Dissection of denitrification pathways and synergistic degradation mechanisms of functional microbial communities
Li Zhang1, Dandan Huang2, Zehui Zhang1
1School of Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, Jiangxi 330013, PR China.
Abstract:
This study investigated the impact of PFAS on nitrogen removal efficiency and the dynamics of microbial communities during wastewater treatment using a sequencing batch biofilm reactor. Hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid (GenX) and perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA) were employed as representative PFAS, with concentrations varying from 0 to 10 and 100 μg/L at three distinct stages. The results showed that, under 100 μg/LPFAS exposure, the removal efficiencies of ammonium nitrogen, chemical oxygen demand, and nitrate nitrogen decreased by 28 %, 10 %, and 1 %, respectively. PICRUSt2-predicted gene abundances suggested that PFAS introduction promoted nitrification while inhibiting ammonia assimilation, with denitrification levels remaining relatively stable. The stress-induced secretion of extracellular polymeric substances highlighted the potential of microbial communities to tolerate PFAS toxicity. Biotransformation accounted for 13.8 % removal of PFHxA and 14.9 % removal of GenX. This work lays a foundation and offers new perspectives for addressing emerging pollutants in nitrogenous wastewater treatment.
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