Enhanced nitrogen removal from low strength anaerobic membrane bioreactor (AnMBR) permeate using complete nitrification and partial denitrification-anammox processes

Highlights

● Efficient removal of COD and nitrogen was achieved in the AnMBR–NF–PDA system.

● Precise COD/NO₃⁻–N control was achieved by adjusting the raw water proportion.

● The presence of filamentous bacteria was conducive to sludge granulation in PDA.

● AnAOB and filamentous bacteria achieved a good cross-feeding relationship.

Abstract

In this study, an anaerobic membrane bioreactor coupled with a complete nitrification and partial denitrification–anammox process (AnMBR–NF–PDA) was developed to efficiently remove both chemical oxygen demand (COD) and nitrogen. Precise control of raw water ratios was utilized to adjust the ratio of COD/NO₃⁻–N, resulting in maximum nitrogen removal efficiency of 90.14% at a ratio of 3.44. Initially, specific anammox activity (SAA) increased with the proportion of raw water, peaking at 17.83 mg-N/(g-VSS∙d) in stage II before decreasing. This variation was attributed to the significant presence of filamentous bacteria, especially “Acinetobacter” (13.58%–31.59%), which facilitated nitrite generation, supporting the nitrous oxide hypothesis in partial denitrification processes and enabling cross-feeding with AnAOB. Additionally, the average particle size of granular sludge increased from 300 to 528 µm under the influence of filamentous bacteria. Metagenomic analysis revealed an upsurge in genes associated with partial denitrification (NarG and NapA) as the COD/NO₃–N ratio rose. The abundance of genes closely correlated with anammox (Hzs and Hdh) peaked during stage II, indicating the beneficial role of filamentous bacteria in the stable conversion of nitrite in PDA system. This study offers valuable insights into optimizing the synergistic metabolism and granulation processes involving filamentous bacteria and AnAOB, thereby laying the groundwork for the practical application of AnMBR coupled with anammox processes in wastewater treatment.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Anammox / Anaerobic membrane bioreactor / COD/NO₃^––N / Filamentous bacteria

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Acknowledgements

This work was founded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52270049), the Shaanxi Youth Star Program for Science and Technology (China) (No. 2023KJXX-042), and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (No. P20794).

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1915-1 and is accessible for authorized users.

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