Enhanced nitrogen removal in an aerobic granular sequencing batch reactor under low DO concentration: Role of extracellular polymeric substances and microbial community structure.

In this study, the role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in nitrogen removal and the microbial community structure of aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were analyzed under different dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions (6-7, 4-5, and 2-3 mg·L-1). The EPSs transported and retained nitrogen in the denitrification process, and the total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) in the EPSs decreased from 6.09 to 5.54 mg·g-1 MLSS when the DO concentration decreased from 6-7 to 2-3 mg·L-1. The microbial community showed different core denitrifying bacterial populations involved in nitrogen removal in the AGS system under different DO conditions, with more species when they were higher relative abundances of denitrifying bacteria participating in the nitrogen removal process in AGS under low DO conditions, including Hydrogenophilaceae, Thauera, Enterobacter, Xanthomonadaceae_unclassified, Comalmonadaceae_unclassified, Nitrosomonas and Paracoccus. This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of the DO effect on the TIN removal mechanism by AGS.

Insight into the roles of tightly and loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances on a granular sludge in ammonium nitrogen removal.

To explicitly understand the function of extracellular polymeric substances in the treatment of ammonium-nitrogen-rich wastewater using aerobic granular sludge, the three forms of nitrogen (ammonium, nitrite and nitrate nitrogen) contained in tightly and loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances were analyzed. The three forms of nitrogen were monitored in the tightly and loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances in aerobic granular sludge after adsorption. The ammonium nitrogen contained in the extracellular polymeric substances was distributed in both the tightly and loosely bound forms and decreased gradually as the aeration time increased. Ammonium nitrogen remained in the tightly bound extracellular polymeric substances even after aeration was complete. The nitrite and nitrate nitrogen species in the extracellular polymeric substances were mainly present in the loosely bound extracellular polymeric substances. The sources of the three nitrogen forms detected in the extracellular polymeric substances differed relative to the different nitrogen forms.

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification by EPSs in aerobic granular sludge enhanced nitrogen removal of ammonium-nitrogen-rich wastewater.

In this study, role of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) in enhancing nitrogen-removal from ammonium-nitrogen-rich wastewater using aerobic granular sludge (AGS) technology were analyzed. AGS enabled ammonium oxidation and denitrification to occur simultaneously. Air stripping and simultaneous nitrification-denitrification contributed to total-nitrogen removal. Clone-library analysis revealed that close relatives of Nitrosomonas eutropha and heterotrophic denitrifiers were dominant in the AGS, whereas anammox bacteria were not detected. EPSs adsorption of ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate nitrogen results in improved removal of nitrogen in batch experiments.

Role and significance of extracellular polymeric substances from granular sludge for simultaneous removal of organic matter and ammonia nitrogen.

This study analyzed the organics and content of metal ions in extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), tightly (TB-EPSs) and loosely (LB-EPSs) bound EPSs of granular sludge with simultaneous removal of organic matters and ammonia nitrogen, studied the dynamic variation of metal ions in EPSs from granular sludge with different particle sizes and the change of zeta potential before and after cation exchange resin (CER) treatment. Results showed, with particle size increasing, the protein content gradually increased, the content of polysaccharide basically unchanged; the content of Ca, Mg, K, Na and Zn also increased, whereas others did not show a consistent regularity. The existence of metal ions reduced zeta potential of EPSs. The existence of metal ions helped to the adhesion among granules, in order to form a granule with bigger particle size.