The effects of increasing COD/N on nitrogen removal performance and microbial structure were investigated in a SBR adopting a completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite process with a continuous aeration mode (DO at approximately 0.15-0.2 mg/L). As the COD/N increased from 0.1 to W0.59, the nitrogen removal efficiency QMRE) increased from 88.7% to 95.5%;while at COD/N ratios of 0.59-0.82, the NRE remained at 90.7%-95.5%. As the COD/N increased from 0.82 to 1.07, the NRE decreased continuously until reaching 60.1%. Nitrosomonas sp.(AOB) and Candidatus Jet tenia (anammox bacteria) were the main functional genera in the SBR. As the COD/N increased from 0.10 to 1.07, the relative abundance of Nitrosomonas decreased from 13.4% to 2.0%, while that of Candidatus Jettenia decreased from 35% to 9.9% with COD/N < 0.82 then increased to 45.4% at a COD/N of 1.07. Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria outcompeted AOB at high COD loadings (650 mg/L) because of oxygen competition, which ultimately led to deteriorated nitrogen removal pertormance.
