Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatment

Partial Nitritation/Anammox (PN/A) can achieve green, economical, and efficient biological nitrogen removal; however, the PN process contributes significantly to nitrous oxide (N2O, the third most important greenhouse gas) emissions. Balancing the stability of PN systems while reducing N2O emissions...

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Main Authors: Xiang Li, Yingxin Jin, Yanying He, Yufen Wang, Tingting Zhu, Yingxin Zhao, Bing-Jie Ni, Yiwen Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Water Research X
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914725000106
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author Xiang Li
Yingxin Jin
Yanying He
Yufen Wang
Tingting Zhu
Yingxin Zhao
Bing-Jie Ni
Yiwen Liu
author_facet Xiang Li
Yingxin Jin
Yanying He
Yufen Wang
Tingting Zhu
Yingxin Zhao
Bing-Jie Ni
Yiwen Liu
author_sort Xiang Li
collection DOAJ
description Partial Nitritation/Anammox (PN/A) can achieve green, economical, and efficient biological nitrogen removal; however, the PN process contributes significantly to nitrous oxide (N2O, the third most important greenhouse gas) emissions. Balancing the stability of PN systems while reducing N2O emissions, particularly under varying salinity conditions, is a key challenge in applying PN/A for high-salinity and high-ammonia wastewater treatment. This study explored the long-term effects of salinity on PN performance and N2O emissions in PN systems treating high-ammonia wastewater. The results showed that the specific ammonia oxidation rates of the control and two salinity-acclimated PN reactors were 78.84, 75.03, and 42.60 mg N/(g VSS·h), indicating that low salinity (2.5 g NaCl/L) had minimal effect, while high salinity (10 g NaCl/L) significantly inhibited ammonia-oxidating bacteria and associated nitritation processes. Moreover, N2O emission factors increased from 0.08 ± 0.04% to 0.24 ± 0.03% as salinity rose from 0 to 10 g NaCl/L. Further analysis revealed that salinity stimulated N2O production in both aerobic and anoxic stages. Particularly, the N2O production increased by 2.84–11.14 times in the aerated stage and by 0.61–2.04 times in the nonaerated stage (i.e. anoxic and settling stages). Isotopic pathway analysis indicated that salinity enhanced N2O production primarily by stimulating the nitrite reduction pathway. Additionally, the mechanism investigation examined the combined effects of salinity-induced changes in sludge properties and microbial community on N2O emissions. These findings provide valuable insights for applying PN systems to treat high-strength wastewater and understanding the mechanisms of N2O emissions.
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spelling doaj-art-50cebeda203e4a0c8c92e01754dc699a2025-02-07T04:48:10ZengElsevierWater Research X2589-91472025-05-0127100311Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatmentXiang Li0Yingxin Jin1Yanying He2Yufen Wang3Tingting Zhu4Yingxin Zhao5Bing-Jie Ni6Yiwen Liu7School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Corresponding authors.School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, ChinaSchool of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, AustraliaSchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Corresponding authors.Partial Nitritation/Anammox (PN/A) can achieve green, economical, and efficient biological nitrogen removal; however, the PN process contributes significantly to nitrous oxide (N2O, the third most important greenhouse gas) emissions. Balancing the stability of PN systems while reducing N2O emissions, particularly under varying salinity conditions, is a key challenge in applying PN/A for high-salinity and high-ammonia wastewater treatment. This study explored the long-term effects of salinity on PN performance and N2O emissions in PN systems treating high-ammonia wastewater. The results showed that the specific ammonia oxidation rates of the control and two salinity-acclimated PN reactors were 78.84, 75.03, and 42.60 mg N/(g VSS·h), indicating that low salinity (2.5 g NaCl/L) had minimal effect, while high salinity (10 g NaCl/L) significantly inhibited ammonia-oxidating bacteria and associated nitritation processes. Moreover, N2O emission factors increased from 0.08 ± 0.04% to 0.24 ± 0.03% as salinity rose from 0 to 10 g NaCl/L. Further analysis revealed that salinity stimulated N2O production in both aerobic and anoxic stages. Particularly, the N2O production increased by 2.84–11.14 times in the aerated stage and by 0.61–2.04 times in the nonaerated stage (i.e. anoxic and settling stages). Isotopic pathway analysis indicated that salinity enhanced N2O production primarily by stimulating the nitrite reduction pathway. Additionally, the mechanism investigation examined the combined effects of salinity-induced changes in sludge properties and microbial community on N2O emissions. These findings provide valuable insights for applying PN systems to treat high-strength wastewater and understanding the mechanisms of N2O emissions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914725000106Partial nitritationNitrous oxideSalinityAmmonia-oxidizing bacteriaHigh-ammonia wastewater
spellingShingle Xiang Li
Yingxin Jin
Yanying He
Yufen Wang
Tingting Zhu
Yingxin Zhao
Bing-Jie Ni
Yiwen Liu
Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatment
Water Research X
Partial nitritation
Nitrous oxide
Salinity
Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
High-ammonia wastewater
title Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatment
title_full Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatment
title_fullStr Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatment
title_full_unstemmed Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatment
title_short Mechanisms of N2O production in salinity-adapted partial nitritation systems for high-ammonia wastewater treatment
title_sort mechanisms of n2o production in salinity adapted partial nitritation systems for high ammonia wastewater treatment
topic Partial nitritation
Nitrous oxide
Salinity
Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria
High-ammonia wastewater
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914725000106
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