Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026
08:49
Vegetated Treatment Systems for Removing Contaminants Associated with Surface Water Toxicity in Agriculture and Urban Runoff
Published on: May 15, 2017
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Integrating Anammox into Vegetated Biofiltration Systems for Enhanced Nitrogen Removal: Performance, Capacity, and
Yinghui Tang1, Kefeng Zhang1, Denis M O'Carroll1
1Water Research Centre, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Environmental Science & Technology
|January 21, 2026
Summary
Integrating anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) into vegetated biofiltration systems (VBS) significantly boosts nitrogen removal efficiency. This enhanced system (A-VBS) shows resilience and potential for sustainable urban water treatment.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Microbiology
- Water Treatment Technologies
Background:
- Vegetated biofiltration systems (VBS) are eco-friendly water treatment solutions.
- Conventional VBS struggle with ammonium removal from high-strength influents.
- Decentralized water systems and overflow events pose challenges for ammonium management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of integrating anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) into VBS for improved nitrogen removal.
- To assess the performance and hydraulic resilience of anammox-integrated VBS (A-VBS).
- To elucidate the microbial mechanisms driving enhanced nitrogen removal in A-VBS.
Main Methods:
- Comparative study of A-VBS and conventional VBS (C-VBS) over 25 weeks.
- Performance evaluation at fixed and shortened hydraulic retention times (HRTs).
- Microbial community analysis (16S rRNA gene sequencing) and 15N tracer assays.
- Quantitative modeling of nitrogen transformation pathways.
Main Results:
- A-VBS achieved 63.7% nitrogen removal efficiency, significantly higher than C-VBS (18.9%).
- Enhanced performance was maintained even at shortened HRTs (48 and 24 hours).
- Anammox bacteria (Candidatus Brocadia) were successfully established in A-VBS, contributing 46.2% to N2 production.
Conclusions:
- Anammox integration substantially enhances nitrogen removal capacity in VBS.
- A-VBS demonstrates hydraulic resilience, making it suitable for variable flow conditions.
- Synergistic interactions between nitrification, anammox, and denitrification drive efficient nitrogen removal, offering a sustainable solution for urban water systems.
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