Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ Performance
Nitrification has been widely applied in wastewater treatment, however gaining more insight into the nitrifiers’ physiology and stress response is necessary for the optimization of nutrient removal and design of advanced processes. Since nitrification initiates with ammonia oxidation performed by am...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Fermentation |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/8/8/387 |
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| author | Leila Abbaszadeh Eleni Koutra Konstantina Tsigkou Maria Gaspari Panagiotis G. Kougias Michael Kornaros |
| author_facet | Leila Abbaszadeh Eleni Koutra Konstantina Tsigkou Maria Gaspari Panagiotis G. Kougias Michael Kornaros |
| author_sort | Leila Abbaszadeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Nitrification has been widely applied in wastewater treatment, however gaining more insight into the nitrifiers’ physiology and stress response is necessary for the optimization of nutrient removal and design of advanced processes. Since nitrification initiates with ammonia oxidation performed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term ammonia starvation on nitrogen uptake and transformation efficiency, as well as the performance of starved nitrifiers under various initial substrate concentrations and pH values. Ammonium deprivation for 3 days resulted in fast ammonium/ammonia accumulation upon nitrogen availability, with a maximum uptake rate of 3.87 mmol g<sub>protein</sub><sup>−1</sup> min<sup>−1</sup>. Furthermore, a delay in the production of nitrate was observed with increasing starvation periods, resulting in slower recovery and lower nitrification rate compared to non-starved cells. The maximum accumulation capacity observed was 8.51% (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) independently of the external nitrogen concentration, at a range of 250–750 mg N L<sup>−1</sup>, while pH significantly affected ammonia oxidizers’ response, with alkaline values enhancing nitrogen uptake. In total, ammonia accumulation after short-term starvation might serve as an important strategy that helps AOB restore their activity, while concurrently it could be applied in wastewater treatment for effective nitrogen removal and subsequent biomass utilization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:57:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c3fc4cea52c74dacab925f4caeea3b69 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2311-5637 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T09:57:44Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fermentation |
| spelling | doaj.art-c3fc4cea52c74dacab925f4caeea3b692023-12-01T23:40:55ZengMDPI AGFermentation2311-56372022-08-018838710.3390/fermentation8080387Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ PerformanceLeila Abbaszadeh0Eleni Koutra1Konstantina Tsigkou2Maria Gaspari3Panagiotis G. Kougias4Michael Kornaros5Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering & Environmental Technology (LBEET), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceLaboratory of Biochemical Engineering & Environmental Technology (LBEET), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceLaboratory of Biochemical Engineering & Environmental Technology (LBEET), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceSoil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation Demeter, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceSoil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation Demeter, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Biochemical Engineering & Environmental Technology (LBEET), Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceNitrification has been widely applied in wastewater treatment, however gaining more insight into the nitrifiers’ physiology and stress response is necessary for the optimization of nutrient removal and design of advanced processes. Since nitrification initiates with ammonia oxidation performed by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of short-term ammonia starvation on nitrogen uptake and transformation efficiency, as well as the performance of starved nitrifiers under various initial substrate concentrations and pH values. Ammonium deprivation for 3 days resulted in fast ammonium/ammonia accumulation upon nitrogen availability, with a maximum uptake rate of 3.87 mmol g<sub>protein</sub><sup>−1</sup> min<sup>−1</sup>. Furthermore, a delay in the production of nitrate was observed with increasing starvation periods, resulting in slower recovery and lower nitrification rate compared to non-starved cells. The maximum accumulation capacity observed was 8.51% (<i>w</i>/<i>w</i>) independently of the external nitrogen concentration, at a range of 250–750 mg N L<sup>−1</sup>, while pH significantly affected ammonia oxidizers’ response, with alkaline values enhancing nitrogen uptake. In total, ammonia accumulation after short-term starvation might serve as an important strategy that helps AOB restore their activity, while concurrently it could be applied in wastewater treatment for effective nitrogen removal and subsequent biomass utilization.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/8/8/387nitrificationammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB)starvationrecoveryammonia accumulation |
| spellingShingle | Leila Abbaszadeh Eleni Koutra Konstantina Tsigkou Maria Gaspari Panagiotis G. Kougias Michael Kornaros Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ Performance Fermentation nitrification ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) starvation recovery ammonia accumulation |
| title | Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ Performance |
| title_full | Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ Performance |
| title_fullStr | Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ Performance |
| title_short | Nitrification upon Nitrogen Starvation and Recovery: Effect of Stress Period, Substrate Concentration and pH on Ammonia Oxidizers’ Performance |
| title_sort | nitrification upon nitrogen starvation and recovery effect of stress period substrate concentration and ph on ammonia oxidizers performance |
| topic | nitrification ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) starvation recovery ammonia accumulation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2311-5637/8/8/387 |
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