Ammonia oxidizing bacterial community composition and process performance in wastewater treatment plants under low temperature conditions

• Published in: Water science and technology 2012, Vol.65 (2), p.197-204
• Main Authors: Rodriguez-Caballero, A, Hallin, S, Påhlson, C, Odlare, M, Dahlquist, E
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; activated sludge; Ammonia; ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea; ammonium removal; Annual variations; Bacteria; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - metabolism; Base Sequence; Catalysis; Communities; Community composition; Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use; Fish and Aquacultural Science; Fisk- och akvakulturforskning; Genes, Bacterial - genetics; Low temperature; Microbiology; Mikrobiologi; Miljö- och naturvårdsvetenskap; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitrification; Nitrogen Compounds - metabolism; Nitrogen removal; Nitrosomonas; Nitrosomonas - classification; Nitrosomonas - genetics; Nitrosomonas - metabolism; Organic loading; Oxidation; Oxidation-Reduction; Oxidizing agents; Oxidoreductases - genetics; Phylogeny; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Removal; Seasonal variation; Seasonal variations; Seasons; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sewage - microbiology; Temperature; Temperature effects; Vattenbehandling; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Wastewater; Wastewater treatment; Wastewater treatment plants; Water Pollutants, Chemical - metabolism; Water Treatment; Water treatment plants
• ISSN: 0273-1223; 1996-9732; 1996-9732
• DOI: 10.2166/wst.2012.643

Nitrification can be difficult to maintain at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) during cold periods resulting in disrupted nitrogen removal. The aim of this study was to relate nitrification process performance to abundance and composition of the ammonia oxidizer communities in two closely located municipal WWTPs in Sweden during an eight month period covering seasonal changes and low temperature conditions. Both facilities showed lower NH(4)(+)-N removal efficiency and nitrification rates as temperature decreased. However, one of the plants had a more stable nitrification rate and higher ammonia removal efficiency throughout the entire period. The differences in performance was related to a shift in the composition of the bacterial ammonia oxidizing community from a Nitrosomonas oligotropha-dominated community to a mixed community including also Nitrosomonas ureae-like ammonia oxidizers. This was likely a response to differences in NH(4)(+)-N and organic loading.