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Updated: Jan 23, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Performance and microbial community analysis of Combined Denitrification and Biofloc Technology (CDBFT) system
Changwei Li1, Jiawei Li1, Gang Liu1
1Institute of Agricultural Bio-Environmental Engineering, College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
Abstract:
This study proposed two novel Combined Denitrification and Biofloc Technology (CDBFT) systems (one under blue LED light (L1) and the other without light (C1), each containing a denitrification (DE) reactor and a biofloc-based reactor) for the enhanced total nitrogen (TN) removal. Long-term operation (110 days) suggested that simultaneous nitrification and denitrification was achieved in both C1 and L1. Significantly higher total nitrogen removal efficiency (TNRE) was observed in L1-CDBFT (92.2%) than C1-CDBFT (87.5%, P < 0.05; after day 14). Further 24-hour nitrogen transformation test showed the boosted nitrate removal of L1-BFT than C1-BFT. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that phyla Rotifera and Nematoda which were indispensable for aquatic animal larviculture, were only found in L1-BFT. Nevertheless, CDBFT effluent from both systems was suitable for tilapia culture based on water quality, biofloc characteristics and tilapia survival rates. Overall, this study highlights the significance of developing CDBFT for TN removal especially under lights.
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