An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestion
Iron (hydro)oxides are commonly used to enhance anaerobic digestion due to their cost-effectiveness and versatility. However, the influence of crystalline structure on digestion performance is often overlooked despite their unique characteristics. In this study, we investigated how different crystal...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Water Research X |
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| author | Han-Quan Wen Guan-Lin Chen Yu-Sheng Li Tian Tian Yuan Pan Han-Qing Yu |
| author_facet | Han-Quan Wen Guan-Lin Chen Yu-Sheng Li Tian Tian Yuan Pan Han-Qing Yu |
| author_sort | Han-Quan Wen |
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| description | Iron (hydro)oxides are commonly used to enhance anaerobic digestion due to their cost-effectiveness and versatility. However, the influence of crystalline structure on digestion performance is often overlooked despite their unique characteristics. In this study, we investigated how different crystalline forms of FeOOH affect substrate utilization, sludge activity, and the microbiomes in up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors. The crystalline structure of FeOOH impacted reactor performance, with γ-FeOOH, β-FeOOH, and α-FeOOH showing decreasing effectiveness, as reflected in chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of 99.0 %, 98.3 % and 97.1 %, respectively. FeOOH crystals influenced the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and sludge activity by releasing Fe ions at varying rates, leading to Fe accumulation in EPS in the order of β-FeOOH > γ-FeOOH > α-FeOOH. Additionally, γ-FeOOH supported the most stable microbial community structure, as indicated by the highest Alpha diversity index. This stability was associated with increased levels of Mesotoga and Syntrophus, along with the highest coenzyme F420 activity, which was approximately twice as high as in other groups. These findings underscore the crucial role of the crystalline structure of iron oxides in enhancing anaerobic digestion, emphasizing that biocompatibility should be a priority when optimizing digestion performance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9d5dd4f5c88d42eab5bdd6a107080889 |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| spelling | doaj-art-9d5dd4f5c88d42eab5bdd6a1070808892025-08-20T02:56:47ZengElsevierWater Research X2589-91472025-01-012610028610.1016/j.wroa.2024.100286An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestionHan-Quan Wen0Guan-Lin Chen1Yu-Sheng Li2Tian Tian3Yuan Pan4Han-Qing Yu5CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Institute of Advanced Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230000, ChinaKey Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering (Ministry of Education China), School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China; Corresponding authors.CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, ChinaCAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Corresponding authors.Iron (hydro)oxides are commonly used to enhance anaerobic digestion due to their cost-effectiveness and versatility. However, the influence of crystalline structure on digestion performance is often overlooked despite their unique characteristics. In this study, we investigated how different crystalline forms of FeOOH affect substrate utilization, sludge activity, and the microbiomes in up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors. The crystalline structure of FeOOH impacted reactor performance, with γ-FeOOH, β-FeOOH, and α-FeOOH showing decreasing effectiveness, as reflected in chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies of 99.0 %, 98.3 % and 97.1 %, respectively. FeOOH crystals influenced the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and sludge activity by releasing Fe ions at varying rates, leading to Fe accumulation in EPS in the order of β-FeOOH > γ-FeOOH > α-FeOOH. Additionally, γ-FeOOH supported the most stable microbial community structure, as indicated by the highest Alpha diversity index. This stability was associated with increased levels of Mesotoga and Syntrophus, along with the highest coenzyme F420 activity, which was approximately twice as high as in other groups. These findings underscore the crucial role of the crystalline structure of iron oxides in enhancing anaerobic digestion, emphasizing that biocompatibility should be a priority when optimizing digestion performance.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914724000768Anaerobic digestionFeOOHcrystalline formEPSMetagenome |
| spellingShingle | Han-Quan Wen Guan-Lin Chen Yu-Sheng Li Tian Tian Yuan Pan Han-Qing Yu An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestion Water Research X Anaerobic digestion FeOOH crystalline form EPS Metagenome |
| title | An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestion |
| title_full | An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestion |
| title_fullStr | An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestion |
| title_full_unstemmed | An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestion |
| title_short | An inconvenient impact: Unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron (hydro)oxides on anaerobic digestion |
| title_sort | inconvenient impact unveiling the overlooked differences in crystalline forms of iron hydro oxides on anaerobic digestion |
| topic | Anaerobic digestion FeOOH crystalline form EPS Metagenome |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589914724000768 |
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