Nitrogen removal by heterotrophic nitrifying and aerobic denitrifying bacterium Pseudomonas sp. DM02: removal performance, mechanism and immobilized application for real aquaculture wastewater treatment

Abstract A bacterial strain was isolated and identified as Pseudomonas sp. DM02 from an aquaculture system. Strain DM02 showed efficient heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification capability. Total ammonia nitrogen (TAN, 10 mg/L) could be completely removed by strain DM02 within 12 h under low nutrient condition. Nitrogen mass balance indicated that 70.8% of the initial TAN was translated into gaseous nitrogen and 28.1% was converted into intracellular nitrogen. Various carbon sources can be used for nitrate removal (> 95% within 28 h). The optimal conditions for TAN, nitrate and nitrite removal were pH 7 with carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratios of 8, 12 and 12, respectively. The napA, nirK, and nosZ functional genes were successful amplified from strain DM02. Both bioaugmentation and immobilized technology of strain DM02 present ability (> 88%) for continuous treatment of real aquaculture wastewater. This research indicated a great potential for practical application of Pseudomonas sp. DM02 in aquaculture wastewater treatment.