Research on microbial structures, functions and metabolic pathways in an advanced denitrification system coupled with aerobic methane oxidation based on metagenomics

Abstract

Methanotrophs can oxidize methane as the sole carbon and energy, and the resulting intermediate products can be simultaneously utilized by coexistent denitrifying bacteria to remove the nitrogen, which named Aerobic Methane Oxidation Coupled to Denitrification (AME-D). In this paper, an AME-D system was built in an improved denitrification bio-filter, to analyze the nitrogen removal efficiency and mechanism. The maximum TN removal rate reached 95.05%. As shown in Raman spectroscopy, in the effluent wave crests generated by the symmetric expansion and contraction of NO3– disappeared, and the distortion of olefin CH2 and C-OH stretching of alcohols appeared. Metagenomics revealed Methylotenera and Methylobacter were the dominated methanotrophs. There was a completed methane and nitrogen metabolism pathway with the synergism of nxrAB, narGHI, nasAB, pmo-amoABC and mmo genes. Dissimilatory reduction pathway was the primary nitrate removal pathway. Moreover, Bradyrhizobium could participate in methane and nitrogen metabolism simultaneously.