Meet Acidobacteria: The Heroes in Low C/N Wastewater Treatment

You know how sometimes wastewater has too much nitrogen but not enough oxygen-demanding stuff? That's a problem! One way we deal with this is using biological contact oxidation reactors (BCOR). These reactors use certain microorganisms to help remove the nitrogen. In this story, scientists found that a group called Acidobacteria can really help with this job. They started the system up and kept it running smoothly for over 200 days. The data showed that these microorganisms were super effective. On average, they removed 96. 2% of ammonium nitrogen and 86. 9% of total nitrogen. But it's not just Acidobacteria doing all the work. Other microbes like unnamed ones from the phyla Acidobacteria and Chlorobi, Candidatus Xiphinematobacter, and Pseudomonas, also chipped in. The neat thing is, this is the first time these specific unnamed microbes were found in this kind of system. This discovery is like a big clue for scientists. It helps them understand how these microorganisms work together. Plus, it might lead to advancements in how we treat wastewater in the future. After all, understanding the tiny helpers in our systems is key to making them work better!