Using salinity to select for progressive onset denitrifiers

To gain an understanding of the bacteria capable of performing nitrite accumulation from nitrate (denitratation) in such system a study of a nitrite accumulation bioreactor has been undertaken. Our goal was to assess how the salinity parameter affected the nitrogen removal performance of this bioreactor, and which microorganisms were responsible for the nitrite accumulation needed to sustain the denitration process in this bioreactor. The reactor used in this study was a mixed, unsealed, electron donor-limited continuous reactor with acetate and nitrate as substrates operated under diverse salinity regimes.