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Updated: Jun 3, 2026

A Novel Bioreactor for High Density Cultivation of Diverse Microbial Communities
Published on: December 25, 2015
Enhancement of nitrogen removal in constructed Wetlands: Comparative insights from single-strain and natural
Qian Wang1, Ting Zhang2, Kejin Zong2
1College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250014, China; Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Emerging Contaminants Risk Prevention and Control, Jinan 250014, China.
Abstract:
Microbial bioaugmentation is vital for treating high nitrogen wastewater in constructed wetlands (CWs). Three vertical flow CWs: a control (CK), a Pseudomonas stutzeri - augmented system (SFM), and a natural consortium (NFM) was investigated. Influent NH4+-N was increased from 10 to 50 mg/L to evaluate treatment mechanisms and N2O emissions. The SFM achieved superior stability and NH4+-N removal kinetics. This was driven by a shift from broad interspecies (LuxS) to specialized intraspecies (AHL) signaling. However, nosZ suppression and carbon limitations caused a metabolic bottleneck, leading to NO3--N accumulation. Notably, SFM reduced N2O flux by 90.6% compared to NFM (p < 0.05). The NFM optimized peak nitrogen and COD removal via quorum-quenching enzymes (PvdQ and QuiP) and robust plant uptake. However, it suffered from high N2O emissions due to Micropruina enrichment and hao enzyme saturation. The microbial community in CK mainly depended on cross species signaling to maintain dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and assimilatory nitrogen reduction (ANRA), which led to accumulation of NH4+-N in the effluent. The results show that bioaugmentation fundamentally reconfigures nitrogen pathways and microbial networks. Optimizing CW performance requires balancing microbial sensory pathways with functional gene abundance. This study provides a theoretical framework for engineering high-performance wetlands to mitigate the environmental impacts of nitrogen pollution and climate change.
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