Role of heterotrophic aerobic denitrifying bacteria in nitrate removal from wastewater

Evidence of Potential Anammox Activities from Rice Paddy Soils in Microaerobic and Anaerobic Conditions

Anammox, a reaction in which microorganisms oxidize ammonia under anaerobic conditions, is used in the industry to remove ammonium from wastewater in an environmentally friendly manner. This process does not produce intermediate products such as nitrite or nitrate, which can act as secondary pollutants in soil and water environments. For industrial applications, anammox bacteria should be obtained from the environment and cultivated. Anammox bacteria generally exhibit a slow growth rate and may not produce a large number of cells due to their anaerobic metabolism. Additionally, their habitats appear to be limited to specific environments, such as oxidation-reduction transition zones. Consequently, most of the anammox bacteria that are used or studied originate from marine environments. In this study, anammox bacterial evidence was found in rice paddy soil and cultured under various conditions of aerobic, microaerobic, and anaerobic batch incubations to determine whether enrichment was possible. The anammox-specific gene (hzsA) and microbial community analyses were performed on the incubated soils. Although it was not easy to enrich anammox bacteria due to co-occurrence of denitrification and nitrification based on the chemistry data, potential existence of anammox bacteria was assumed in the terrestrial paddy soil environment. For potential industrial uses, anammox bacteria could be searched for in rice paddy soils by applying optimal enrichment conditions.

Revealing the functional potential of microbial community of activated sludge for treating tuna processing wastewater through metagenomic analysis

Reports regarding the composition and functions of microorganisms in activated sludge from wastewater treatment plants for treating tuna processing wastewater remains scarce, with prevailing studies focusing on municipal and industrial wastewater. This study delves into the efficiency and biological dynamics of activated sludge from tuna processing wastewater, particularly under conditions of high lipid content, for pollutant removal. Through metagenomic analysis, we dissected the structure of microbial community, and its relevant biological functions as well as pathways of nitrogen and lipid metabolism in activated sludge. The findings revealed the presence of 19 phyla, 1,880 genera, and 7,974 species, with Proteobacteria emerging as the predominant phylum. The study assessed the relative abundance of the core microorganisms involved in nitrogen removal, including Thauera sp. MZ1T and Alicycliphilus denitrificans K601, among others. Moreover, the results also suggested that a diverse array of fatty acid-degrading microbes, such as Thauera aminoaromatica and Cupriavidus necator H16, could thrive under lipid-rich conditions. This research can provide some referable information for insights into optimizing the operations of wastewater treatment and identify some potential microbial agents for nitrogen and fatty acid degradation.

Irons differently modulate bacterial guilds for leading to varied efficiencies in simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) within four aerobic bioreactors

As a novel biological wastewater nitrogen removal technology, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) has gained increasing attention. Iron, serving as a viable material, has been shown to influence nitrogen removal. However, the precise impact of iron on the SND process and microbiome remains unclear. In this study, bioreactors amended with iron of varying valences were evaluated for total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiencies under aerobic conditions. The acclimated control reactor without iron addition (NCR) exhibited high ammonia nitrogen (AN) removal efficiency (98.9%), but relatively low TN removal (78.6%) due to limited denitrification. The reactor containing zero-valent iron (Fe0R) demonstrated the highest SND rate of 92.3% with enhanced aerobic denitrification, albeit with lower AN removal (84.1%). Significantly lower SND efficiencies were observed in reactors with ferrous (Fe2R, 66.3%) and ferric (Fe3R, 58.2%) iron. Distinct bacterial communities involved in nitrogen metabolisms were detected in these bioreactors. The presence of complete ammonium oxidation (comammox) genus Nitrospira and anammox bacteria Candidatus Brocadia characterized efficient AN removal in NCR. The relatively low abundance of aerobic denitrifiers in NCR hindered denitrification. Fe0R exhibited highly abundant but low-efficiency methanotrophic ammonium oxidizers, Methylomonas and Methyloparacoccus, along with diverse aerobic denitrifiers, resulting in lower AN removal but an efficient SND process. Conversely, the presence of Fe2+/Fe3+ constrained the denitrifying community, contributing to lower TN removal efficiency via inefficient denitrification. Therefore, different valent irons modulated the strength of nitrification and denitrification through the assembly of key microbial communities, providing insight for microbiome modulation in nitrogen-rich wastewater treatment.

The critical role of a conserved lysine residue in periplasmic nitrate reductase catalyzed reactions

Periplasmic nitrate reductase NapA from Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) contains a molybdenum cofactor (Moco) and a 4Fe-4S cluster and catalyzes the reduction of nitrate to nitrite. The reducing equivalent required for the catalysis is transferred from NapC → NapB → NapA. The electron transfer from NapB to NapA occurs through the 4Fe-4S cluster in NapA. C. jejuni NapA has a conserved lysine (K79) between the Mo-cofactor and the 4Fe-4S cluster. K79 forms H-bonding interactions with the 4Fe-4S cluster and connects the latter with the Moco via an H-bonding network. Thus, it is conceivable that K79 could play an important role in the intramolecular electron transfer and the catalytic activity of NapA. In the present study, we show that the mutation of K79 to Ala leads to an almost complete loss of activity, suggesting its role in catalytic activity. The inhibition of C. jejuni NapA by cyanide, thiocyanate, and azide has also been investigated. The inhibition studies indicate that cyanide inhibits NapA in a non-competitive manner, while thiocyanate and azide inhibit NapA in an uncompetitive manner. Neither inhibition mechanism involves direct binding of the inhibitor to the Mo-center. These results have been discussed in the context of the loss of catalytic activity of NapA K79A variant and a possible anion binding site in NapA has been proposed.

Metagenomic analysis of the microbial communities and associated network of nitrogen metabolism genes in the Ryukyu limestone aquifer

While microbial biogeochemical activities such as those involving denitrification and sulfate reduction have been considered to play important roles in material cycling in various aquatic ecosystems, our current understanding of the microbial community in groundwater ecosystems is remarkably insufficient. To assess the groundwater in the Ryukyu limestone aquifer of Okinawa Island, which is located in the southernmost region of Japan, we performed metagenomic analysis on the microbial communities at the three sites and screened for functional genes associated with nitrogen metabolism. 16S rRNA amplicon analysis showed that bacteria accounted for 94-98% of the microbial communities, which included archaea at all three sites. The bacterial communities associated with nitrogen metabolism shifted by month at each site, indicating that this metabolism was accomplished by the bacterial community as a whole. Interestingly, site 3 contained much higher levels of the denitrification genes such as narG and napA than the other two sites. This site was thought to have undergone denitrification that was driven by high quantities of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In contrast, site 2 was characterized by a high nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) content and a low amount of DOC, and this site yielded a moderate amount of denitrification genes. Site 1 showed markedly low amounts of all nitrogen metabolism genes. Overall, nitrogen metabolism in the Ryukyu limestone aquifer was found to change based on environmental factors.

Cyclic di-GMP inhibits nitrate assimilation by impairing the antitermination function of NasT in Pseudomonas putida

The ubiquitous bacterial second messenger cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) coordinates diverse cellular processes through its downstream receptors. However, whether c-di-GMP participates in regulating nitrate assimilation is unclear. Here, we found that NasT, an antiterminator involved in nitrate assimilation in Pseudomonas putida, specifically bound c-di-GMP. NasT was essential for expressing the nirBD operon encoding nitrite reductase during nitrate assimilation. High-level c-di-GMP inhibited the binding of NasT to the leading RNA of nirBD operon (NalA), thus attenuating the antitermination function of NasT, resulting in decreased nirBD expression and nitrite reductase activity, which in turn led to increased nitrite accumulation in cells and its export. Molecular docking and point mutation assays revealed five residues in NasT (R70, Q72, D123, K127 and R140) involved in c-di-GMP-binding, of which R140 was essential for both c-di-GMP-binding and NalA-binding. Three diguanylate cyclases (c-di-GMP synthetases) were found to interact with NasT and inhibited nirBD expression, including WspR, PP_2557, and PP_4405. Besides, the c-di-GMP-binding ability of NasT was conserved in the other three representative Pseudomonas species, including P. aeruginosa, P. fluorescens and P. syringae. Our findings provide new insights into nitrate assimilation regulation by revealing the mechanism by which c-di-GMP inhibits nitrate assimilation via NasT.

Iron-based multi-carbon composite and Pseudomonas furukawaii ZS1 co-affect nitrogen removal, microbial community dynamics and metabolism pathways in low-temperature aquaculture wastewater

Aerobic denitrification is the key process in the elimination of nitrogen from aquaculture wastewater, especially for wastewater with high dissolved oxygen and low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio. However, a low C/N ratio, especially in low-temperature environments, restricts the activity of aerobic denitrifiers and decreases the nitrogen elimination efficiency. In this study, an iron-based multi-solid carbon source composite that immobilized aerobic denitrifying bacteria ZS1 (IMCSCP) was synthesized to treat aerobic (DO > 5 mg/L), low temperature (<15 °C) and low C/N ratio (C/N = 4) aquaculture wastewater. The results showed that the sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR) packed with IMCSCP exhibited the highest nitrogen removal performance, with removal rates of 95.63% and 85.44% for nitrate nitrogen and total nitrogen, respectively, which were 33.03% and 30.75% higher than those in the reactor filled with multi-solid carbon source composite (MCSC). Microbial community and network analysis showed that Pseudomonas furukawaii ZS1 successfully colonized the SBBR filled with IMCSCP, and Exiguobacterium, Cellulomonas and Pseudomonas were essential for the nitrogen elimination. Metagenomic analysis showed that an increase in gene abundance related to carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, extracellular polymer substance synthesis and electron transfer in the IMCSCP, enabling denitrification in the SBBR to be achieved via multiple pathways. The results of this study provided new insights into the microbial removal mechanism of nitrogen in SBBR packed with IMCSCP at low temperatures.

Spatial distribution characteristics of denitrification functional genes and the environmental drivers in Liaohe estuary wetland

Genes nirS, nirK, and nosZ are specific for the denitrification process, which is associated with greenhouse gas N2O emission. The abundances and diversities of community containing these three genes are usually used as a common index to reflect the denitrification process, and they would be affected by differences in environmental factors caused by changes from warm to cold conditions. The quantification of denitrification in natural wetlands is complex, and straightforward identification of spatial distribution and drivers affecting the process is still developing. In this study, the bacterial communities, gene diversities, and relative abundances involved in denitrification were investigated in Liaohe Estuary Wetland. We analyzed the relative abundances, diversities, and communities of bacteria containing the three genes at warm and cold conditions using Illumina MiSeq sequencing and detected the potential environmental factors influencing their distribution by using a random forest algorithm. There are great differences in the community composition of the bacteria containing genes nirS, nirK, and nosZ. All the abundant taxa of nirS and nirK communities belonged to phylum Proteobacteria. Compared with the community composition of bacteria containing nirS and nirK, the community of bacteria containing nosZ is more diverse, and the subdivision taxa of phylum Euryarchaeota was also abundant in the community containing nosZ. The distribution characteristics of the relative abundance of nirS and nirK showed obvious differences both at warm and cold climate conditions. The oxidation-reduction potential, nitrite nitrogen, and salinity were detected as potential variables that might explain the diversity of nirS. The total nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen were the important variables for predicting the relative abundance of nirS at warm climate condition, while oxidation-reduction potential and pH contributed to the diversity of nirS at cold condition. The bulk density of sediment was detected as a potential variable affecting the relative abundance of nirK at warm and cold conditions, and diversity of nirK at warm condition, while nitrite nitrogen was detected as an important environmental factor for predicting the diversity of nirK at cold condition. Overall, our results show that the key environmental factors, which affect the relative abundance, diversity, and community of bacteria containing the functional denitrification genes, are not exactly the same, and the diversities of nirS, nirK, and nosZ have a higher environmental sensitivity than their relative abundances.

Influence of ammonia nitrogen management strategies on microbial communities in biofloc-based aquaculture systems

Controlling ammonia nitrogen is very important in intensive aquaculture. This study evaluated how different management strategies, i.e., chemoautotrophic (control), heterotrophic bacterial enhancement using carbon in glucose or polyhydroxy butyrate-hydroxy valerate (PHBV), and mature biofloc application, affect water quality and microbial community structure and composition. The management strategies were examined during the domestication and fish culture stages. In the domestication stage, the average NO2--N concentration, pH, and DO in the glucose-added groups were significantly lower than those in the control and PHBV groups. All water quality parameters differed significantly among treatment groups in the culture stage. Carbon additions decreased both bacterial richness and diversity in the fish culture stage. Both principal coordinate analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis grouped the 33 bacteria community samples from the two stages into four clusters, which were closely related to management strategy. The dominant taxa of the clusters were identified using linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe). The biomarkers of Cluster I included Marinomonas, Photobacterium, and Vibrio. Porticoccus and Clade-1a were identified as the biomarkers of Cluster II. Marivia, Leucothrix, and Phaeodactylibacter were identified as the biomarkers of Cluster IV. The Cluster I biomarkers were positively correlated with NO2--N, while those of Cluster IV were positively correlated with NO3--N. The redundancy analysis showed that the bacterial communities and biomarkers were influenced by water quality parameters. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed significant differences in the abundances of the amoA and nxrB genes among treatments and between the two stages. The abundance of the amoA gene was higher in the control group than in the carton-added treatments at the ends of both stages. This study provides an important theoretical basis for the selection of efficient ammonia nitrogen control strategies in aquaculture systems.

Insight into the metabolic pathways of Paracoccus sp. strain DMF: a non-marine halotolerant methylotroph capable of degrading aliphatic amines/amides

Paracoccus sp. strain DMF (P. DMF from henceforth) is a gram-negative heterotroph known to tolerate and utilize high concentrations of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The work presented here elaborates on the metabolic pathways involved in the degradation of C1 compounds, many of which are well-known pollutants and toxic to the environment. Investigations on microbial growth and detection of metabolic intermediates corroborate the outcome of the functional genome analysis. Several classes of C1 compounds, such as methanol, methylated amines, aliphatic amides, and naturally occurring quaternary amines like glycine betaine, were tested as growth substrates. The detailed growth and kinetic parameter analyses reveal that P. DMF can efficiently aerobically degrade trimethylamine (TMA) and grow on quaternary amines such as glycine betaine. The results show that the mechanism for halotolerant adaptation in the presence of glycine betaine is dissimilar from those observed for conventional trehalose-mediated halotolerance in heterotrophic bacteria. In addition, a close genomic survey revealed the presence of a Co(I)-based substrate-specific corrinoid methyltransferase operon, referred to as mtgBC. This demethylation system has been associated with glycine betaine catabolism in anaerobic methanogens and is unknown in denitrifying aerobic heterotrophs. This report on an anoxic-specific demethylation system in an aerobic heterotroph is unique. Our finding exposes the metabolic potential for the degradation of a variety of C1 compounds by P. DMF, making it a novel organism of choice for remediating a wide range of possible environmental contaminants.

Explaining nitrogen turnover in sediments and water through variations in microbial community composition and potential function

Anthropogenic activities greatly impact nitrogen (N) biogeochemical cycling in aquatic ecosystems. High N concentrations in coastal aquaculture waters threaten fishery production and aquaculture ecosystems and have become an urgent problem to be solved. Existing microbial flora and metabolic potential significantly regulate N turnover in aquatic ecosystems. To clarify the contribution of microorganisms to N turnover in sediment and water, we investigated three types of aquaculture ecosystems in coastal areas of Guangdong, China. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N) was the dominant component of total nitrogen in the sediment (interstitial water, 90.4%) and water (61.6%). This finding indicates that NO3--N (1.67-2.86 mg/L and 2.98-7.89 mg/L in the sediment and water) is a major pollutant in aquaculture ecosystems. In water, the relative abundances of assimilation nitrogen reduction and aerobic denitrifying bacteria, as well as the metabolic potentials of nitrogen fixation and dissimilated nitrogen in fish monoculture, were only 61.0%, 31.5%, 47.5%, and 27.2% of fish and shrimp polyculture, respectively. In addition, fish-shrimp polyculture reduced NO3--N content (2.86 mg/L) compared to fish monoculture (7.89 mg/L), which was consistent with changes in aerobic denitrification and nitrate assimilation, suggesting that polyculture could reduce TN concentrations in water bodies and alleviate nitrogen pollution risks. Further analysis via structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that functional pathways (36% and 31%) explained TN changes better than microbial groups in sediment and water (13% and 11%), suggesting that microbial functional capabilities explain TN better than microbial community composition and other factors (pH, O2, and aquaculture type). This study enhances our understanding of nitrogen pollution characteristics and microbial community and functional capabilities related to sediment-water nitrogen turnover in three types of aquaculture ecosystems, which can contribute to the preservation of healthy coastal ecosystems.

Genomic profiling and characteristics of a C1 degrading heterotrophic fresh-water bacterium Paracoccus sp. strain DMF

Paracoccus species are metabolically versatile gram-negative, aerobic facultative methylotrophic bacteria showing enormous promise for environmental and bioremediation studies. Here we report, the complete genome analysis of Paracoccus sp. strain DMF (P. DMF) that was isolated from a domestic wastewater treatment plant in Kanpur, India (26.4287 °N, 80.3891 °E) based on its ability to degrade a recalcitrant organic solvent N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The results reveal a genome size of 4,202,269 base pairs (bp) with a G + C content of 67.9%. The assembled genome comprises 4141 coding sequences (CDS), 46 RNA sequences, and 2 CRISPRs. Interestingly, catabolic operons related to the conventional marine-based methylated amines (MAs) degradation pathway were functionally annotated within the genome of an obligated aerobic heterotroph that is P. DMF. The genomic data-based characterization presented here for the novel heterotroph P. DMF aims to improve the understanding of the phenotypic gene products, enzymes, and pathways involved with greater emphasis on facultative methylotrophic motility-based latent pathogenicity.

Nitrate removal from industrial wastewater using six newly isolated strains of aerobic heterotrophic denitrifiers in an attached growth

BACKGROUND

The objective of this study was to isolate specific heterotrophic aerobic denitrifying bacteria from a wastewater treatment plant and employ them in an attached growth system for wastewater denitrification.

METHODS

To isolate and screen aerobic denitrifiers, Denitrifying Medium (DM) and Screen Medium (GN) were utilized. The Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique and 16S rDNA sequencing were used to identify the isolates. The formation of biofilms by selected isolates on ceramic media was examined using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). This study also investigated various variables for nitrate removal, including temperature, Carbon/Nitrogen ratio (C/N), and the carbon source. A series of experiments were conducted to gauge nitrate removal under optimal variable values.

RESULTS

Six purified strains exhibited the highest denitrification efficiency in less than 30 h. Pseudomonas species were chosen for additional experiments. Denitrification efficiencies ranged from a low of 71.4% (at a temperature of 30 °C, C/N ratio of 17, and citrate as the carbon source) to a high of 98.9% (at a temperature of 33 °C, C/N ratio of 8, and citrate as the carbon source). The average denitrification efficiency was 84.02%. Optimal nitrate removal occurred at temperatures around 30-31 °C and C/N ratios of approximately 5.8-6.5.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates that aerobic denitrifying bacteria can effectively remove nitrate from aqueous solutions.

A microbial flora with superior pollutant removal efficiency and its fermentation process optimization

Microbial flora plays an important role in microorganism-enhanced technology. The pollutant degradation ability and viable counts of these agents are crucial to guarantee their practical application. In this study, an efficient pollutant-degrading microbial flora was screened, its medium components and culture conditions were optimized, and its effect was verified in zeolite trickling filter towers. After a 24 h culture under the optimal conditions, the viable count reached 4.76 × 109 cfu/mL, with the degradation rates of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO3--N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) increased to 93.5%, 100%, 68.3%, 32.6%, and 85%, respectively. After optimizing the feeding strategy, the concentration of viable bacteria reached 5.80 × 109 cfu/mL. In the application effect verification experiment, the degradation rates of NH4+-N, TN, TP, and COD in the experimental group reached 96.69%, 75.18%, 73.82%, and 90.83%, respectively, showing a significant improvement compared to the results of the control group. The main components in the control group were Dokdonella, Brevundimonas, Alishewanella, Rhodobacter, Pseudoxanthomonas, and Thauera, whereas those in the experimental group were Dokdonella, Proteocatella, Rhodobacter, Dechlomonas, and Nitrospira. Proteocatella, Dechlomonas, and Nitrosra, which were unique to the experimental group, are common bacteria used for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. This explains the difference in the sewage treatment capacity between the two groups. This study provides an alternative sewage treatment microbial flora with a reasonable production cost and high degradation efficiency for NH4+-N, TN, TP, and COD.

Enhanced reduction of nitrate by TDER packed with surface-modified plastic particles electrodes

Based on Iron cathodes, nitrate could be selectively decomposed into other lower-valence nitrogen compounds, including ammonia, nitrogen gas, nitrite and nitric oxide, but the removal efficiencies of nitrate and total nitrogen (TN), are affected significantly by the synergistic effects of anodes, chloride electrolyte and conductive plastic particles electrodes. In this work, the base material Titanium (Ti) metal plates and plastic particles which surfaces were mainly coated with Ru-Sn oxidizing compounds, were applied as plates anodes and conductive particles electrodes in Three Dimensional Electrode Reactors (TDER). The Ti/RuSn plate anodes showed excellent performance on degrading nitrate, more nitrogen gas (83.84%) and less ammonia (15.51%) was produced, less TN and Iron ion (0.02 mg/L) was left in the wastewater, and less amount of chemical sludge (0.20 g/L) was produced. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of nitrate and TN were further increased by the surface-modified plastic particles, which were cheap, reusable, corrosion-resistance, easy to obtain as manufactured materials and light to be suspended in waters. The degradation of nitrate and its intermediates was enhanced possibly by the continuous synergistic reactions initiated by hydrogen radicals, which was generated on the countless surficial active Ru-Sn sites of Ti/RuSn metal plate anodes and plastic particles electrodes, among residual nitrogen intermediates, most of ammonia was selectively converted to gaseous nitrogen by hypochlorite from chloride ion reaction.

Efficient aerobic denitrification without nitrite accumulation by Pseudomonas mendocina HITSZ-D1 isolated from sewage sludge

A highly efficient aerobic denitrifying microbe was isolated from sewage sludge by using a denitrifier enrichment strategy based on decreasing carbon content. The microbe was identified as Pseudomonas mendocina HITSZ-D1 (hereafter, D1). Investigation of the conditions under which D1 grew and denitrified revealed that it performed good growth and nitrate removal performance under a wide range of conditions. In particular, D1 rapidly removed all types of inorganic nitrogen without accumulation of the intermediate products nitrite and nitrous oxide. Overall, D1 showed a total nitrogen removal efficiency >96% at a C/N ratio of 8. The biotransformation modes and fates of three typical types of inorganic nitrogen were also assessed. Moreover, D1 had significantly higher denitrification efficiency and enzyme activities than other aerobic denitrifying microbes (Paracoccus denitrificans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Pseudomonas putida). These results suggest that D1 has great potential for treating wastewater containing high concentrations of nitrogen.

Dopamine alleviates cadmium stress in apple trees by recruiting beneficial microorganisms to enhance the physiological resilience revealed by high-throughput sequencing and soil metabolomics

Dopamine has demonstrated promise as a stress-relief substance. However, the function of dopamine in Cd tolerance and its mechanism remains largely unknown. The current study was performed to investigate the mechanism of dopamine on alleviating apple Cd stress through regular application of CdCl2 and dopamine solution to potting soil. The results indicated that dopamine significantly reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Cd accumulation and alleviated the inhibitory effect of Cd stress on the growth of apple plants through activation of the antioxidant system, enhancement of photosynthetic capacity, and regulation of gene expression related to Cd absorption and detoxification. The richness of the rhizosphere microbial community increased, and community composition and assembly were affected by dopamine treatment. Network analysis of microbial communities showed that the numbers of nodes and total links increased significantly after dopamine treatment, while the keystone species shifted. Linear discriminant analysis effect size indicated that some biomarkers were significantly enriched after dopamine treatment, suggesting that dopamine induced plants to recruit potentially beneficial microorganisms (Pseudoxanthomonas, Aeromicrobium, Bradyrhizobium, Frankia, Saccharimonadales, Novosphingobium, and Streptomyces) to resist Cd stress. The co-occurrence network showed several metabolites that were positively correlated with relative growth rate and negatively correlated with Cd accumulation, suggesting that potentially beneficial microorganisms may be attracted by several metabolites (L-threonic acid, profenamine, juniperic acid and (3β,5ξ,9ξ)-3,6,19-trihydroxyurs-12-en-28-oic acid). Our results demonstrate that dopamine alleviates Cd stress in apple trees by recruiting beneficial microorganisms to enhance the physiological resilience revealed. This study provides an effective means to reduce the harm to agricultural production caused by heavy metals.

Sustainable technology: potential of biomass (Bambusa tuldoides) for biological denitrification of wastewater generated in shrimp farming

Wastewater from shrimp farming is rich in organic material, solids, and nutrients, which cause a series of environmental problems when released into the environment. Currently, for the removal of nitrogen compounds from wastewater, among the most studied methods is biological denitrification. The objective of this study was to evaluate the operational parameters for the development of a more sustainable technology for the removal of nitrogen compounds from shrimp farm wastewater, using Bambusa tuldoides (a species of bamboo) as a source of carbon and a material conducive to the development of selected denitrifying bacteria. To optimize the process, biological denitrification assays were performed varying the following parameters: bamboo length (cm), pH, temperature, and stoichiometric proportions of C and N. The operational stability of the process with the reuse of the bamboo biomass was also evaluated. Cronobacter sakazakii and Bacillus cereus were identified as denitrifying microorganisms present in reactor with bamboo biomass. The best operational conditions observed were pH 6 to 7 and temperature 30 to 35 °C, and the addition of an external carbon source was not necessary for the denitrification process to occur efficiently. Under these conditions, biological denitrification occurred with an average efficiency above 90% based on the removal of the nitrogen contaminants evaluated (NO₃-N and NO₂-N). Regarding operational stability, 8 cycles were performed using the same source of carbon without reducing the efficiency of the process.

A new strategy to simultaneous removal and recovery of nitrogen from wastewater without N2O emission by heterotrophic nitrogen-assimilating bacterium

Biological assimilation that recovery the nitrogen from wastewater in the form of biomass offers a more environmentally friendly solution for the limitations of the conventional wastewater treatments. This study reported the simultaneous removal and recovery of nitrogen from wastewater without N₂O emission by a heterotrophic nitrogen-assimilating Acinetobacter sp. DN1 strain. Nitrogen balance, biomass qualitative analysis, genome and enzyme studies have been performed to illustrate the mechanism of nitrogen conversion by strain DN1. Results showed that the ammonium removal followed one direct pathway (GOGAT/GDH) and three indirect pathways (NH₄⁺ → NH₂OH → NO → NO₂^- → NH₄⁺ → GOGAT/GDH; NH₄⁺ → NH₂OH → NO → NO₂^- → NO₃^- → NO₂^- → NH₄⁺ → GOGAT/GDH; NH₄⁺ → NH₂OH → NO → NO₃^- → NO₂^- → NH₄⁺ → GOGAT/GDH). Nitrogen balance and biomass qualitative analysis showed that over 70 % of the ammonium in the wastewater was converted into intracellular nitrogen-containing compounds and stored in the cells of strain DN1. Traditional denitrification pathway was not detected and the ammonium was removed through assimilation, which makes it more energy-saving for nitrogen recovery when compared with Haber-Bosch process. This study provides a new direction for simultaneous nitrogen removal and recovery without N₂O emission by the heterotrophic nitrogen-assimilating bacterium.

The Effects of Shaking Duration on the Abundance and the Community of Aerobic Denitrifying Bacteria in Shrimp Pond Water and Sediment Samples

With the rapid development of intensive aquaculture, the considerable release of nitrogenous organic compounds has become a serious threat to aquatic organisms. Currently, isolating autochthonous aerobic denitrifying bacteria (ADB) from aquaculture environments is essential for the biological elimination of nitrogenous pollutants. In this study, the enrichment of ADB from shrimp pond water and sediment samples was conducted under different shaking durations. The absolute abundance of total bacteria, nosZ-type, and the napA-type ADB was measured using qPCR. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA, nosZ, and napA genes was performed to reveal the community structure of bacteria and ADB, respectively. Our data revealed that absolute abundance and the community structure of the total bacteria, nosZ-type and napA-type ADB, were significantly altered under different shaking durations. Specifically, the order Pseudomonadales, possessing both nosZ and napA genes, was significantly enriched in water and sediment samples under both 12/12 and 24/0 shaking/static cycles. However, in water samples, compared to the 24/0 shaking/static cycles, the 12/12 shaking/static cycles could lead to a higher enrichment rate of aerobic denitrification bacteria indicated by the higher absolute abundance of bacteria and the higher accounting percentage of orders Oceanospirillales and Vibrionales. Moreover, although the order Pseudomonadales notably increased under the 12/12 of shake/static cycle compared to the 24/0 shaking/static cycle, considering the relative higher abundance of ADB in 24/0 shaking/static cycle, the enrichment of ADB in sediment may be efficient with the 24/0 shaking/static cycle.

Highly efficient carbon assimilation and nitrogen/phosphorus removal facilitated by photosynthetic O2 from algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge under controlled DO/pH operation

Reducing CO₂ emission and energy consumption is crucial for the sustainable management of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In this study, an algal-bacterial aerobic granular sludge (AGS) system was developed for efficient carbon (C) assimilation and nitrogen (N)/phosphorus (P) removal without the need for mechanical aeration. The photosynthetic O₂ production by phototrophic organisms maintained the dissolved oxygen (DO) level at 3-4 mg/L in the bulk liquid, and an LED light control system reduced 10-30% of light energy consumption. Results showed that the biomass assimilated 52% of input dissolved total carbon (DTC), and the produced O₂ simultaneously facilitated aerobic nitrification and P uptake with the coexisting phototrophs serving as a C fixer and O₂ supplier. This resulted in a stably high total N removal of 81 ± 7% and an N assimilation rate of 7.55 mg/(g-MLVSS∙d) with enhanced microbial assimilation and simultaneous nitrification/denitrification. Good P removal of 92-98% was maintained during the test period at a molar ∆P/∆C ratio of 0.36 ± 0.03 and high P release and uptake rates of 10.84 ± 0.41 and 7.18 ± 0.24 mg/(g- MLVSS∙h), respectively. Photosynthetic O₂ was more advantageous for N and P removal than mechanical aeration. This proposed system can contribute to a better design and sustainable operation of WWTPs using algal-bacterial AGS.

Elevated antimony concentration stimulates rare taxa of potential autotrophic bacteria in the Xikuangshan groundwater

Microbial communities composed of few abundant and many rare species are widely involved in the biogeochemical cycles of elements. Yet little is known about the ecological roles of rare taxa in antimony (Sb) contaminated groundwater. Groundwater samples were collected along an Sb concentration gradient in the Xikuangshan antimony mine area and subjected to high through-put sequencing of 16S rRNA genes to investigate the bacterial communities. Results suggested that both abundant and rare sub-communities were dominated by Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria, whereas rare sub-communities showed higher alpha-diversities. Multivariate analysis showed that both the abundant and rare taxa were under the stress of Sb, but the impact on rare taxa was greater. Nitrate explained a large part for the variation of the abundant sub-communities, indicating the critical role of nitrate for their activities under anoxic conditions. In contrast, bicarbonate significantly impacted rare sub-communities, suggesting their potential autotrophic characteristics. To further explore the role of rare taxa in the communities and the mechanism of affecting the community composition, a network was constructed to display the co-occurrence pattern of bacterial communities. The rare taxa contributed most of the network nodes and served as keystone species to maintain the stability of community. Abiotic factors (mainly Sb and pH) and bacterial interspecific interactions (interactions between keystone species and other bacterial groups) jointly affect the community dynamics. Functional prediction was performed to further reveal the ecological function of rare taxa in the Sb-disturbed groundwater environment. The results indicated that the rare taxa harbored much more diverse functions than their abundant counterparts. Notably, elevated Sb concentration promoted some potential autotrophic functions in rare taxa such as the oxidation of S-, N-, and Fe(II)-compounds. These results offer new insights into the roles of rare species in elemental cycles in the Sb-impacted groundwater.

Theoretical Evaluation of Highly Efficient Nitrate Reduction to Ammonia on InBi

Electrocatalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia has become a popular approach for wastewater treatment and ammonia production. However, the development of highly efficient electrocatalysts remains a great challenge. Herein, we systematically studied the potential of InBi for nitrate reduction to ammonia (NRA) based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Our results reveal that InBi exhibits high activity for NRA via an O-end pathway, where the free energy evolution of all intermediates is downhill in the most favorable elementary steps. The activation of nitrate originates from the strong orbital hybridization between oxygen and indium atoms, leading to an enhanced charge transfer as well as NO₃^- adsorption. In particular, the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is effectively suppressed due to the weak adsorption of proton. Our study not only proves the great electrocatalytic potential of InBi as a novel catalyst for NRA but also points out a new way to design NRA electrocatalysts for practical applications.

Transcriptomics reveals the effect of ammonia nitrogen concentration on Pseudomonas stutzeri F2 assimilation and the analysis of amtB function

The biological treatment of wastewater with high concentrations of ammonia nitrogen has become a hot research issue, but there are limited reports on the mechanism of ammonia nitrogen utilization by microorganisms. In this paper, a transcriptomic approach was used to investigate the differences in gene expression at 500.0 mg/L (Amo 500) and 100.0 mg/L (Amo 100) ammonium concentrations to reveal the mechanism of ammonia nitrogen removal from water by Pseudomonas stutzeri F2. The transcriptome data showed 1015 (459 up-regulated and 556 down-regulated) differentially expressed genes with functional gene annotation related to nitrogen source metabolism, glycolysis, tricarboxylic acid cycle, extracellular polysaccharide synthesis, energy conversion and transmembrane transport, revealing the metabolic process of ammonium nitrogen conversion to biological nitrogen in P. stutzeri F2 through assimilation. To verify the effect of ammonium transporter protein (AmtB) of cell membrane on assimilation, a P. stutzeri F2-ΔamtB mutant strain was obtained by constructing a knockout plasmid (pK18mobsacB-ΔamtB), and it was found that the growth characteristics and ammonium removal rate of the mutant strain were significantly reduced at high ammonium concentration. The carbon source components and dissolved oxygen conditions were optimized after analyzing the transcriptome data, and the ammonium removal rate was increased from 41.23% to 94.92% with 500.0 mg/L ammonium concentration. The study of P. stutzeri F2 transcript level reveals the mechanism of ammonia nitrogen influence on microbial assimilation process and improvement strategy, which provides a new strategy for the treatment of ammonia nitrogen wastewater.

Contribution of pollution gradient to the sediment microbiome and potential pathogens in urban streams draining into Lake Victoria (Kenya)

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), urban rivers/streams have long been subjected to anthropogenic pollution caused by urbanization, resulting in significantly altered chemical and biological properties of surface water and sediments. However, little is known about the diversity and structure of river microbial community composition and pathogens, as well as how they respond to anthropogenic inputs. High-throughput 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and PICRUSt predictive function profiling were used in this study to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the spatial bacterial distribution and metabolic functions in sediment of two urban streams (Kisat and Auji) flowing through Kisumu City, Kenya. Results revealed that sediment samples from the highly urbanized mid and lower stream catchment zones of both streams had significantly higher levels of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorous (TP) than the less urbanized upper catchment zone, and were severely polluted with toxic heavy metals lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and copper (Cu). Differential distribution of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, and Verrucomicrobia in sediment bacterial composition was detected along stream catchment zones. The polluted mid and lower catchment zones were rich in Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, as well as a variety of potential pathogenic taxa such as Corynebacterium, Staphylococcus, Cutibacterium, Turicella, Acinetobacter, and Micrococcus, as well as enteric bacteria such as Faecalibacterium, Shewanella, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterococcus, Prevotella, Legionella, Vibrio and Salmonella. Furthermore, PICRUSt metabolic inference analysis revealed an increasing enrichment in the sediments of genes associated with carbon and nitrogen metabolism, disease pathogenesis, and virulence. Environmental factors (TOC, Pb, Cd, TN, pH) and geographical distance as significant drivers of sediment bacterial community assembly, with the environmental selection to play a dominant role. In polluted river catchment zone sediment samples, Pb content was the most influential sediment property, followed by TOC and Cd content. Given the predicted increase in urbanization in SSA, further alteration of surface water and sediment microbiome due to urban river pollution is unavoidable, with potential long-term effects on ecosystem function and potential health hazards. As a result, this study provides valuable information for ecological risk assessment and management of urban rivers impacted by diffuse and point source anthropogenic inputs, which is critical for future proactive and sustainable urban waste management, monitoring, and water pollution control in low-income countries.

Systematic review: External carbon source for biological denitrification for wastewater

Nitrogen mitigation is serious environmental issue around the globe. Several methods for wastewater treatment have been introduced, but biological denitrification has been recommended, particularly with addition of the best external carbon source. The key sites of denitrification are wetlands; it can be carried out with different methods. To highlight the aforementioned technology, this paper deals to review the literature to evaluate biological denitrification and to demonstrate cost effective external carbon sources. The results of systematic review disclose the denitrification process and addition of different external carbon sources. The online literature exploration was accomplished using the most well-known databases, that is, science direct and the web of science database, resulting 625 review articles and 3084 research articles, published in peer-reviewed journals between 2015 and 2021 were identified in first process. After doing an in-depth literature survey and exclusion criteria, we started to shape the review from selected review and research articles. A number of studies confirmed that both nitrification and denitrification are significant for biological treatment of wastewater. The studies proved that the carbon source is the main contributor and is a booster for the denitrification. Based on the literature reviewed it is concluded that biological denitrification with addition of external carbon source is cost effective and best option in nitrogen mitigation in a changing world. Our study recommends textile waste for recovery of carbon source.

Genetic mechanisms for Se(VI) reduction and synthesis of trigonal 1-D nanostructures in Stenotrophomonas bentonitica: Perspectives in eco-friendly nanomaterial production and bioremediation

Selenate (Se(VI)) is one of the most soluble and toxic species of Se. Microbial Se(VI) reduction is an efficient tool for bioremediation strategies. However, this process is limited to a few microorganisms, and its molecular basis remains unknown. We present detailed Se(VI)-resistance mechanisms under 50 and 200 mM, in Stenotrophomonas bentonitica BII-R7, coupling enzymatic reduction of Se(VI) to formation of less toxic trigonal Se (t-Se). The results reveal a concentration-dependent response. Despite the lack of evidence of Se(VI)-reduction to Se(0) under 50 mM Se(VI), many genes were highly induced, indicating that Se(VI)-resistance could be based on intracellular reduction to Se(IV), mainly through molybdenum-dependent enzymes (e.g. respiratory nitrate reductase), and antioxidant activity by enzymes like glutathione peroxidase. Although exposure to 200 mM provoked a sharp drop in gene expression, a time-dependent process of reduction and formation of amorphous (a), monoclinic (m) and t-Se nanostructures was unravelled: a-Se nanospheres were initially synthesized intracellularly, which would transform into m-Se and finally into t-Se nanostructures during the following phases. This is the first work describing an intracellular Se(VI) reduction and biotransformation process to long-term stable and insoluble t-Se nanomaterials. These results expand the fundamental understanding of Se biogeochemical cycling, and the effectiveness of BII-R7 for bioremediation purposes.

Heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification characteristics of the psychrotolerant Pseudomonas peli NR-5 at low temperatures

The nitrogen removal efficiency of heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) bacteria can be seriously inhibited at low temperatures (< 15 °C). A novel psychrotolerant bacterium, Pseudomonas peli NR-5 (P. peli NR-5), with efficient HN-AD capability was isolated and screened from river sediments in cold areas. When P. peli NR-5 was aerobically cultivated for 60 h at 10 °C with NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^--N, and NO₂^--N as the sole nitrogen sources (N 105 mg/L), the nitrogen removal efficiencies were 97.3, 95.3, and 87.8%, respectively, without nitrite accumulation, and the corresponding average nitrogen removal rates were 1.71, 1.67, and 1.55 mg/L/h, respectively. Meanwhile, P. peli NR-5 exhibited excellent simultaneous nitrification and denitrification capabilities at 10 °C. Sodium succinate was the most favorable carbon substrate for bacterial growth and ammonia removal by strain NR-5. The optimal culture conditions determined by the response surface methodology model were a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 5.9, temperature of 11.5 °C, pH of 7.0, and shaking speed of 144 rpm. Under these conditions, 99.1% of the total nitrogen was removed in the verification experiments, which was not significantly different from the predicted maximum removal in the model (99.6%). Six functional genes participating in the HN-AD process were successfully obtained by polymerase chain reaction amplification, which further confirmed the HN-AD capability of P. peli NR-5 and proposed the metabolic pathway of HN-AD. The above results provide a theoretical background of psychrotolerant HN-AD bacteria in wastewater purification under low-temperature conditions.

A Comprehensive Review on Wastewater Nitrogen Removal and Its Recovery Processes

Discharging large amounts of domestic and industrial wastewater drastically increases the reactive nitrogen content in aquatic ecosystems, which causes severe ecological stress and biodiversity loss. This paper reviews three common types of denitrification processes, including physical, chemical, and biological processes, and mainly focuses on the membrane technology for nitrogen recovery. The applicable conditions and effects of various treatment methods, as well as the advantages, disadvantages, and influencing factors of membrane technologies, are summarized. Finally, it is proposed that developing effective combinations of different treatment methods and researching new processes with high efficiency, economy, and energy savings, such as microbial fuel cells and anaerobic osmotic membrane bioreactors, are the research and development directions of wastewater treatment processes.

Significant production of nitric oxide by aerobic nitrite reduction at acidic pH

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.

Nitrogen Removal Characteristics of a Marine Denitrifying Pseudomonas stutzeri BBW831 and a Simplified Strategy for Improving the Denitrification Performance Under Stressful Conditions

A marine aerobic denitrifying bacterium was isolated and identified as Pseudomonas stutzeri BBW831 from the seabed silt of Beibu Gulf in China. According to the genome analysis, P. stutzeri BBW831 possessed a total of 14 genes (narG, narH, narI, narJ, napA, napB, nirB, nirD, nirS, norB, norC, norD, norQ, and nosZ) responsible for fully functional enzymes (nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, nitric oxide reductase, and nitrous oxide reductase) involved in the complete aerobic denitrification pathway, suggesting that it had the potential for reducing nitrate to the final N₂. Denitrification results showed that P. stutzeri BBW831 exhibited efficient nitrogen removal characteristics. Within 12 h, the NO₃^--N removal efficiency and rate reached 94.64% and 13.09 mg·L^-1·h^-1 under 166.10 ± 3.75 mg/L NO₃^--N as the sole nitrogen source, and removal efficiency of the mixed nitrogen (50.50 ± 0.55, 62.28 ± 0.74, and 64.26 ± 0.90 mg/L of initial NH₄⁺-N, NO₃^--N, and NO₂^--N, respectively) was nearly 100%. Furthermore, a simplified strategy, by augmenting the inoculation biomass, was developed for promoting the nitrogen removal performance under high levels of NO₂^--N and salinity. As a result, the removal efficiency of the initial NO₂^--N up to approximately 130 mg/L reached 99.46% within 8 h, and the NO₃^--N removal efficiency achieved at 59.46% under the NaCl concentration even up to 50 g/L. The C/N ratio of 10 with organic acid salt such as trisodium citrate and sodium acetate as the carbon source was most conducive for cell growth and nitrogen removal by P. stutzeri BBW831, respectively. In conclusion, the marine P. stutzeri BBW831 contained the functional genes responsible for a complete aerobic denitrification pathway (NO₃^--N → NO₂^--N → NO → N₂O → N₂), and had great potential for the practical treatment of high-salinity nitrogenous mariculture wastewater.

Matrix-associated microbial communities in a nitrogen-removing on-site wastewater treatment system are largely structured by niche processes

On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) can be designed to promote microbial communities with naturally occurring metabolic functions desirable to wastewater treatment. Among such OWTSs are nitrogen-removing biofilters (NRBs), comprising a sand layer overlying a sand-lignocellulose (sand-lc) layer and intended to promote sequential nitrification and denitrification. The design of NRBs is based on the hypothesis that niche processes like environmental selection strongly structure the microbial communities, which predicts that immigrating wastewater communities and matrix-associated communities will be distinct and that the matrix communities in the two layers will be distinct. We characterized NRB microbial communities by 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing. Selection of the matrix-associated communities was indicated by clear differences from the immigrating community. For matrix-associated communities, alpha and beta diversity differed between the matrix layers, as did the relative abundances of many functional groups and genera. Functional groups with strict metabolisms were nearly exclusively detected in either the sand (ammonia and nitrite oxidizers) or sand-lc layer (methanogens), consistent with the niche hypothesis. Contrary to expectations, denitrifiers as a functional group were not present at greater relative abundance in the sand-lc than sand matrix because of a portfolio effect: some denitrifying genera were more abundant in the sand layer, whereas others were more abundant in the sand-lc layer. This study reveals niche processes acting at different levels of community organization for different biogeochemical functions, a crucial consideration in designing effective and reliable OWTSs to mitigate nitrogen pollution.

Evaluation of nitrogen removal, functional gene abundance and microbial community structure in a stormwater detention basin

Stormwater control measures such as detention basins are used to mitigate the negative effects of urban stormwater resulting from watershed development. In this study, the performance of a detention basin in mitigating nitrogen pollution was examined and the abundance of N-cycling genes (amoA, nirK, nosZ, hzsB and Ntsp-amoA) present in the soil media of the basin was measured using quantitative PCR. Results showed a net export of nitrogen from the basin, however, differences between in- and outflow concentrations were not significant. Furthermore, the quantitative PCR showed that nirK (denitrification gene) was more abundant in the winter season, whereas amoA (nitrification gene) was more abundant in the summer season. The abundance of nirK, Ntsp-amoA and hzsB genes also varied with the sampling depth of soil and based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of soil samples, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were the most dominant phyla. Species diversity appeared higher in summer, while the top and bottom layer of soil clustered separately based on the bacterial community structure. These results underline the importance of understanding nitrogen dynamics and microbial processes within stormwater control measures to enhance their design and performance.

Performance evaluation and microbial community structure of a modified trickling filter and conventional activated sludge process in treating urban sewage

This study compares the performance and microbial composition of a conventional activated sludge process (ASP) with a modified trickling filter (MTF) for urban sewage treatment. MTF (2 h HRT with effluent recycling) and ASP (8 h HRT) showed >60 % removal efficiency for COD, NH₃-N and PO₄^3--P. MTF outperformed ASP in denitrification and 5 mg/L of NO₃^--N was detected in the effluent of MTF. The widespread distribution of nitrogen removal functional genes (amoA, nirK, nirS, napA, narG and nosZ) in MTF indicates simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) as a key process controlling nitrogen removal. In addition, Miseq sequencing was used to examine the microbial community composition in MTF and ASP. The sequencing result revealed that Proteobacteria, Planctomycetes, Chloroflexi and Actinobacteriota were the dominant phyla in both MTF and ASP. Moreover, the co-occurrence of various nitrifiers, denitrifiers, aerobic denitrifiers, and ANAMMOX bacteria in MTF suggested their role in nitrogen removal.

Aeromonas sobria as a potential candidate for bioremediation of heavy metal from contaminated environments

The uncontrolled discharge of industrial wastes causes the accumulation of high heavy metal concentrations in soil and water, leading to many health issues. In the present study, a Gram-negative Aeromonas sobria was isolated from heavily contaminated soil in the Tanjaro area, southwest of Sulaymaniyah city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; then, we assessed its ability to uptake heavy metals. A. sobria was molecularly identified based on the partial amplification of 16S rRNA using novel primers. The sequence was aligned with 33 strains to analyze phylogenetic relationships by maximum likelihood. Based on maximum tolerance concentration (MTC), A. sobria could withstand Zn, Cu, and Ni at concentrations of 5, 6, and 8 mM, respectively. ICP-OES data confirmed that A. sobria reduced 54.89% (0.549 mM) of the Cu, 62.33% (0.623 mM) of the Ni, and 36.41% (0.364 mM) of the Zn after 72 h in the culture medium. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that A. sobria accumulated both Cu and Ni, whereas biosorption was suggested for the Zn. These findings suggest that metal-resistant A. sobria could be a promising candidate for heavy metal bioremediation in polluted areas. However, more broadly, research is required to assess the feasibility of exploiting A. sobria in situ.

Development of microbial communities in biofilm and activated sludge in a hybrid reactor

Microorganisms play a key role in biological wastewater treatment. The form in which biomass develops determines the efficiency and mechanisms of organic compound conversion, due to different conditions in various microbial structures. However, the results of studies comparing the microbial communities in biofilm and activated sludge have often conflicted. Therefore, this study compared the composition and development of the bacterial communities in biofilm and activated sludge in a hybrid reactor, employing 16S rRNA sequencing. Statistical analysis of the sequencing data included the identification of taxa characteristic to the biofilm and activated sludge, alpha and beta diversity analysis, and network analysis. These analyses indicated that the biofilm bacterial community was richer and more diverse than the activated sludge community. The mean numbers of OTU were 1614 in the biofilm and 993 in the activated sludge, and the mean values of the Chao1 (1735 vs. 1105) and Shannon (5.3 vs. 4.3) biodiversity indices were significantly higher for the biofilm. The biofilm was a better environment for development of nitrifiers (e.g., Nitrosomonas, Nitrospira) and phosphorus accumulating organisms (Candidatus Accumulibacter). Bacteria in the biofilm co-occurrence network had more connections (based on Spearman's rank correlation coefficient) with each other, indicating that they interact more than those in the activated sludge.

Nitrous oxide emission in altered nitrogen cycle and implications for climate change

Natural processes and human activities play a crucial role in changing the nitrogen cycle and increasing nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, which are accelerating at an unprecedented rate. N₂O has serious global warming potential (GWP), about 310 times higher than that of carbon dioxide. The food production, transportation, and energy required to sustain a world population of seven billion have required dramatic increases in the consumption of synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizers and fossil fuels, leading to increased N₂O in air and water. These changes have radically disturbed the nitrogen cycle and reactive nitrogen species, such as nitrous oxide (N₂O), and have impacted the climatic system. Yet, systematic and comprehensive studies on various underlying processes and parameters in the altered nitrogen cycle, and their implications for the climatic system are still lacking. This paper reviews how the nitrogen cycle has been disturbed and altered by anthropogenic activities, with a central focus on potential pathways of N₂O generation. The authors also estimate the N₂O-N emission mainly due to anthropogenic activities will be around 8.316 Tg N₂O-N yr^-1 in 2050. In order to minimize and tackle the N₂O emissions and its consequences on the global ecosystem and climate change, holistic mitigation strategies and diverse adaptations, policy reforms, and public awareness are suggested as vital considerations. This study concludes that rapidly increasing anthropogenic perturbations, the identification of new microbial communities, and their role in mediating biogeochemical processes now shape the modern nitrogen cycle.

Biofilm stratification in counter-diffused membrane biofilm bioreactors (MBfRs) for aerobic methane oxidation coupled to aerobic/anoxic denitrification: Effect of oxygen pressure

Aerobic methane oxidation coupled with denitrification (AME-D) executed in membrane biofilm bioreactors (MBfRs) provides a high promise for simultaneously mitigating methane (CH₄) emissions and removing nitrate in wastewater. However, systematically experimental investigation on how oxygen partial pressure affects the development and characteristics of counter-diffusional biofilm, as well as its spatial stratification profiles, and the cooperative interaction of the biofilm microbes, is still absent. In this study, we combined Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) with Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM) to in-situ characterize the development of counter-diffusion biofilm in the MBfR for the first time. It was revealed that oxygen partial pressure onto the MBfR was capable of manipulating biofilm thickness and spatial stratification, and then managing the distribution of functional microbes. With the optimized oxygen partial pressure of 5.5 psig (25% oxygen content), the manipulated counter-diffusional biofilm in the AME-D process obtained the highest denitrification efficiency, due mainly to that this biofilm had the proper dynamic balance between the aerobic-layer and anoxic-layer where suitable O₂ gradient and sufficient aerobic methanotrophs were achieved in aerobic-layer to favor methane oxidation, and complete O₂ depletion and accessible organic sources were kept to avoid constraining denitrification activity in anoxic-layer. By using metagenome analysis and Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) staining, the spatial distribution of the functional microbes within counter-diffused biofilm was successfully evidenced, and Rhodocyclaceae, one typical aerobic denitrifier, was found to survive and gradually enriched in the aerobic layer and played a key role in denitrification aerobically. This in-situ biofilm visualization and characterization evidenced directly for the first time the cooperative path of denitrification for AME-D in the counter-diffused biofilm, which involved aerobic methanotrophs, heterotrophic aerobic denitrifiers, and heterotrophic anoxic denitrifiers.

Influence of COD in Toxic Industrial Wastewater from a Chemical Concern on Nitrification Efficiency

COD is an arbitrary indicator of the content of organic and inorganic compounds in wastewater. The aim of this research was to determine the effect of COD of industrial wastewater on the nitrification process. This research covered wastewater from acrylonitrile and styrene-butadiene rubbers, emulsifiers, polyvinyl acetate, styrene, solvents (butyl acetate, ethyl acetate) and owipian^® (self-extinguishing polystyrene intended for expansion) production. The volume of the analyzed wastewater reflected the active sludge load in the real biological treatment system. This research was carried out by the method of short-term tests. The nitrification process was inhibited to the greatest extent by wastewater from the production of acrylonitrile (approx. 51%) and styrene-butadiene (approx. 60%) rubbers. In these wastewaters, nitrification inhibition occurred due to the high COD load and the presence of inhibitors. Four-fold dilution of the samples resulted in a two-fold reduction in the inhibition of nitrification. On the other hand, in the wastewater from the production of emulsifiers and polyvinyl acetate, a two-fold reduction in COD (to the values of 226.4 mgO₂·dm^-3 and 329.8 mgO₂·dm^-3, respectively) resulted in a significant decrease in nitrification inhibition. Wastewater from the production of styrene, solvents (butyl acetate, ethyl acetate) and owipian^® inhibited nitrification under the influence of strong inhibitors. Lowering the COD value of these wastewaters did not significantly reduce the inhibition of nitrification.

Biological oxidation methods for the removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from wastewater: A comprehensive review

Enzyme-based bioremediation is a simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method for isolating and removing a wide range of environmental pollutants. This study is a comprehensive review of recent studies on the oxidation of pollutants by biological oxidation methods, performed individually or in combination with other methods. The main bio-oxidants capable of removing all types of pollutants, such as organic and inorganic molecules, from fungi, bacteria, algae, and plants, and different types of enzymes, as well as the removal mechanisms, were investigated. The use of mediators and modification methods to improve the performance of microorganisms and their resistance under harsh real wastewater conditions was discussed, and numerous case studies were presented and compared. The advantages and disadvantages of conventional and novel immobilization methods, and the development of enzyme engineering to adjust the content and properties of the desired enzymes, were also explained. The optimal operating parameters such as temperature and pH, which usually lead to the best performance, were presented. A detailed overview of the different combination processes was also given, including bio-oxidation in coincident or consecutive combination with adsorption, advanced oxidation processes, and membrane separation. One of the most important issues that this study has addressed is the removal of both organic and inorganic contaminants, taking into account the actual wastewaters and the economic aspect.

Efficient nitrate removal of immobilized mixed aerobic denitrifying bacteria and community dynamics response to temperature and low carbon/nitrogen polluted water

The denitrification performance of immobilized mixed aerobic denitrifying bacteria (IMADB) was investigated. IMADB displayed strong temperature adaptability under low Carbon/Nitrogen conditions. At 5, 15, and 25 °C, the nitrate removal efficiencies of volcanic rock and polyester fiber sponge immobilized system reached 83.95%-98.25% and 89.71%-98.14%, respectively. The nitrate content removed by the carrier accounted for 41.18%-82.47% of the nitrate content removed by the immobilized system at different temperature, and played a major role in nitrate removal. The lower the temperature, the greater the role of the carrier. At the same temperature, carrier had a relatively higher richness, diversity, and evenness. Network analysis revealed that carrier species, which were positively correlated with nitrate removal efficiency, had the largest OTUs and abundance. Meanwhile, carrier had the widest niche. The total nitrogen removal efficiency of IMADB reached 56.10%-62.31% in the natural water system, highlighting a promising application prospect.

Effect of Mineral Carriers on Biofilm Formation and Nitrogen Removal Activity by an Indigenous Anammox Community from Cold Groundwater Ecosystem Alone and Bioaugmented with Biomass from a “Warm” Anammox Reactor

Simple Summary

During more than 50 years of exploitation of the sludge repositories near Chepetsky Mechanical Plant (Glazov, Udmurtia, Russia) containing solid wastes of uranium and processed polymetallic concentrate, the soluble compounds entered the upper aquifer due to infiltration. Nowadays, this has resulted in a high level of pollution of the groundwater with reduced and oxidized nitrogen compounds. In this work, quartz, kaolin, and bentonite clays from various deposits were shown to induce biofilm formation and enhance nitrogen removal by an indigenous microbial community capable of anaerobic ammonium oxidation with nitrite (anammox) at low temperatures. The addition of a “warm” anammox community was also effective in further improving nitrogen removal and expanding the list of mineral carriers most suitable for creating a permeable reactive barrier. It has been suggested that the anammox activity is determined by the presence of essential trace elements in the carrier, the morphology of its surface, and most importantly, competition from rapidly growing microbial groups. Future work was discussed to adapt the “warm” anammox community to cold and provide the anammox community with nitrite through a partial denitrification route within the scope of sustainable anammox-based bioremediation of a nitrogen-polluted cold aquifer. In this unique habitat, novel species of anammox bacteria that are adapted to cold and heavy nitrogen pollution can be discovered.

Abstract

The complex pollution of aquifers by reduced and oxidized nitrogen compounds is currently considered one of the urgent environmental problems that require non-standard solutions. This work was a laboratory-scale trial to show the feasibility of using various mineral carriers to create a permeable in situ barrier in cold (10 °C) aquifers with extremely high nitrogen pollution and inhabited by the Candidatus Scalindua-dominated indigenous anammox community. It has been established that for the removal of ammonium and nitrite in situ due to the predominant contribution of the anammox process, quartz, kaolin clays of the Kantatsky and Kamalinsky deposits, bentonite clay of the Berezovsky deposit, and zeolite of the Kholinsky deposit can be used as components of the permeable barrier. Biofouling of natural loams from a contaminated aquifer can also occur under favorable conditions. It has been suggested that the anammox activity is determined by a number of factors, including the presence of the essential trace elements in the carrier and the surface morphology. However, one of the most important factors is competition with other microbial groups that can develop on the surface of the carrier at a faster rate. For this reason, carriers with a high specific surface area and containing the necessary microelements were overgrown with the most rapidly growing microorganisms. Bioaugmentation with a “warm” anammox community from a laboratory reactor dominated by Ca. Kuenenia improved nitrogen removal rates and biofilm formation on most of the mineral carriers, including bentonite clay of the Dinozavrovoye deposit, as well as loamy rock and zeolite-containing tripoli, in addition to carriers that perform best with the indigenous anammox community. The feasibility of coupled partial denitrification–anammox and the adaptation of a “warm” anammox community to low temperatures and hazardous components contained in polluted groundwater prior to bioaugmentation should be the scope of future research to enhance the anammox process in cold, nitrate-rich aquifers.

Nutrient Removal by Floating Treatment Wetlands Under Different Spatial Arrangement Modes: a Field Study

Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are a management method to improve urban rivers, but most studies have been carried out at laboratory, micro, and meso levels, so it is necessary to study full-scale FTWs as a method to improve urban water bodies. In this experiment, the purification effects of water temperature (WT), dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO₃^--N), total phosphorus (TP), chemical oxygen demand (COD_Mn), and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) under staggered arrangement (SA) and centered arrangement (CA) were evaluated. It was found that the DO concentration and removal rate of COD_Mn, Chl-a, and TP in the SA were significantly higher than those in the CA in months with heavy rainfall. However, interestingly, for TP, August showed the opposite trend. The removal rates of NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^--N were significantly different throughout the test period. The biomass growth values of shoots and roots of plants in the FTWs were 0.40 ± 0.03 kg/m² and 1.38 ± 0.07 kg/m² in the SA and 0.32 ± 0.07 kg/m² and 1.26 ± 0.30 kg/m² in the CA. The increments of N absorbed by plants in the SA and CA were 7.08 ± 0.49 g/kg and 6.83 ± 0.07 g/kg, respectively, and the increments of P were 0.57 ± 0.02 g/kg and 0.32 ± 0.07 g/kg, respectively, which indicated that the growth status of plants in the FTWs in the SA was slightly better than that in the CA. In summary, the hybrid-constructed FTWs of both arrangements can effectively improve the water quality of urban rivers, and the effect of the SA was greater than that of the CA. The purification effect of in situ tests under different arrangement modes of hybrid-constructed FTWs was evaluated, which provides guidance and support for the field layout of FTWs in rivers in the future.

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

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

Recent trends in nitrogen cycle and eco-efficient nitrogen management strategies in aerobic rice system

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered as a staple food for more than half of the global population, and sustaining productivity under a scarcity of resources is challenging to meet the future food demands of the inflating global population. The aerobic rice system can be considered as a transformational replacement for traditional rice, but the widespread adaptation of this innovative approach has been challenged due to higher losses of nitrogen (N) and reduced N-use efficiency (NUE). For normal growth and developmental processes in crop plants, N is required in higher amounts. N is a mineral nutrient and an important constituent of amino acids, nucleic acids, and many photosynthetic metabolites, and hence is essential for normal plant growth and metabolism. Excessive application of N fertilizers improves aerobic rice growth and yield, but compromises economic and environmental sustainability. Irregular and uncontrolled use of N fertilizers have elevated several environmental issues linked to higher N losses in the form of nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3), and nitrate (NO3 -), thereby threatening environmental sustainability due to higher warming potential, ozone depletion capacities, and abilities to eutrophicate the water resources. Hence, enhancing NUE in aerobic rice has become an urgent need for the development of a sustainable production system. This article was designed to investigate the major challenge of low NUE and evaluate recent advances in pathways of the N cycle under the aerobic rice system, and thereby suggest the agronomic management approaches to improve NUE. The major objective of this review is about optimizing the application of N inputs while sustaining rice productivity and ensuring environmental safety. This review elaborates that different soil conditions significantly shift the N dynamics via changes in major pathways of the N cycle and comprehensively reviews the facts why N losses are high under the aerobic rice system, which factors hinder in attaining high NUE, and how it can become an eco-efficient production system through agronomic managements. Moreover, it explores the interactive mechanisms of how proper management of N cycle pathways can be accomplished via optimized N fertilizer amendments. Meanwhile, this study suggests several agricultural and agronomic approaches, such as site-specific N management, integrated nutrient management (INM), and incorporation of N fertilizers with enhanced use efficiency that may interactively improve the NUE and thereby plant N uptake in the aerobic rice system. Additionally, resource conservation practices, such as plant residue management, green manuring, improved genetic breeding, and precision farming, are essential to enhance NUE. Deep insights into the recent advances in the pathways of the N cycle under the aerobic rice system necessarily suggest the incorporation of the suggested agronomic adjustments to reduce N losses and enhance NUE while sustaining rice productivity and environmental safety. Future research on N dynamics is encouraged under the aerobic rice system focusing on the interactive evaluation of shifts among activities and diversity in microbial communities, NUE, and plant demands while applying N management measures, which is necessary for its widespread adaptation in face of the projected climate change and scarcity of resources.

Nitrogen cycling and microbial cooperation in the terrestrial subsurface

The nitrogen cycle plays a major role in aquatic nitrogen transformations, including in the terrestrial subsurface. However, the variety of transformations remains understudied. To determine how nitrogen cycling microorganisms respond to different aquifer chemistries, we sampled groundwater with varying nutrient and oxygen contents. Genes and transcripts involved in major nitrogen-cycling pathways were quantified from 55 and 26 sites, respectively, and metagenomes and metatranscriptomes were analyzed from a subset of oxic and dysoxic sites (0.3-1.1 mg/L bulk dissolved oxygen). Nitrogen-cycling mechanisms (e.g. ammonia oxidation, denitrification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium) were prevalent and highly redundant, regardless of site-specific physicochemistry or nitrate availability, and present in 40% of reconstructed genomes, suggesting that nitrogen cycling is a core function of aquifer communities. Transcriptional activity for nitrification, denitrification, nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) occurred simultaneously in oxic and dysoxic groundwater, indicating the availability of oxic-anoxic interfaces. Concurrent activity by these microorganisms indicates potential synergisms through metabolite exchange across these interfaces (e.g. nitrite and oxygen). Fragmented denitrification pathway encoding and transcription was widespread among groundwater bacteria, although a considerable proportion of associated transcriptional activity was driven by complete denitrifiers, especially under dysoxic conditions. Despite large differences in transcription, the capacity for the final steps of denitrification was largely invariant to aquifer conditions, and most genes and transcripts encoding N₂O reductases were the atypical Sec-dependant type, suggesting energy-efficiency prioritization. Results provide insights into the capacity for cooperative relationships in groundwater communities, and the richness and complexity of metabolic mechanisms leading to the loss of fixed nitrogen.

Assessment of a novel microalgae-cork based technology for removing antibiotics, pesticides and nitrates from groundwater

Groundwater pollution has increased in recent years due to the intensification of agricultural and livestock activities. This results in a significant reduction in available freshwater resources. Here, we have studied the long term assessment of a green technology (1-4 L/day) based on a photobioreactor (PBR) containing immobilised microalgae-bacteria in polyurethane foam (PF) followed by a cork filter (CF) for removing nitrates, pesticides (atrazine and bromacil), and antibiotics (sulfamethoxazole and sulfacetamide) from groundwater. The prototype was moderately effective for removing nitrates (58%) at an HRT of 8 days, while its efficiency decreased at a HRT of 4 and 2 days (<20% removal). The combined use of PBR-CF enabled antibiotics and pesticides to be attenuated by up to 95% at an HRT of 8 days, but their attenuation decreased with shorter HRT, with pesticides being the compounds most affected (reducing from 97 to 98% at an HRT of 8 days to 23-45% at an HRT of 2 days). Pesticide transformation products were identified after the CF, supporting biodegradation as the main attenuation process. A gene-based metataxonomic assessment linked the attenuation of micropollutants to the presence of specific pesticide biodegradation species (e.g. genus Phenylobacterium, Sphingomonadaceae, and Caulobacteraceae). Therefore, the results highlighted the potential use of microalgae and cork to treat polluted groundwater.

Next-Generation High-Throughput Sequencing to Evaluate Bacterial Communities in Freshwater Ecosystem in Hydroelectric Reservoirs

The quality of aquatic ecosystems is a major public health concern. The assessment and management of a freshwater system and the ecological monitoring of microorganisms that are present in it can provide indicators of the environment and water quality to protect human and animal health. with bacteria is. It is a major challenge to monitor the microbiological bacterial contamination status of surface water associated with anthropogenic activities within rivers and freshwater reservoirs. Understanding the composition of aquatic microbial communities can be beneficial for the early detection of pathogens, improving our knowledge of their ecological niches, and characterizing the assemblages of microbiota responsible for the degradation of contaminants and microbial substrates. The present study aimed to characterize the bacterial microbiota of water samples collected alongside the Madeira River and its small tributaries in rural areas near the Santo Antonio Energia hydroelectric power plant (SAE) reservoir in the municipality of Porto Velho, Rondonia state, Western Brazil. An Illumina 16s rRNA metagenomic approach was employed and the physicochemical characteristics of the water sample were assessed. We hypothesized that both water metagenomics and physicochemical parameters would vary across sampling sites. The most abundant genera found in the study were Acinetobacter, Deinococcus, and Pseudomonas. PERMANOVA and ANCOM analysis revealed that collection points sampled at the G4 location presented a significantly different microbiome compared to any other group, with the Chlamidomonadaceae family and Enhydrobacter genus being significantly more abundant. Our findings support the use of metagenomics to assess water quality standards for the protection of human and animal health in this microgeographic region.