Denitrifying granules in a marine Upflow Anoxic Sludge Bed (UASB) reactor

Marine land-based Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are generally perceived as environmentally friendly aquatic production systems. To promote their sustainability even further and reduce the discharge of nutrients, there is a need for cost-effective end-of-pipe treatment technologies for removing nutrients. This includes nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) for which well-proven technologies for freshwater systems exists, while similar technologies for saltwater systems are less advanced. Granular technology has been developed since the 1970s in wastewater treatment under the upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) concept. This concept is based on the enrichment of different bacterial aggregations into a compact granule, optimizing synergistic and syntrophic bacterial processes by reducing the diffusion distance of substrates between the different bacterial consortia forming the granule. The following study examined the: 1) granular formation; and 2) nitrate removal capacity of a marine Upflow Anoxic Sludge Bed (UASB) reactor operating at different up-flow velocities (0.40–2.11 m/h). The results showed that marine denitrifying granules developed within 27 days using preconditioned rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) organic matter waste, and that the highest specific denitrification rate (321.9 ± 13.1 mg NO₃⁻-N/g Total Volatile Suspended Solids (TVSS)/d) was found at an upflow velocity of 0.97 m/h. The marine UASB denitrifying granule reactor had a total capacity of removing 14.9 kg NO₃⁻-N/m³ reactor volume per day at a hydraulic retention time of 1.9 h, making it a strong candidate for end-of-pipe denitrification of marine RAS effluent as well as for in-line treatment in marine systems.     

剩余污泥臭氧化减量处置方法研究进展

综合臭氧污泥减量化近年来的发展和研究,对其技术原理和工艺应用进行分析,提出了其现存问题,并讨论了未来的技术发展万向.     

Optimized denitrification bioreactor treatment through simulated drainage containment

In the design of wood-based, enhanced-denitrification bioreactors to treat nitrate in agricultural drainage, the consideration of the highly variable flow rates and nitrate concentrations inherent to many drainage systems is important. For optimized mitigation of these nitrate loads, it may be best to contain drainage water prior to treatment in order to facilitate longer, more constant retention times rather than to allow cycles of flushing and dry periods in the denitrification bioreactor. Simulated containment prior to bioreactor treatment compared to passing drainage directly through a bioreactor was investigated with the use of six pilot-scale denitrification bioreactors constructed with plywood and filled with Pinus radiata woodchips at Massey University No. 4 Dairy Farm (Palmerston North, New Zealand). Initial bromide tracer tests were followed with a series of five simulated drainage events each at successively declining inflow nitrate concentrations. During each drainage event, three pilot bioreactors received a simulated hydrograph lasting 1.5 days (Non-Containment treatment) and three pilot bioreactors received the same total drainage volume treated over 4 days at a constant flow rate (i.e. constant retention time; Containment treatment). Results showed significantly different total mass removal efficiencies of 14.0% vs. 36.9% and significantly different removal rates of 2.1 g N m⁻³ day⁻¹ vs. 6.7 g N m⁻³ day⁻¹ for the Non-Containment and Containment treatments, respectively, which indicated that treating drainage at constant retention times provided more optimized nitrate removal. While this work was done to evaluate treatment under New Zealand drainage conditions, it also provides valuable information for optimizing agricultural drainage denitrification bioreactor performance in general.     

Denitrification potential of intermittently saturated floodplain soils from a subtropical perennial stream and an ephemeral tributary

Denitrification has the potential to remove excess nitrogen from groundwater passing through riparian buffers, thus improving water quality downstream. In regions with markedly seasonal precipitation, transient stream flow events may be important in saturating adjacent floodplain soils and intermittently providing the anaerobic conditions necessary for denitrification to occur. In two experiments we characterised the denitrification potential of soils from two contrasting floodplains that experience intermittent saturation. We quantified under controlled laboratory conditions: 1) potential rates of denitrification in these soils with depth and over time, for a typical period of saturation; and 2) the influences on rates of nitrate and organic carbon. Treatments differed between experiments, but in each case soil-water slurries were incubated anaerobically with differing amendments of organic carbon and nitrate; denitrification rates were measured at selected time intervals by the acetylene-block technique; and slurry filtrates were analysed for various chemical constituents. In the first experiment (ephemeral tributary), denitrification was evident in soils from both depths (0-0.3 m; 0.3-1.1 m) within hours of saturation. Before Day 2, mean denitrification rates at each depth were generally comparable, irrespective of added substrates; mean rates (Days 0 and 1) were 5.2 ± 0.3 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0-0.3 m) and 1.6 ± 0.2 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0.3-1.1 m). Rates generally peaked on Days 2 or 3. The availability of labile organic carbon was a major constraint on denitrification in these soils. Acetate addition greatly increased rates, reaching a maximum in ephemeral floodplain soils of 17.4 ± 1.8 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ on Day 2: in one deep-soil treatment (low nitrate) this overcame differences in rates observed with depth when acetate was not added, although the rate increase in the other deep-soil treatment (high nitrate) was significantly less (P ≤ 0.01). Without acetate, peak denitrification rates in this experiment were 6.9 ± 0.4 and 2.8 ± 0.2 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ in surface and deep soils, respectively. Differences in rates were observed with depth on all occasions, despite similar initial concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) at both depths. Levels of substrate addition in the second experiment (perennial stream) more closely reflected natural conditions at the site. Mean denitrification rates were consistently much higher in surface soil (P ≤ 0.001), while the source of water used in the slurries (surface water or groundwater from the site) had little effect on rates at any depth. Mean rates when all treatments retained nitrate were: 4.5 ± 0.3 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0-0.3 m depth); 0.8 ± 0.3 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (0.3-1.0 m); and 0.6 ± 0.1 mg N kg dry soil⁻¹ day⁻¹ (1.8-3.5 m). For comparable treatments and soil depths, denitrification potentials at both sites were similar, apart from higher initial rates in the ephemeral floodplain soils, probably associated with their higher DOC content and possibly also their history of more frequent saturation. The rapid onset of denitrification and the rates measured in these soils suggest there may be considerable potential for nitrate removal from groundwater in these floodplain environments during relatively short periods of saturation.     

FACE环境下不同秸秆与氮肥管理对稻田土壤硝化和反硝化菌的影响

利用位于江都市小记镇的中国稻-麦轮作FACE平台,采用最大可能(MPN)法,在2004年水稻生长季研究了不同施肥情况(施常规N量UN和低N量LN)、不同秸秆还田情况(秸秆全还田HR和秸秆不还田NR)下,土壤中硝化和反硝化细菌数量在FACE条件下随时间的变化。结果表明,FACE条件下,土壤硝化菌数普遍在抽穗期或乳熟期达到最大值,而对照土壤的硝化菌数普遍到成熟期才达到最大值,并且显著高于FACE处理的相应值(P<0.05)。在HR条件下,LN和UN小区FACE处理的土壤硝化细菌数量较对照减少6%~10%。FACE条件LN小区的反硝化菌数在成熟期达到最大值,而对照处理则在乳熟期达到最大值,并显著高于FACE处理(P<0.05);而UN小区的反硝化菌数二者均在抽穗期达到最大值。在LN小区HR和NR情况下,FACE处理土壤反硝化细菌数量分别低于对照处理的相应值8%和13%。在HR情况下,土壤反硝化潜势FACE处理显著低于对照。在LN和UN小区,FACE处理土壤的反硝化作用潜势分别是对照的83.7%和95.4%。     

Reciprocal transfer effects on denitrifying community composition and activity at forest and meadow sites in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon

In order to examine the effects of disturbance, vegetation type, and microclimate on denitrification and denitrifier community composition, experimental plots were established at the H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. Soil cores were reciprocally transplanted between meadow and forest and samples were collected after 1 and 2 years. Denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) was measured using the acetylene block assay and terminal restriction length polymorphism profiles were generated with nosZ primers that target the gene coding for nitrous oxide reductase. Nitrate concentrations, C mineralization, and water content were measured to gain additional insights into soil properties controlling DEA. Meadow soils were significantly higher in DEA than forest soils, and the highest DEA levels were observed in cores transferred from the meadow into the forest. Nitrate concentrations were also different between forest and meadow soils, but did not correlate to DEA. DEA was higher in open versus closed cores, suggesting an association between denitrification and the rhizosphere. Denitrifier communities of undisturbed forest and meadow soils shifted through a 4-year period but remained distinct from each other. Similarly, denitrifier communities clustered by vegetation type of origin regardless of manipulation, suggesting that the overall denitrifier communities are well buffered against environmental changes.     

运用乙炔抑制-静态土柱培养法测定旱地土壤氮素反硝化损失

介绍了测定土壤反硝化作用的乙炔抑制 -静态土柱培养法 ,并就其应用中的一些条件进行了说明 ,内容包括土柱的取样深度、土柱取样量、土柱培养方式及基本操作程序等。最后阐述了这一方法在北京郊区土壤上的使用情况。     

The N2O product ratio of nitrification and its dependence on long-term changes in soil pH

The contribution of nitrification to the emission of nitrous oxide (N₂O) from soils may be large, but its regulation is not well understood. The soil pH appears to play a central role for controlling N₂O emissions from soil, partly by affecting the N₂O product ratios of both denitrification (N₂O/(N₂+N₂O)) and nitrification (N₂O/(NO₂⁻+NO₃⁻). Mechanisms responsible for apparently high N₂O product ratios of nitrification in acid soils are uncertain. We have investigated the pH regulation of the N₂O product ratio of nitrification in a series of experiments with slurries of soils from long-term liming experiments, spanning a pH range from 4.1 to 7.8. ¹⁵N labelled nitrate (NO₃⁻) was added to assess nitrification rates by pool dilution and to distinguish between N₂O from NO₃⁻ reduction and NH₃ oxidation. Sterilized soil slurries were used to determine the rates of chemodenitrification (i.e. the production of nitric oxide (NO) and N₂O from the chemical decomposition of nitrite (NO₂⁻)) as a function of NO₂⁻ concentrations. Additions of NO₂⁻ to aerobic soil slurries (with ¹⁵N labelled NO₃⁻ added) were used to assess its potential for inducing denitrification at aerobic conditions. For soils with pH?5, we found that the N₂O product ratios for nitrification were low (0.2-0.9‰) and comparable to values found in pure cultures of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. In mineral soils we found only a minor increase in the N₂O product ratio with increasing soil pH, but the effect was so weak that it justifies a constant N₂O product ratio of nitrification for N₂O emission models. For the soils with pH 4.1 and 4.2, the apparent N₂O product ratio of nitrification was 2 orders of magnitude higher than above pH 5 (76‰ and 14‰). This could partly be accounted for by the rates of chemodenitrification of NO₂⁻. We further found convincing evidence for NO₂⁻-induction of aerobic denitrification in acid soils. The study underlines the role of NO₂⁻, both for regulating denitrification and for the apparent nitrifier-derived N₂O emission.     

Influence of the water regime on denitrification and aerobic respiration in soil

Summary The influence of soil moisture on denitrification and aerobic respiration was studied in a mull rendzina soil. N₂O formation did not occur below –30 kPa matric water potential (_m), above 0.28 air-filled porosity (a) and below 0.55 fractional water saturation (_v/PV volumetric water content/total pore volume). Half maximum rates of N₂O production and O₂ consumption were obtained between _m = –1.2 and –12 kPa,a = 0.05 and 0.23, and _v/PV = 0.63 and 0.92. No oxygen consumption was measured at _v/PC 1.17. O₂ uptake and denitrification occurred simultaneously arounda = 0.10 (at _m = –10 kPa and _v/PV = 0.81) at mean rates of 3.5 µl O₂ and 0.3 µl N₂ h^–1g^–1 soil. Undisturbed, field-moist soil saturated with nitrate solution showed constant consumption and production rates, respectively, of 0.6 µl O and 0.22 µl N₂O h^–1g^–1 soil, whereas the rates of air-dried remoistened soil were at least 10 times these values. The highest rates obtained in remoistened soil amended with glucose and nitrate were 130 µl O₂ and 27 µl N₂O h^–1g^–1 soil.     

Nitrification controls N2O production rates in a frozen boreal forest soil

The winter season has been identified as a significant contributor to N₂O emissions from boreal soils, but our understanding of the processes regulating these emissions is fragmentary. We investigated potential N-sources and pathways involved in N₂O formation in a frozen boreal forest soil by labeling soil samples with ¹⁵N-containing substrates, and measured rates of ¹⁵N₂O/¹⁵N₂ formation under both oxic and anoxic conditions. Our results showed that all N₂O produced in the frozen samples originate from denitrification, but the rate-limiting factor is NO₃⁻ availability, which is largely governed by nitrification. This suggests that N₂O formation in frozen boreal soils may be sustained for a prolonged period of time, but is governed by a delicate balance of the O₂ regime.