Inhibition effect of magnetic field on nitrous oxide emission from sequencing batch reactor treating domestic wastewater at low temperature

This study aims to investigate the effect of a magnetic field on nitrous oxide(N₂O) emission from a sequencing batch reactor treating low-strength domestic wastewater at low temperature(10℃).After running for 124 days in parallel,results indicated that the conversion rate of N₂O for a magnetic field-sequencing batch reactor(MF-SBR) decreased by34.3% compared to that of a conventional SBR(C-SBR).Meanwhile,the removal efficiencies for total nitrogen(TN) and ammonia nitrogen(N...     

Influence of modified biochar supported sulfidation of nano-zero-valent-iron (S-nZVI/BC) on nitrate removal and greenhouse gas emission in constructed wetland

In this study, the biochar (BC) produced from sawdust, sludge, reed and walnut were used to support sulfidation of nano-zero-valent-iron (S-nZVI) to enhance nitrate (${\text{NO}}_3^{-}$-N) removal and investigate the impact on greenhouse gas emissions. Batch experiment results showed the S-nZVI/BC_{sawdust (2:1, 500)}, S-nZVI/BC_{sludge (2:1, 900)}, S-nZVI/BC_{reed (2:1, 700)}, and S-nZVI/BC _{walnut (2:1, 700)} respectively improved ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}$-N removal efficiencies by 22%, 20%, 3% and 0.1%, and the selectivity toward N₂ by 22%, 25%, 22% and 18%. S-nZVI uniformly loaded on BC provided electrons for the conversion of ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}$-N to N₂ through Fe⁰. At the same time, FeS_x layer was formed on the outer layer of ZVI in the sulfidation process to prevent iron oxidation, so as to improve the electrons utilization efficiency After adding four kinds of S-nZVI/BC into constructed wetlands (CWs), the ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}$-N removal efficiencies could reach 100% and the N₂O emission fluxes were reduced by 24.17%-36.63%. And the average removal efficiencies of TN, COD, TP were increased by 21.9%, -16.5%, 44.3%, repectively. The increasing relative abundances of denitrifying bacteria, such as Comamonas and Simplicispira, suggested that S-nZVI/BC could also improve the process of microbial denitrification. In addition, different S-nZVI/BC had different effects on denitrification functional genes (narG, nirk, nirS and nosZ genes), methanotrophs (pmoA) and methanogenesis (mcrA). This research provided an effective method to improve ${\text{NO}}_3^{-}$-N removal and reduce N₂O emission in CWs.     

Combined effects of volume ratio and nitrate recycling ratio on nutrient removal, sludge characteristic and microbial evolution for DPR optimization

The optimization of volume ratio (V_An/V_A/V_O) and nitrate recycling ratio (R) in a two-sludge denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) process of Anaerobic Anoxic Oxic-Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (A²/O-MBBR) was investigated. The results showed that prolonged anaerobic retention time (HRT_An: 1.25→3.75 hr) exerted favorable effect on chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (57.26%→73.54%), poly-β-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA) synthesis (105.70→138.12 mgCOD/L) and PO₄^3? release (22.3→38.9 mg/L). However, anoxic retention time (HRT_A) and R exhibited positive correlation with PHA utilization (43.87%-81.34%) and denitrifying phosphorus removal (DPR) potential (ΔNO₃^?/ΔPO₄^3?: 0.57-1.34 mg/mg), leading to dramatical TN removal variations from 68.86% to 81.28%. Under the V_An/V_A/V_O ratio of 2:6:0, sludge loss deteriorated nutrient removals but the sludge bioactivity quickly recovered when the oxic zone was recovered. The sludge characteristic and microstructure gradually transformed under the dissolved oxygen (DO) control (1.0-1.5→1.5-2.0 mg/L), in terms of sludge volume index (SVI: 194→57 mL/gVSS), median-particle-size (D₅₀: 99.6→300.5 μm), extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) (105.62→226.18 mg/g VSS) and proteins/polysaccharides (PN/PS) ratio (1.52→3.46). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results showed that phosphorus accumulation organisms (PAOs) (mainly Cluster I of Accumulibacter, contribution ratio: 91.79%-94.10%) dominated the superior DPR performance, while glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs) (mainly Competibacter, contribution ratio: 82.61%-86.89%) was responsible for deteriorative TN and PO₄^3? removals. The optimal HRT_A and R assembled around 5-6.5 hr and 300%-400% based on the PHA utilization and DRP performance, and the oxic zones also contributed to PO₄^3? removal although it showed low dependence on DO concentration and oxic retention time (HRT_O).     

Coupled relationships among anammox, denitrification, and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium along salinity gradients in a Chinese estuarine wetland

Salinization in estuarine wetlands significantly alters the balance between their nitrogen (N) removal and retention abilities but these processes have not yet been characterized effectively. In the present study, the potential rates of sediment denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) were mapped using N isotope tracing methods along salinity gradients across the Yellow River Delta wetland (YRDW) in China. The contribution of anammox to total dissimilatory N transformations in YRDW was merely 6.8%, whereas denitrification and DNRA contributed 52.3% and 40.9%, respectively. The potential rate of denitrification (5.82 μmol/kg/h) decreased significantly along salinity gradients and markedly exceeded DNRA potential rate (2.7 μmol/kg/h) in fresh wetlands, but was lower than that of DNRA in oligohaline wetlands (3.06 and 3.18 μmol/kg/h, respectively). Moreover, a significantly positive relationship between salinity and DNRA/denitrification was obeserved, indicating that increased salinity may favor DNRA over denitrification. Furthermore, total sulfur (TS) content and ratio of total organic carbon to total nitrogen (C/N) increased with the salinity gradient and showed evident positive relationships with the DNRA/denitrification ratio. In this study, we proved that increased salinization resulted in the dominance of DNRA over denitrification, possible through the addition of S and alteration of the C/N in estuarine wetlands, leading to increased N retention in estuarine wetlands during salinization, which would enhance the eutrophication potential within wetlands and in downstream ecosystems.     

A novel approach to estimate and control denitrification performance in activated sludge systems with respirogram technology

Respirogram technology has been widely applied for aerobic process, however, the response of respirogram to anoxic denitrification is still unclear. To reveal such response may help to design a new method for the evaluation of the performance of denitrification. The size distribution of flocs measured at different denitrification moments demonstrated a clear expansion of flocs triggered by denitrification, during which higher specific endogenous and quasi-endogenous respiration rates (SOUR_e and SOUR_q) were also observed. Furthermore, SOUR_q increases exponentially with the specific denitrification rate (SDNR), suggesting that there should be a maximum SDNR in conventional activated sludge systems. Based on these findings, an index R_q/t, defined as the ratio of quasi-endogenous (OUR_q) to maximum respiration rate (OUR_t), is proposed to estimate the denitrification capacity that higher R_q/t indicates higher denitrification potential, which can be readily obtained without complex measurement or analysis, and it offers a novel and promising respirogram-based approach for denitrification estimation and control by taking measures to extend anoxic time to maintain its value at a high level within a certain range.