{
  "abstract": "Due to toxicity inhibition and high external carbon costs, anaerobic/anoxic/oxic technologies for coking wastewater require efficient, low-carbon alternatives. Here we develop a strategy to effectively enhance the autotrophic nitrogen removal process in coking wastewater through a phased addition of diatomite porous material and an inorganic electron donor. Under long-term operation, diatomite increased biomass by 86% and induced micro-granular sludge with an average size of 196 μm. Nitrogen removal pathway analysis showed a shift from heterotrophic to autotrophic mode. Ultimately, SCN−- and FeS2-driven autotrophic denitrification contributed 25.6% and 27.9%, respectively. Enrichment of autotrophic sulfur-oxidizing nitrate-reducing bacteria, such as Sulfuritalea and Sulfurisoma, provided strong evidence. Additional pyrite supplementation ultimately increased total nitrogen removal from 77.7% to over 94.0% without external carbon. This study enhanced the in-situ autotrophic process of conventional systems for coking wastewater, offering a cost-effective pathway for energy-saving and carbon-reduction goals.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "State Key Laboratory of Water Pollution Control and Green Resource Recycling, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China",
    "Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Tongji University, Shanghai, China",
    "College of Environment & Safety Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Zhiqi Ren"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jiaying Ma"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Pei Ding"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Huaqiang Chu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-5217-7356"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Xuefei Zhou"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2
      ],
      "name": "Yalei Zhang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bgq6eytp58bnb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s44172-026-00718-0",
  "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13710744/",
  "id": "bgq6eytp58bnb",
  "issns": [
    "2731-3395"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-026-00718-0",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "heading",
      "Article"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2310|Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7167336638",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s44172-026-00718-0_reference.pdf",
  "pmcid": "PMC13710744",
  "pmid": "42401706",
  "published": "2026-07-04",
  "publisher": "Nature Publishing Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bgq6eytp58bnb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T12:21:39Z",
      "native_id": "PMC13710744",
      "source": "pmc",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1038/s44172-026-00718-0"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "earth",
      "origin": "openalex:2310|Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal",
      "subfield": "environmental-science"
    }
  ],
  "title": "In-situ enhancement of autotrophic nitrogen removal in coking wastewater using staged diatomite and pyrite strategy",
  "title_text": "In-situ enhancement of autotrophic nitrogen removal in coking wastewater using staged diatomite and pyrite strategy",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T12:21:39Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/bgq6eytp58bnb",
  "venue": "Communications Engineering",
  "versions": []
}