Effects of Zn(II) on the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process: Performance and microbial community

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2024.10.002

中国化学工程学报 ›› 2025, Vol. 77 ›› Issue (1): 301-309.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2024.10.002

Effects of Zn(II) on the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process: Performance and microbial community

Hu Chen^1,3, Ying Wang², Yulan Zou², Yongkang Lv^2,3,4

1. China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan 030006, China;
2. The State Key Laboratory of Clean and Efficient Utilization of Coal-Based Energy, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
3. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030600, China;
4. Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan 030001, China

收稿日期:2024-06-19 修回日期:2024-09-23 接受日期:2024-10-07 出版日期:2025-01-28 发布日期:2024-11-04
通讯作者: Ying Wang,E-mail:wangying0617@126.com
基金资助:
This work was financially supported by the Shanxi Province Science Foundation for Youths (20210302124348 and 202103021223099), the Basic Research Project for the Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering (2021SX-AT004), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51778397).

Effects of Zn(II) on the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process: Performance and microbial community

Hu Chen^1,3, Ying Wang², Yulan Zou², Yongkang Lv^2,3,4

1. China Institute for Radiation Protection, Taiyuan 030006, China;
2. The State Key Laboratory of Clean and Efficient Utilization of Coal-Based Energy, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
3. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030600, China;
4. Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering, Taiyuan 030001, China

Received:2024-06-19 Revised:2024-09-23 Accepted:2024-10-07 Online:2025-01-28 Published:2024-11-04
Contact: Ying Wang,E-mail:wangying0617@126.com
Supported by:
This work was financially supported by the Shanxi Province Science Foundation for Youths (20210302124348 and 202103021223099), the Basic Research Project for the Shanxi-Zheda Institute of Advanced Materials and Chemical Engineering (2021SX-AT004), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51778397).

摘要/Abstract

摘要： Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) is considered an attractive alternative to traditionally biological nitrogen removal technology. Knowing the effects of heavy metals on the SND process is essential for engineering. In this study, the responses of SND performance to Zn(II) exposure were investigated in a biofilm reactor. The results indicated that Zn(II) at low concentration (≤2 mg·L^-1) had negligible effects on the removal of nitrogen and COD in the SND process compared to that without Zn(II), while the removal of ammonium and COD was strongly inhibited with an increasing in the concentration of Zn(II) at 5 or 10 mg·L^-1. Large amounts of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), especially protein (PN), were secreted to protect microorganisms from the increasing Zn(II) damage. High-throughput sequencing analysis indicated that Zn(II) exposure could significantly reduce the microbial diversity and change the structure of microbial community. The RDA analysis further confirmed that Azoarcus-Thauera-cluster was the dominant genus in response to low exposure of Zn(II) from 1 to 2 mg·L^-1, while the genus Klebsiella and Enterobacter indicated their adaptability to the presence of elevated Zn(II). According to PICRUSt, the abundance of key genes encoding ammonia monooxygenase (EC: 1.14.99.39) was obviously reduced after exposure to Zn(II), suggesting that the influence of Zn(II) on nitrification was greater than that of denitrification, leading to a decrease in ammonium removal of SND system. This study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the influence of Zn(II) on the SND process in a biofilm system, which should be a source of great concern.

关键词: Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, Zn(II), Nitrogen removal, Microbial community, Sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR)

Abstract: Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) is considered an attractive alternative to traditionally biological nitrogen removal technology. Knowing the effects of heavy metals on the SND process is essential for engineering. In this study, the responses of SND performance to Zn(II) exposure were investigated in a biofilm reactor. The results indicated that Zn(II) at low concentration (≤2 mg·L^-1) had negligible effects on the removal of nitrogen and COD in the SND process compared to that without Zn(II), while the removal of ammonium and COD was strongly inhibited with an increasing in the concentration of Zn(II) at 5 or 10 mg·L^-1. Large amounts of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), especially protein (PN), were secreted to protect microorganisms from the increasing Zn(II) damage. High-throughput sequencing analysis indicated that Zn(II) exposure could significantly reduce the microbial diversity and change the structure of microbial community. The RDA analysis further confirmed that Azoarcus-Thauera-cluster was the dominant genus in response to low exposure of Zn(II) from 1 to 2 mg·L^-1, while the genus Klebsiella and Enterobacter indicated their adaptability to the presence of elevated Zn(II). According to PICRUSt, the abundance of key genes encoding ammonia monooxygenase (EC: 1.14.99.39) was obviously reduced after exposure to Zn(II), suggesting that the influence of Zn(II) on nitrification was greater than that of denitrification, leading to a decrease in ammonium removal of SND system. This study provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the influence of Zn(II) on the SND process in a biofilm system, which should be a source of great concern.

Key words: Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, Zn(II), Nitrogen removal, Microbial community, Sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR)

Hu Chen, Ying Wang, Yulan Zou, Yongkang Lv. Effects of Zn(II) on the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process: Performance and microbial community[J]. 中国化学工程学报, 2025, 77(1): 301-309.

Hu Chen, Ying Wang, Yulan Zou, Yongkang Lv. Effects of Zn(II) on the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process: Performance and microbial community[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2025, 77(1): 301-309.

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Effects of Zn(II) on the simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) process: Performance and microbial community

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