title: Outcompeting nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in single-stage nitrogen removal in sewage treatment plants: a model-based study.
abstract: This model-based study investigated the mechanisms and operational window for efficient repression of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in an autotrophic nitrogen removal process. The operation of a continuous single-stage granular sludge process was simulated for nitrogen removal from pretreated sewage at 10 °C. The effects of the residual ammonium concentration were explicitly analyzed with the model. Competition for oxygen between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and NOB was found to be essential for NOB repression even when the suppression of nitrite oxidation is assisted by nitrite reduction by anammox (AMX). The nitrite half-saturation coefficient of NOB and AMX proved non-sensitive for the model output. The maximum specific growth rate of AMX bacteria proved a sensitive process parameter, because higher rates would provide a competitive advantage for AMX.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, Delft 2628 BC, The Netherlands; Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Engineering School, Ed. Q, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain. Electronic address: Julio.Perez@uab.es.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, Delft 2628 BC, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, Delft 2628 BC, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robbert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kleerebezem
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, Delft 2628 BC, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cristian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Picioreanu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, Delft 2628 BC, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mark C M
authors.initials: MCM
authors.lastname: van Loosdrecht
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology; D058440:Denitrification; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D009573:Nitrites; D012722:Sewage; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Anammox; Biofilm; Granular sludge; Mathematical modeling; Microbial community interactions; Nitritation