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Zou X, Gao M, Sun H, Zhang Y, Yao Y, Guo H, Liu Y. Influence of residual anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) from anaerobically digested molasses wastewater in aerobic granular sludge reactor. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 949:175206. [PMID: 39094659 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.175206] [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: 05/28/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
This study investigated the impact of residual anaerobic granular sludge (AnGS) from anaerobic digesters treating molasses wastewater on ammonium reduction in a downstream aerobic granular sludge (AGS) reactor. Two conditions were tested: raw (high AnGS concentration) and settled (low AnGS concentration) anaerobically digested molasses wastewaters were fed into the AGS reactor. With the introduction of raw wastewater, enhanced nitrite accumulation at 30 % and improved total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal at 11 % were observed compared to 1 % nitrite accumulation and 8 % TIN removal with the introduction of settled wastewater. However, AnGS adversely affected other aspects of reactor performance, increasing effluent solid content and decreasing soluble chemical oxygen demand removal efficiency from 20 % in the low AnGS condition to 11 % in the high AnGS condition. Despite the observed retention of AnGS in the reactor, no significant bioaugmentation effects on the microbial community of the AGS were observed. Aerobic granular sludge was consistently observed in both conditions. The study suggests that AnGS may act as a nucleus for granule formation, helping to maintain granule stability in a disturbed environment. This study offers a systematic understanding of the impact of AnGS on subsequent nitrogen removal process using AGS, aiding in the decision making in the treatment of high solid anaerobic digestate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zou
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
| | - Mengjiao Gao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada; College of Environment and Ecology, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China
| | - Huijuan Sun
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
| | - Yihui Zhang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
| | - Yiduo Yao
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
| | - Hengbo Guo
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada
| | - Yang Liu
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1H9, Canada; School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
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2
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Zheng P, Li W, Li Y, Cheng Y, Wang J, Mu Y, Shen J. Ammonia monooxygenase-mediated cometabolic biotransformation of volatile 4-chlorophenol in nitrifying counter-diffused biofilms: A combined molecular dynamics simulation, DFT calculation and experimental study. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 262:122090. [PMID: 39032340 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122090] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Ammonia monooxygenase (AMO)-mediated cometabolism of organic pollutants has been widely observed in biological nitrogen removal process. However, its molecular mechanism remains unclear, hindering its practical application. Furthermore, conventional nitrification systems encounter significant challenges such as air pollution and the loss of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, when dealing with wastewater containing volatile organic pollutants. This study developed a nitrifying membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) to enhance the biodegradation of volatile 4-chlorophenol (4-CP). Results showed that 4-CP was primarily removed via Nitrosomonas nitrosa-mediated cometabolism in the presence of NH4+-N, supported by the increased nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content, AMO activity and the related genes abundance. Hydroquinone, detected for the first time and produced via oxidative dechlorination, as well as 4-chlorocatechol was primary transformation products of 4-CP. Nitrosomonas nitrosa AMO structural model was constructed for the first time using homology modeling. Molecular dynamics simulation suggested that the ortho-carbon in the benzene ring of 4-CP was more prone to metabolismcompared to the ipso-carbon. Density functional theory calculation revealed that 4-CP was metabolized by AMO via H-abstraction-OH-rebound reaction, with a significantly higher rebound barrier at the ipso-carbon (16.37 kcal·mol-1) as compared to the ortho-carbon (6.7 kcal·mol-1). This study fills the knowledge gap on the molecular mechanism of AMO-mediated cometabolism of organic pollutants, providing practical and theoretical foundations for improving volatile organic pollutants removal through nitrifying MABR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Zheng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Wenqiang Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Yan Li
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China.
| | - Youpeng Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Yang Mu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
| | - Jinyou Shen
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, School of Environmental and Biological Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, 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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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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5
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Zhang Y, Li J, Si L, Gao M, Wang S, Wang X. Sudden sulfamethoxazole shock leads to nitrite accumulation in microalgae-nitrifying bacteria consortia: Physiological responses and light regulating strategy. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2024; 366:121714. [PMID: 39032253 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.121714] [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: 03/11/2024] [Revised: 06/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/23/2024]
Abstract
Antibiotic shock may potentially impact the performance of promising microalgae-nitrifying bacteria consortia (MNBC) processes. This study investigated physiological behaviors of MNBC under sulfamethoxazole (SMX) shock (mg/L level) and verified a light regulating strategy for improving process performance. Results showed that SMX shock did not affect ammonium removal but caused nitrite accumulation, resulting from combined effects of excessive reactive oxidative species (ROS) production, inhibited microalgal photosynthetic activity, upregulated expressions of amoA and hao, and downregulated expression of nxrA. Moreover, high ammonium concentration aggravated nitrite accumulation and reduced ammonium removal owing to significantly reduced dissolved oxygen (DO). Increasing light intensity enhanced microalgal photo-oxygenation and promoted expressions of all nitrification-related genes, thus improving ammonium removal and alleviating nitrite accumulation. A central composite design coupled with response surface methodology (CCD-RSM) further demonstrated the negative impacts of SMX shock and high ammonium on MNBC and the effectiveness of the light regulation in maintaining stable process performance. This study provides theoretical basis for physiological responses and regulatory strategy of the MNBC process facing short-term antibiotic shock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqing Zhang
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Junrong Li
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Lili Si
- Shandong Hengkun Environmental Engineering Co., Ltd, Jinan, 250013, China; Aeration System R&D Laboratory of Shandong University-Hengkun Environment, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Mingming Gao
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China
| | - Shuguang Wang
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Aeration System R&D Laboratory of Shandong University-Hengkun Environment, Qingdao, 266237, China; Weihai Research Institute of Industrial Technology of Shandong University, Weihai, 264209, China
| | - Xinhua Wang
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Shandong Key Laboratory of Environmental Processes and Health, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Qingdao, 266237, China; Aeration System R&D Laboratory of Shandong University-Hengkun Environment, Qingdao, 266237, China.
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6
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Zhang Y, Li J, Chen Y, Yang J, Chen Z, Wang X. Rapid start-up and stable operation of pilot scale denitrification-partial nitritation/anammox process for treating electroplating tail wastewater. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2024; 409:131192. [PMID: 39094960 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
This study explored a novel economical and efficient process for treating actual low-ammonia nitrogen electroplating tail wastewater. A pilot scale system of denitrification-partial nitrification/anaerobic ammonium oxidation (DN-PN/A) was constructed and operated for 190 days. The partial nitrification (PN) reactor, filled with zeolite, increased free ammonia concentration beyond the nitrite oxidizing bacteria threshold and successfully supplied NO2--N, with nitrite accumulation rate exceeding 90 %. Over 109 days, the total nitrogen removal rate achieved was 80.2 ± 7.41 %, and the chemical oxygen demand removal rate reached 79.68 ± 9.53 %. The dominant functional bacteria were Nitrosomonas (5.45 %) and Candidatus Anammoxoglobus (28.84 %) in PN reactor and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) reactor. This process, characterized by rapid start-up, strong shock resistance, and low cost, alleviates the pressure of ammonium pollution control, promotes the sustainable development of the electroplating industry and has the potential for application in the treatment of other industrial wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- 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, 510006, 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, 510006, China
| | - 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, 510006, China
| | - Junfeng Yang
- 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, 510006, China
| | - Zhenguo Chen
- School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China; Hua An Biotech Co., Ltd., Foshan 528300, 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, 510006, China.
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7
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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] [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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8
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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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9
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Wang P, Ou R, Tan J, Li N, Zheng M, Jin Q, Yu J, He D. Effect of sludge redistribution strategy on stability of partial nitrification-anammox process: Further exploration of the potential value of sludge. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 355:141707. [PMID: 38521102 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.141707] [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: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
The stability of the two-stage partial nitrification-anammox (PN/A) system was compromised by the inappropriate conversion of insoluble organic matter. In response, a sludge redistribution strategy was implemented. Through the redistribution of PN sludge and anammox sludge in the two-stage PN/A system, a transition was made to the Anammox-single stage PN/A (A-PN/A) system. This specific functional reorganization, facilitated by the rapid reorganization of microbial communities, has the potential to significantly decrease the current risk of suppression. The results of the study showed that implementing the sludge redistribution strategy led to a substantial enhancement in the total nitrogen removal rate (TNRR) by 87.51%, accompanied by a significant improvement of 34.78% in the chemical oxygen demand removal rate (CRR). Additionally, this approach resulted in a remarkable two-thirds reduction in the aeration requirements. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the strategy enriched anammox and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria while limiting denitrifying bacteria, as confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Furthermore, the principal component analysis revealed that the location and duration of aeration had direct and indirect effects on functional gene expression and the evolution of microbial communities. This study emphasizes the potential benefits of restructuring microbial communities through a sludge redistribution strategy, especially in integrated systems that encounter challenges with suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Wang
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
| | - Rui Ou
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
| | - Jun Tan
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
| | - Ning Li
- Pearl River Water Resources Research Institute, Guangzhou, 510611, PR China.
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
| | - Qinghai Jin
- Shenzhen Pangu Environmental Protection Technology Co. Ltd, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
| | - Jin Yu
- Shenzhen Pangu Environmental Protection Technology Co. Ltd, Shenzhen, 518055, PR China.
| | - Di He
- Key Laboratory for City Cluster Environmental Safety and Green Development of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Environmental and Ecological Engineering, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
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10
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Zhang Q, Yu X, Yang Y, Ruan J, Zou Y, Wu S, Chen F, Zhu R. Enhanced ammonia removal in tidal flow constructed wetland by incorporating steel slag: Performance, microbial community, and heavy metal release. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 922:171333. [PMID: 38423325 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.171333] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/25/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Utilizing alkaline solid wastes, such as steel slag, as substrates in tidal flow constructed wetlands (TFCWs) can effectively neutralize the acidity generated by nitrification. However, the impacts of steel slag on microbial communities and the potential risk of heavy metal release remain poorly understood. To address these knowledge gaps, this study compared the performance and microbial community structure of TFCWs filled with a mixture of steel slag and zeolite (TFCW-S) to those filled with zeolite alone (TFCW-Z). TFCW-S exhibited a much higher NH4+-N removal efficiency (98.35 %) than TFCW-Z (55.26 %). Additionally, TFCW-S also achieved better TN and TP removal. The steel slag addition helped maintain the TFCW-S effluent pH at around 7.5, while the TFCW-Z effluent pH varied from 3.74 to 6.25. The nitrification and denitrification intensities in TFCW-S substrates were significantly higher than those in TFCW-Z, consistent with the observed removal performance. Moreover, steel slag did not cause excessive heavy metal release, as the effluent concentrations were below the standard limits. Microbial community analysis revealed that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, ammonia-oxidizing archaea, and complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria coexisted in both TFCWs, albeit with different compositions. Furthermore, the enrichment of heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification bacteria in TFCW-S likely contributed to the high NH4+-N removal. In summary, these findings demonstrate that the combined use of steel slag and zeolite in TFCWs creates favorable pH conditions for ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, leading to efficient ammonia removal in an environmentally friendly manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Xingyu Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Yongqiang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China.
| | - Jingjun Ruan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Yuhuan Zou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19 Yuquan Road, 100049 Beijing, China
| | - Shijun Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China
| | - Fanrong Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China
| | - Runliang Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Deep Earth Science, 511 Kehua Street, 510640 Guangzhou, China
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11
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Xu H, Zhang L, Xu R, Yang B, Zhou Y. Iron cycle-enhanced anaerobic ammonium oxidation in microaerobic granular sludge. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 250:121022. [PMID: 38113591 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.121022] [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: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Granule-based partial nitritation and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (PN/A) is an energy-efficient approach for treating ammonia wastewater. When treating low-strength ammonia wastewater, the stable synergy between PN and anammox is however difficult to establish due to unstable dissolved oxygen control. Here, we proposed, the PN/A granular sludge formed by a micro-oxygen-driven iron redox cycle with continuous aeration (0.42 ± 0.10 mg-O2/L) as a novel strategy to achieve stable and efficient nitrogen (N) removal. 240-day bioreactor operation showed that the iron-involved reactor had 37 % higher N removal efficiency than the iron-free reactor. Due to the formation of the microaerobic granular sludge (MGS), the bio(chemistry)-driven iron cycle could be formed with the support of anaerobic ammonium oxidation coupled to Fe3+ reduction. Both ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and generated Fe2+ could scavenge the oxygen as a defensive shield for oxygen-sensitive anammox bacteria in the MGS. Moreover, the iron minerals derived from iron oxidation and Fe-P precipitates were also deposited on the MGS surface and/or embedded in the internal channels, thus reducing the size of the channels that could limit oxygen mass transfer inside the MGS. The spatiotemporal assembly of diverse functional microorganisms in the MGS for the realization of stable PN/A could be achieved with the support of the iron redox cycle. In contrast, the iron-free MGS could not optimize oxygen mass transfer, which led to an unstable and inefficient PN/A. This work provides an alternative iron-related autotrophic N removal for low-strength ammonia wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Xu
- Advanced Environmental Biotechnology Centre, Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, 637141, Singapore
| | - Liang Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Ronghua Xu
- Guangdong Provincial Key Lab of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China
| | - Bo Yang
- College of Environmental Science and Engineering, State Environmental Protection Engineering Center for Pollution Treatment and Control in Textile Industry, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Yan Zhou
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798, Singapore.
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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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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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14
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Liu C, Liu H, Liu X, Li G, Zhang Y, Zhang M, Li Z. Metagenomic analysis insights into the influence of 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate application on nitrous oxide mitigation efficiency across different climate zones in Eastern China. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 236:116761. [PMID: 37516265 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116761] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
Excessive nitrogen (N) fertilization in agroecological systems increases nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) is used to mitigate N2O losses. The influence of DMPP efficiency on N2O mitigation was clearly affected by spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Using field and incubation experiments combined with metagenomic sequencing, we aimed to investigate DMPP efficiency and the underlying microbial mechanisms in dark-brown (Siping, SP), fluvo-aquic (Cangzhou, CZ; Xinxiang, XX), and red soil (Wenzhou, WZ) from diverse climatic zones. In the field experiments, the DMPP efficiency in N2O mitigation ranged from 51.6% to 89.9%, in the order of XX, CZ, SP, and WZ. The DMPP efficiency in the incubation experiments ranged from 58.3% to 93.9%, and the order of efficiency from the highest to lowest was the same as that of the field experiments. Soil organic matter, total N, pH, texture, and taxonomic and functional α-diversity were important soil environment and microbial factors for DMPP efficiency. DMPP significantly enriched ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), which promoted N-cycling with low N2O emissions. Random forest (RF) and regression analyses found that an AOA (Nitrosocosmicus) and NOB (Nitrospina) demonstrated important and positive correlation with DMPP efficiency. Moreover, genes associated with carbohydrate metabolism were important for DMPP efficiency and could influenced N-cycling and DMPP metabolism. The similar DMPP efficiency indicated that the variation in DMPP efficiency was significantly due to soil physicochemical and microbial variations. In conclusion, filling the knowledge gap regarding the response of DMPP efficiency to abiotic and biotic factors could be beneficial in DMPP applications, and in adapting more efficient strategies to improve DMPP efficiency and mitigate N2O emissions in multiple regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Churong Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China; College of Natural Resources and Environment, Joint Institute for Environmental Research and Education, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, 10642, China
| | - Hongrun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Xueqing Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Gang Li
- Key Laboratory of Northeast Crop Physiology Ecology and Cultivation, Ministry of Agriculture in People's Republic of China, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130033, China.
| | - Yushi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
| | - Mingcai Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China.
| | - Zhaohu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Environmental Resilience, College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, 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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Liu T, Hu S, Yuan Z, Guo J. Simultaneous dissolved methane and nitrogen removal from low-strength wastewater using anaerobic granule-based sequencing batch reactor. WATER RESEARCH 2023; 242:120194. [PMID: 37320879 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic treatment of mainstream wastewater has been proposed as a promising solution to enhance bioenergy recovery for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). However, the limited organics for downstream nitrogen removal and emissions of dissolved methane into the atmosphere are two major barriers to the broad application of anaerobic wastewater treatment. This study aims to develop a novel technology to overcome these two challenges by achieving simultaneous removal of dissolved methane and nitrogen, and unravel the microbial competitions underpinning the process from the microbial and kinetic perspectives. To this end, a laboratory granule-based sequencing batch reactor (GSBR) coupling anammox and nitrite/nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) microorganisms was developed to treat wastewater mimicking effluent from mainstream anaerobic treatment. The GSBR achieved high-level nitrogen and dissolved methane removal rates (> 250 mg N/L/d and > 65 mg CH4/L/d) and efficiencies (> 99% total nitrogen removal and > 90% total methane removal) during the long-term demonstration. The availability of different electron acceptors (nitrite or nitrate) imposed significant effects on the removal of ammonium and dissolved methane, as well as on the microbial communities, and the abundance and expression of functional genes. The analysis of apparent microbial kinetics showed that anammox bacteria had a higher nitrite affinity than n-DAMO bacteria, while n-DAMO bacteria had a higher methane affinity than n-DAMO archaea. These kinetics underpin the observation that nitrite is a preferred electron acceptor for removing ammonium and dissolved methane than nitrate. The findings not only extend the applications of novel n-DAMO microorganisms in nitrogen and dissolved methane removal, but also provide insights into microbial cooperation and competition in granular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Liu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Shihu Hu
- 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
| | - Jianhua Guo
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology (ACWEB, formerly AWMC), The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia.
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18
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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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19
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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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20
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Wang X, Zhang G, Ding A, Zheng L, Xie E, Yuan D, Tan Q, Xing Y, Wu H. Nitrite-resistance mechanisms on wastewater treatment in denitrifying phosphorus removal process revealed by machine learning, co-occurrence, and metagenomics analysis. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2023; 327:121549. [PMID: 37019260 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121549] [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: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/01/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Nitrite is a key intermediate in nitrogen metabolism that determines microbial transformations of N and P, greenhouse gas (N2O) emissions, and system nutrient removal efficiency. However, nitrite also exerts toxic effects on microorganisms. A lack of understanding of high nitrite-resistance mechanisms at community- and genome-scale resolutions hinders the optimization for robustness of wastewater treatment systems. Here, we established nitrite-dependent denitrifying and phosphorus removal (DPR) systems under a gradient concentration of nitrite (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 mg N/L), relying on 16S rRNA gene amplicon and metagenomics to explore high nitrite-resistance mechanism. The results demonstrated that specific taxa were adopted to change the metabolic relationship of the community through phenotypic evolution to resist toxic nitrite contributing to the enhancement of denitrification and inhibition of nitrification and phosphorus removal. The key specific species, Thauera enhanced denitrification, whereas Candidatus Nitrotoga decreased in abundance to maintain partial nitrification. The extinction of Candidatus Nitrotoga induced a simpler restructuring-community, forcing high nitrite-stimulating microbiome to establish a more focused denitrification rather than nitrification or P metabolism in response to nitrite toxicity. Our work provides insights for understanding microbiome adaptation to toxic nitrite and giving theoretical support for operation strategy of nitrite-based wastewater treatment technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue Wang
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Guoyu Zhang
- Department of Environmental Engineering, School of Marine Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Weihai, 264209, China
| | - Aizhong Ding
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Lei Zheng
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - En Xie
- College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Dongdan Yuan
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Qiuyang Tan
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Yuzi Xing
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
| | - Haoming Wu
- College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China
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21
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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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22
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Hu Z, Hu S, Ye L, Duan H, Wu Z, Hong PY, Yuan Z, Zheng M. Novel Use of a Ferric Salt to Enhance Mainstream Nitrogen Removal from Anaerobically Pretreated Wastewater. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:6712-6722. [PMID: 37038903 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08325] [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: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
This study aims to demonstrate a new technology roadmap to support the ongoing paradigm shift in wastewater management from pollutant removal to resource recovery. This is achieved by developing a novel use of an iron salt (i.e., FeCl3) in an integrated anaerobic wastewater treatment and mainstream anammox process. FeCl3 was chosen to be dosed in a proposed sidestream unit rather than in a primary settler or a mainstream reactor. This causes acidification of returned activated sludge and enables stable suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacterial activity and excess sludge reduction. A laboratory-scale system, which comprised an anaerobic baffled reactor, a continuous-flow anoxic-aerobic (A/O) reactor, and a secondary settler, was designed to treat real domestic wastewater, with the performance of the system comprehensively monitored under a steady-state condition. The experimental assessments showed that the system had good effluent quality, with total nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations of 12.6 ± 1.3 mg N/L and 0.34 ± 0.05 mg P/L, respectively. It efficiently retained phosphorus in excess sludge (0.18 ± 0.03 g P/g dry sludge), suggesting its potential for further recovery. About half of influent organic carbon was recovered in the form of bioenergy (i.e., methane). This together with low energy consumption revealed that the system could produce a net energy of about 0.11 kWh/m3-wastewater, assessed by an energy balance analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhetai Hu
- 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
| | - Liu Ye
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, 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, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Pei-Ying Hong
- Environmental Science and Engineering, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - 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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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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Hu Z, Li W, Duan H, Huang X, Meng J, Yang L, Zheng M. An integrated approach to vivianite recovery from waste activated sludge. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 371:128608. [PMID: 36640822 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128608] [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: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The waste activated sludge (WAS) of wastewater treatment system is often rich in phosphorus (P), which is a basic element of human life and could use up in the near future. This study proposed an integrated approach to efficiently recover P as vivianite from WAS and simultaneously enhance the sludge dewaterability. The raw WAS was first acidified using FeCl3, which was then fed to anaerobic fermenter for Fe3+ reduction. After fermentation, a technology named acid-elutriation was introduced to convert Fe and P from solid phase to liquid phase and concomitantly enhance the liquor-solid separation. Finally, vivianite was obtained via sludge eluate neutralization. The enhanced sludge dewaterability not only increases the recovery efficiency of Fe and P but also decreases the cost of sludge disposal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhetai Hu
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Weiwei Li
- 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
| | - Xin Huang
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jia Meng
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China
| | - Liangzhen Yang
- 2005 Pioneer Park, Longcheng Residential Street, Shenzhen Tongdao Environmental Technology Co., Ltd, Shenzhen 518001, China
| | - Min Zheng
- Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
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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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Guo H, Tian L, Wang Y, Zheng K, Hou J, Zhao Y, Zhu T, Liu Y. Enhanced anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge with periodate-based pretreatment. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND ECOTECHNOLOGY 2023; 13:100208. [PMID: 36388632 PMCID: PMC9640319 DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2022.100208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The potential of periodate (PI) in sludge anaerobic digestion is not tapped, although it has recently attracted great research interest in organic contaminants removal and pathogens inactivation in wastewater treatment. This is the first work to demonstrate significant improvement in methane generation from waste activated sludge (WAS) with PI pretreatment and to provide underlying mechanisms. Biochemical methane potential tests indicated that methane yield enhanced from 100.2 to 146.3 L per kg VS (VS, volatile solids) with PI dosages from 0 to 100 mg per g TS (TS, total solids). Electron spin resonance showed PI could be activated without extra activator addition, which might be attributed to the native transition metals (e.g., Fe2+) in WAS, thereby generating hydroxyl radical (•OH), superoxide radicals (•O2 -), and singlet oxygen (1O2). Further scavenging tests demonstrated all of them synergistically promoted WAS disintegration, and their contributions were in the order of •O2 - > •OH > 1O2, leading to the release of substantial biodegradable substances (i.e., proteins and polysaccharides) into the liquid phase for subsequent biotransformation. Moreover, fluorescence and ultraviolet spectroscopy analyses indicated the recalcitrant organics (especially lignocellulose and humus) could be degraded by reducing their aromaticity under oxidative stress of PI, thus readily for methanogenesis. Microbial community analysis revealed some microorganisms participating in hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and acetoclastic methanogenesis were enriched after PI pretreatment. The improved key enzyme activities and up-regulated metabolic pathways further provided direct evidence for enhanced methane production. This research was expected to broaden the application scope of PI and provide more diverse pretreatment choices for energy recovery through anaerobic digestion.
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27
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Zajac O, Zubrowska-Sudol M. Nitrification kinetics, N 2O emission, and energy use in intermittently aerated hybrid reactor under different organic loading rates. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY : IJEST 2022; 20:1-14. [PMID: 36567805 PMCID: PMC9765392 DOI: 10.1007/s13762-022-04715-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the impact of intermittent aeration strategies and reduction in the reactor's organic and nitrogen loading rates on the course of particular stages of the nitrification process, as well as energy consumption and N2O emissions in a hybrid reactor with nitrification/denitrification. Each of the analysed series revealed the greatest ammonia oxidation activity in activated sludge flocs. The highest activity of nitrite nitrogen oxidation was demonstrated in the case of biofilm. A reduction in the reactor's organic and nitrogen loading rate value had a greater effect on changes in the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria than nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. In a system where the operation of air pumps was controlled through switching them and off according to the adopted ratio between non-aerated and aerated sub-phase times and the assumed oxygen concentration, a reduction in the duration of aerated sub-phases caused no decrease in energy use for aeration. Lower N2O emission was recorded when the reactor operated with a longer duration of aerated sub-phases. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13762-022-04715-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- O. Zajac
- Department of Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment, Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
| | - M. Zubrowska-Sudol
- Department of Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment, Faculty of Building Services, Hydro and Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Nowowiejska 20, 00-653 Warsaw, Poland
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28
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Jiang H, Wen Y, Qian R, Liu S, Tang X, Huang W, Chen H. Novel insights into aerobic duration control-based partial nitritation in source-separated blackwater treatment: Growth type, inoculation source, and comammox threat. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 324:116319. [PMID: 36170781 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic duration control (ADC), whereby aeration is terminated before nitrite is extremely oxidized during the nitrification process, is an effective strategy to achieve partial nitritation (PN) for blackwater. This study evaluated the effects of microbial growth type, influent ammonia-oxidizing organisms (AOO), and comammox bacteria from seeding sludge to ADC-based PN. The long-term operation of lab-scale reactors and model simulations were implemented to select the best growth type. The biofilm formed on the inner wall of the activated sludge reactor decreased the nitrite accumulation ratio (NAR) from 99.2% to 77.2%. Meanwhile, the NAR of the pure-biofilm reactor decreased from 95.9% to 47.8%. The deteriorated PN of the biofilm-related reactors was due to the extended solid retention time and increased substrate saturation constants of AOOs compared with those of nitrite-oxidizing organisms (NOO). Periodic biofilm carrier regeneration and biofilm thickness control can recover PN performance but are difficult to implement. In contrast, the optimized activated sludge reactor exhibited high (NAR >94%) and stable (>3 months) PN performance when treating real blackwater. Nitrifiers were found in blackwater, and chemically enhanced high-rate activated sludge pretreatment removed more NOOs than AOOs (41.8% vs. 24.3%) and increased the influent AOO/NOO ratio. Interestingly, the influent AOOs supported fast PN start-up in the moving-bed biofilm reactor without the initial inoculation of activated sludge. Moreover, model simulations verified that high and stable PN could also be realized in an activated sludge reactor by the continuous inoculation of influent AOOs, which is a novel PN start-up strategy. Metagenomic analyses showed that the comammox bacteria from the seeding sludge eventually disappeared owing to their intrinsic specific growth rates and free ammonia inhibition. The findings of this study will provide insightful guidelines for PN application in decentralized and semi-centralized wastewater treatment systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haixin Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Yexuan Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Ruibo Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Shiting Liu
- Sichuan Environmental Protection Industry Group Company Limited, Chengdu, 610046, China
| | - Xianchun Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Weiping Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Hongbin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China; National Engineering Research Center for Urban Pollution Control, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
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29
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Cao Q, Li X, Chen Y, Li X, Xie Z, Li D. Nitrification resistance and functional redundancy maintain the system stability of partial nitrification in high-strength ammonium wastewater system. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2022; 365:128157. [PMID: 36272680 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The sudden change of ammonia loading in high-strength ammonium wastewater treatment can directly affect the system stability by altering microbial community dynamics. To maintain the system stability, the effects of ammonia shock loading on microbial community dynamics must be studied. Two sets of sequencing batch reactors were operated with 6 shock cycles (maximum volumetric loading rate of 1928 mg N/(L·d)). CN system contained both organic carbon and ammonia and N system contained only ammonia. Comparing with N system, CN system operated more stably and had higher nitrite accumulation rate. Free ammonia (FA) was the select stress for the turnover of CN microbial communities, while the N communities didn t shift much. The increase of Nitrosomonas and the appearance of heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification bacteria in CN system presented its resistance and redundancy against FA impact, while the increase of functional genes exhibited functional genes redundancy which maintained the system stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Cao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiangzhen Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Yichao Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Xin Li
- Engineering Research Center of Soil Remediation of Fujian Province University, College of Resources and Environment, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhijie Xie
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China
| | - Dong Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China.
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