Effect of nitrate on sulfur transformations in sulfidogenic sludge of a marine aquaculture biofilter

The effect of NO(3)(-) addition on dissimilatory SO(4)(2-) reduction and sulfide conversion in organic-rich sludge from the digestion basin of a recirculating marine aquaculture system was studied. SO(4)(2-) reduction could only explain a minor fraction (up to 4-9%) of the observed total sulfide production (up to 35 mmol L(-1) day(-1)), indicating that the main source of sulfide in the sludge was not SO(4)(2-) reduction, but desulfuration during the decomposition of organic matter. Although NO(3)(-) inhibited SO(4)(2-) reduction, but not desulfuration, the primary NO(3)(-) mitigation effect was the onset of NO(3)(-)-mediated sulfide oxidation (up to 75 mmol L(-1) day(-1)), partially to elemental sulfur (S(0)). Above NO(3)(-) concentrations of 0.6 mM in the bulk water, the net sulfide production and oxidation zones were moved deeper into flocs and sludge cores, which effectively prevented sulfide from entering the water column. However, the sulfide efflux from the sludge instantly recovered after NO(3)(-) depletion. Thus, the NO(3)(-) level in the water column controls the zonation and magnitude of sulfur transformations in the sludge. The effect of NO(3)(-) relies therefore on its sustained presence in the water column, which in turn depends on a well-functioning nitrification in the mariculture system.