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Biological Nitrogen Removal in the Multi-Omics Era: Coupling Anammox with Microbial-Mineral Synergy

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Wastewater Treatment and Reuse".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 2721

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Zhaoming Zheng

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Guest Editor

National Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Municipal Wastewater Treatment and Reuse Technology, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China
Interests: traditional biological; nitrogen removal technology; anaerobic ammonium oxidation
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Prof. Dr. Xiaoxia Wang

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Guest Editor

School of Environmental and Geographic Sciences, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
Interests: biological nutrient removal; functional microbial community; enhanced biological phosphorus removal; anammox coupling process; anaerobic fermentation; phosphorus recovery
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Dr. Yuanyuan Miao

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Guest Editor

National and Local & Joint Engineering Research Center for Urban Sewage Treatment and Resource Recycling, School of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Qingdao University of Technology, Qingdao 266520, China
Interests: sustainable nitrogen removal processes; anaerobic ammonium oxidation; microbi-al–mineral interactions; multi-omics microbial analysis; bioengineering in wastewater treatment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This study focuses on microorganism-centered technological strategies and bioengineering innovations to achieve efficient, stable, and sustainable nitrogen removal in complex wastewater environments. By deeply exploring microbial metabolic mechanisms, nitrogen transformation pathways, the development of novel microbial consortia, and process optimization approaches, this study seeks to promote the synergistic development of wastewater treatment systems for carbon reduction, resource recovery, and the removal of persistent emerging pollutants.

Research Directions:

Mechanistic exploration of microbial nitrogen transformation;
Applications of autotrophic nitrogen removal and anammox processes;
Engineering optimization of aerobic granular sludge systems;
Discovery of novel nitrogen-cycling microbial resources;
Multi-omics analysis of nitrogen metabolism processes;
Microbial–mineral interactions in nitrogen removal;
Bioengineering strategies for system optimization;
Practical applications and control strategies in wastewater treatment engineering;
Detection, removal, and water quality assurance technologies for emerging pollutants.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Biology.

Dr. Zhaoming Zheng
Dr. Xiaoxia Wang
Dr. Yuanyuan Miao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

sustainable nitrogen removal processes
anaerobic ammonium oxidation
aerobic granular sludge
microbial&ndash
mineral interactions
multi-omics microbial analysis
bioengineering in wastewater treatment
nitrogen biogeo-chemical cycle
detection and removal of emerging pollutants
water quality assurance technologies
resource re-covery from wastewater

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 1604 KB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Selection of Anammox Bacteria Driven by Endogenous Carbon in a Low-Oxygen SBR Biofilm System Without External Carbon Addition

by Yanqing He, Yufeng Zheng, Yaqiong Gu, Qikang Zhang, Yan Wei, Yinan Bu and Bin Ma

Water 2026, 18(6), 752; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18060752 - 23 Mar 2026

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Abstract

This study investigated the ecological selection and enrichment of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AnAOB) driven by endogenous carbon cycling in a low-oxygen SBR biofilm system without external carbon addition. The system was operated using dried biofilm inoculation, continuous low oxygen (DO < 0.1 mg/L), and complete drainage. After 117 days, AnAOB were enriched to 8.14% relative abundance and became the dominant functional group. At an influent total nitrogen (TN) of 25 mg/L, the average effluent TN and NH₄⁺-N were 6.37 and 3.75 mg/L, respectively, corresponding to a TN removal efficiency of 75% and meeting the Class A discharge standard. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses revealed that anammox was the primary nitrogen removal pathway, with nitrite supplied through partial nitrification and endogenous partial denitrification. Higher expression of nitrate reductase genes than of nitrite reductase genes favored nitrite accumulation through endogenous partial denitrification, thereby creating a self-sustaining internal cycle between nitrate reduction and anammox. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) served as the key internal carbon source driving this process. This ecological regulation strategy provides an energy-efficient and stable strategy for mainstream low C/N municipal wastewater treatment without external carbon addition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Nitrogen Removal in the Multi-Omics Era: Coupling Anammox with Microbial-Mineral Synergy)

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16 pages, 6930 KB

Open AccessArticle

Sulfur-Based Composite Fillers Enable Adaptive Autotrophic Denitrification for Nitrogen Removal in Photovoltaic Wastewater: From Laboratory to Pilot Scale

by Qingguo Zhou, Zhensheng Xu, Shan Feng, Yanchai Zhao, Dongxu Chen, Jian Su, Hao Wu, Lin He, Xialian Shi, Jiaxiang Yang and Mu Liu

Water 2026, 18(3), 345; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18030345 - 30 Jan 2026

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Abstract

Sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification (SAD) is limited by low efficiency and poor stability in carbon-deficient photovoltaic (PV) wastewater treatment. This study developed four sulfur-based composite fillers (S⁰-CFs) comprising 75% elemental sulfur and mineral additives (boron mud, magnesite, and/or siderite) fabricated via melt mixing–jet granulation. Lab-scale operation showed that at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 1 h, all S⁰-CFs achieved high TN removal (89.1–93.8%) with effluent NO₃⁻-N below 1.5 mg/L (>93% nitrate removal efficiency) and stable pH. Although effluent COD increased with a short HRT (1 h) due to biofilm detachment, no leaching of organic or inorganic pollutants from the fillers was observed, and TP was consistently removed. 16S rRNA sequencing confirmed enrichment of autotrophic denitrifiers Thiobacillus and Sulfurimonas, verifying SAD as the dominant pathway. In a 270-day pilot-scale operation, nitrate removal varied with temperature (7.3–27.2 °C) and HRT, reaching 88.2% on average (range: 86.6–90.0%) at 1 h HRT during warm periods (25.8–27.2 °C), dropping to 13.5–38.1% under cold conditions (7.3–16.0 °C) at 0.5 h HRT, and then stabilizing at 64.1% by adjusting HRT to 1 h. Fluoride was removed at 0.51–1.49 mg/L. Additionally, operational cost was 34.5% lower than heterotrophic denitrification. These results demonstrated that S⁰-CF enabled efficient, stable, and cost-effective nitrogen removal, making SAD more suitable for low-carbon industrial wastewater treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Nitrogen Removal in the Multi-Omics Era: Coupling Anammox with Microbial-Mineral Synergy)

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13 pages, 1594 KB

Open AccessArticle

Unraveling Nitrogen Removal and Microbial Response of Integrated Sulfur-Driven Partial Denitrification and Anammox Process in Saline Wastewater Treatment

by Xiangchen Li, Jie Sun, Zonglun Cao, Junxi Lai, Haodi Feng and Minwen Guo

Water 2025, 17(15), 2284; https://doi.org/10.3390/w17152284 - 31 Jul 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1360

Abstract

Increasing the discharge of saline wastewater from an industrial field poses a challenge for applicable Anammox-based technologies. This study established the integrated partial sulfur-driven denitrification and Anammox (SPDA) system to explore the effects of different salinity levels on nitrogen conversion features. The results of batch tests suggested that sulfur-driven denitrification exhibited progressive suppression of nitrate reduction (97.7% → 12.3% efficiency at 0% → 4% salinity) and significant nitrite accumulation (56.4% accumulation rate at 2% salinity). Anammox showed higher salinity tolerance but still experienced drastic TN removal decline (97.6% → 17.3% at 0% → 4% salinity). Long-term operation demonstrated that the SPDA process could be rapidly established at 0% salinity and stabilize with TN removal efficiencies of 98.1% (1% salinity), 72.8% (2% salinity), and 70.2% (4% salinity). The robustness of the system was attributed to the appropriate strategy of gradual salinity elevation, the promoted secretion of protein-dominated EPS, the salinity-responsive enrichment of Sulfurimonas (replacing Thiobacillus and Ferritrophicum) as sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB), and the sustained retention and activity of Brocadia as AnAOB. The findings in this study deepen the understanding of the inhibitory effects of salinity on the SPDA system, providing a feasible solution for saline wastewater treatment with low cost and high efficiency. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biological Nitrogen Removal in the Multi-Omics Era: Coupling Anammox with Microbial-Mineral Synergy)

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