Advanced Treatment of High-Concentration Ammonia–Nitrogen Wastewater by Pantothenic Acid-Enhanced Photosynthetic Bacteria

To address the slow growth rate of photosynthetic bacteria (PSB), this study introduces pantothenic acid as a biological enhancing factor. The effects of pantothenic acid on PSB proliferation and its effectiveness in treating high-concentration ammonia–nitrogen wastewater were systematically evaluated. Additionally, the effects of different culture conditions, including dark aeration, darkness, light exposure, and light aeration, on PSB growth were investigated. The results show that optimal PSB growth was achieved with 20 mg/L of pantothenic acid; however, higher concentrations of pantothenic acid inhibited bacterial growth. The addition of pantothenic acid also significantly enhanced the performance of PSB in treating high-concentration organic wastewater, increasing the removal rates of COD, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen to 43.0%, 94.0%, 49.7%, and 51.0%, respectively. Furthermore, a synergistic effect between dark aeration and light exposure was observed. When the time of light and dark aeration was set at 1:1, the highest PSB yield was recorded, and the removal efficiencies of COD, ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus increased to 71.4%, 95.3%, 57.1%, and 74.7%, respectively. Through the introduction of pantothenic acid and optimization of culture mode, the rapid growth of PSB and highly efficient treatment of organic wastewater were achieved, providing a new approach for advanced wastewater treatment and resource utilization.