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Coupling between anammox and autotrophic denitrification for simultaneous removal of ammonium and sulfide by enriched marine sediments

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Abstract

In the present study, the capacity of enrichments derived from marine sediments collected from different sites of the Mexican littoral to perform anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) coupled to sulfide-dependent denitrification for simultaneous removal of ammonium and sulfide linked to nitrite reduction was evaluated. Sulfide-dependent denitrification out-competed anammox during the simultaneous oxidation of sulfide and ammonium. Significant accumulation of elemental sulfur (ca. 14–30 % of added sulfide) occurred during the coupling between the two respiratory processes, while ammonium was partly oxidized (31–47 %) due to nitrite limitation imposed in sediment incubations. Nevertheless, mass balances revealed up to 38 % more oxidation of the electron donors available (ammonium and sulfide) than that expected from stoichiometry. Recycling of nitrite, from nitrate produced through anammox, is proposed to contribute to extra oxidation of sulfide, while additional ammonium oxidation is suggested by sulfate-reducing anammox (SR-anammox). The complex interaction between nitrogenous and sulfurous compounds occurring through the concomitant presence of autotrophic denitrification, conventional anammox and SR-anammox may significantly drive the nitrogen and sulfur fluxes in marine environments.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the technical assistance of Dulce Partida, Ma. Del Carmen Rocha-Medina, Guillermo Vidriales and Juan Pablo Rodas. This study was financially supported by the Council of Science and Technology of Mexico (CONACYT) and by the Marcos Moshinsky Foundation.

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  1. División de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICyT), Camino a la Presa San José 2055, Col. Lomas 4ª Sección, 78216, San Luis Potosí, SLP, Mexico

    E. Emilia Rios-Del Toro & Francisco J. Cervantes

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  1. E. Emilia Rios-Del Toro
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  2. Francisco J. Cervantes
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Correspondence to Francisco J. Cervantes.

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Rios-Del Toro, E.E., Cervantes, F.J. Coupling between anammox and autotrophic denitrification for simultaneous removal of ammonium and sulfide by enriched marine sediments. Biodegradation 27, 107–118 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-016-9759-4

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