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Simultaneous denitrification and phosphorus removal by Agrobacterium sp. LAD9 under varying oxygen concentration

  • Environmental biotechnology
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Abstract

Although efficient aerobic denitrification has received increasing attention, few studies have been made on simultaneous denitrification and phosphorus removal (SDPR) under aerobic condition. In this study, SDPR by an efficient aerobic denitrifier, Agrobacterium sp. LAD9, was firstly demonstrated. High nitrate and phosphorus removal rates of 7.50 and 1.02 mg L−1 h−1 were achieved in wide range of O2 concentration from 5.92 to 20.02 mg L−1. The N2O production would be inhibited as O2 concentration exceeded 11.06 mg L−1, while the phosphorus removal efficiency would be generally improved with increasing O2 concentration. 15N mass spectrometry revealed that nitrogen removal accorded with the typical aerobic denitrification pathway, while 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P NMR) indicated the fate of phosphorus to cells, extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and polyphosphate (poly-P) of the denitrifier. EPS acted as a reservoir of phosphorus and the transformation of poly-P was dynamic and depended on initial orthophosphate (ortho-P) content. The aerobic SDPR would greatly simplify the conventional wastewater treatment processes which required separated considerations of nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

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Acknowledgments

Financial supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51208007) and the Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (Grant No. 20120001120101) are fully appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences (Ministry of Education), Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People’s Republic of China

    Tao Ma, Qian Chen, Mengyao Gui, Can Li & Jinren Ni

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  1. Tao Ma
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  2. Qian Chen
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  3. Mengyao Gui
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  4. Can Li
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  5. Jinren Ni
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Correspondence to Jinren Ni.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Ma, T., Chen, Q., Gui, M. et al. Simultaneous denitrification and phosphorus removal by Agrobacterium sp. LAD9 under varying oxygen concentration. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 100, 3337–3346 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-7217-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-015-7217-6

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