Beyond denitrification: Alginate production by mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa using wastewater nitrate as electron acceptor

Abstract

Microbial synthesis is an effective method for carbon and nitrogen recovery in the biological nitrogen removal process. The recycling of alginate-like exopolymers has attracted the attention of many researchers; however, the composition of the polymers and alginate differs. In this study, the capacity and mechanism of a mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa to remove nitrate and synthesize alginate were investigated. The results showed that the P. aeruginosa achieved higher nitrate removal efficiency (95.3 %) and alginate yield (298 mg/L) after 36 hours of microaerobic cultivation compare to aerobic condition. The optimal conditions for nitrogen removal and alginate recovery are 35 °C, pH 7 and C/N 15. The transcriptional activities of denitrifying genes in P. aeruginosa were upregulated at the low dissolved oxygen level. Although O2 may upregulate the expression of alginate synthesis key genes (algD, alg8 and alg44) by activating AlgZ-AlgR two-component signal transduction system, microaerobic condition facilitates P. aeruginosa proliferation and results in a higher alginate yield. Moreover, the P. aeruginosa strain was further coupled with an anoxic/aerobic reactor for deeper nitrogen removal, and the nitrate removal efficiency and alginate yield were maintained above 91 % and 100 mg/L, respectively. The conversion efficiency of sodium acetate to alginate reached 15 %. This work provides an economically and environmentally sustainable strategy for wastewater treatment and the recovery of high-value bioresource.