doi: 10.18178/ijesd.2025.16.4.1531
Correlation Analysis of COMAMMOX Nitrospira Relative to AOB Activity in Biological Nitrogen Removal from Synthetic Municipal Wastewater Using Full Factorial Design
Tristan Roy L. Panaligan1,2,3,*
,
Yi-Ju Wu4 ,
Bonifacio T. Doma, Jr.1,2 ,
Liang-Ming Whang5,6
- 1School of Chemical, Biological, Materials Engineering and Sciences, Mapúa University, Manila, 1002, Philippines
- 2School of Graduate Studies, Mapúa University, Manila, 1002, Philippines
- 3Mapúa Institute of Technology at Laguna, Mapúa Malayan Colleges Laguna, Laguna, 4025, Philippines
- 4Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National United University, 2, Lienda, Miaoli 36063, Taiwan, China
- 5Department of Environmental Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan City, 70101, Taiwan, China
- 6Sustainable Environment Research Laboratory, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan, China
- Manuscript receivedFebruary 26, 2025
- revisedMarch 13, 2025
- acceptedApril 19, 2025
- publishedJuly 7, 2025
Abstract
This study explores the role of ComammoxNitrospira (CMX) in ammonia-nitrogen removal from syntheticmunicipal wastewater, with a focus on key operationalparameters: initial ammonia concentration (N₀), COD/N ratio,and pH. A Full Factorial Design (FFD) of Experiments wasimplemented to systematically evaluate the effects of thesefactors on nitrification efficiency. Microbial populationdynamics were assessed using DNA and rRNA qPCR analyses,providing insights into the relative abundance and activity ofCMX in comparison to Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB).The experimental results suggest that CMX plays a dominantrole in ammonia oxidation, as indicated by minimal nitriteaccumulation across all conditions. The optimal experimentalcondition (N₀ = 60 mg/L, COD/N = 0.5, pH = 8.6) was identifiedthrough a prediction profiler function. Statistical modelingconfirmed that ammonia removal was significantly influencedby the tested parameters (<em>p </em>= 0.0124, F-ratio = 3797.377),whereas nitrate formation exhibited less variation and was notstatistically significant (<em>p</em> = 0.4121, F-ratio = 3.0531). Thesefindings contribute to a deeper understanding of completeammonia oxidation and its implications for optimizingbiological nitrogen removal in wastewater treatment systems.
Keywords
- Comammox Nitrospira
- nitrification
- biological nitrogen removal
- ammonia oxidation
- Full Factorial Design
- microbial population dynamics
- qPCR analysis
How to Cite
Tristan Roy L. Panaligan, Yi-Ju Wu, Bonifacio T. Doma, Jr., and Liang-Ming Whang, "Correlation Analysis of COMAMMOX Nitrospira Relative to AOB Activity in Biological Nitrogen Removal from Synthetic Municipal Wastewater Using Full Factorial Design," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, vol. 16, no. 4, pp. 243-252, 2025. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijesd.2025.16.4.1531
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).