, were inhibited by the high-level free nitrous acid (FNA) accumulation in acidic environments. In this study, an innovative approach of dynamic acidic pH regulation control strategy was proposed to realize high-rate acidic partial nitritation driven by common AOB genus Nitrosomonas. The acidic partial nitrification process was carried out in a laboratory-scale sequencing batch moving bed biofilm reactor (SBMBBR) for long-term (700 days) to track the effect of dynamic acidic pH on nitrifying bacterial activity. The results indicated that the influent NH4+-N concentration was about 100 mg/L, the nitrite accumulation ratio was exceeding 90%, and the maximum AOR can reach 14.5 ± 2.6 mg N L-1h-1. Although the half-saturation inhibition constant of NOB (KI_FNA(AOB)) reached 0.37 ± 0.10 mg HNO2N/L and showed extreme adaptability in FNA, the inactivation effect of FNA (6.1 mg HNO2N/L) for NOB was much greater than that of AOB, with inactivation rates of 0.61 ± 0.08 h-1 and 0.06 ± 0.01 h-1, respectively. The effluent pH was gradually reduced to 4.5 by ammonia oxidation process and the periodic FNA concentration reached 6.5 mg HNO2N/L to inactivate nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) without negatively affecting Nitrosomonas during long-term operation. This result provides new insights for the future implementation of high-rate stabilized acidic partial nitritation by Nitrosomonas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Xiaofeng Kang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Zhiqiang Zuo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China; Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Md Sahidul Islam
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Shaolin Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
| | - Xia Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China
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4
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Lehtovirta-Morley LE, Ge C, Ross J, Yao H, Hazard C, Gubry-Rangin C, Prosser JI, Nicol GW. Nitrosotalea devaniterrae gen. nov., sp. nov. and Nitrosotalea sinensis sp. nov., two acidophilic ammonia oxidising archaea isolated from acidic soil, and proposal of the new order Nitrosotaleales ord. nov. within the class Nitrososphaeria of the phylum Nitrososphaerota. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2024; 74. [PMID: 39348174 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.006387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Two obligately acidophilic, mesophilic and aerobic soil ammonia-oxidising archaea were isolated from a pH 4.5 arable sandy loam (UK) and pH 4.7 acidic sulphate paddy soil (PR China) and designated strains Nd1T and Nd2T, respectively. The strains shared more than 99 % 16S rRNA gene sequence identity and their genomes were both less than 2 Mb in length, sharing 79 % average nucleotide identity, 81 % average amino acid identity and a DNA G+C content of approximately 37 mol%. Both strains were chemolithotrophs that fixed carbon dioxide and gained energy by oxidising ammonia to nitrite, with no evidence of mixotrophic growth. Neither strain was capable of using urea as a source of ammonia. Both strains were non-motile in culture, although Nd1T does possess genes encoding flagella components and therefore may be motile under certain conditions. Cells of Nd1T were small angular rods 0.5-1 µm in length and grew at pH 4.2-5.6 and at 20-30 °C. Cells of Nd1T were small angular rods 0.5-1 µm in length and grew at pH 4.0-6.1 and at 20-42 °C. Nd1T and Nd2T are distinct with respect to genomic and physiological features and are assigned as the type strains for the species Nitrosotalea devaniterrae sp. nov. (type strain, Nd1T=NCIMB 15248T=DSM 110862T) and Nitrosotalea sinensis sp. nov. (type strain, Nd2T=NCIMB 15249T=DSM 110863T), respectively, within the genus Nitrosotalea gen. nov. The family Nitrosotaleaceae fam. nov. and order Nitrosotaleales ord. nov. are also proposed officially.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chaorong Ge
- Wuhan Institute of Technology, 206 Guanggu 1st Road, Wuhan 430205, PR China
| | - Jenna Ross
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, Scotland, UK
| | - Huaiying Yao
- Wuhan Institute of Technology, 206 Guanggu 1st Road, Wuhan 430205, PR China
- Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen, 361021, PR China
| | - Christina Hazard
- Univ Lyon, CNRS, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Ampère, UMR5005, 69134 Ecully, France
| | - Cécile Gubry-Rangin
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, Scotland, UK
| | - James I Prosser
- Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, Scotland, UK
| | - Graeme W Nicol
- Univ Lyon, CNRS, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Ampère, UMR5005, 69134 Ecully, France
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5
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Kong Z, Wang Z, Lu X, Song Y, Yuan Z, Hu S. Significant in situ sludge yield reduction in an acidic activated sludge system. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 261:122042. [PMID: 38986284 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/12/2024]
Abstract
Minimizing sludge generation in activated sludge systems is critical to reducing the operational cost of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), particularly for small plants where bioenergy is not recovered. This study introduces a novel acidic activated sludge technology for in situ sludge yield reduction, leveraging acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (Candidatus Nitrosoglobus). The observed sludge yield (Yobs) was calculated based on the cumulative sludge generation and COD removal during 400 d long-term operation. The acidic process achieved a low Yobs of 0.106 ± 0.004 gMLSS/gCOD at pH 4.6 to 4.8 and in situ free nitrous acid (FNA) of 1 to 3 mg/L, reducing sludge production by 58 % compared to the conventional neutral-pH system (Yobs of 0.250 ± 0.003 gMLSS/gCOD). The acidic system also maintained effective sludge settling and organic matter removal over long-term operation. Mechanism studies revealed that the acidic sludge displayed higher endogenous respiration, sludge hydrolysis rates, and higher soluble microbial products and loosely-bounded extracellular polymer substances, compared to the neutral sludge. It also selectively enriched several hydrolytic genera (e.g., Chryseobacterium, Acidovorax, and Ottowia). Those results indicate that the acidic pH and in situ FNA enhanced sludge disintegration, hydrolysis, and cryptic growth. Besides, a lower intracellular ATP content was observed for acidic sludge than neutral sludge, suggesting potential decoupling of catabolism and anabolism in the acidic sludge. These findings collectively demonstrate that the acidic activated sludge technology could significantly reduce sludge yield, contributing to more cost- and space-effective wastewater management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zheng Kong
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Xi Lu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yunqian Song
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, PR China
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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6
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Wang Z, Lu X, Zheng M, Hu Z, Batstone D, Yuan Z, Hu S. Quadrupling the capacity of post aerobic digestion treating anaerobically digested sludge using a moving-bed biofilm (MBBR) configuration. WATER RESEARCH X 2024; 24:100240. [PMID: 39193397 PMCID: PMC11347825 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2024.100240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2024] [Revised: 07/16/2024] [Accepted: 07/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024]
Abstract
Wastewater treatment plants produce large amounts of sludge requiring stabilization before safe disposal. Traditional biological stabilization approaches are cost-effective but generally require either an extended retention time (10-40 days), or elevated temperatures (40-80 °C) for effective pathogens inactivation. This study overcomes these limitations via a novel acidic aerobic digestion process, leveraging an acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) Candidatus Nitrosoglobus. To retain this novel but slowly growing AOB, we proposed the first-ever application of a classical wastewater configuration-moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR)-for sludge treatment. The AOB in biofilm maintains acidic pH and high nitrite levels in sludge, generating free nitrous acid in situ to expedite sludge stabilization. This process was tested in two laboratory-scale aerobic digesters processing full-scale anaerobically digested sludge. At an ambient temperature of 20 °C, pathogens were reduced to levels well below the threshold specified for the highest stabilization level (Class A), within a retention time of 3.5 days. A high volatile solids reduction of 27.4 ± 5.2% was achieved. Through drastically accelerating stabilization and enhancing reduction, this process substantially saves capital and operational costs for sludge disposal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC) The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Xi Lu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC) The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Zhetai Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC) The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Damien Batstone
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC) The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland 4072 Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- School of Energy and Environment City University of Hong Kong Hong Kong SAR China
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC) The University of Queensland St. Lucia Queensland 4072 Australia
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7
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Zhang F, Du Z, Wang J, Du Y, Peng Y. Acidophilic partial nitrification (pH<6) facilitates ultra-efficient short-flow nitrogen transformation: Experimental validation and genomic insights. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 260:121921. [PMID: 38924807 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Partial nitrification (PN) represents an energy-efficient bioprocess; however, it often confronts challenges such as unstable nitrite accumulation, nitrite oxidizing bacteria shocks, and slow reaction rate. This study established an acidophilic PN with self-sustained pH as low as 5.36. Over 120-day monitoring, nitrite accumulation rate (NAR) was stabilized at more than 97.9 %, and an ultra-high ammonia oxidation rate of 0.81 kg/m3·d was achieved. Notably, least NAR of 77.8 % persisted even under accidental nitrite oxidizing bacteria invasion, aeration delay, alkalinity fluctuations, and cooling shocks. During processing, despite detrimental effects on bacterial diversity, there was a discernible increase in acid-tolerant bacteria responsible for nitrification. Candidatus Nitrosoglobus, gradually dominated in nitrifying guild (2.15 %), with the substantially reduction or disappearance of typical nitrifying microorganisms. Acidobacteriota, a key player in nitrogen cycling of soil, significantly increased from 0.45 % to 9.98 %, and its associated nitrogen metabolism genes showed a substantial 215 % rise. AmoB emerged as the most critical functional gene influencing acidophilic PN, exhibiting significantly higher unit gene expression than other nitrification genes. Blockade tricarboxylic acid cycle, DNA damage, and presence of free nitrous acid exert substantial effects on nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), serving as internal driving forces for acidophilic PN. This highlights the reliable potential for shortening nitrogen transformation process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fangzhai Zhang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Ziyi Du
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Jiahui Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yujia Du
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, PR China.
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8
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Zhou H, Long J, Qin M, Ji X, Wang J, Qian F, Shen Y, Liu W. Successful operation of nitrifying granules at low pH in a continuous-flow reactor: Nitrification performance, granule stability, and microbial community. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 366:121793. [PMID: 38991342 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2024] [Revised: 06/29/2024] [Accepted: 07/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Acidic nitrification, as a novel process for treating wastewater without sufficient alkalinity, has received increasing attention over the years. In this study, a continuous-flow reactor with aerobic granular sludge was successful operated at low pH (<6.5) performing high-rate acidic nitrification. Volumetric ammonium oxidation rate of 0.4-1.2 kg/(m3·d) were achieved with the specific biomass activities of 5.8-13.9 mg N/(gVSS·h). Stable partial nitritation with nitrite accumulation efficiency over 85% could be maintained at pH above 6 with the aid of residual ammonium, whereas the nitrite accumulation disappeared when pH was below 6. Interestingly, the granule morphology significantly improved during the acidic operation. The increased secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (especially polysaccharides) suggested a self-protective behavior of microbes in the aerobic granules against acidic stress. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses indicated that Candidatus Nitrospira defluvii was always the dominant nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, while the dominant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria shifted from Nitrosomonas europaea to Nitrosomonas mobilis. This study, for the first time, demonstrated the improved stability of aerobic granules under acidic conditions, and also highlighted aerobic granules as a useful solution to achieve high-rate acidic nitrification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Han Zhou
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Jing Long
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Manyu Qin
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Xiaoming Ji
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, China
| | - Jianfang Wang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Feiyue Qian
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Yaoliang Shen
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China
| | - Wenru Liu
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China; National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Municipal Sewage Resource Utilization Technology, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, 215009, China.
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9
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Niu C, Ying Y, Zhao J, Zheng M, Guo J, Yuan Z, Hu S, Liu T. Superior mainstream partial nitritation in an acidic membrane-aerated biofilm reactor. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 257:121692. [PMID: 38713935 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/09/2024]
Abstract
Shortcut nitrogen removal holds significant economic appeal for mainstream wastewater treatment. Nevertheless, it is too difficult to achieve the stable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and simultaneously maintain the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). This study proposes to overcome this challenge by employing the novel acid-tolerant AOB, namely "Candidatus Nitrosoglobus", in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR). Superior partial nitritation was demonstrated in low-strength wastewater from two aspects. First, the long-term operation (256 days) under the acidic pH range of 5.0 to 5.2 showed the successful NOB washout by the in situ free nitrous acid (FNA) of approximately 1 mg N/L. This was evidenced by the stable nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) close to 100 % and the disappearance of NOB shown by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Second, oxygen was sufficiently supplied in the MABR, leading to an unprecedentedly high ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) at 2.4 ± 0.1 kg N/(m3 d) at a short hydraulic retention time (HRT) of a mere 30 min. Due to the counter diffusion of substrates, the present acidic MABR displayed a significantly higher apparent oxygen affinity (0.36 ± 0.03 mg O2/L), a marginally lower apparent ammonia affinity (14.9 ± 1.9 mg N/L), and a heightened sensitivity to FNA and pH variations, compared with counterparts determined by flocculant acid-tolerant AOB. Beyond supporting the potential application of shortcut nitrogen removal in mainstream wastewater, this study also offers the attractive prospect of intensifying wastewater treatment by markedly reducing the HRT of the aerobic unit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenkai Niu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yifeng Ying
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Sustainable Minerals Institute (SMI), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong 999077, China.
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10
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Wang Z, Lu X, Zhang X, Yuan Z, Zheng M, Hu S. Ammonium-based bioleaching of toxic metals from sewage sludge in a continuous bioreactor. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 256:121651. [PMID: 38657312 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
The broader reuse of sewage sludge as a soil fertilizer or conditioner is impeded by the presence of toxic metals. Bioleaching, a process that leverages microbial metabolisms and metabolites for metal extraction, is viewed as an economically and environmentally feasible approach for metal removal. This study presents an innovative bioleaching process based on microbial oxidation of ammonia released from sludge hydrolysis, mediated by a novel acid tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), Ca. Nitrosoglobus. Over a span of 1024 days, a laboratory-scale bioleaching reactor processing anaerobically digested (AD) sludge achieved an in-situ pH of 2.5 ± 0.3. This acidic environment facilitated efficient leaching of toxic metals from AD sludge, upgrading its quality from Grade C to Grade A (qualified for unrestricted use), according to both stabilization and contaminants criteria. The improved quality of AD sludge could potentially reduce sludge disposal expenses and enable a broader reuse of biosolids. Furthermore, this study revealed a pH-dependent total ammonia affinity of Ca. Nitrosoglobus, with a higher affinity constant at pH 3.5 (67.3 ± 20.7 mg N/L) compared to pH 4.5-7.5 (7.6 - 9.6 mg N/L). This finding indicates that by optimizing ammonium concentrations, the efficiency of this novel ammonium-based bioleaching process could be significantly increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Xi Lu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Xueqin Zhang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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11
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Li S, Islam MS, Yang S, Xue Y, Liu Y, Huang X. Potential stimulation of nitrifying bacteria activities and genera by landfill leachate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 912:168620. [PMID: 37977385 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Revised: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
With the increasing complexity of influent composition in wastewater treatment plants, the potential stimulating effects of refractory organic matter in wastewater on growth characteristics and genera conversion of nitrifying bacteria (ammonium-oxidizing bacteria [AOB] and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria [NOB]) need to be further investigated. In this study, domestic wastewater was co-treated with landfill leachate in the lab-scale reactor, and the competition and co-existence of NOB genera Nitrotoga and Nitrospira were observed. The results demonstrated that the addition of landfill leachate could induce the growth of Nitrotoga, whereas Nitrotoga populations remain less competitive in domestic wastewater operation. In addition, the refractory organic matter in the landfill leachate also would have a potential stimulating effect on the maximum specific growth rate of AOB genus Nitrosomonas (μmax, aob). The μmax, aob of Nitrosomonas in the control group was estimated to be 0.49 d-1 by fitting the ASM model, and the μmax, aob reached 0.66-0.71 d-1 after injection of refractory organic matter in the landfill leachate, while the maximum specific growth rate of NOB (μmax, nob) was always in the range of 1.05-1.13 d-1. These findings have positive significance for the understanding of potential stimulation on nitrification processes and the stable operation of innovative wastewater treatment process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siqi Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Md Sahidul Islam
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shaolin Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yu Xue
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.
| | - Xia Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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12
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Wang K, Li J, Gu X, Wang H, Li X, Peng Y, Wang Y. How to Provide Nitrite Robustly for Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation in Mainstream Nitrogen Removal. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:21503-21526. [PMID: 38096379 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c05600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2023]
Abstract
Innovation in decarbonizing wastewater treatment is urgent in response to global climate change. The practical implementation of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) treating domestic wastewater is the key to reconciling carbon-neutral management of wastewater treatment with sustainable development. Nitrite availability is the prerequisite of the anammox reaction, but how to achieve robust nitrite supply and accumulation for mainstream systems remains elusive. This work presents a state-of-the-art review on the recent advances in nitrite supply for mainstream anammox, paying special attention to available pathways (forward-going (from ammonium to nitrite) and backward-going (from nitrate to nitrite)), key controlling strategies, and physiological and ecological characteristics of functional microorganisms involved in nitrite supply. First, we comprehensively assessed the mainstream nitrite-oxidizing bacteria control methods, outlining that these technologies are transitioning to technologies possessing multiple selective pressures (such as intermittent aeration and membrane-aerated biological reactor), integrating side stream treatment (such as free ammonia/free nitrous acid suppression in recirculated sludge treatment), and maintaining high activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and anammox bacteria for competing oxygen and nitrite with nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. We then highlight emerging strategies of nitrite supply, including the nitrite production driven by novel ammonia-oxidizing microbes (ammonia-oxidizing archaea and complete ammonia oxidation bacteria) and nitrate reduction pathways (partial denitrification and nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation). The resources requirement of different mainstream nitrite supply pathways is analyzed, and a hybrid nitrite supply pathway by combining partial nitrification and nitrate reduction is encouraged. Moreover, data-driven modeling of a mainstream nitrite supply process as well as proactive microbiome management is proposed in the hope of achieving mainstream nitrite supply in practical application. Finally, the existing challenges and further perspectives are highlighted, i.e., investigation of nitrite-supplying bacteria, the scaling-up of hybrid nitrite supply technologies from laboratory to practical implementation under real conditions, and the data-driven management for the stable performance of mainstream nitrite supply. The fundamental insights in this review aim to inspire and advance our understanding about how to provide nitrite robustly for mainstream anammox and shed light on important obstacles warranting further settlement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaichong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Jia Li
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Xin Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Han Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
| | - Xiang Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, P. R. China
| | - Yongzhen Peng
- National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Engineering Research Center of Beijing, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, P. R. China
| | - Yayi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, P. R. China
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13
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Jiang CK, Deng YF, Xu Z, Siriweera B, Wu D, Chen GH. Sulphate reduction, mixed sulphide- and thiosulphate-driven Autotrophic denitrification, NItrification, and Anammox (SANIA) integrated process for sustainable wastewater treatment. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 247:120824. [PMID: 37956523 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
This study proposes the Sulphate reduction, mixed sulphide- and thiosulphate-driven Autotrophic denitrification, Nitrification, and Anammox integrated (SANIA) process for sustainable treatment of mainstream wastewater after organics capture. Three moving-bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) were applied for developing sulphate reduction (SR), mixed sulphide- and thiosulphate-driven partial denitrification and Anammox (MSPDA), and NItrification (N), respectively. Typical mainstream wastewater after organics capture (e.g., chemically enhanced primary treatment, CEPT) was synthesized with chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 110 mg/L, sulphate of 50 mg S/L, ammonium of 30 mgN/L. The feasibility of SANIA was investigated with mimic nitrifying effluent supplied in MSPDA-MBBR (Period I), followed by the examination of the applicability of SANIA process with N-MBBR integrated (Period II), under moderate temperatures (25-27 ℃). In Period I, SANIA process was established with both SR- and MSPDA-MBBR continuously operated for over 300 days (no Anammox biomass inoculation). Specifically, in MSPDA-MBBR, high rates of denitratation (2.7 gN/(m2·d)) and Anammox (2.8 gN/(m2·d)) were achieved with Anammox contributing to 81 % of the total inorganic nitrogen removal. In Period II, the integrated SANIA system was continuously operated for over 130 days, achieving up to 90 % of COD, 93 % of ammonium, and 61 % of total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal, with effluent concentrations lower than 10 mg COD/L, 3 mg NH4+-N/L, and 13 mg TIN-N/L. The implementation of SANIA can ultimately reduce 75 % and 40 % of organics and aeration energy for biological nitrogen removal. Considering the combination of SANIA with CEPT for carbon capture and sludge digestion/incineration for energy recovery, the new integrated wastewater technology can be a promising strategy for sustainable wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chu-Kuan Jiang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Technology Centre, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yang-Fan Deng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Technology Centre, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China; Wastewater Treatment Laboratory, Fok Ying Tung Graduate School, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zou Xu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Technology Centre, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Buddhima Siriweera
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Technology Centre, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China
| | - Di Wu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Technology Centre, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China; Centre for Environment and Energy Research, Ghent University Global Campus, Incheon, South Korea; Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, and Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery, Ghent, Belgium.
| | - Guang-Hao Chen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Water Technology Centre, Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Control & Treatment of Heavy Metal Pollution, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, China; Wastewater Treatment Laboratory, Fok Ying Tung Graduate School, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Guangzhou, China.
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14
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Xue Y, Zheng M, Cheng Z, Li S, Yang S, Liu Y, Qian Y, Huang X. Dynamic Simulation of Nitrifying Microbial Communities for Establishing Acidic Partial Nitritation in Suspended Activated Sludge. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:17542-17552. [PMID: 37909179 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c01282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2023]
Abstract
Acidic partial nitritation (PN) is a promising technology to achieve low-cost and energy-efficient shortcut nitrogen removal from wastewater. However, a comprehensive understanding of the acidic PN under dynamic changes of pH in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) is still lacking. In this study, we successfully established acidic PN (NO2- accumulation ratio >80%) under dynamic pH variation from 7.0 to 4.5 in a lab-scale SBR. By accumulating in situ free nitrous acid (FNA) generation based on the dynamic pH change, acidic PN maintained stability even at a low NH4+ concentration of 100 mg N L-1. The microbial community analysis revealed that two ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) genera, Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas, successfully coexisted and cooperated during acidic PN. None of the species of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) showed adaptation to intermittent inhibition of in situ FNA even under high DO conditions (>4.0 mg O2 L-1). Furthermore, we innovatively incorporated the classic nitrification model with the growth and decay of different nitrifying bacterial species and their inhibition by pH, FNA, and free ammonia (FA) to predict the nitrifying microbial communities shifting for establishing acidic PN. The extended model was calibrated by using short-term batch experiments and was validated by using long-term dynamic data of the nitrifying microbial community during SBR operation. The validated model was further used to identify feasible influent conditions for the SBR PN process, including influent HCO3- concentration, NH4+ concentration and molar ratio (HCO3/NH4+). Outcomes from this study support the optimal design of acidic PN-based short-cut nitrogen removal processes for future application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Xue
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhao Cheng
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Siqi Li
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Shaolin Yang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Yi Qian
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Xia Huang
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
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15
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Hu Z, Liu T, Su Z, Zhao J, Guo J, Hu S, Yuan Z, Zheng M. Adaptation of anammox process for nitrogen removal from acidic nitritation effluent in a low pH moving bed biofilm reactor. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 243:120370. [PMID: 37482002 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023]
Abstract
Acidic partial nitritation (PN) has emerged to be a promisingly stable process in wastewater treatment, which can simultaneously achieve nitrite accumulation and about half of ammonium reduction. However, directly applying anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process to treat the acidic PN effluent (pH 4-5) is susceptible to the inhibition of anammox bacteria. Here, this study demonstrated the adaptation of anammox process to acidic pH in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). By feeding the laboratory-scale MBBR with acidic PN effluent (pH = 4.6 ± 0.2), the pH of an anammox reactor was self-sustained in the range of pH 5 - 6. Yet, a high total nitrogen removal efficiency of over 80% at a practical loading rate of up to 149.7 ± 3.9 mg N/L/d was achieved. Comprehensive microbial assessment, including amplicon sequencing, metagenomics, cryosection-FISH, and qPCR, identified that Candidatus Brocadia, close to known neutrophilic members, was the dominant anammox bacteria. Anammox bacteria were found present in the inner layer of thick biofilms but barely present in the surface layer of thick biofilms and in thin biofilms. Results from batch tests also showed that the activity of anammox biofilms could be maintained when subjected to pH 5 at a nitrite concentration of 10 mg N/L, whereas the activity was completely inhibited after disturbing the biofilm structure. These results collectively indicate that the anammox bacteria enriched in the present acidic MBBR could not be inherently acid-tolerant. Instead, the achieved stable anammox performance under the acidic condition is likely due to biofilm stratification and protection. This result highlights the biofilm configuration as a useful solution to address nitrogen removal from acidic PN effluent, and also suggests that biofilm may play a critical role in protecting anammox bacteria found in many acidic nature environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhetai Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zicheng Su
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Ecological Engineering of Mine Wastes, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong China.
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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16
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Su Z, Liu T, Guo J, Zheng M. Nitrite Oxidation in Wastewater Treatment: Microbial Adaptation and Suppression Challenges. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:12557-12570. [PMID: 37589598 PMCID: PMC10470456 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c00636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Microbial nitrite oxidation is the primary pathway that generates nitrate in wastewater treatment systems and can be performed by a variety of microbes: namely, nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Since NOB were first isolated 130 years ago, the understanding of the phylogenetical and physiological diversities of NOB has been gradually deepened. In recent endeavors of advanced biological nitrogen removal, NOB have been more considered as a troublesome disruptor, and strategies on NOB suppression often fail in practice after long-term operation due to the growth of specific NOB that are able to adapt to even harsh conditions. In line with a review of the history of currently known NOB genera, a phylogenetic tree is constructed to exhibit a wide range of NOB in different phyla. In addition, the growth behavior and metabolic performance of different NOB strains are summarized. These specific features of various NOB (e.g., high oxygen affinity of Nitrospira, tolerance to chemical inhibitors of Nitrobacter and Candidatus Nitrotoga, and preference to high temperature of Nitrolancea) highlight the differentiation of the NOB ecological niche in biological nitrogen processes and potentially support their adaptation to different suppression strategies (e.g., low dissolved oxygen, chemical treatment, and high temperature). This review implicates the acquired physiological characteristics of NOB to their emergence from a genomic and ecological perspective and emphasizes the importance of understanding physiological characterization and genomic information in future wastewater treatment studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zicheng Su
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water
and Environmental Biotechnology, The University
of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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17
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Ni G, Leung PM, Daebeler A, Guo J, Hu S, Cook P, Nicol GW, Daims H, Greening C. Nitrification in acidic and alkaline environments. Essays Biochem 2023; 67:753-768. [PMID: 37449414 PMCID: PMC10427799 DOI: 10.1042/ebc20220194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic nitrification is a key process in the global nitrogen cycle mediated by microorganisms. While nitrification has primarily been studied in near-neutral environments, this process occurs at a wide range of pH values, spanning ecosystems from acidic soils to soda lakes. Aerobic nitrification primarily occurs through the activities of ammonia-oxidising bacteria and archaea, nitrite-oxidising bacteria, and complete ammonia-oxidising (comammox) bacteria adapted to these environments. Here, we review the literature and identify knowledge gaps on the metabolic diversity, ecological distribution, and physiological adaptations of nitrifying microorganisms in acidic and alkaline environments. We emphasise that nitrifying microorganisms depend on a suite of physiological adaptations to maintain pH homeostasis, acquire energy and carbon sources, detoxify reactive nitrogen species, and generate a membrane potential at pH extremes. We also recognize the broader implications of their activities primarily in acidic environments, with a focus on agricultural productivity and nitrous oxide emissions, as well as promising applications in treating municipal wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaofeng Ni
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Pok Man Leung
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Anne Daebeler
- Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre CAS, Ceske Budejovice, Czechia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (Formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (Formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Perran Cook
- School of Chemistry, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Graeme W Nicol
- Univ Lyon, CNRS, INSA Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Ecole Centrale de Lyon, Ampère, UMR5005, 69134 Ecully, France
| | - Holger Daims
- Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- The Comammox Research Platform, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Chris Greening
- Department of Microbiology, Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Securing Antarctica's Environmental Future, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Centre to Impact AMR, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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18
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Lu D, Gong H, Diao S, Shi W, Yin R, Dai X. Enhanced sludge settlement of two stage PN/Anammox for reject water treatment with respective diatomite addition. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 877:162784. [PMID: 36906019 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated the potential of diatomite addition in enhancing sludge settlement of two-stage PN/Anammox for real reject water treatment, with a focus on sludge settling velocity, nitrogen removal capacity, sludge morphological features, and microbial community changes. The study found that diatomite addition significantly improved the sludge settleability of the two-stage PN/A process, resulting in a decrease in sludge volume index (SVI) from 70 to 80 mL/g to about 20-30 mL/g for both PN and Anammox sludge, although the sludge-diatomite interaction differed between the two types of sludge. In the PN sludge, diatomite acted as a carrier, while in the Anammox sludge, it acted as micro-nuclei. The addition of diatomite also increased the biomass amounts in the PN reactor, with a 5-29 % improvement attributed to its role as a biofilm carrier. The effects of diatomite addition on sludge settleability were more prominent at high mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS), where sludge characteristics were deteriorated. Furthermore, the settling rate of the experimental group consistently exceeded that of the blank group after diatomite addition, with a significant decrease in SV. The relative abundance of Anammox bacteria was improved, and sludge particle size decreased in the diatomite-added Anammox reactor. Diatomite was effectively retained in both reactors, with less loss observed for Anammox than PN due to its more tightly wrapped structure, resulting in a stronger sludge-diatomite interaction. Overall, the results of this study suggest that diatomite addition has potential in enhancing the settling properties and performance of two-stage PN/Anammox for real reject water treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dandan Lu
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electric Power University, Shanghai 201306, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Hui Gong
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Siyuan Diao
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electric Power University, Shanghai 201306, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Wenjing Shi
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electric Power University, Shanghai 201306, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Ruihong Yin
- School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Electric Power University, Shanghai 201306, China; College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Xiaohu Dai
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Institute of Carbon Neutrality, State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resources Reuse, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
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19
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Zheng M, Li H, Duan H, Liu T, Wang Z, Zhao J, Hu Z, Watts S, Meng J, Liu P, Rattier M, Larsen E, Guo J, Dwyer J, Akker BVD, Lloyd J, Hu S, Yuan Z. One-year stable pilot-scale operation demonstrates high flexibility of mainstream anammox application. WATER RESEARCH X 2023; 19:100166. [PMID: 36685722 PMCID: PMC9845764 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2023.100166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Mainstream nitrogen removal via anammox is widely recognized as a promising wastewater treatment process. However, its application is challenging at large scale due to unstable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). In this study, a pilot-scale mainstream anammox process was implemented in an Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge (IFAS) configuration. Stable operation with robust NOB suppression was maintained for over one year. This was achieved through integration of three key control strategies: i) low dissolved oxygen (DO = 0.4 ± 0.2 mg O2/L), ii) regular free nitrous acid (FNA)-based sludge treatment, and iii) residual ammonium concentration control (NH4 + with a setpoint of ∼8 mg N/L). Activity tests and FISH demonstrated that NOB barely survived in sludge flocs and were inhibited in biofilms. Despite receiving organic-deficient wastewater from a pilot-scale High-Rate Activated Sludge (HRAS) system as the feed, the system maintained a stable effluent total nitrogen concentration mostly below 10 mg N/L, which was attributed to the successful retention of anammox bacteria. This study successfully demonstrated large-scale long-term mainstream anammox application and generated new practical knowledge for NOB control and anammox retention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Corresponding authors.
| | - Huijuan Li
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Urban Utilities, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhetai Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shane Watts
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jia Meng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Peng Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Maxime Rattier
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Eloise Larsen
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jason Dwyer
- Urban Utilities, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Ben Van Den Akker
- South Australian Water Corporation, 250 Victoria Square, Adelaide SA 5000, Australia
| | - James Lloyd
- Melbourne Water, 990 La Trobe St, Docklands, VIC, 3000, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Corresponding authors.
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
- Corresponding authors.
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20
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Hu M, Zhang H, Tian Y. Achieving nitrogen removal with low material and energy consumption through partial nitrification coupled with short-cut sulfur autotrophic denitrification in a single-stage SBR. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 380:128999. [PMID: 37011844 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
An innovative partial nitrification and short-cut sulfur autotrophic denitrification (PN-SSAD, NH4+-N → NO2--N → N2) coupled system in a single-stage SBR was proposed to treat low C/N wastewater with low material and energy consumption. Nearly 50 % alkalinity consumption and 40 % sulfate production were reduced in S0-SSAD compared with S0-SAD, whereas the autotrophic denitrification rate was increased by 65 %. In S0-PN-SSAD, the TN removal efficiency reached almost 99 % without additional organic carbon. Furthermore, pyrite (FeS2) rather than S0 served as the electron donor to optimize the PN-SSAD process. The practical sulfate production in S0-PN-SSAD and FeS2-PN-SSAD were about 38 % and 52 % lower than complete nitrification and sulfur autotrophic denitrification (CN-SAD), respectively. Thiobacillus was the major autotrophic denitrification bacteria in S0-PN-SSAD (34.47 %) and FeS2-PN-SSAD (14.88 %). Nitrosomonas and Thiobacillus played a synergistic effect in the coupled system. FeS2-PN-SSAD is expected as an alternative technology for nitrification and heterotrophic denitrification (HD) in treating low C/N wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingxing Hu
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Hanmin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education, MOE), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, China.
| | - Yu Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment (SKLUWRE), School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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21
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Zuo F, Yue W, Gui S, Sui Q, Wei Y. Resilience of anammox application from sidestream to mainstream: A combined system coupling denitrification, partial nitritation and partial denitrification with anammox. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 374:128783. [PMID: 36828226 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a potential process to achieve the neutralization of energy and carbon. Due to the low temperature and variation of municipal sewage, the application of mainstream anammox is hard to be implemented. For spreading mainstream anammox in practice, several key issues and bottlenecks including the start-up, stable NO2--N supply, maintenance and dominance of AnAOB with high activity, prevention of NO3--N buildup, reduction of sludge loss, adaption to the seasonal temperature and alleviation of COD impacts on AnAOB are discussed and summarized in this review in order to improve its startup, stable operation and resilience of mainstream anammox. Hence a combined biological nitrogen removal (CBNR) system based on conventional denitrification, shortcut nitrification-denitrification, Partial Nitritation and partial Denitrification combined Anammox (PANDA) process through the management of organic matter and nitrate is proposed correspondingly aiming at adaptation to the variations of seasonal temperature and pollutants in influent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fumin Zuo
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenhui Yue
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Shuanglin Gui
- Institute of Energy, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China
| | - Qianwen Sui
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yuansong Wei
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Laboratory of Water Pollution Control Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; Institute of Energy, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China.
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22
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Li D, Ren Z, Zhou Y, Jiang L, Zheng M, Liu G. Comammox Nitrospira and Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Are Dominant Ammonia Oxidizers in Sediments of an Acid Mine Lake Containing High Ammonium Concentrations. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0004723. [PMID: 36912626 PMCID: PMC10056971 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00047-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Exploring nitrifiers in extreme environments is vital to expanding our understanding of nitrogen cycle and microbial diversity. This study presents that complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) Nitrospira, together with acidophilic ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), dominate in the nitrifying guild in sediments of an acid mine lake (AML). The lake water was characterized by acidic pH below 5 with a high ammonium concentration of 175 mg-N/liter, which is rare on the earth. Nitrification was active in sediments with a maximum nitrate production potential of 70.5 μg-N/(g-dry weight [dw] day) for mixed sediments. Quantitative PCR assays determined that in AML sediments, comammox Nitrospira and AOA amoA genes had relative abundances of 52% and 41%, respectively, among the total amoA genes. Further assays with 16S rRNA and amoA gene amplicon sequencing and metagenomics confirmed their dominance and revealed that the comammox Nitrospira found in sediments belonged to comammox Nitrospira clade A.2. Metagenomic binning retrieved a metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) of the comammox Nitrospira from sediments (completeness = 96.76%), and phylogenomic analysis suggested that it was a novel comammox Nitrospira. Comparative genomic investigation revealed that this comammox Nitrospira contained diverse metal resistance genes and an acidophile-affiliated F-type ATPase. Moreover, it had a more diverse genomic characteristic on nitrogen metabolism than the AOA in sediments and canonical AOB did. The results suggest that comammox Nitrospira is a versatile nitrifier that can adapt to acidic environments even with high ammonium concentrations. IMPORTANCE Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was previously considered the sole dominant ammonia oxidizer in acidic environments. This study, however, found that complete ammonia oxidation (comammox) Nitrospira was also a dominant ammonia oxidizer in the sediments of an acidic mine lake, which had an acidic pH < 5 and a high ammonium concentration of 175 mg-N/liter. In combination with average nucleotide identity analysis, phylogenomic analysis suggested it is a novel strain of comammox Nitrospira. Moreover, the adaption of comammox Nitrospira to the acidic lake had been comprehensively investigated based on genome-centric metagenomic approaches. The outcomes of this study significantly expand our understanding of the diversity and adaptability of ammonia oxidizers in the acidic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deyong Li
- Center for Environmental Microplastics Studies, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
| | - Zhichang Ren
- Center for Environmental Microplastics Studies, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
| | - Yangqi Zhou
- Center for Environmental Microplastics Studies, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
| | - Lugao Jiang
- Center for Environmental Microplastics Studies, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Guoqiang Liu
- Center for Environmental Microplastics Studies, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Water Treatment Processes and Materials, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution and Health, and School of Environment, Jinan University, Guangzhou, and Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai, China
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23
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Hu Z, Liu T, Wang Z, Meng J, Zheng M. Toward Energy Neutrality: Novel Wastewater Treatment Incorporating Acidophilic Ammonia Oxidation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:4522-4532. [PMID: 36897644 PMCID: PMC10035426 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c06444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) followed by partial nitritation and anammox (PN/A) and anaerobic digestion (AD) is a promising roadmap to achieve energy-neutral wastewater treatment. However, the acidification of wastewater caused by ferric hydrolysis in CEPT and how to achieve stable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in PN/A challenge this paradigm in practice. This study proposes a novel wastewater treatment scheme to overcome these challenges. Results showed that, by dosing FeCl3 at 50 mg Fe/L, the CEPT process removed 61.8% of COD and 90.1% of phosphate and reduced the alkalinity as well. Feeding by low alkalinity wastewater, stable nitrite accumulation was achieved in an aerobic reactor operated at pH 4.35 aided by a novel acid-tolerant ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), namely, Candidatus Nitrosoglobus. After polishing in a following anoxic reactor (anammox), a satisfactory effluent, containing COD at 41.9 ± 11.2 mg/L, total nitrogen at 5.1 ± 1.8 mg N/L, and phosphate at 0.3 ± 0.2 mg P/L, was achieved. Moreover, the stable performances of this integration were well maintained at an operating temperature of 12 °C, and 10 investigated micropollutants were removed from the wastewater. An energy balance assessment indicated that the integrated system could achieve energy self-sufficiency in domestic wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhetai Hu
- Australian
Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Australian
Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Australian
Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
| | - Jia Meng
- State
Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian
Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Queensland, Australia
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24
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Yue X, Liu H, Wei H, Chang L, Gong Z, Zheng L, Yin F. Reactive and microbial inhibitory mechanisms depicting the panoramic view of pH stress effect on common biological nitrification. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 231:119660. [PMID: 36716566 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.119660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Revised: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
pH is a crucial factor of microbial nitrification, which often combines with high-strength ammonium to influence nitrogen removal pathway in wastewater treatment. However, the detailed inhibitory mechanisms of pH stress are not sufficiently disclosed yet. In this study, the pH stress effect on nitrification was comprehensively studied by a set of experiments which identified the reactivity of nitrification processes and activity of nitrifiers, the time dependence of inhibition effect and the hybrid pH stress effect with ammonium. The results revealed two distinct inhibitory mechanisms dominating in alkaline and acid ranges. In alkaline range (pH > 8), pH stress causes physiological damages on microorganisms which is named as microbial inhibition. It has the features of less recoverability of nitrifiers, time-dependent inhibition effect and low pH-tolerance of nitrite oxidation bacteria. Free ammonia enhanced microbial inhibition and greatly promoted nitrite accumulation. A novel reactive inhibition mechanism dominated in acid range (pH < 7) was disclosed. It only impedes ammonia oxidation process (AOP) but not impair microbial activity obviously and the effect is time-independent. The mechanism was clarified from H+ transport because AOP involved H+ production. The H+ transport was impeded under acid stress owing to the decrease of pH gradient across cell membrane. The two mechanisms formed a panoramic view of pH stress effect on nitrification advancing the understanding of nitrifier adaptability and nitritation regulation in wastewater treatment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuehai Yue
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
| | - Hong Liu
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Haotian Wei
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Lin Chang
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Zhengjun Gong
- Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China
| | - Lei Zheng
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China
| | - Fengjun Yin
- Chongqing Institute of Green and Intelligent Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chongqing 400714, China.
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25
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Lu X, Wang Z, Duan H, Wu Z, Hu S, Ye L, Yuan Z, Zheng M. Significant production of nitric oxide by aerobic nitrite reduction at acidic pH. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 230:119542. [PMID: 36603308 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The acidic (i.e., pH ∼5) activated sludge process is attracting attention because it enables stable nitrite accumulation and enhances sludge reduction and stabilization, compared to the conventional process at neutral pH. Here, this study examined the production and potential pathways of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N2O) during acidic sludge digestion. With continuous operation of a laboratory-scale aerobic digester at high dissolved oxygen concentration (DO>4 mg O2 L-1) and low pH (4.7±0.6), a significant amount of total nitrogen (TN) loss (i.e., 18.6±1.5% of TN in feed sludge) was detected. Notably, ∼40% of the removed TN was emitted as NO, with ∼8% as N2O. A series of batch assays were then designed to explain the observed TN loss under aerobic conditions. All assays were conducted with a low concentration of volatile solids (VS), i.e., VS<4.5 g L-1. This VS concentration is commensurate with the values commonly found in the aeration tanks of full-scale wastewater treatment systems, and thus no significant nitrogen loss should be expected when DO is controlled above 4 mg O2 L-1. However, nitrite disappeared at a significant rate (with the chemical decomposition of nitrite excluded), leading to NO production in the batch assays at pH 5. The nitrite reduction could be associated with endogenous microbial activities, e.g., nitrite detoxification. The significant NO production illustrates the importance of aerobic nitrite reduction during acidic aerobic sludge digestion, suggesting this process cannot be neglected in developing acidic activated sludge technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Lu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Ziping Wu
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Liu Ye
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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26
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Chu Z, Huang D, Huang X, He J, Chen L, Wang J, Rong H. Achieving robust mainstream nitritation by implementing light irradiation: long-term performance and microbial dynamics. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 369:128284. [PMID: 36368486 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Revised: 10/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The effective inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) is widely acknowledged to be a critical issue for mainstream short-cut biological nitrogen removal. This study demonstrated a stable mainstream nitritation by implementing light irradiation. A sequencing batch reactor with ultraviolet-A (UVA) irradiation was operated for 250 days, and a high nitrite accumulation ratio was achieved and stabilized at about 90 %. UVA irradiation also positively impacts denitrification activity, with total nitrogen removal up to 63 %. Microbial community analysis confirmed that the UVA effectively and stably decreased the abundance of Nitrospira (the only detected NOB) from 6.0 % to 0.1 %, while it showed no effect on Nitrosomonas. The enriched genus Rhodocyclaceae was the major contributor to the increase in denitrification activity in the light-induced nitritation system. The proposed UVA irradiation strategy has the potential to be integrated with an anoxic/aerobic (A/O) or integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) process for achieving mainstream short-cut biological nitrogen removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaorui Chu
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Dandan Huang
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Xiaoyu Huang
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jianfeng He
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Lexin Chen
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Jinyin Wang
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
| | - Hongwei Rong
- School of Civil Engineering, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Key Laboratory for Water Quality and Conservation of the Pearl River Delta, Ministry of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
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27
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Yang Y, Dong S, Yu Y, Chu S, Xiao J. Bioaugmentation performances with a powerful strain for nitrogen removal without N 2O accumulation. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 325:116506. [PMID: 36270130 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2022] [Revised: 09/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
N2O is regarded as an inevitable intermediate during nitrogen removal, especially for wastewater treatment plants where good operating conditions would be required to mitigate N2O releasing, which generally causes a high treatment cost. In this study, a novel bacterium capable of removing nitrogen without N2O accumulation was isolated and identified as Citrobacter freundii XY-1. The nitrogen removal characteristics, nitrogen removal pathway, bioaugmentation in different reactors as well as microbial diversity were investigated. Results showed that 99.42% of NH+ 4-N and 95% of total organic carbon could be removed within 48 h with the corresponding removal rates being 4.03 mg/(L·h) and 39.42 mg/(L·h), respectively. It was inferred that traditional denitrification and N2O generation do not exist in the pathway of removing nitrogen by XY-1 based on isotope analysis and functional genes detection. Bioaugmentations of XY-1 in both sequencing batch reactor and biological aerated filter significantly promoted the performances of nitrogen removal. The microbial diversity indicated that the relative abundance of strain XY-1 ranged from 45% to 66%, predominating throughout the running period. Overall, XY-1 could become an incredibly important candidate for the upgrading of wastewater treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunlong Yang
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China.
| | - Sijia Dong
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Yang Yu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Shuyi Chu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; National and Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Ecological Treatment Technology for Urban Water Pollution, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China
| | - Jibo Xiao
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China; Wenzhou Chuangyuan Environment Technology Co. Ltd., Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325036, China.
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28
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Faust V, van Alen TA, Op den Camp HJ, Vlaeminck SE, Ganigué R, Boon N, Udert KM. Ammonia oxidation by novel " Candidatus Nitrosacidococcus urinae" is sensitive to process disturbances at low pH and to iron limitation at neutral pH. WATER RESEARCH X 2022; 17:100157. [PMID: 36262799 PMCID: PMC9574496 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2022.100157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) can open the door to new applications, such as partial nitritation at low pH. However, they can also be problematic because chemical nitrite oxidation occurs at low pH, leading to the release of harmful nitrogen oxide gases. In this publication, the role of acid-tolerant AOB in urine treatment was explored. On the one hand, the technical feasibility of ammonia oxidation under acidic conditions for source-separated urine with total nitrogen concentrations up to 3.5 g-N L-1 was investigated. On the other hand, the abundance and growth of acid-tolerant AOB at more neutral pH was explored. Under acidic conditions (pH of 5), ammonia oxidation rates of 500 mg-N L-1 d-1 and 10 g-N g-VSS-1 d-1 were observed, despite high concentrations of 15 mg-N L-1 of the AOB-inhibiting compound nitrous acid and low concentration of 0.04 mg-N L-1 of the substrate ammonia. However, ammonia oxidation under acidic conditions was very sensitive to process disturbances. Even short periods of less than 12 h without oxygen or without influent resulted in a complete cessation of ammonia oxidation with a recovery time of up to two months, which is a problem for low maintenance applications such as decentralized treatment. Furthermore, undesirable nitrogen losses of about 10% were observed. Under acidic conditions, a novel AOB strain was enriched with a relative abundance of up to 80%, for which the name "Candidatus (Ca.) Nitrosacidococcus urinae" is proposed. While Nitrosacidococcus members were present only to a small extent (0.004%) in urine nitrification reactors operated at pH values between 5.8 and 7, acid-tolerant AOB were always enriched during long periods without influent, resulting in an uncontrolled drop in pH to as low as 2.5. Long-term experiments at different pH values showed that the activity of "Ca. Nitrosacidococcus urinae" decreased strongly at a pH of 7, where they were also outcompeted by the acid-sensitive AOB Nitrosomonas halophila. The experiment results showed that the decreased activity of "Ca. Nitrosacidococcus urinae" correlated with the limited availability of dissolved iron at neutral pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Faust
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Theo A. van Alen
- Department of Microbiology, RIBES, Radboud University Nijmegen, 0268 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Huub J.M. Op den Camp
- Department of Microbiology, RIBES, Radboud University Nijmegen, 0268 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), 9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Ramon Ganigué
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), 9052 Gent, Belgium
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Nico Boon
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), 9052 Gent, Belgium
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Kai M. Udert
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
- Corresponding author at: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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29
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Statiris E, Dimopoulos T, Petalas N, Noutsopoulos C, Mamais D, Malamis S. Investigating the long and short-term effect of free ammonia and free nitrous acid levels on nitritation biomass of a sequencing batch reactor treating thermally pre-treated sludge reject water. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 362:127760. [PMID: 35963489 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This work examined the short and long-term effects of different free ammonia (FA) and free nitrous acid (FNA) levels on (i) acclimatized biomass treating sludge reject water via nitrite in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) and (ii) non-aclimatized biomass treating municipal wastewater via nitrate in the activated sludge process. In the acclimatized biomass, the threshold for the transition from nitrification to nitritation was the FA increase to 10-20 mgNH3-N/L while the SBR unit showed no inhibition on the ammonia uptake rate (AUR) at FA levels up to 65 mgNH3-N/L. Short-term exposure of the acclimatized biomass on FNA showed that AUR inhibition could be more than 50 % for FNA concentration >10 μgHNO2-N/L. The FNA inhibition results were simulated using non-competitive inhibition kinetics that showed that the inhibition constant corresponding to the FNA concentration that inhibits the process by 50 % (i.e. KiFNA) was much higher in the acclimatized biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Statiris
- Sanitary Engineering Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou St., Zographou Campus, 15780-GR Athens, Greece.
| | - T Dimopoulos
- Sanitary Engineering Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou St., Zographou Campus, 15780-GR Athens, Greece
| | - N Petalas
- Sanitary Engineering Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou St., Zographou Campus, 15780-GR Athens, Greece
| | - C Noutsopoulos
- Sanitary Engineering Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou St., Zographou Campus, 15780-GR Athens, Greece
| | - D Mamais
- Sanitary Engineering Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou St., Zographou Campus, 15780-GR Athens, Greece
| | - S Malamis
- Sanitary Engineering Laboratory, School of Civil Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, 5 Iroon Polytechniou St., Zographou Campus, 15780-GR Athens, Greece
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30
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Duan H, Watts S, Zheng M, Wang Z, Zhao J, Li H, Liu P, Dwyer J, McPhee P, Rattier M, Larsen E, Yuan Z, Hu S. Achieving robust mainstream nitrite shunt at pilot-scale with integrated sidestream sludge treatment and step-feed. WATER RESEARCH 2022; 223:119034. [PMID: 36067606 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
As a promising energy- and carbon efficient process for nitrogen removal from wastewater, mainstream nitrite shunt has been extensively researched. However, beyond the laboratory it is challenging to maintain stable performance by suppressing nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB). In this study, a pilot-scale reactor system receiving real sewage was operated in two stages for >850 days to evaluate two novel NOB suppression strategies for achieving nitrite shunt: i) sidestream sludge treatment based on alternating free nitrous acid (FNA) and free ammonia (FA) and ii) sidestream FNA/FA sludge treatment integrated with in-situ NOB suppression via step-feed. The results showed that, with sidestream sludge treatment alone, NOB developed resistance relatively quickly to the treatment, leading to unstable nitrite shunt. In contrast, robust nitrite shunt was achieved and stably maintained for more than a year when sidestream sludge treatment was integrated with a step-feed strategy. Kinetic analyses suggested that sludge treatment and step-feed worked in synergy, leading to stable NOB suppression. The integrated strategy demonstrated in this study removes a key barrier to the implementation of stable mainstream nitrite shunt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoran Duan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Shane Watts
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Huijuan Li
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Peng Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jason Dwyer
- Urban Utilities, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Paul McPhee
- Urban Utilities, Brisbane, QLD, 4000, Australia
| | - Maxime Rattier
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Eloise Larsen
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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31
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Meng J, Hu Z, Wang Z, Hu S, Liu Y, Guo H, Li J, Yuan Z, Zheng M. Determining Factors for Nitrite Accumulation in an Acidic Nitrifying System: Influent Ammonium Concentration, Operational pH, and Ammonia-Oxidizing Community. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:11578-11588. [PMID: 35877959 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c07522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Acidic nitrification is attracting wide attention because it can enable robust suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in wastewater treatment. This study reports a comprehensive assessment of the novel acidic nitrification process to identify the key factors that govern stable nitrite accumulation. A laboratory-scale moving-bed biofilm reactor receiving low-alkalinity wastewater was continuously operated under acidic conditions (pH < 6) for around two years, including nine stages varying influent and operational conditions. The results revealed that nitrite accumulation was related to three factors, i.e., influent ammonium concentration, operating pH, and ammonia-oxidizing microbial community. These three factors impact nitrite accumulation by altering the in situ concentration of free nitrous acid (FNA), which is a potent inhibitor of NOB. The critical FNA concentration is approximately one part per million (ppm, ∼1 mg HNO2-N/L), above which nitrite accumulation is stably maintained in an acidic nitrifying system. The findings of this study suggest that stable nitrite accumulation via acidic ammonia oxidation can be maintained under a range of influent and operational conditions, as long as a ppm-level of FNA is established. Taking low-strength mainstream wastewater (40-50 mg NH4+-N/L) with limited alkalinity as an example, stable nitrite accumulation was experimentally demonstrated at a pH of 4.35, under which an in situ FNA of 2.3 ± 0.6 mg HNO2-N/L was attained. Under these conditions, Candidatus Nitrosoglobus became the only ammonia oxidizer detectable by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The results of this study deepen our understanding of acidic nitrifying systems, informing further development of novel wastewater treatment technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Meng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Zhetai Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Yanchen Liu
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Hongguang Guo
- MOE Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Science and Engineering, College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
| | - Jianzheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
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32
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Wang Z, Zheng M, Duan H, Yuan Z, Hu S. A 20-Year Journey of Partial Nitritation and Anammox (PN/A): from Sidestream toward Mainstream. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:7522-7531. [PMID: 35657148 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c06107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) was discovered as a new microbial reaction in the late 1990s, which led to the development of an innovative energy- and carbon-efficient technology─partial nitritation and anammox (PN/A)─for nitrogen removal. PN/A was first applied to remove the nitrogen from high-strength wastewaters, e.g., anaerobic digestion liquor (i.e., sidestream), and further expanded to the main line of wastewater treatment plants (i.e., mainstream). While sidestream PN/A has been well-established with extensive full-scale installations worldwide, practical application of PN/A in mainstream treatment has been proven extremely challenging to date. A key challenge is achieving stable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). This study examines the progress of NOB suppression in both sidestream- and mainstream PN/A over the past two decades. The successful NOB suppression in sidestream PN/A was reviewed, and these successes were evaluated in terms of their transferability into mainstream PN/A. Drawing on the learning over the past decades, we anticipate that a hybrid process, comprised of biofilm and floccular sludge, bears great potential to achieve efficient mainstream PN/A, while a combination of strategies is entailed for stable NOB suppression. Furthermore, the recent discovery of novel nitrifiers would trigger new opportunities and new challenges for mainstream PN/A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
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33
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Suarez C, Sedlacek CJ, Gustavsson DJI, Eiler A, Modin O, Hermansson M, Persson F. Disturbance-based management of ecosystem services and disservices in partial nitritation-anammox biofilms. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2022; 8:47. [PMID: 35676296 PMCID: PMC9178042 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-022-00308-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The resistance and resilience provided by functional redundancy, a common feature of microbial communities, is not always advantageous. An example is nitrite oxidation in partial nitritation-anammox (PNA) reactors designed for nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment, where suppression of nitrite oxidizers like Nitrospira is sought. In these ecosystems, biofilms provide microhabitats with oxygen gradients, allowing the coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. We designed a disturbance experiment where PNA biofilms, treating water from a high-rate activated sludge process, were constantly or intermittently exposed to anaerobic sidestream wastewater, which has been proposed to inhibit nitrite oxidizers. With increasing sidestream exposure we observed decreased abundance, alpha-diversity, functional versatility, and hence functional redundancy, among Nitrospira in the PNA biofilms, while the opposite patterns were observed for anammox bacteria within Brocadia. At the same time, species turnover was observed for aerobic ammonia-oxidizing Nitrosomonas populations. The different exposure regimens were associated with metagenomic assembled genomes of Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira, and Brocadia, encoding genes related to N-cycling, substrate usage, and osmotic stress response, possibly explaining the three different patterns by niche differentiation. These findings imply that disturbances can be used to manage the functional redundancy of biofilm microbiomes in a desirable direction, which should be considered when designing operational strategies for wastewater treatment.
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34
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Jiang C, Wang X, Wang H, Xu S, Zhang W, Meng Q, Zhuang X. Achieving Partial Nitritation by Treating Sludge With Free Nitrous Acid: The Potential Role of Quorum Sensing. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:897566. [PMID: 35572707 PMCID: PMC9095614 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.897566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Partial nitritation is increasingly regarded as a promising biological nitrogen removal process owing to lower energy consumption and better nitrogen removal performance compared to the traditional nitrification process, especially for the treatment of low carbon wastewater. Regulating microbial community structure and function in sewage treatment systems, which are mainly determined by quorum sensing (QS), by free nitrous acid (FNA) to establish a partial nitritation process is an efficient and stable method. Plenty of research papers reported that QS systems ubiquitously existed in ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB), and various novel nitrogen removal processes based on partial nitritation were successfully established using FNA. Although the probability that partial nitritation process might be achieved by the regulation of FNA on microbial community structure and function through the QS system was widely recognized and discussed, the potential role of QS in partial nitritation achievement by FNA and the regulation mechanism of FNA on QS system have not been reviewed. This article systematically reviewed the potential role of QS in the establishment of partial nitritation using FNA to regulate activated sludge flora based on the summary and analysis of the published literature for the first time, and future research directions were also proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cancan Jiang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xu Wang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Huacai Wang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,The Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Shengjun Xu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Shenzhen Shenshui Water Resources Consulting Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Qingjie Meng
- Shenzhen Shenshui Water Resources Consulting Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China
| | - Xuliang Zhuang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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35
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Shao B, Zhang R, Xu X, Niu L, Fan K, Lin Z, Zhao L, Zhou X, Ren N, Lee DJ, Chen C. Cryptic Sulfur and Oxygen Cycling Potentially Reduces N 2O-Driven Greenhouse Warming: Underlying Revision Need of the Nitrogen Cycle. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:5960-5972. [PMID: 35416037 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c08113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Increasing global deoxygenation has widely formed oxygen-limited biotopes, altering the metabolic pathways of numerous microbes and causing a large greenhouse effect of nitrous oxide (N2O). Although there are many sources of N2O, denitrification is the sole sink that removes N2O from the biosphere, and the low-level oxygen in waters has been classically thought to be the key factor regulating N2O emissions from incomplete denitrification. However, through microcosm incubations with sandy sediment, we demonstrate here for the first time that the stress from oxygenated environments does not suppress, but rather boosts the complete denitrification process when the sulfur cycle is actively ongoing. This study highlights the potential of reducing N2O-driven greenhouse warming and fills a gap in pre-cognitions on the nitrogen cycle, which may impact our current understanding of greenhouse gas sinks. Combining molecular techniques and kinetic verification, we reveal that dominant inhibitions in oxygen-limited environments can interestingly undergo triple detoxification by cryptic sulfur and oxygen cycling, which may extensively occur in nature but have been long neglected by researchers. Furthermore, reviewing the present data and observations from natural and artificial ecosystems leads to the necessary revision needs of the global nitrogen cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Ruochen Zhang
- School of Civil and Transportation, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
| | - Xijun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Li Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Kaili Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Zhengda Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
- School of Life Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Lei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Xu Zhou
- Engineering Laboratory of Microalgal Bioenergy, Shenzhen Graduate School, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Nanqi Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Duu-Jong Lee
- Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan
| | - Chuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
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36
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Yang X, Peng Z, Jin B, Niu J, Qin J, Ji J. Rapid and stable achievement of mainstream nitritation at low temperature using the competitive inhibition caused by the organics. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 352:127060. [PMID: 35351561 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.127060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Revised: 03/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The unstability of mainstream nitritation at low temperature has always been a limiting factor for the nitrogen removal from domestic wastewater by anammox. In this study, the competitive inhibition caused by the organics has been demonstrated as an effective strategy to rapidly and stably achieve mainstream nitritation. This strategy was based on our novel discovery that nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was more susceptible to the organics inhibition than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Batch tests showed while NOB activity gradually decreased by 66.5%, AOB activity only decreased by 31.6% with the initial C/N ratio raising from 0.0 to 3.0. Furthermore, treating the actual domestic wastewater at 14-18 °C, mainstream nitritation was rapidly established within 12 days and then the nitrite accumulation ratio was stable at ∼92.1% during a long-term operation. This strategy could be easily and effectively applied in urban WWTPs through modifying the operation mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxuan Yang
- College of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Zhaoxu Peng
- College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Baodan Jin
- College of Material and Chemical Engineering, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Jintao Niu
- Henan Heng'an Environmental Protection Technology Co. Ltd, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Jing Qin
- College of Hydraulic Science and Engineering, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
| | - Jiantao Ji
- College of Ecology and Environment, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
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37
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Deodorization of the off-gas from livestock manure aerobic composting tank using biotrickling filters and its mechanism. Biochem Eng J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2022.108409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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38
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Cao L, Zhang Y, Ni L, Feng X. A novel loosely structured nanofiltration membrane bioreactor for wastewater treatment: Process performance and membrane fouling. J Memb Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2021.120128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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39
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Meng J, Liu T, Zhao J, Lu X, Li J, Zheng M. Assessing the stability of one-stage PN/A process through experimental and modelling investigations. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 801:149740. [PMID: 34425444 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The mainstream partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) process has been intensively studied but its stability remains a key challenge. It is shown here that biofilm thickness can exhibit a critical role in controlling the process stability of mainstream PN/A against dissolved oxygen (DO) variation. In a laboratory moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), PN/A performance was initially established in 200 days by controlling a low DO of 0.13 ± 0.07 mg O2/L in the bulk liquid, which deteriorated with an increase of DO (0.35 ± 0.13 mg O2/L) for over two months, and then rapidly recovered in a month with the initial low DO level re-applied. Biofilm thickness of PN/A carriers was measured during the experiment, which became significantly thinner (367 ± 146 μm) at mainstream conditions. The thin thickness primarily decreased the in-situ consumption rate of nitrite, rather than ammonium, when DO increased from 0.1 to 0.4 mg O2/L, due to that the thin thickness can only restrict anammox capacity. These results illustrated the role of biofilm thickness in regulating PN/A performance and microbial activities. Further investigation using an established model revealed the joint contribution of biofilm thickness and DO concentration to PN/A process, while particularly, the biofilm thickness can determine the optimal DO level for maximizing the nitrogen removal efficiency and system robustness against DO variation. These results highlight the need of considering biofilm thickness in PN/A process optimization and stability improvement in low-strength wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China; Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Xin Lu
- Petrochina North China Gas Marketing Company, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Jianzheng Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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40
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Ren J, Cheng X, Ma H, Ma X. Characteristics of a novel heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification bacterium and its bioaugmentation performance in a membrane bioreactor. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2021; 342:125908. [PMID: 34534943 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2021] [Revised: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
A novel bacteria with heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification ability was obtained from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and identified as Acinetobacter sp. TSH1. The nitrogen removal characteristics, nitrogen balance analysis, kinetic characteristics, and enhanced biological treatment in MBR of the novel isolated strain TSH1 were determined. Results showed that strain TSH1 could remove approximately 96.6% of NH4+-N, 82.9% of NO2--N and 98.7% of NO3--N in 24 h, and the corresponding maximum removal rates were 3.64 mg-N/(L·h), 1.77 mg-N/(L·h) and 3.94 mg-N/(L·h). The nitrogen balance analysis indicated that most of NH4+-N (62.6%) and NO3--N (71.9%) were transformed to gaseous nitrogen. The kinetic experiments showed that strain TSH1 had a high Km of 151.64 mg-NH4+-N/L and 203.25 mg-NO3--N/L. The enhanced biological treatment of synthetic wastewater in MBR showed that the strain TSH1 can significantly improve the nitrogen removal efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jilong Ren
- Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116023, PR China
| | - Xuewen Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116023, PR China; School of Marine Technology and Environment, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China
| | - Hongjing Ma
- Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116023, PR China; School of Marine Technology and Environment, Dalian Ocean University, Dalian 116023, China
| | - Xiaona Ma
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment, Jiangsu Ocean University, Lianyungang 222005, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environment Controlled Aquaculture, Ministry of Education, Dalian 116023, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, PR China.
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Wang Z, Liu T, Duan H, Song Y, Lu X, Hu S, Yuan Z, Batstone D, Zheng M. Post-treatment options for anaerobically digested sludge: Current status and future prospect. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 205:117665. [PMID: 34547700 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic digestion is the most commonly used sludge treatment technology in large-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), generating two main products, i.e., biogas and anaerobically digested (AD) sludge. Biogas can be used as a source of renewable energy, and AD sludge is often transported for agricultural land application. Land application of AD sludge is confronted with ever-increasing economic and regulatory pressures due to its high water content, high organic content and related odour and pathogen content (if poorly stabilized), as well as potential toxic metal and organic contaminants. To address these challenges, a number of technologies have been developed for the further treatment of AD sludge before final disposal. This review aims to critically evaluate these state-of-the-art technologies. These technologies were categorized based on their primary aims: 1) dewaterability enhancement; 2) solids reduction and stabilization; 3) toxic metals removal. At present, the goal of post-treatment mainly focuses on dewaterability enhancement, to reduce transport costs. In future, we propose that the post-treatment of AD sludge should orient towards multiple aims, i.e., an integrated approach enabling sludge volume reduction, stabilization (including pathogen removal), and metal solubilization simultaneously. Two promising technical routes are suggested as examples, i.e. physio-chemical iron-based advanced oxidation and biological acidic aerobic digestion, while more approaches need to be developed in future studies. We concluded that post-treatment of AD sludge will promote the AD sludge management towards a more economically favourable, socially acceptable, and environmentally sustainable way; however, further development and rigorous evaluation are required for a wider adoption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yarong Song
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Xi Lu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Damien Batstone
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Hu Z, Duan H, Wang Z, Zhao J, Ye L, Yuan Z, Zheng M, Hu S. Centralized iron-dosing into returned sludge brings multifaceted benefits to wastewater management. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 203:117536. [PMID: 34403845 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Iron salts (i.e. FeCl3) are the most used chemicals in the urban wastewater system. Iron is commonly dosed into sewage or the mainstream system, which provides multiple benefits such as enhanced phosphorus removal and improved sludge settleability/dewaterability. This study reported and demonstrated a new approach that dosed FeCl3 into returned sludge in order to bring two more benefits to wastewater management: short-cut nitrogen removal via the nitrite pathway and less biomass production. This approach is achieved based on our findings that with similar amount of FeCl3, centralized iron dosing into a sidestream sludge unit generated iron concentration two orders of magnitude higher than the common mainstream dosing (e.g. 10-40 mg Fe/L-wastewater), leading to sludge acidification (pH = 2.1) with Fe (III) hydrolysis. Together with accumulated nitrite in the supernatant of the sludge, ppm-level of free nitrous acid was generated and thus enabled sludge disintegration, cell lysis, and selective elimination of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Long-term effects on nitrifying bacteria and overall reactor performance were evaluated using two laboratory reactor experiments for over one year. The experimental reactor showed stable nitrite accumulation with an average NO2-/(NO2- + NO3-) ratio above 80% and ∼30% observed biomass yield reduction compared to those in control reactors. In addition, the centralized sludge dosing strategy still provided benefits such as improved settleability and dewaterability of sludge and enhanced phosphorus removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhetai Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haoran Duan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia; School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jing Zhao
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Liu Ye
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Shihu Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia QLD 4072, Australia
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Wang Z, Ni G, Xia J, Song Y, Hu S, Yuan Z, Zheng M. Bioleaching of toxic metals from anaerobically digested sludge without external chemical addition. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 200:117211. [PMID: 34022632 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobically digested (AD) sludge is widely applied to agricultural land as fertilizer. However, heavy metals in AD sludge potentially pose a significant threat to environment. This study reports a novel bioleaching approach, with no need for externally added chemicals. Sludge acidification was achieved using the protons produced from microbial oxidation of the inherent ammonium in AD sludge. An acid-tolerant microbial consortium, dominated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria from the genus Candidatus Nitrosoglobus (i.e. relative abundance of 72.5 ± 2.3% based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing), was enriched after 120 days incubation in a laboratory sequencing batch reactor. The consortium oxidizes ammonium even at pH 2.5, at approximately 30% of its maximum rate, measured at pH 5.5. Inoculating the consortium at a solid ratio of 1:20, caused the pH of the AD sludge to decrease from 7.5 to 2.0 over five days under aerobic conditions. As a result, metals in the AD sludge were efficiently extracted into the liquid phase. In particular, two of the most abundant toxic metals, Cu and Zn, were solubilized with high efficiencies of 88 ± 4% and 96 ± 3%, respectively. Overall, the results of this study enable the economical and safe reuse of excess sludge generated during biological wastewater treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Gaofeng Ni
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jun Xia
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yarong Song
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Zhang J, Hu Z, Liu T, Wang Z, Guo J, Yuan Z, Zheng M. Feasibility of methane bioconversion to methanol by acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 197:117077. [PMID: 33812128 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bioconversion of biogas to value-added liquids has received increasing attention over the years. However, many biological processes are restricted under acidic conditions owing to the excessive carbon dioxide (CO2, 30-40% v/v) in biogas. Here, using an enriched culture dominated by acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) 'Candidatus Nitrosoglobus', this study examined the feasibility of producing methanol from methane in the CO2-acidified environment (i.e. pH of 5.0). Within the tested dissolved methane range (0.1-0.9 mM), methane oxidation by the acid-tolerant AOB culture followed first-order kinetics, with the same rate constant (i.e. 0.43 (L/(g VSS‧h)) between pH 7.0 and 5.0. The acidic methane oxidation showed robustness against high dissolved concentrations of CO2 (up to 4.06 mM) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S up to 0.11 mM), which led to a high methanol yield of about 30-40%. As such, the raw biogas containing toxic CO2 and H2S can directly serve for methanol production by this acid-tolerant AOB culture, economizing a conventionally costly biogas upgradation process. Afterwards, two batch reactors fed with methane and oxygen intermittently both obtained a final concentration of 1.5 mM CH3OH (equal to 72 mg chemical oxygen demand/L) in the liquid, suggesting it is a useful carbon source to enhance denitrification in wastewater treatment systems. In addition, ammonia availability was identified to be critical for a higher rate of this AOB-mediated methanol production. Overall, our results for the first time demonstrated the capability of a novel acid-tolerant AOB culture to oxidize methane, and also illustrated the technical feasibility to utilize raw biogas for methanol production at acidic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junji Zhang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Zhetai Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Tao Liu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia.
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Wang Z, Ni G, Maulani N, Xia J, De Clippeleir H, Hu S, Yuan Z, Zheng M. Stoichiometric and kinetic characterization of an acid-tolerant ammonia oxidizer 'Candidatus Nitrosoglobus'. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 196:117026. [PMID: 33751975 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2021.117026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 03/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Recently, acidic (i.e. pH<5) nitrification in activated-sludge is attracting attention because it enables stable nitritation (NH4+ → NO2-), and enhances sludge reduction and stabilization. However, the key acid-tolerant ammonia oxidizers involved are poorly understood. In this study, we performed stoichiometric and kinetic characterization of a new acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) belonging to gamma-proteobacterium, Candidatus Nitrosoglobus. Ca. Nitrosoglobus was cultivated in activated-sludge in a laboratory membrane bioreactor over 200 days, with a relative abundance of 55.1 ± 0.5% (indicated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) at the time of the characterization experiments. Among all known nitrifiers, Ca. Nitrosoglobus bears the highest resistance to nitrite, low pH, and free nitrous acid (FNA). These traits define Ca. Nitrosoglobus as an adversity-strategist that tends to prosper in acidic activated-sludge, where the low pH (< 5.0) and high levels of FNA (at parts per million levels) sustained and inhibited all other nitrifiers. In contrast, in the conventional pH-neutral activated-sludge process, Ca. Nitrosoglobus is less competitive with canonical AOB (e.g. Nitrosomonas) due to the relatively slow specific growth rate and low affinities to both oxygen and total ammonia. These results advance our understanding of acid-tolerant ammonia oxidizers, and support further development of the acidic activated-sludge process in which Ca. Nitrosoglobus can play a critical role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyao Wang
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Gaofeng Ni
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Nova Maulani
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jun Xia
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Haydée De Clippeleir
- District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, 5000 Overlook Ave. SW, Washington, DC 20032, USA
| | - Shihu Hu
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Min Zheng
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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