The nitrite bottleneck revisited: exploring the potential of phage-mediated microbial regulation for advancing novel nitrogen removal strategies
摘要
The “Nitrite Bottleneck” in nitrite-based nitrogen removal processes undermines the efficiency of partial nitrification-anammox (PN/A). This perspective proposes leveraging bacteriophages for precise microbial community engineering in nitrogen removal: selectively lysing nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) via targeted lysis, enhancing ammonia-oxidizing and anammox bacteria through auxiliary metabolic genes, and facilitating nutrient redistribution via the viral shunt. We explore the feasibility, technical challenges, and potential biosafety risks, offering a roadmap for phage-based advancements in wastewater treatment systems.