Sulfur cycle-mediated biological nitrogen removal and greenhouse gas abatement processes: Micro-oxygen regulation tells the story

Yu Zhang; Wei Wang; Xijun Xu; Quan Zhang; Defeng Xing; Duu-Jong Lee; Nanqi Ren; Chuan Chen

doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131614

Sulfur cycle-mediated biological nitrogen removal and greenhouse gas abatement processes: Micro-oxygen regulation tells the story

Bioresour Technol. 2024 Oct 10:131614. doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131614. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yu Zhang¹, Wei Wang¹, Xijun Xu¹, Quan Zhang¹, Defeng Xing¹, Duu-Jong Lee², Nanqi Ren¹, Chuan Chen³

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150090, China.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China; Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Chung-li 32003, Taiwan.
³ State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, 150090, China. Electronic address: cchen@hit.edu.cn.

PMID: 39395607
DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2024.131614

Abstract

Sulfur-mediated autotrophic biological nitrogen removal (BNR) processes favor the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to heterotrophic BNR processes. Micro-oxygen environments are widely prevalent in practical BNR systems, and the mechanisms of GHG emissions mediated by multi-elements, including nitrogen (N), sulfur (S), and oxygen (O), remain to be systematically summarized. This review reveals the functional microorganisms involved in sulfur-mediated BNR processes under micro-oxygen regulation, elucidating their metabolic mechanisms and interactions. The GHG abatement potential of sulfur-mediated BNR processes under micro-oxygen regulation is highlighted, along with recent advances in multi-scenario applications. The fate of GHG in wastewater treatment systems is explored and insights into future multi-scale GHG regulatory strategies are provided. Overall, the application of sulfur-mediated BNR processes under micro-oxygen regulation exhibits great potential. This review can act as a guide for the effective implementation of strategies to mitigate the environmental impacts of GHG emissions from wastewater treatment processes.

Keywords: Functional microorganisms; GHG abatement; Low carbon wastewater; Micro-oxygen; Sulfur-mediated BNR.

Publication types

Review