Simultaneous heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification potential of Paenibacillus sp. strain GLM-08 isolated from lignite mine waste and its role ammonia removal from mine waste water

Paenibacillus sp. strain GLM-08 was isolated from a lignite mine waste site in the Barmer basin, Rajasthan, India. The strain is efficient in heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification. This bacterium could remove approximately more than 95% of NH4+, NO3-, and NO2- in 24 h. The average nitrogen (N) removal rate of the strain was found to be 4.775 mg/L/H, 5.66 mg/L/H, and 5.01 mg/L/H for NH4+, NO3-, and NO2-, respectively. Bioaugmentation of mine wastewater with Paenibacillus sp. strain GLM-08 demonstrated N removal of 86.6% under conditions of a high load of NH4+. The presence of potential genetic determinants (nxrB, nirS, and nosZ) having role in heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification was confirmed by PCR based analysis. The findings show that this bacterium performs simultaneous nitrification and denitrification and has a high nitrogen removal efficiency indicating the potential application of the strain in the treatment of wastewater.