好氧和缺氧条件下游离亚硝酸对氨氧化菌和亚硝酸盐氧化菌的选择性抑制

【背景】稳定短程硝化是实现城市污水厌氧氨氧化技术的瓶颈,目前国内外关于游离亚硝酸(Free nitrous acid,FNA)对硝化菌活性的影响大多是在曝气条件下进行研究,鲜有关于缺氧条件下FNA对硝化菌活性影响的报道。【目的】探究好氧和缺氧下FNA对氨氧化菌(Ammonia oxidizing bacteria,AOB)和亚硝酸盐氧化菌(Nitrite oxidizing bacteria,NOB:Nitrospira和Nitrobacter)活性的抑制影响。【方法】采用序批式反应器(Sequencing batch reactor,SBR),基于混合液悬浮固体浓度(Mixed liquid suspended solids,MLSS)为8 300 mg/L的全程硝化污泥条件,通过批次试验分别考察好氧和缺氧下FNA(初始浓度为1.16 mg/L)处理48 h后,AOB和NOB活性的变化情况。【结果】好氧FNA处理活性污泥48 h后,FNA浓度维持在1.16-1.17 mg/L,游离氨(Free ammonia,FA)浓度小于0.017 mg/L,AOB、Nitrospira、Nitrobacter丰度均未发生明显变化;过曝气至99 h时,与空白组相比,比氨氮氧化速率(r~+_(NH4-N))、比亚硝酸盐氮氧化速率(r_(NO2-N))均出现小幅下降,分别由3.5、4.828 mg N/(g VSS·h)降至3.3、4.668 mg N/(g VSS·h),且亚硝酸盐氮累积率(Nitrite accumulation rate,NAR)始终低于33.2%。缺氧FNA处理活性污泥48 h后,FNA浓度维持在0.64-1.16 mg/L,FA浓度低于0.039 mg/L,AOB丰度变化较小,而Nitrospira、Nitrobacter丰度均明显下降,分别由3.002 9×10~9、4.245×10~8 copies/g VSS降至1.666 5×10~8、5.163 8×10~7 copies/g VSS;过曝气至99 h时,与空白组相比,r~+_(NH4-N)值下降幅度较小,而r_(NO2-N)值明显降低,由4.828 mg N/(g VSS·h)降至0.007 mg N/(g VSS·h),且在过曝气0-292 h内,NAR均大于94%。【结论】好氧FNA处理活性污泥48 h后对AOB和NOB无明显抑制作用,但缺氧FNA处理活性污泥48 h后对AOB具有轻微抑制作用,而对NOB具有强烈的抑制作用,可以实现稳定的短程硝化。     

固定化硝化菌群联合芽孢杆菌处理对虾养殖废水

【背景】高度集约化的对虾养殖业面临着日益严重的水污染问题,同步高效降解养殖废水中的有机物、氨氮和亚硝酸盐是对虾养殖业健康可持续发展的重要保障之一。【目的】通过分别固定化硝化菌群(Nitrifyingbacterialconsortia,NBC)和芽孢杆菌,优化菌群空间结构,提高菌群功能,实现同步高效降解对虾养殖废水中的有机物、亚硝酸盐和氨氮,保障南美白对虾养殖的可持续发展。【方法】采集养殖虾塘底泥进行硝化细菌自养富集和连续培养,利用16S rRNA基因高通量测序技术分析硝化菌群组成。从5株芽孢杆菌中筛选化学需氧量(Chemical oxygen demand,COD)降解能力最强的菌株。选用吸附和成球效果好的无毒包埋材料,通过正交实验优化固定化配方提高机械强度。选择硝化菌群和芽孢杆菌最适使用浓度进行分别固定化并联合应用于对虾养殖废水的处理。【结果】高通量分析结果显示硝化菌群中变形菌门(Proteobacteria,61.10%)占绝对优势,具有自养硝化功能的类群丰度达12.69%并呈高多样性。还包含丰度达47.44%的具有反硝化功能或者潜在反硝化功能的优势菌群和丰度达12.85%的光合细菌,是高有机负荷下硝化作用的重要补充,并可通过反硝化作用实现真正脱氮。COD降解能力最强的是解淀粉芽孢杆菌(Bacillusamyloliquefacien)YL-10,48h内COD降解率达100%。固定化最佳配方为贝壳粉5%、海藻酸钠3%、交联剂氯化钙为4%、优化后的固定化小球其机械强度可达129.68m N。固定化使硝化菌群的氨氮和亚硝酸盐降解率分别提高了128.13%和130.11%(P0.05),但对芽孢杆菌YL-10的COD降解率无明显提高。1×10~8 CFU/mL为硝化菌群和芽孢杆菌YL-10在养殖废水中最适使用浓度。在固定化硝化菌群和芽孢杆菌YL-10联合作用下,对虾养殖废水的氨氮、亚硝酸盐和COD浓度在48h内分别由初始的6.32±0.12、5.69±0.11和65.29±1.14 mg/L降至0.03±0.03、0.06±0.01和0 mg/L (P0.05),降解率分别为99.57%、99.03%和100%。【结论】通过优化固定化有效提高硝化菌群的硝化作用,联合COD降解能力强的芽孢杆菌,同步高效降解对虾养殖废水中的有机物、氨氮和亚硝酸盐,为规模化应用于南美白对虾高密度养殖提供科学依据。     

宏基因组技术研究泥岩母质发育的三种不同pH紫色土硝化微生物群落演变规律

【目的】揭示典型农田旱地紫色土硝化微生物的群落组成及其对pH的响应规律。【方法】针对同一母质发育但pH差异显著的3种紫色土,利用宏基因组技术深度测序研究土壤中硝化微生物丰度和群落,包括氨氧化古菌(ammonia-oxidizing archaea,AOA),氨氧化细菌(ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,AOB),亚硝酸盐氧化细菌(nitrite-oxidizingbacteria,NOB)和全程氨氧化细菌(completeammoniaoxidizer,Comammox)。【结果】土壤中硝化微生物的丰度占总微生物的2.130%–6.082%。3种紫色土中AOA、AOB和NOB的相对丰度有显著差异:酸性紫色土中AOA的相对丰度显著大于碱性紫色土,而AOB则相反;NOB的相对丰度在中性紫色土中最高。所有土样中均发现了1种全程氨氧化细菌Candidatus Nitrospira inopinata (Ca. N. inopinata),其在中性紫色土中相对丰度最高,占总微生物的0.203%。3种不同pH紫色土中AOA均以Nitrososphaera为主,NOB均以Nitrospira为主;酸性紫色土中AOB以Nitroscoccus为主,而中性和石灰性紫色土中则以Nitrosospira为主。Pearson相关性分析发现,土壤pH和铵态氮是影响硝化微生物丰度最大的两个因子。【结论】Comammox存在于3种不同pH紫色土中,且偏好中性环境;AOA、AOB和NOB群落结构和相对丰度都存在显著差异,结合相关性分析发现土壤pH和铵态氮是导致差异最重要的两个因子。     

生产性短程硝化-厌氧氨氧化装置处理制药废水的启动性能

为拓展新型生物脱氮技术的应用领域,研究了生产性短程硝化-厌氧氨氧化装置处理制药废水的启动性能。制药废水氨氮浓度为(430.40±55.43)mg/L时,氨氮去除率达(81.75±9.10)%,实现了短程硝化-厌氧氨氧化工艺对制药废水的生物脱氮。制药废水短程硝化系统的启动时间约为74 d,亚硝氮积累率达(52.11±9.13)%,证明了结合模拟废水和实际废水的"两步法"模式对短程硝化系统启动的适用性。制药废水厌氧氨氧化系统的启动时间约为145 d,最大容积氮去除速率达6.35 kg N/(m3·d),容积效能为传统硝化-反硝化工艺的数十倍,证明了结合菌种自繁和菌种流加的模式对厌氧氨氧化系统启动的适用性。     

污水短程硝化体系氨氧化菌与亚硝酸盐氧化菌的生态学研究进展

短程硝化(partial nitrification, PN)是一种绿色低碳的生物脱氮创新技术,伴随厌氧氨氧化(anaerobic ammonia oxidation, Anammox)污水脱氮技术的进一步推广,短程硝化作为提供其电子受体的重要环节,已成为了污水脱氮领域的研究热点。氨氧化菌(ammonia-oxidizing bacteria,AOB)和亚硝酸盐氧化菌(nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, NOB)是该技术的核心竞争微生物,掌握这两类微生物的生态学特征,借助生态学理论和手段调控AOB淘汰NOB,提高种群的可预测性,对于实现稳定高效的短程硝化具有重要意义。本文基于生态学角度介绍了AOB和NOB基础分类、生理性能及生态位分离,重点综述了短程硝化系统中AOB和NOB的生长动力学、群落构建、环境因素和相互作用,最后对这两类微生物的未来研究重点和研究方法进行了展望,为短程硝化工艺的快速启动和稳定运行提供理论指导。     

溶解氧对单级自养脱氮系统功能菌数量的影响

摘要：【目的】研究溶解氧（Dissolved oxygen, DO）对单级自养脱氮系统功能菌数量的影响,为系统运行操控提出理论指导。【方法】从不同DO水平下的单级自养脱氮反应器中,分别提取活性污泥及生物膜样品基因组DNA,通过特异引物扩增系统内亚硝化菌（Ammonia oxidizing bacteria, AOB）、硝化菌（Nitrite oxidizing bacteria, NOB）及厌氧氨氧化菌（Anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria, ANAMMOX）基因序列,PCR产物经回收克隆测序后,证实扩增产物为AOB、NOB及ANAMMOX 16S rDNA 保守序列,以含该序列的重组质粒作为定量PCR标准品。用荧光定量PCR技术对单级自养脱氮系统中各类功能菌进行定量分析。【结果】高DO有利于亚硝化菌AOB及硝化菌NOB生存,同时,活性污泥中AOB、NOB数量多于生物膜。DO对厌氧氨氧化菌ANAMMOX数量影响明显,高DO浓度将对ANAMMOX数量产生直接抑制,低DO浓度水平时,由于系统内缺乏厌氧氨氧化反应的电子受体NO3-或NO2-,也将间接影响ANAMMOX数量。【结论】本试验研究条件下,DO为(曝气)2.0/(停曝) 0.4 mg/L时系统运行效能最佳,ANAMMOX数量最多,AOB、NOB及ANAMMOX在此时构成一个协同代谢的稳定状态。     

4种理化因子对菌株XH1硝化效果的影响

【背景】基于硝化菌群的富集培养技术可高效稳定地去除养殖水体中的有害氮素,而当前在水产养殖领域有关硝化菌群定向培育及硝化功能菌株的研究较少。【目的】研究不同盐度、pH、温度、通气量条件下硝化菌群分离菌株XH1的生长及其对氨氮和亚硝氮的去除效果。【方法】设置不同梯度的盐度、pH、温度、通气量条件,通过计数菌量、测定氨氮及亚硝氮的浓度变化,比较不同条件下菌株XH1的生长及其对氨氮和亚硝氮的影响。【结果】菌株XH1可在盐度5‰-35‰、pH 6.0-9.0、温度15-45°C和通气量0.5-1 V/(V·min)的条件下生长良好,菌量最高可达2.34×109cells/mL;在盐度5‰-35‰、pH 6.0-9.0、温度15-30°C、通气量0.5 V/(V·min)的条件下,对氨氮的去除效果显著(P0.05),在第1-3天对培养液中氨氮的最高去除率可达86%-97%,但培养液中的氨氮浓度先降后升;对亚硝氮的最高去除率达68%。【结论】菌株XH1对盐度、pH、温度等主要环境因子具有良好的适应性,其对水体氨氮的去除效果良好,可作为中低盐度养殖池塘水体氨氮防控菌剂产品研发的备选菌株。     

中试厌氧氨氧化反应器的启动与调控

研究了中试厌氧氨氧化(Anaerobic ammonium oxidation,Anammox)反应器的启动性能。结果表明,以硝化反硝化污泥、短程硝化污泥、厌氧絮体污泥和厌氧颗粒污泥混合接种,经过255d的运行,可在常温下(5oC～27oC)成功启动中试Anammox反应器,反应器的基质氮去除速率可达1.30kg/(m3·d)。厌氧氨氧化是致碱反应,厌氧氨氧化成为反应器内的主导反应后,进水pH宜控制在厌氧氨氧化适宜范围的偏低水平(6.8左右)。亚硝酸盐既是Anammox菌的基质,也是抑制剂,控制进水亚硝酸盐浓度(13～36mg/L)有助于厌氧氨氧化反应。菌种是生物反应器的功能之源,向中试装置投加少量厌氧氨氧化污泥(投加比2%),可大大加速中试Anammox反应器的启动进程。     

一个氨氧化菌群的筛选及除氮特性

摘要:【目的】筛选耐受低C/N比、高氨氮环境的高效氨氧化菌群,为开发新型氨氮去除菌剂奠定基础。【方法】采用多点取样、低C/N比、高浓度氨氮废水强行驯化、驯化液连续梯度稀释等步骤,筛选具有高效去除铵氮能力的氨氧化菌群,并考察不同C/N比、摇床转速和铵氮浓度下目的菌群去除铵氮的特性;分离培养目的菌群中的优势菌株,经形态学观察、生理生化特性测定和16S rRNA序列分析对菌株进行鉴定。【结果】筛选到了3个具有较强去除铵氮能力的氨氧化菌群,其中以JQ8活性最好,对初始NH4+ -N 17.86 mmol/L、C/N比为4的合成废水处理6 d后,NH4+-N去除率达到97.01%;在C/N≥4、NH4+-N≤28.57 mmol/L环境下,菌群JQ8对溶液中NH4+-N的6 d去除率均可达95%,净除氮率接近80%。实验室模拟好氧活性污泥处理系统处理线路板工业废水,用菌群JQ8对系统强化处理7 d后NH4+-N和TN去除率分别达到87.8%和67.9%。分析菌群JQ8组成发现,Defluvibacter sp.、Paracoccus sp．和Aquamicrobium sp．细菌为其主要优势菌株。【结论】从垃圾渗滤液中筛选到一个具有较强铵氮去除能力的氨氧化菌群JQ8,可耐受较低C/N比和高氨氮环境,在强化污水处理系统对工业废水氨氮处理中,表现出良好的效果。     

泉州西湖沉积物中硝化细菌的分布及其作用

比较研究泉州西湖沉积物中氨氧化细菌(AOB)和亚硝酸盐氧化细菌(NOB)的分布及氨氧化潜力和亚硝酸盐(NO2?)氧化潜力。结果表明: 西湖沉积物中存在高浓度的有机质(OM)、总氮(TN)和氨氮。AOB生物量为1.1×106?6.4×106 个/g干土, 显著高于NOB生物量4.2×105?7.4×105 个/g 干土(配对t-检验, P<0.05)。对于NOB, 硝化杆菌属(Nitrobacter)和硝化螺菌属(Nitrospira)同时存在于西湖沉积物中, 以Nitrobacter为优势种群。AOB和NOB生物量的差异一定程度上导致西湖沉积物中氨氧化潜力显著高于NO2?氧化潜力(配对t-检验, P<0.05), NO2?氧化过程成为硝化作用的限制步骤。另外, 西湖沉积物中存在的较高浓度氨氮, 一方面促进了AOB的生长和活性, 导致较高速率的氨氧化过程, 另一方面却对亚硝酸盐氧化过程产生选择性抑制, 这也是导致NO2?氧化潜力较低的主要原因之一。     

Achieving nitrite accumulation in a continuous system treating low-strength domestic wastewater: switchover from batch start-up to continuous operation with process control

Although biological nitrogen removal via nitrite is recognized as one of the cost-effective and sustainable biological nitrogen removal processes, nitrite accumulation has proven difficult to achieve in continuous processes treating low-strength nitrogenous wastewater. Partial nitrification to nitrite was achieved and maintained in a lab-scale completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR) treating real domestic wastewater. During the start-up period, sludge with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) but no nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was obtained by batch operation with aeration time control. The nitrifying sludge with the dominance of AOB was then directly switched into continuous operation. It was demonstrated that partial nitrification to nitrite in the continuous system could be repeatedly and reliably achieved using this start-up strategy. The ratio of dissolved oxygen to ammonium loading rate (DO/ALR) was critical to maintain high ammonium removal efficiency and nitrite accumulation ratio. Over 85% of nitrite accumulation ratio and more than 95% of ammonium removal efficiency were achieved at DO/ALR ratios in an optimal range of 4.0–6.0 mg O₂/g N d, even under the disturbances of ammonium loading rate. Microbial population shift was investigated, and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis indicated that AOB were the dominant nitrifying bacteria over NOB when stable partial nitrification was established.     

Activated sludge under free ammonia treatment using gel immobilization technology for long-term partial nitrification with different initial biomass

To achieve stable partial nitrification, activated sludge from a wastewater treatment plant using free ammonia (FA) inhibition was immobilized in a polyvinyl alcohol carrier. After FA treatment at 16.44 mg L⁻¹ for 1 day, due to the increased growth rate gap between ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), AOB enrichment and NOB inhibition were achieved within 12 days, with AOB and NOB accounting for 65.61 and 0.05%, respectively. Subsequently, with dissolved oxygen concentrations of 4−5 mg L⁻¹, pH of 7.6–7.8 and temperature of 25 ± 1 °C, the immobilized carrier made of activated sludge achieved more than 90% and more than 86% of nitrite accumulation rate at the influent ammonia concentration of 90−110 mg L⁻¹ and 35−50 mg L⁻¹, respectively. After 50 days operation, the NOB content was 0.10%, indicating the immobilized carrier provided favorable conditions for maintaining the low NOB content. Furthermore, due to the low NOB content in the inoculum and the oxygen-limited environment formed by the increase in the AOB numbers in the carrier, immobilized carrier with different initial biomass (1, 2.5 and 5%) can achieve stable partial nitrification.     

Nitrification in hybrid bioreactors treating simulated domestic wastewater

Aim

To provide deeper insights into nitrification process within aerobic bioreactors containing supplemental physical support media (hybrid bioreactors).

Methods and Results

Three bench‐scale hybrid bioreactors with different media size and one control bioreactor were operated to assess how biofilm integrity influences microbial community conditions and bioreactor performance. The systems were operated initially at a 5‐day hydraulic retention time (HRT), and all reactors displayed efficient nitrification and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal (>95%). However, when HRT was reduced to 2·5 days, COD removal rates remained high, but nitrification efficiencies declined in all reactors after 19 days. To explain reduced performance, nitrifying bacterial communities (ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria, AOB; nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria, NOB) were examined in the liquid phase and also on the beads using qPCR, FISH and DGGE. Overall, the presence of the beads in a reactor promoted bacterial abundances and diversity, but as bead size was increased, biofilms with active coupled AOB–NOB activity were less apparent, resulting in incomplete nitrification.

Conclusions

Hybrid bioreactors have potential to sustain effective nitrification at low HRTs, but support media size and configuration type must be optimized to ensure coupled AOB and NOB activity in nitrification.

Significance and Impact of the Study

This study shows that AOB and NOB coupling must be accomplished to minimize nitrification failure.     

Distinctive microbial ecology and biokinetics of autotrophic ammonia and nitrite oxidation in a partial nitrification bioreactor

Biological nitrogen removal (BNR) based on partial nitrification and denitrification via nitrite is a cost-effective alternate to conventional nitrification and denitrification (via nitrate). The goal of this study was to investigate the microbial ecology, biokinetics, and stability of partial nitrification. Stable long-term partial nitrification resulting in 82.1 +/- 17.2% ammonia oxidation, primarily to nitrite (77.3 +/- 19.5% of the ammonia oxidized) was achieved in a lab-scale bioreactor by operation at a pH, dissolved oxygen and solids retention time of 7.5 +/- 0.1, 1.54 +/- 0.87 mg O(2)/L, and 3.0 days, respectively. Bioreactor ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) populations were most closely related to Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrobacter spp., respectively. The AOB population fraction varied in the range 61 +/- 45% and was much higher than the NOB fraction, 0.71 +/- 1.1%. Using direct measures of bacterial concentrations in conjunction with independent activity measures and mass balances, the maximum specific growth rate (micro(max)), specific decay (b) and observed biomass yield coefficients (Y(obs)) for AOB were 1.08 +/- 1.03 day(-1), 0.32 +/- 0.34 day(-1), and 0.15 +/- 0.06 mg biomass COD/mg N oxidized, respectively. Corresponding micro(max), b, and Y(obs) values for NOB were 2.6 +/- 2.05 day(-1), 1.7 +/- 1.9 day(-1), and 0.04 +/- 0.02 mg biomass COD/mg N oxidized, respectively. The results of this study demonstrate that the highly selective partial nitrification operating conditions enriched for a narrow diversity of rapidly growing AOB and NOB populations unlike conventional BNR reactors, which host a broader diversity of nitrifying bacteria. Further, direct measures of microbial abundance enabled not only elucidation of mixed community microbial ecology but also estimation of key engineering parameters describing bioreactor systems supporting these communities.     

Nitrifying bacterial community structures and their nitrification performance under sufficient and limited inorganic carbon conditions

This study examined the hypothesis that different inorganic carbon (IC) conditions enrich different ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) populations by operating two laboratory-scale continuous-flow bioreactors fed with 15 and 100 mg IC/L, respectively. During this study, both bioreactors maintained satisfactory nitrification performance and stably oxidized 250 mg?N/L of influent ammonium without nitrite accumulation. Based on results of cloning/sequencing and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism targeting on the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene, Nitrosomonas nitrosa lineage was identified as the dominant AOB population in the high-IC bioreactor, while Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosomonas nitrosa lineage AOB were dominant in the low-IC bioreactor. Results of real-time polymerase chain reactions for Nitrobacter and Nitrospira 16S rRNA genes indicated that Nitrospira was the predominant NOB population in the high-IC bioreactor, while Nitrobacter was the dominant NOB in the low-IC bioreactor. Furthermore, batch experiment results suggest that N. europaea and Nitrobacter populations are proliferated in the low-IC bioreactor due to their higher rates under low IC conditions despite the fact that these two populations have been identified as weak competitors, compared with N. nitrosa and Nitrospira, under low ammonium/nitrite environments. This study revealed that in addition to ammonium/nitrite concentrations, limited IC conditions may also be important in selecting dominant AOB/NOB communities of nitrifying bioreactors.     

Fabrication of Bacteria Environment Cubes with Dry Lift-Off Fabrication Process for Enhanced Nitrification

We have developed a 3D dry lift-off process to localize multiple types of nitrifying bacteria in polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) cubes for enhanced nitrification, a two-step biological process that converts ammonium to nitrite and then to nitrate. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) is responsible for converting ammonia into nitrite, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) is responsible for converting nitrite to nitrate. Successful nitrification is often challenging to accomplish, in part because AOB and NOB are slow growers and highly susceptible to many organic and inorganic chemicals in wastewater. Most importantly, the transportation of chemicals among scattered bacteria is extremely inefficient and can be problematic. For example, nitrite, produced from ammonia oxidation, is toxic to AOB and can lead to the failure of nitrification. To address these challenges, we closely localize AOB and NOB in PEGDA cubes as microenvironment modules to promote synergetic interactions. The AOB is first localized in the vicinity of the surface of the PEGDA cubes that enable AOB to efficiently uptake ammonia from a liquid medium and convert it into nitrite. The produced nitrite is then efficiently transported to the NOB localized at the center of the PEGDA particle and converted into non-toxic nitrate. Additionally, the nanoscale PEGDA fibrous structures offer a protective environment for these strains, defending them from sudden toxic chemical shocks and immobilize in cubes. This engineered microenvironment cube significantly enhances nitrification and improves the overall ammonia removal rate per single AOB cell. This approach—encapsulation of multiple strains at close range in cube in order to control their interactions—not only offers a new strategy for enhancing nitrification, but also can be adapted to improve the production of fermentation products and biofuel, because microbial processes require synergetic reactions among multiple species.     

Analysis of Microbial Population Dynamics in a Partial Nitrifying SBR at Ambient Temperature

In this study, a lab-scale partial nitrifying sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was developed to investigate partial nitrification at ambient temperature (16–22 °C). Techniques of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), cloning, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were utilized simultaneously to study microbial population dynamics. Partial nitrification was effectively achieved in response to shifts of influent ammonium concentrations. DGGE results showed that higher ammonia concentration referred to lower ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) diversity in the SBR. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that all the predominant AOB was affiliated with Nitrosomonas genus. FISH analysis illustrated AOB was the predominant nitrifying bacteria of microbial compositions when SBR achieved partial nitrification (PN) at ambient temperature.