Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment

Lorena Aguilar; Leonardo M. Pérez; Ángel Gallegos; Eva Fores; Carlos A. Arias; Carme Bosch; Maria Verdum; Patricia Jove; Joan de Pablo; Jordi Morató

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106781

Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment

Lorena Aguilar, Leonardo M. Pérez, Ángel Gallegos, Eva Fores, Carlos A. Arias, Carme Bosch, Maria Verdum, Patricia Jove, Joan de Pablo, Jordi Morató^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

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Abstract

The wine industry produces large quantities of wastewater that often contains high levels of organic matter and nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorous. In particular, nitrogen pollution can be harmful, even at low levels, since infants are vulnerable to nitrates in drinking water, and excess nitrogen can harm the health of soils and waterways. Herein, an innovative compact, modular, and mobile treatment wetland (TW) using cork by product as the only granular media was used to treat the final effluents from the Codorniu winery (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Spain). The TW was operated during two 5-month periods with or without intermittent induced aeration (40 min cycles, 90 L/min air flow rate). Nitrate (N-NO₃) and total nitrogen (TN) removal were higher (52.8% and 46.8%, respectively, p < 0.05) during TW operation under aerated-condition. Additionally, qPCR analysis of 16S rRNA, nirS and nosZ genes revealed that intermittent induced aeration facilitates N-NO₃ reduction by the stimulation of denitrifying bacteria in the TW biofilm (11.4% increase in nirS copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05) as well as increasing the number of heterotrophic bacteria adhered to cork (25.5% increase in 16S rRNA copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05). Moreover, SEM images demonstrated the suitability of cork as a resistant filter media for TW after long-term system operation (1.5 years). In conclusion, our results suggest that aeration improved nitrogen compounds removal compared to the non-aerated period, without affecting phosphorous elimination. Additionally, residual cork is presented here in a circular bioeconomy view, as a suitable filling media to treat winery wastewater that can provide additional carbon source to increase C/N rate stimulating denitrification, as well as a reliable organic substrate for biomass growth.

Original language	English
Article number	106781
Journal	Ecological Engineering
Volume	185
Number of pages	7
ISSN	0925-8574
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106781
Publication status	Published - Dec 2022

Keywords

Aeration
Cork
Denitrifying bacteria
Nitrate pollution
Vertical-flow
Winery wastewater

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Aguilar, L., Pérez, L. M., Gallegos, Á., Fores, E., Arias, C. A., Bosch, C., Verdum, M., Jove, P., de Pablo, J., & Morató, J. (2022). Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment. Ecological Engineering, 185, Article 106781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106781

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title = "Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment",

abstract = "The wine industry produces large quantities of wastewater that often contains high levels of organic matter and nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorous. In particular, nitrogen pollution can be harmful, even at low levels, since infants are vulnerable to nitrates in drinking water, and excess nitrogen can harm the health of soils and waterways. Herein, an innovative compact, modular, and mobile treatment wetland (TW) using cork by product as the only granular media was used to treat the final effluents from the Codorniu winery (Sant Sadurn{\'i} d'Anoia, Spain). The TW was operated during two 5-month periods with or without intermittent induced aeration (40 min cycles, 90 L/min air flow rate). Nitrate (N-NO3) and total nitrogen (TN) removal were higher (52.8% and 46.8%, respectively, p < 0.05) during TW operation under aerated-condition. Additionally, qPCR analysis of 16S rRNA, nirS and nosZ genes revealed that intermittent induced aeration facilitates N-NO3 reduction by the stimulation of denitrifying bacteria in the TW biofilm (11.4% increase in nirS copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05) as well as increasing the number of heterotrophic bacteria adhered to cork (25.5% increase in 16S rRNA copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05). Moreover, SEM images demonstrated the suitability of cork as a resistant filter media for TW after long-term system operation (1.5 years). In conclusion, our results suggest that aeration improved nitrogen compounds removal compared to the non-aerated period, without affecting phosphorous elimination. Additionally, residual cork is presented here in a circular bioeconomy view, as a suitable filling media to treat winery wastewater that can provide additional carbon source to increase C/N rate stimulating denitrification, as well as a reliable organic substrate for biomass growth.",

keywords = "Aeration, Cork, Denitrifying bacteria, Nitrate pollution, Vertical-flow, Winery wastewater",

author = "Lorena Aguilar and P{\'e}rez, {Leonardo M.} and {\'A}ngel Gallegos and Eva Fores and Arias, {Carlos A.} and Carme Bosch and Maria Verdum and Patricia Jove and {de Pablo}, Joan and Jordi Morat{\'o}",

year = "2022",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106781",

language = "English",

volume = "185",

journal = "Ecological Engineering",

issn = "0925-8574",

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Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment. / Aguilar, Lorena; Pérez, Leonardo M.; Gallegos, Ángel et al.
In: Ecological Engineering, Vol. 185, 106781, 12.2022.

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment

AU - Aguilar, Lorena

AU - Pérez, Leonardo M.

AU - Gallegos, Ángel

AU - Fores, Eva

AU - Arias, Carlos A.

AU - Bosch, Carme

AU - Verdum, Maria

AU - Jove, Patricia

AU - de Pablo, Joan

AU - Morató, Jordi

PY - 2022/12

Y1 - 2022/12

N2 - The wine industry produces large quantities of wastewater that often contains high levels of organic matter and nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorous. In particular, nitrogen pollution can be harmful, even at low levels, since infants are vulnerable to nitrates in drinking water, and excess nitrogen can harm the health of soils and waterways. Herein, an innovative compact, modular, and mobile treatment wetland (TW) using cork by product as the only granular media was used to treat the final effluents from the Codorniu winery (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Spain). The TW was operated during two 5-month periods with or without intermittent induced aeration (40 min cycles, 90 L/min air flow rate). Nitrate (N-NO3) and total nitrogen (TN) removal were higher (52.8% and 46.8%, respectively, p < 0.05) during TW operation under aerated-condition. Additionally, qPCR analysis of 16S rRNA, nirS and nosZ genes revealed that intermittent induced aeration facilitates N-NO3 reduction by the stimulation of denitrifying bacteria in the TW biofilm (11.4% increase in nirS copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05) as well as increasing the number of heterotrophic bacteria adhered to cork (25.5% increase in 16S rRNA copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05). Moreover, SEM images demonstrated the suitability of cork as a resistant filter media for TW after long-term system operation (1.5 years). In conclusion, our results suggest that aeration improved nitrogen compounds removal compared to the non-aerated period, without affecting phosphorous elimination. Additionally, residual cork is presented here in a circular bioeconomy view, as a suitable filling media to treat winery wastewater that can provide additional carbon source to increase C/N rate stimulating denitrification, as well as a reliable organic substrate for biomass growth.

AB - The wine industry produces large quantities of wastewater that often contains high levels of organic matter and nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorous. In particular, nitrogen pollution can be harmful, even at low levels, since infants are vulnerable to nitrates in drinking water, and excess nitrogen can harm the health of soils and waterways. Herein, an innovative compact, modular, and mobile treatment wetland (TW) using cork by product as the only granular media was used to treat the final effluents from the Codorniu winery (Sant Sadurní d'Anoia, Spain). The TW was operated during two 5-month periods with or without intermittent induced aeration (40 min cycles, 90 L/min air flow rate). Nitrate (N-NO3) and total nitrogen (TN) removal were higher (52.8% and 46.8%, respectively, p < 0.05) during TW operation under aerated-condition. Additionally, qPCR analysis of 16S rRNA, nirS and nosZ genes revealed that intermittent induced aeration facilitates N-NO3 reduction by the stimulation of denitrifying bacteria in the TW biofilm (11.4% increase in nirS copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05) as well as increasing the number of heterotrophic bacteria adhered to cork (25.5% increase in 16S rRNA copies number/g cork sample, p < 0.05). Moreover, SEM images demonstrated the suitability of cork as a resistant filter media for TW after long-term system operation (1.5 years). In conclusion, our results suggest that aeration improved nitrogen compounds removal compared to the non-aerated period, without affecting phosphorous elimination. Additionally, residual cork is presented here in a circular bioeconomy view, as a suitable filling media to treat winery wastewater that can provide additional carbon source to increase C/N rate stimulating denitrification, as well as a reliable organic substrate for biomass growth.

KW - Aeration

KW - Cork

KW - Denitrifying bacteria

KW - Nitrate pollution

KW - Vertical-flow

KW - Winery wastewater

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U2 - 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106781

DO - 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2022.106781

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85138451805

SN - 0925-8574

VL - 185

JO - Ecological Engineering

JF - Ecological Engineering

M1 - 106781

ER -

Effect of aeration on nitrogen removal-associated microbial community in an innovative vertical cork-based constructed wetland for winery wastewater treatment

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