Denitrification potential enhancement by addition of external carbon sources in a pre-denitrification process

The aim of this study is to investigate the denitrification potential enhancement by addition of external carbon sources and to estimate the denitrification potential for the predenitrification system using nitrate utilization rate （NUR） batch tests. It is shown that the denitrification potential can be substantially increased with the addition of three external carbon sources, i.e. methanol, ethanol, and acetate, and the denitrification rates of ethanol, acetate, and methanol reached up to 9.6, 12, and 3.2 mgN/（g VSS.h）, respectively, while that of starch wastewater was only 0.74 mgN/（g VSS,h）. By comparison, ethanol was found to be the best external carbon source. NUR batch tests with starch wastewater and waste ethanol were carried out. The denitfification potential increased from 5.6 to 16.5 mg NO3-N/L owing to waste ethanol addition. By means of NUR tests, the wastewater characteristics and kinetic parameters can be estimated, which are used to determine the denitrification potential of wastewater, to calculate the denitrification potential of the plant and to predict the nitrate effluent quality, as well as provide information for developing carbon dosage control strategy.

Effects of cathode potentials and nitrate concentrations on dissimilatory nitrate reductions by Pseudomonas alcaliphila in bioelectrochemical systems

The effects of cathode potentials and initial nitrate concentrations on nitrate reduction in bio- electrochemical systems （BESs） were reported. These factors could partition nitrate reduction between denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium （DNRA）. Pseudomonas alcaliphilastrain MBR utilized an electrode as the sole electron donor and nitrate as the sole electron acceptor. When the cathode potential was set from -0.3 to -I.1 V （vs. Ag/AgC1） at an initial nitrate concentration of 100 mg NO^-N/L, the DNRA electron recovery increased from （10.76 ± 1.6）% to （35.06 ± 0.99）%; the denitrification electron recovery decreased from （63.42 ± 1,32）% to （44.33 ± 1.92）%. When the initial nitrate concentration increased from （29.09 ± 0.24） to （490.97 ± 3.49） mg NO3-N/L at the same potential （-0.9 V）, denitrification electron recovery increased from （5.88 ± 1.08）% to （50.19 ±2.59）%; the DNRA electron recovery declined from （48.79 ±1.32）% to （16.02 ± 1.41）%. The prevalence of DNRA occurred at high ratios of electron donors to acceptors in the BESs and denitrification prevailed against DNRA under a lower ratio of electron donors to acceptors. These results had a potential application value of regulating the transformation of nitrate to N2 or ammonium in BESs for nitrate removal.

Effects of deep placement of fertilizer on periphytic biofilm development and nitrogen cycling in paddy systems

Periphytic biofilms are commonly presented at the water-soil interface in paddy fields. Different fertilization methods can affect the concentration and distribution of nutrients in paddy fields and thus affect the development of periphytic biofilms. In this study, the roles of periphytic biofilms in nitrogen(N) cycling in paddy systems and how they are affected by different fertilization methods were studied using microcosm experiments. Microcosms were prepared using soil samples from a paddy field and treated with surface and deep fertilization under light and dark conditions. Surface fertilization under light condition promoted the development of periphytic biofilms, while deep fertilization under dark condition inhibited their development. The development of periphytic biofilms increased the pH and dissolved oxygen levels in the overlying water. Surface fertilization resulted in high N concentrations in the overlying water and the topsoil layers, which enhanced NH3 volatilization and nitrification-denitrification but inhibited N fixation. The development of periphytic biofilms reduced NH3 volatilization loss but increased nitrification-denitrification loss and the overall N loss in the paddy system. The results from this work suggest that the presence of periphytic biofilms in paddy fields could increase N loss by 3.10%–7.11%. Deep fertilization is an effective method to retard the development of periphytic biofilms in the paddy system and can potentially increase the overall N use efficiency.