Water Science and Technology (Jun 2024)
Optimal conditions and nitrogen removal performance of aerobic denitrifier Comamonas sp. pw-6 and its bioaugmented application in synthetic domestic wastewater treatment
Abstract
To assess the possibility of using aerobic denitrification (AD) bacteria with high NO2−-N accumulation for nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment, conditional optimization, as well as sole and mixed nitrogen source tests involving AD bacterium, Comamonas sp. pw-6 was performed. The results showed that the optimal carbon source, pH, C/N ratio, rotational speed, and salinity for this strain were determined to be succinate, 7, 20, 160 rpm, and 0%, respectively. Further, this strain preferentially utilized NH4+-N, NO3−-N, and NO2−-N, and when NO3−-N was its sole nitrogen source, 92.28% of the NO3−-N (150 mg·L−1) was converted to NO2−-N. However, when NH4+-N and NO3−-N constituted the mixed nitrogen source, NO3−-N utilization by this strain was significantly lower (p < 0.05). Therefore, a strategy was proposed to combine pw-6 bacteria with traditional autotrophic nitrification to achieve the application of pw-6 bacteria in NH4+-N-containing wastewater treatment. Bioaugmented application experiments showed significantly higher NH4+-N removal (5.96 ± 0.94 mg·L−1·h−1) and lower NO3−-N accumulation (2.52 ± 0.18 mg·L−1·h−1) rates (p < 0.05) than those observed for the control test. Thus, AD bacteria with high NO2−-N accumulation can also be used for practical applications, providing a basis for expanding the selection range of AD strains for wastewater treatment. HIGHLIGHTS Optimal C source, pH, C/N ratio, and salinity for Comamonas sp. pw-6 were found.; Strain pw-6 preferentially utilized NH4+-N, NO3−-N, and NO2−-N, successively.; When NO3−-N was the sole nitrogen source, 92.28% of the NO3−-N converted to NO2−-N.; Addition of pw-6 into sequencing batch reactor can enhance NH4+-N and total inorganic nitrogen removal and reduce NO3−-N accumulation.;
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