Correlation of microbial community with salinity and nitrogen removal in an anammox-based denitrification system. (January 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Park, Myeonghwa; Kim, Jeongmi; Lee, Teaho; Oh, You-Kwan; Nguyen, Van Khanh; Cho, Sunja
• Is Part Of: Chemosphere. Volume 263(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-01
• Subjects: Deammonification -- Anammox -- Denitrification -- Microbial community -- Salinity; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Physiological effect -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Atmospheric chemistry -- Periodicals; 551.511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128340
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0045-6535

Abstract

Abstract: Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), a low-energy-consuming technology, can be used to remove nitrogen from industrial saline wastewater. However, high salinity inhibits anammox microbial activity. This study investigated the effect of salinity on nitrogen removal performance and microbial community structure. The experiment used an up-flow anammox reactor fed with synthetic wastewater with salinity increased from 0.5 to 2.5%. Results indicated that 80% nitrogen removal efficiency can be achieved at 2% salinity with a nitrogen loading rate of 2.0 kg-N/m 3 /d. Anammox performance significantly deteriorated at 2.5% salinity. High-throughput sequencing revealed that Planctomycetes (representative anammox bacteria) increased with salinity, replacing Proteobacteria (representative heterotrophic denitrifying bacteria) in the microbial community. qPCR analysis indicated that relative abundance of " Candidatus Kuenenia" within anammox bacteria increased from 3.96 to 83.41%, corresponding to salinity of 0.5–2.0%, and subsequently decreased to 63.27% at 2.5% salinity, correlating with nitrogen-removal performance. Thus, anammox has potential in nitrogen removal from wastewater with salinity up to 2%. Graphical abstract: Image 1 Highlights: Nitrogen removal efficiency of 80% can be achieved in anammox reactor at 2.0% salinity. Anammox performance deterioration was observed at 2.5% salinity. " Ca. Kuenenia" and " Ca. Jettenia" are the dominant anammox bacteria at 2% salinity. qPCR confirmed the colonization of " Ca. Kuenenia" in the microbial community when salinity increased. At moderate salinity, nitrogen removal through anammox will overtake heterotrophic denitrification.