Immobilization of nitrifying bacterial consortia on wood particles for bioaugmenting nitrification in shrimp culture systems

Shrimp grow out systems under zero water exchange mode demand constant remediation of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and NO2−- N to protect the crop. To address this issue, an inexpensive and user-friendly technology using immobilized nitrifying bacterial consortia (NBC) as bioaugmentors has been developed and proposed for adoption in shrimp culture systems. Indigenous NBC stored at 4 °C were activated at room temperature (28 °C) and cultured in a 2 L bench top fermentor. The consortia, after enumeration by epifluorescence microscopy, were immobilized on delignified wood particles of a soft wood tree Ailantus altissima (300-1500 μm) having a surface area of 1.87 m2 g− 1. Selection of wood particle as substratum was based on adsorption of NBC on to the particles, biofilm formation, and their subsequent nitrification potential. The immobilization could be achieved within 72 h with an initial cell density of 1 × 105 cells mL− 1. On experimenting with the lowest dosage of 0.2 g (wet weight) immobilized NBC in 20 L seawater, a TAN removal rate of 2.4 mg L− 1 within three days was observed. An NBC immobilization device could be developed for on site generation of the bioaugmentor preparation as per requirement. The product of immobilization never exhibited lag phase when transferred to fresh medium. The extent of nitrification in a simulated system was two times the rate observed in the control systems suggesting the efficacy in real life situations. The products of nitrification in all experiments were undetectable due to denitrifying potency, which made the NBC an ideal option for biological nitrogen removal. The immobilized NBC thus generated has been named TANOX (Total Ammonia Nitrogen Oxidizer).