Growth of Nitrosococcus-Related Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria Coincides with Extremely Low pH Values in Wastewater with High Ammonia Content.

ABSTRACT: Ammonia oxidation decreases the pH in wastewaters where alkalinity is limited relative to total ammonia. The activity of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB), however, typically decreases with pH and often ceases completely in slightly acidic wastewaters. Nevertheless, nitrification at low pH has been reported in reactors treating human urine, but it has been unclear which organisms are involved. In this study, we followed the population dynamics of ammonia oxidizing organisms and reactor performance in synthetic fully hydrolyzed urine as the pH decreased over time in response to a decrease in the loading rate. Populations of the β-proteobacterial Nitrosomonas europaea lineage were abundant at the initial pH close to 6, but the growth of a possibly novel Nitrosococcus-related AOB genus decreas

SUBMITTER: Fumasoli A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5538757 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature