Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater
Abstract Traditional biological wastewater treatment struggles to efficiently remove refractory organic nitrogen compounds (RONCs). This study demonstrates the potential of alternating current (AC)-driven bioelectrodes for deep mineralization of nitrobenzene (NB) by coupling in situ reduction and ox...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-01-01
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| Series: | npj Clean Water |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00439-5 |
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| author | Ye Yuan Xucui Qian Lulu Zhang Wanxin Yin Tianming Chen Zhaoxia Li Cheng Ding Bo Wang Bin Liang Aijie Wang Yang Liu Fan Chen |
| author_facet | Ye Yuan Xucui Qian Lulu Zhang Wanxin Yin Tianming Chen Zhaoxia Li Cheng Ding Bo Wang Bin Liang Aijie Wang Yang Liu Fan Chen |
| author_sort | Ye Yuan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Traditional biological wastewater treatment struggles to efficiently remove refractory organic nitrogen compounds (RONCs). This study demonstrates the potential of alternating current (AC)-driven bioelectrodes for deep mineralization of nitrobenzene (NB) by coupling in situ reduction and oxidation reactions. Sine-wave AC bioelectrodes overcome the limitations of direct current (DC) systems, achieving 97.6% NB reduction, 90.9% intermediate mineralization, and 80.8% total nitrogen removal while reducing energy consumption by 22.3%. AC stimulation enhances biofilm formation and bidirectional electrocatalytic activity, leading to higher biomass and electron utilization efficiency. Multi-omics analysis shows enrichment of functional microbial consortia involved in NB reduction, aromatic compound oxidation, ammonia oxidation, nitrate/nitrite reduction, and electron transfer, with upregulated enzyme gene expression. Carbon metabolites from catechol meta-cleavage support nitro-reduction, denitrification, and cell viability without external carbon sources. Nitrification-denitrification is the primary pathway for inorganic nitrogen removal. This AC bioelectrode offers an efficient, low-carbon solution for RONC mineralization in wastewater. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-af948ab0c184494083d9774415d94571 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2059-7037 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Clean Water |
| spelling | doaj-art-af948ab0c184494083d9774415d945712025-01-26T12:12:47ZengNature Portfolionpj Clean Water2059-70372025-01-018111410.1038/s41545-025-00439-5Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewaterYe Yuan0Xucui Qian1Lulu Zhang2Wanxin Yin3Tianming Chen4Zhaoxia Li5Cheng Ding6Bo Wang7Bin Liang8Aijie Wang9Yang Liu10Fan Chen11School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologySchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologyDepartment of Food Science, Aarhus UniversityState Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology ShenzhenState Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology ShenzhenCollege of Eco-Environmental Engineering, Qinghai UniversitySchool of Environmental Science and Engineering, Yancheng Institute of TechnologyAbstract Traditional biological wastewater treatment struggles to efficiently remove refractory organic nitrogen compounds (RONCs). This study demonstrates the potential of alternating current (AC)-driven bioelectrodes for deep mineralization of nitrobenzene (NB) by coupling in situ reduction and oxidation reactions. Sine-wave AC bioelectrodes overcome the limitations of direct current (DC) systems, achieving 97.6% NB reduction, 90.9% intermediate mineralization, and 80.8% total nitrogen removal while reducing energy consumption by 22.3%. AC stimulation enhances biofilm formation and bidirectional electrocatalytic activity, leading to higher biomass and electron utilization efficiency. Multi-omics analysis shows enrichment of functional microbial consortia involved in NB reduction, aromatic compound oxidation, ammonia oxidation, nitrate/nitrite reduction, and electron transfer, with upregulated enzyme gene expression. Carbon metabolites from catechol meta-cleavage support nitro-reduction, denitrification, and cell viability without external carbon sources. Nitrification-denitrification is the primary pathway for inorganic nitrogen removal. This AC bioelectrode offers an efficient, low-carbon solution for RONC mineralization in wastewater.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00439-5 |
| spellingShingle | Ye Yuan Xucui Qian Lulu Zhang Wanxin Yin Tianming Chen Zhaoxia Li Cheng Ding Bo Wang Bin Liang Aijie Wang Yang Liu Fan Chen Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater npj Clean Water |
| title | Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater |
| title_full | Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater |
| title_fullStr | Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater |
| title_short | Tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater |
| title_sort | tailoring microbial redox with alternating current for efficient mineralization of refractory organic nitrogen compounds in wastewater |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41545-025-00439-5 |
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