About the Project.

The discovery of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) revealed the existence of a shortcut in the classic nitrogen cycle where ammonium is converted directly to dinitrogen gas, and removed from the system.

The UNNOWN project aims to investigate new nitrogen cycle processes interactions focusing in the enhancement of the anammox bacteria and process. It is proposed to explore the presence of these bacteria in different natural ecological niches. Later, anammox biomass will be enriched, and microbial community composition, optimum growth conditions, and nitrogen removal efficiency will be studied. Also, it is expected to investigate new anammox bacteria and the relation between community structure and process activity. Metagenomic analysis will be use to explore the genetic and physiological diversity of the microbial communities and enriched cultures. In the end, it is planned to develop microbial inocula to be used as seeding sources for anammox reactors, and therefore, contribute to a wider application of the anammox process in wastewater treatment.