Effect of dissolved oxygen on simultaneous removal of ammonia, nitrate and phosphorus via biological aerated filter with sulfur and pyrite as composite fillers.

• NH 4 +-N, NO 3 –-N and PO 4 3−-P were simultaneously removed in a single reactor. • Fe2+ increased the autotrophic denitrification rate by 1.2-fold. • PAD and SAD aligned with Zero-order and First-order kinetics models, respectively. • Protein-like substances and nitrogen removal performance were positively correlated. • Nitrifying and autotrophic denitrifying bacteria were simultaneously enriched. A biological aerated filter (BAF) with sulfur and pyrite as fillers were structured to simultaneously remove NH 4 +-N, NO 3 –-N and PO 4 3−-P from secondary effluent. When dissolved oxygen (DO) was 1.2–1.5 mg/L, effluent concentration of NH 4 +-N, NO 3 –-N and PO 4 3−-P were below 0.65, 0.47 and 0.18 mg/L, respectively. Meanwhile, Fe2+ production via decomposing pyrite could improve autotrophic denitrification performance. Besides, sulfur and pyrite autotrophic denitrification process (PAD and SAD) aligned with the Zero-order and First-order kinetics models, respectively, indicating that the sulfur had excellent capability of providing electron. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between the nitrogen removal performance and protein-like substances in extracellular polymeric substances. Bacterial community analysis suggested the nitrifiers and autotrophic denitrifiers were simultaneously enriched. Principal component analysis indicated that the DO concentration and type of electron donors impacted bacterial community. Consequently, BAF combined with PAD and SAD processes provides an alternative method to remove nutrients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]