Research

Publications
Title: Deciphering nitrogen-driven microbial succession in an anaerobic membrane bioreactor-coupled A2/O ecological system for the remediation of industrial swine wastewater
First author: Huang, Jing; Wu, Feilong; Xiao, Yanchun; Ye, Meifeng; Wu, Xiaomei; Chen, Han; Xu, Qingxian
Journal: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Years: 2025
Volume / issue: /
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-11476-y
Abstract: Rapid expansion of industrial pig farming has intensified existing challenges in the management of nutrient-rich wastewater, characterized by high organic loads (chemical oxygen demand (COD): 15,000-30,000 mg/L) and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N): 800-2,500 mg/L) concentrations. In this study, an integrated treatment system with a combination of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) membrane-based anaerobic membrane bioreactor and an anoxic/aerobic/oxidation pond (A2/O) was developed for swine wastewater remediation. The system achieved exceptional remediation efficiency, removing 99.4, 99.5, 95.4, 92.8, and 97.9% of COD, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), NH4+-N, total phosphorus (TP), and suspended solids (SS), respectively, with the anoxic and aerobic (A2) phases contributing to removal of 62.5, 60.9, 80.9, 94.6% of COD, BOD, TP, and SS, respectively. Microbial community analysis revealed process-specific dynamics, including Firmicutes enrichment (8.52 +/- 3.33 to 10.81 +/- 0.39%) in anaerobic stages and Nitrosomonas dominance (2.38 +/- 0.21%) during nitrification. The HDPE membrane-based bioreactor performed effectively under high organic loading rates (5-8 kg CODm-3day-1), whereas the A2/O system optimized nutrient cycling through synchronized nitrification-denitrification (dissolved oxygen: 2.0-3.5 mg/L). In this study, we establish a scalable framework for the treatment of industrial swine wastewater by combining engineered infrastructure with the principles of microbial ecology to address conventional pollutants.