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Improved nitrogen removal by application of new nitrogen-cycle bacteria

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Abstract

In order to meet increasingly stringentEuropean discharge standards, new applicationsand control strategies for the sustainableremoval of ammonia from wastewater have to beimplemented. In this paper we discuss anitrogen removal system based on the processesof partial nitrification and anoxic ammoniaoxidation (anammox). The anammox process offersgreat opportunities to remove ammonia in fullyautotrophic systems with biomass retention. Noorganic carbon is needed in such nitrogenremoval system, since ammonia is used aselectron donor for nitrite reduction. Thenitrite can be produced from ammonia inoxygen-limited biofilm systems or in continuousprocesses without biomass retention. Forsuccessful implementation of the combinedprocesses, accurate biosensors for measuringammonia and nitrite concentrations, insight inthe complex microbial communities involved, andnew control strategies have to be developed andevaluated.

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Author notes

  1. Katie Third

    Present address: Department of Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, KU Nijmegen, Nijmegen, NL;

    Mike S.M. Jetten, Ingo Schmidt, Katinka van de Pas, Huub Op den Camp & Marc Strous

  2. Department of Biotechnology, TU Delft, Delft, NL

    Mike S.M. Jetten, Markus Schmid, Mariska Wubben, Udo van Dongen, Olav Sliekers, Mark van Loosdrecht, Katie Third, Irina Cirpus & J. Gijs Kuenen

  3. Department of Microbiology, KU Nijmegen, Toernooiveld 1, NL 6525 ED, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Wiebe Abma & Carl Schultz

  4. Department Microbial Ecology, University of Aarhus, Aarhus, DK

    Niels Peter Revsbech, Annette Bollmann & Lars Peter Nielsen

  5. Department Molecular Microbiology, Free University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NL

    Hubertus J.E. Beaumont & Rob van Spanning

  6. Unisense, Aarhus, DK

    Lars Ottosen & Jens Gundersen

  7. Ghent University, Biomath, Gent, Belgium

    Eveline Volcke & Peter Vanrolleghem

  8. Netherlands Institute for Ecological research, Nieuwersluis, NL

    H.J. Laanbroek & Annette Bollmann

  9. Department Chemical Engineering, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, E

    Jose Luis Campos-Gomez & Ramon Mendez-Pampin

  10. Department of Biochemistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Jeff Cole

  11. Waterboard ZHEW, Dordrecht, NL

    Jan Willem Mulder

  12. Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

    John Fuerst

  13. School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK

    David Richardson

  14. Department of Microbiology, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany

    Michael Wagner

Authors
  1. Mike S.M. Jetten
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  21. Katie Third
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  22. Irina Cirpus
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  23. Rob van Spanning
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  24. Annette Bollmann
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  25. Lars Peter Nielsen
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  26. Huub Op den Camp
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  27. Carl Schultz
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  28. Jens Gundersen
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  29. Peter Vanrolleghem
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  30. Marc Strous
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  31. Michael Wagner
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  32. J. Gijs Kuenen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mike S.M. Jetten.

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Jetten, M.S., Schmid, M., Schmidt, I. et al. Improved nitrogen removal by application of new nitrogen-cycle bacteria. Re/Views in Environmental Science and Bio/Technology 1, 51–63 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015191724542

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