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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O
Published on: October 7, 2020
Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification by diverse Diaphorobacter sp
Anshuman A Khardenavis1, Atya Kapley, Hemant J Purohit
1Environmental Genomics Unit, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nehru Marg, Nagpur, 440 020, India.
Eight new bacterial strains, identified as Diaphorobacter sp., efficiently remove wastewater contaminants. These microbes perform simultaneous nitrification and denitrification, offering potential for high-nitrogen wastewater treatment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Microbiology
- Wastewater Treatment Technologies
- Bioremediation
Background:
- Wastewater often contains recalcitrant organic pollutants and high nitrogen loads.
- Microbial communities in activated biomass play a crucial role in wastewater purification.
- Diaphorobacter species are known for their metabolic versatility in degrading pollutants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To isolate and identify novel bacterial strains from dye- and nitro-substituted chemical-laden wastewater.
- To evaluate the capability of these isolates for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) under aerobic conditions.
- To assess their potential for treating high-nitrogen wastewaters.
Main Methods:
- Isolation of bacterial strains from activated sludge.
- Identification using 16S rDNA sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree construction.
- Assessing chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia, and nitrate removal efficiencies.
- Monitoring aerobic nitrite release.
Main Results:
- Eight bacterial isolates closely related to Diaphorobacter sp. were identified with 99-100% sequence similarity.
- Selected strains (HPC 805, 815, 821, 856) achieved high COD (85-93%) and ammonia removal (92-96%).
- These strains demonstrated complete nitrate removal and aerobic nitrite release, indicating partial nitrification and subsequent aerobic denitrification.
Conclusions:
- The identified Diaphorobacter strains possess significant capabilities for simultaneous nitrification and denitrification under aerobic conditions.
- These bacteria show high efficiency in removing organic matter and nitrogen compounds.
- The strains are promising candidates for developing advanced biological treatment systems for high-nitrogen wastewaters.
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