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Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Microbial Communities in Nature and Laboratory - Interview
Published on: May 28, 2007
Long-term effects of copper nanoparticles on granule-based denitrification systems: Performance, microbial
Ya-Fei Cheng1, Qian Zhang2, Gui-Feng Li1
1College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China; Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310036, China.
Abstract:
The widespread use of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) has attracted increasing concern because of their potential effects on biological wastewater treatment. However, their effect on granule-based denitrification systems is unclear. Hence, the effects of CuNPs on denitrifying granules were investigated during long-term operation. The results showed that 51.9% of nitrogen removal capacity was lost after exposure to 5 mg L-1 CuNPs, with the amount of Cu(II) gradually increasing with elevating CuNP levels. Moreover, the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria (Castellaniella) and denitrifying functional genes (nirK, napA, narG and nosZ) obviously decreased. Meanwhile, the specific denitrification activity, the content of extracellular polymeric substances and dehydrogenase activity decreased by 44.0%, 15.2% and 99.9%, respectively, compared to their values in the initial sludge. Considering the downtrend in the abundance of copper resistance genes, it was deduced that the toxicity of CuNPs was mainly or at least partially due to the release of Cu(II).
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