Diversity of anaerobic ammonium oxidation processes in nature

Abstract

Complete nitrogen removal depends on the requirement of oxygen as an electron acceptor and organics as electron donors. In the natural environment, these electron acceptors and donors regulate the nitrogen cycle in association with several nature-based processes, such as iron dependent (feammox), sulphur dependent (sulfammox), and nitrite dependent (annamox). These processes represent the latest discoveries in the nitrification part of the nitrogen cycle and provide the electron acceptors for anaerobic ammonium oxidation. Research findings on these processes suggest that a previously undescribed pathway is available for anaerobic ammonium oxidation, which can regulate the nitrogen cycle in natural environments. It has been shown that some redox active materials can serve simultaneously as electron acceptors and donors in the nitrogen cycle. This review provides comprehensive information of the known oxidative processes in the nitrogen cycle and highlights the emergence of a new pathway for anaerobic NH4+ oxidation, which is dependent on insoluble redox active materials as electron donors and acceptors. This new pathway is not limited to anaerobic NH4+ oxidation, but it also includes reductive pathways to nitrogen gas, and thus can lead to complete nitrogen removal from nitrogen environments. Recent developments and knowledge advancement in the nitrogen cycle open a new path for nature-based sustainable solutions for nitrogen management. This new knowledge can provide innovative and novel approaches for conventional NH4+ removal processes.