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Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation01:22

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Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of  ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or  nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
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Denitrification Biokinetics: Towards Optimization for Industrial Applications.

Navreet Suri1, Yuan Zhang1, Lisa M Gieg2

  • 1Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.

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PubMed
Summary

Denitrification kinetics by *Thauera* strains are influenced by nitrate and nitrite levels, and pH. Adjusting pH can control partial or complete denitrification for applications like souring control and microbially enhanced oil recovery.

Keywords:
MEORNO2– accumulationNO3– concentrationThaueradenitrificationdenitrification gene transcriptspHsouring

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Area of Science:

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Denitrification is crucial for industrial processes like souring control and microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR).
  • The bacterium *Thauera* is dominant in these applications, but its denitrification kinetics under varying conditions are not well understood.
  • Optimizing denitrification requires knowledge of nitrate (NO3-), nitrite (NO2-), and pH impacts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of nitrate and nitrite concentrations and pH on denitrification kinetics by *Thauera* strains.
  • To understand how these parameters influence the partial or complete reduction of nitrate to nitrogen gas (N2).
  • To provide insights for optimizing *Thauera*-mediated denitrification in industrial applications.

Main Methods:

  • Studied denitrification kinetics of three *Thauera* strains (K172, NS1, TK001) using acetate as an electron donor.
  • Varied initial nitrate concentrations and monitored nitrate, nitrite, and nitrous oxide (N2O) levels.
  • Assessed the impact of pH on denitrification rates and gene expression (*nirS*, *nosZ*).

Main Results:

  • Complete nitrate reduction occurred at low nitrate concentrations (∼1 mmol L-1) and pH 7.5.
  • Denitrification rates varied among strains, with NS1 being significantly slower.
  • Elevated nitrate concentrations, nitrite accumulation, and pH > 9 inhibited denitrification rates and N2 production.
  • High pH and nitrite accumulation affected denitrification gene expression and increased stress on certain strains.

Conclusions:

  • Increased pH can be used to achieve partial denitrification (promoting NO2- and N2O production for souring control).
  • pH buffering is recommended for complete denitrification to N2 (for gas-mediated MEOR).
  • Understanding these kinetics is vital for tailoring microbial processes in industrial settings.