Endogenous influences on anammox and sulfocompound-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification coupling system (A/SAD) and dynamic operating strategy

The anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) and sulfocompound-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification coupling system (A/SAD) was initiated in an expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactor for nitrogen removal from high-strength wastewater. Owing to cooperation between anammox and partial sulfocompound-oxidation autotrophic denitrification coupling system (PSAD), the highest nitrogen removal efficiency (NRE) of 98.1% ± 0.4% achieved at the optimal influent conditions of conversion efficiency of ammonium (CEA) of 55% and S2O32−-S/NO3−-N (S/N) of 1.4 mol mol−1. The activity of the short-cut sulfocompound-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification (SSAD) was also regulated to cope with dynamic CEA in the influent by changing the S/N, which was demonstrated to be effective in alleviating nitrite accumulation when the CEA was between 57% and 61%. Both the anammox and SAD bacteria enriched in the reactor after long-term incubation. Candidatus Brocadia and Candidatus Jettenia might be potentially contributing the most to anammox, while the Thiobacillus was the dominant taxa related to SAD.