Revealing microbial compatibility of partial nitritation/Anammox biofilm from sidestream to mainstream applications: Origins, dynamics, and interrelationships

Yanxiao Wei; Weizhe Xia; Yunzhi Qian; Chao Rong; Min Ye; Yujie Chen; Jun Kikuchi; Yu-You Li

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131963

Revealing microbial compatibility of partial nitritation/Anammox biofilm from sidestream to mainstream applications: Origins, dynamics, and interrelationships

Bioresour Technol. 2024 Dec 7:418:131963. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131963. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yanxiao Wei¹, Weizhe Xia², Yunzhi Qian³, Chao Rong⁴, Min Ye², Yujie Chen², Jun Kikuchi⁵, Yu-You Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan.
² Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan.
³ School of Environment and Spatial Informatics, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China.
⁴ Environmental Microbiome Engineering and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China.
⁵ RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science, 1-7-22 Suehiro-cho, Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 230-0045, Japan.
⁶ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-06 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan; Department of Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, 6-6-20 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579, Japan. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39653175
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131963

Abstract

Biofilms offer a solution to the challenge of low biomass retention faced in mainstream partial nitritation/Anammox (PN/A) applications. In this study, a one-stage PN/A reactor derived from initial granular sludge was successfully transformed into a biofilm system using shedding carriers. Environmental stressors, such as ammonium nitrogen concentration and organic matter, significantly affected the competitive dynamics and dominant species composition between Ca. Kuenenia and Ca. Brocadia. Under approximately 500 mg/L NH₄⁺-N, Ca. Brocadia emerged as the dominant anammox bacteria species, but was subsequently replaced by Ca. Kuenenia in the presence of approximately 54 mg COD/L CH₃COONa. Moreover, Chloroflexi species on the original biofilm exhibited an associated relationship with the growth of Ca. Kuenenia in new biofilm. The biofilm assembly and microbial community migration uniquely reveal the microbial niche dynamics. This study provides valuable insights for PN/A biofilm applications facing diverse challenges of environmental stresses in the transition from sidestream to mainstream.

Keywords: Biofilm assembly process; Correlation; Environmental stress; Microbial community structure; Symbiotic relationship.