Microbial diversity study of field denitrification reactors with different substrates as carbon source

In this study, we compare the fate of carbon and nitrogen as well as the microbial community of wood pellet (pressed sawdust), wheat straw and wood chips based laboratory denitrification reactors. Our study reveals that the diversity and composition of the community is strongly dependent on the carbon source. The diversity decreased in the order wood chips, wheat straw, wood pellets. The three reactor types were characterized by different nitrate reduction kinetics and were affected differently by high nitrate loading rates.