Ammonium removal by a novel heterotrophic nitrifying and aerobic denitrifying bacterium Pseudomonas stutzeri KTB from wastewater

The effects of culture conditions on a newly isolated Pseudomonas stutzeri KTB's ability to simultaneously perform heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification were investigated to determine its potential of application in nitrogen removal from wastewater. The results from experiments in the presence of 10 mmol/L of ammonium were as follows: succinate was the preferred carbon source, and the optimum C/N ratio, temperature, and initial pH were 10, 30 °C, and 7–8, respectively. Nitrogen removal took place not only in the logarithmic phase but also in the stationary phase. Under the optimum conditions, the nitrogen removal rate increased as the ammonium concentration elevated, until it was as high as 60 mmol/L. Meanwhile, the maximum specific growth rate decreased. The highest nitrogen removal rate of 0.977 mmol/L/h was observed at 60 mmol/L of ammonium and the maximum removal ratio of 85.6% at 40 mmol/L when the bacterial treatment for 48 h was completed. The strain was vulnerable to even higher ammonium loads. When incubated in anaerobically digested hennery wastewater containing 43.85 mmol/L of ammonium and 2.32 mmol/L of nitrate, the removal ratio and rate reached 82.4% and 0.397 mmol/L/h, respectively. The strain might be a great candidate for ammonium removal from wastewater.