Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron System

With the growing problem of global water pollution, nitrogen pollution has become a key factor affecting aquatic ecosystems and human health. The biological sponge iron system (BSIS) has gained attention as a research hotspot due to its efficient denitrification capability. This study focused on the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jing Li, Huina Xie, Wei Zhao, Jie Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/13/7244
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849704356617650176
author Jing Li
Huina Xie
Wei Zhao
Jie Li
author_facet Jing Li
Huina Xie
Wei Zhao
Jie Li
author_sort Jing Li
collection DOAJ
description With the growing problem of global water pollution, nitrogen pollution has become a key factor affecting aquatic ecosystems and human health. The biological sponge iron system (BSIS) has gained attention as a research hotspot due to its efficient denitrification capability. This study focused on the changes in microbial community structure and the relative abundance and interrelationships of nitrogen cycle-related functional bacteria at different operational stages of the BSIS with a sponge iron (SFe) dosage of 90 g/L. The results showed that as the operation time of the reactor extended, the relative abundance of denitrifying genera such as <i>Saccharimonadales</i>, <i>Arenimonas</i>, and Acinetobacter significantly increased, while the relative abundance of Proteobacteria showed a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease. The relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria exhibited a more complex variation, whereas the abundance of denitrifying bacteria showed a continuous upward trend. In addition, there were complex interrelationships among different denitrifying bacteria, such as a positive correlation between <i>Saccharimonadales</i> and <i>Acetobacteraceae</i>, and a negative correlation between <i>Rhodothermus</i> and <i>Pseudoxanthomonas</i>. This study not only revealed the changes in the relative abundance and interrelationships of microbial communities and nitrogen cycle-related functional bacteria over time with an SFe dosage of 90 g/L, but also provided a new perspective for understanding the intrinsic mechanism of enhanced biological denitrification by sponge iron. These findings are of great significance for optimizing the operating parameters of the BSIS, improving denitrification efficiency, and promoting the practical application of this technology in the field of environmental engineering.
format Article
id doaj-art-af9dca69982542e9a9785ef3ec82e57d
institution DOAJ
issn 2076-3417
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Applied Sciences
spelling doaj-art-af9dca69982542e9a9785ef3ec82e57d2025-08-20T03:16:46ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-06-011513724410.3390/app15137244Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron SystemJing Li0Huina Xie1Wei Zhao2Jie Li3College of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaCollege of Environmental and Municipal Engineering, Lanzhou Jiaotong University, Lanzhou 730070, ChinaWith the growing problem of global water pollution, nitrogen pollution has become a key factor affecting aquatic ecosystems and human health. The biological sponge iron system (BSIS) has gained attention as a research hotspot due to its efficient denitrification capability. This study focused on the changes in microbial community structure and the relative abundance and interrelationships of nitrogen cycle-related functional bacteria at different operational stages of the BSIS with a sponge iron (SFe) dosage of 90 g/L. The results showed that as the operation time of the reactor extended, the relative abundance of denitrifying genera such as <i>Saccharimonadales</i>, <i>Arenimonas</i>, and Acinetobacter significantly increased, while the relative abundance of Proteobacteria showed a trend of initial increase followed by a decrease. The relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria exhibited a more complex variation, whereas the abundance of denitrifying bacteria showed a continuous upward trend. In addition, there were complex interrelationships among different denitrifying bacteria, such as a positive correlation between <i>Saccharimonadales</i> and <i>Acetobacteraceae</i>, and a negative correlation between <i>Rhodothermus</i> and <i>Pseudoxanthomonas</i>. This study not only revealed the changes in the relative abundance and interrelationships of microbial communities and nitrogen cycle-related functional bacteria over time with an SFe dosage of 90 g/L, but also provided a new perspective for understanding the intrinsic mechanism of enhanced biological denitrification by sponge iron. These findings are of great significance for optimizing the operating parameters of the BSIS, improving denitrification efficiency, and promoting the practical application of this technology in the field of environmental engineering.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/13/7244bio-sponge iron systemmicrobial community structuredenitrifying functional microorganismsevolution
spellingShingle Jing Li
Huina Xie
Wei Zhao
Jie Li
Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron System
Applied Sciences
bio-sponge iron system
microbial community structure
denitrifying functional microorganisms
evolution
title Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron System
title_full Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron System
title_fullStr Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron System
title_full_unstemmed Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron System
title_short Evolution of Microbial Community Structure and Denitrifying Functional Microorganisms in the Biological Sponge Iron System
title_sort evolution of microbial community structure and denitrifying functional microorganisms in the biological sponge iron system
topic bio-sponge iron system
microbial community structure
denitrifying functional microorganisms
evolution
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/13/7244
work_keys_str_mv AT jingli evolutionofmicrobialcommunitystructureanddenitrifyingfunctionalmicroorganismsinthebiologicalspongeironsystem
AT huinaxie evolutionofmicrobialcommunitystructureanddenitrifyingfunctionalmicroorganismsinthebiologicalspongeironsystem
AT weizhao evolutionofmicrobialcommunitystructureanddenitrifyingfunctionalmicroorganismsinthebiologicalspongeironsystem
AT jieli evolutionofmicrobialcommunitystructureanddenitrifyingfunctionalmicroorganismsinthebiologicalspongeironsystem