Pyrrhotite-sulfur autotrophic denitrification for deep and efficient nitrate and phosphate removal: Synergistic effects, secondary minerals and microbial community shifts

Pyrrhotite-sulfur autotrophic denitrification (PSAD) system, using mixture of pyrrhotite and sulfur particle as electron donor, was studied through batch, column and pilot experiments. Treating synthetic secondary effluent at HRT 3 h, the PSAD system obtained the effluent with NO3--N 0.28 ± 0.14 mg·L-1 and without PO43--P to be detected. Thiobacillus was the most abundant autotrophic denitrification bacteria; autotrophic, heterotrophic and sulfate-reducing bacteria coexisted in the PSAD system; phosphate was mainly removed in forms of graftonite, dufrenite, ardealite. The H+ produced in the SAD could accelerate the PAD through promoting pyrrhotite dissolution, and iron ions produced in the PAD could accelerate the SAD through Fe3+/Fe2+ shuttle. Because of the synergistic effects between the pyrrhotite and sulfur, the PSAD system removed nitrate and phosphate deeply and efficiently. It is a promising way to meet the stringent nitrogen and phosphorus discharge standards and to recover phosphorus resources from wastewater.