Nitrogen removal performance of aerobic denitrifying bacteria enhanced by an iron-anode pulsed electric field.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) technology has attracted considerable attention because it can efficiently treat pollutants that are difficult to degrade. In this study, a PEF system using iron as the electrode was constructed to investigate the effect of PEF-Fe on the growth and metabolism of aerobic denitrifying bacteria and the effectiveness of wastewater nitrogen removal. The chemical oxygen demand, NO-N and nitrate removal rates were 98.93%, 97.60% and 24.40 mg·L·h, respectively, under optimal conditions. As confirmed in this study, PEF-Fe could improve the key enzyme activities of W207-14. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the surface of PEF-Fe-treated W207-14 was intact and smooth without any irreversible deformation. Flow cytometry combined with fluorescence staining analysis also confirmed reversible electroporation on the cell membrane surface of PEF-Fe-treated W207-14. Differentially expressed gene enrichment analysis showed that PEF-Fe activated the transmembrane transport function of ATP-binding cassette transporte (ABC) transport proteins and enhanced the cell membrane permeability of aerobic denitrifying bacteria. The significant differential expression of iron-sulphur cluster proteins facilitated the regulation of electron transport and maintenance of the dynamic balance of iron ions within the PEF-Fe system.