Performance and Influencing Factors of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Process by the Strain Desulfovibrio sp. CMX

Abstract

The process of dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) plays an important role in the presence and conversion of ammonium ions in nature. However, the influencing factors and mechanisms of DNRA process in sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) have not yet been identified. The ability, influencing factors and mechanisms of DNRA was investigated in Desulfovibrio sp. CMX isolated previously in our laboratory. The results showed that the production rate of ammonium reached 85.8% and 97.3% respectively with NO3- and NO2- (10 mmol·L-1) as the sole electron donor and nitrogen source. Meanwhile, there was no by-products such as N2 and N2O. Then the effects of different extra nitrogen sources and initial concentrations of sulfate and sulfide on DNRA process were also investigated. As a result, extra nitrogen, yeast extract, could promote DNRA process by improving both growth and metabolism of the strain. In another study, sulfate promoted the nitrate reduction stage while inhibited the nitrite reduction. Overall, the DNRA process by Desulfovibrio sp. CMX was inhibited by sulfate. In addition, both the growth and two stages of the DNRA process were inhibited in the presence of sulfide. Dose effect of sulfide was observed. Inhibition was enhanced with the increase of sulfide concentration. It's noticeable that the inhibition on nitrate reduction was stronger than the inhibition on nitrite reduction with 6 mmol·L-1 of sulfide, leading to the lower reduction rate of nitrate than that of nitrite. In this condition, no accumulation of nitrite was observed in the system.