Nitrite accumulation effects and mechanisms in ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration-partial nitrification process

ZHENG Xiaoying; FAN Yi; LI Wenfei; HU Tianxing; HAN Zongshuo; CHEN Keyu; LIN Tao; CHEN Wei

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202509007

Volume 43 Issue 9

Sep. 2025

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ZHENG Xiaoying, FAN Yi, LI Wenfei, HU Tianxing, HAN Zongshuo, CHEN Keyu, LIN Tao, CHEN Wei. Nitrite accumulation effects and mechanisms in ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration-partial nitrification process[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 56-65. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509007

Citation:

ZHENG Xiaoying, FAN Yi, LI Wenfei, HU Tianxing, HAN Zongshuo, CHEN Keyu, LIN Tao, CHEN Wei. Nitrite accumulation effects and mechanisms in ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration-partial nitrification process[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 56-65. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509007

Citation:

ZHENG Xiaoying, FAN Yi, LI Wenfei, HU Tianxing, HAN Zongshuo, CHEN Keyu, LIN Tao, CHEN Wei. Nitrite accumulation effects and mechanisms in ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration-partial nitrification process[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2025, 43(9): 56-65. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509007

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Nitrite accumulation effects and mechanisms in ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration-partial nitrification process

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202509007

1. Key Laboratory of Comprehensive Management and Resource Development of Shallow Lakes, Ministry of Education, School of Environment, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China

Received Date: 2025-06-24
Available Online: 2025-11-05
Publish Date: 2025-09-01

Abstract

Abstract

Two parallel reactors were established in this study： a conventional aeration （R1） and a ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration （R2）. The oxygen transfer performance， nitrite accumulation effect， oxidative stress levels， microbial community structure， and metabolic processes of the two reactors were probed and compared， and the mechanism of nitrite accumulation， which is promoted by ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration in the partial nitrification （PN） process， was thoroughly analyzed. The results of clean water aeration test showed that ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration exhibited strong oxygen transfer capacity， with a standard oxygen transfer efficiency （SOTE） of 51.92%， three times higher than that of conventional aeration （17.43%）. After 121 days of operation， R2 demonstrated an earlier occurrence of nitrite accumulation， with a nitrite accumulation rate （NAR） of 91.86%， significantly higher than that of R1 （83.05%）. The oxidative stress tests further verified that nitrite-oxidizing bacteria （NOB） were more sensitive to oxidative stress induced by ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration. This ultimately provided ammonia-oxidizing bacteria （AOB） with a relative growth advantage. EPR detection confirmed that ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration generated ·OH radicals in water， which triggered oxidative stress in nitrifying bacteria and reduced their activity. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the abundances of AOB （Nitrosomonas） in R1 and R2 were similar， while the relative abundance of NOB （Nitrospira） in R2 （1.66%） was significantly lower than in R1 （3.54%）. This proved that the different inhibitory effects of ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration enhanced the growth of AOB. Metagenomic analysis indicated that the metabolic level related to the ammonia oxidation process was less affected under ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration. Moreover， the nitrifying bacteria （primarily AOB） exhibited enhanced antioxidant defenses， mitigating the adverse effects of oxidative stress. Therefore， compared to conventional aeration， ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration achieved superior nitrite accumulation in PN process. This research provided theoretical support for advancement of PN technology and the practical application of mainstream Anammox.
- partial nitrification,
- ceramic membrane micro-nano aeration,
- nitrite accumulation,
- nitrifying bacteria,
- oxidative stress

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References(48)

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