Nitrogen removal by heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification bacteria: A review

The rising urbanization and industrialization are increasing nitrogen pollution in water and wastewaters, calling for advanced remediation treatments. Traditional biological treatments are limited in area and efficiency. Therefore, heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification (HN-AD) in a single reactor has drawn significant attention and has shown higher efficiency. Here we review HN-AD bacteria with focus on bacterial species, nitrogen metabolism, and factors influencing denitrification. Nitrogen metabolism pathway includes nitrate-nitrite reduction denitrification, hydroxylamine reduction and assimilatory denitrification. Factors influencing denitrification comprise carbon source, C/N, temperature, pH, DO and so on. Compared to published literature reviews on HN-AD, our manuscript comprehensively summary the latest research on its nitrogen remove mechanisms and related enzymes for the first time.