Achieving superior nitrogen removal in an air-lifting internal circulating reactor for municipal wastewater treatment: Performance, kinetic analysis, and microbial pathways.

Anticipated growth in living standards has accentuated higher requirements for effluent quality from municipal wastewater treatment. In this study, an air-lifting internal circulating reactor with a high internal circulation ratio (36:1) was established to treat municipal wastewater with a long-term operation. In the bioreactor, the average effluent chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen could be 13.1, 5.7, and lower than 1 mg/L, respectively. Further analysis of nitrogen removal showed that traditional nitrification and denitrification, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND), and nitrogen assimilation accounted for 27.4 %, 68.7 %, and 3.9 % respectively. The proportion of aerobic bacteria (Saprospiraceae) and facultative bacteria (Comamonadaceae) were significantly increased, indicating a higher capacity for organic degradation in the reactor. The relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria and bacterial groups with SND (Comamonadaceae) increased. These results suggested the air-lifting internal circulating reactor could be a viable and efficient option for superior nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment.