Dissolved organic matter on nitrous oxide generation during A2O

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a major component of direct carbon emissions from municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Dissolved organic matter (DOM) as a substrate for microbial metabolism, directly participates in the generation process of N2O. However, the response relationship between them during the biological wastewater treatment process has not been demonstrated. This study analyzed the components of DOM during the anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (A2O) biological wastewater treatment process, and calculated the N2O generated from each unit. Microbial community characteristics underlying the effects of DOM on N2O generation were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing.