Response mechanism of a highly efficient partial nitritation-anammox (PN/A) process under antibiotic stress: Extracellular polymers, microbial community, and functional genes

Yingqiang Li; Zhenguo Chen; Yuexiang Huang; Chunying Zheng; Simin Lu; Xinzhi Wang; Chao Zhang; Xiaohui Yi; Mingzhi Huang

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2024.118575

Response mechanism of a highly efficient partial nitritation-anammox (PN/A) process under antibiotic stress: Extracellular polymers, microbial community, and functional genes

Environ Res. 2024 Feb 29;251(Pt 2):118575. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118575. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Yingqiang Li¹, Zhenguo Chen², Yuexiang Huang³, Chunying Zheng⁴, Simin Lu⁴, Xinzhi Wang⁴, Chao Zhang⁴, Xiaohui Yi¹, Mingzhi Huang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Low-carbon Pollution Prevention and Digital Technology & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, People's Republic of China; SCNU (NAN'AN) Green and Low-carbon Innovation Center, Nan'an SCNU Institute of Green and Low-carbon Research, Quanzhou 362300, People's Republic of China; Huashi(Fujian) Environment Technology Co. Ltd, Quanzhou, 362001, People's Republic of China.
² Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Low-carbon Pollution Prevention and Digital Technology & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, People's Republic of China; SCNU (NAN'AN) Green and Low-carbon Innovation Center, Nan'an SCNU Institute of Green and Low-carbon Research, Quanzhou 362300, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: zhenguo.chen@m.scnu.edu.cn.
³ School of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Low-carbon Pollution Prevention and Digital Technology & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, People's Republic of China; SCNU (NAN'AN) Green and Low-carbon Innovation Center, Nan'an SCNU Institute of Green and Low-carbon Research, Quanzhou 362300, People's Republic of China.
⁵ Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Intelligent Low-carbon Pollution Prevention and Digital Technology & Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Chemical Pollution and Environmental Safety & MOE Key Laboratory of Theoretical Chemistry of Environment, School of Environment, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, People's Republic of China; SCNU (NAN'AN) Green and Low-carbon Innovation Center, Nan'an SCNU Institute of Green and Low-carbon Research, Quanzhou 362300, People's Republic of China; Huashi(Fujian) Environment Technology Co. Ltd, Quanzhou, 362001, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: mingzhi.huang@m.scnu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38431068
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.118575

Abstract

The Partial nitritation-Anammox (PN/A) process can be restricted when treating high ammonia nitrogen wastewater containing antibiotics. This study aims to explore the response mechanism of the PN/A process under antibiotic stress. Results showed the PN/A process achieved a nitrogen removal rate higher than 1.01 ± 0.03 kg N/m³/d under long-term sulfamethazine stress. The increase of extracellular polymers from 22.52 to 43.96 mg/g VSS was conducive to resisting antibiotic inhibitory. The increase of Denitratisoma and SM1A02 abundance as well as functional genes nirS and nirK indicated denitrifiers should play an important role in the stability of the PN/A system under sulfamethazine stress. In addition, antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) sul1 and intI1 significantly increased by 8.78 and 5.12 times of the initial values to maintain the resistance of PN/A process to sulfamethazine stress. This study uncovers the response mechanism of the PN/A process under antibiotic stress, offering a scientific basis and guidance for further application in the future.

Keywords: ARGs; Extracellular polymers (EPS); Partial nitritation-Anammox (PN/A); Response.