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Substrate loading rates conducive to nitritation in entrapped cell reactors: performance and microbial community structure

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Abstract

This study aimed to elucidate the boundaries of ammonia and organic loading rates that allow for nitritation in continuous flow phosphorylated-polyvinyl alcohol entrapped cell reactors and to clarify the community structure of microorganisms involving nitrogen transformation in the gel bead matrices. At operating bulk dissolved oxygen concentration of 2 mg/L, nitritation was accomplished when the total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) loading rate was ≥ 0.3 kgN/m3/d. At TAN loading rates of ≤ 0.2 kgN/m3 /d, complete oxidation of ammonia to nitrate took place. Nitritation performance dropped with increased chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rates indicating limitation of nitritation reactor operation at some COD loading conditions. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed that the uncultured Cytophagaceae bacterium, Arenimonas, Truepera, Nitrosomonas, Comamonas, unclassified Soil Crenarchaeotic Group, and uncultured Chitinophagaceae bacterium were highly abundant taxa in the reactors’ gel bead matrices. qPCR with specific primers targeting amoA genes demonstrated the coexistence of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), ammonia-oxidizing archaea, and Comammox in the gel bead matrices. AOB was likely the main functioning ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms due to the amoA gene being of highest abundance in most of the studied conditions. Nitrite-oxidizing microorganisms presented in less relative abundance than ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms, with Nitrobacter rather than Nitrospira dominating in the group. Results obtained from this study are expected to further the application of nitritation entrapped cell reactors to real wastewater treatment processes.

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Data availability

Raw data for 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing were deposited in the Sequence Read Archive (SRA) under the SRA accession number PRJNA646332.

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Funding

This work was supported by Chulalongkorn University (CU_GR_62_73_21_12) and the Research Network NANOTEC (RNN) program of the National Nanotechnology Center (NANOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Pattaraporn Kunapongkiti, Preeyaporn Pornkulwat & Tawan Limpiyakorn

  2. Environmental Assessment and Technology for Hazardous Waste Management Research Center, Faculty of Environmental Management, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla, Thailand

    Chaiwat Rongsayamanont

  3. Center of Excellence on Hazardous Substance Management (HSM), Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Chaiwat Rongsayamanont, Nampetch Charanaipayuk & Tawan Limpiyakorn

  4. National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani, Thailand

    Wuttichai Mhuantong

  5. International Program in Hazardous Substance and Environmental Management, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Nampetch Charanaipayuk

  6. Research Unit Control of Emerging Micropollutants in Environment, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Tawan Limpiyakorn

  7. Research Network of NANOTEC-CU on Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Tawan Limpiyakorn

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  1. Pattaraporn Kunapongkiti
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Contributions

P.K. conducted experiment, analyzed data, and drafted the manuscript. C.R. conceptualized the work, analyzed data, and edited the manuscript. W.M. performed bioinformatics analysis. P.P. and N.C. conducted experiment. T.L. conceptualized the work, analyzed data, and drafted and edited the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Tawan Limpiyakorn.

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Kunapongkiti, P., Rongsayamanont, C., Mhuantong, W. et al. Substrate loading rates conducive to nitritation in entrapped cell reactors: performance and microbial community structure. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 37722–37736 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18632-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-18632-1

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