Visible light photocatalytic degradation is a promising advanced oxidation process for the removal of antibiotics in wastewater. However, this technology currently has problems that are not suitable for large-scale applications, mainly due to the high cost of development and preparation of efficient photocatalysts. Therefore, the preparation of low-cost, high-efficiency and environmentally friendly semiconductor photocatalysts is still a hot research topic. In this study, rare earth metal Ce-doped porous Bi2O3-based biomorphic photocatalysts were prepared by a combination of solvothermal method and template method using natural rapeseed pollen as a green template. Ce/Bi2O3 synthesized by the optimal process shows a pollen-shaped porous structure with high dispersion and integrity, high purity and large specific surface area. Ce in the catalysts with different doping amounts coexists in two mixed valence states of Ce4+ and Ce3+, and Ce doping increases the percentage of oxygen vacancies. The higher specific surface area of the catalyst also provides more active sites and reaction surface area. When the doping amount of Ce is 5 mol%, the efficiency of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) degradation under visible light can reach more than 96% after 180 min. The rate constant is 6.37 times higher than that of commercially available Bi2O3 (CHB). Through the analysis of intermediate products, the possible degradation path of TCH is obtained, and the phenomenon of intermediate accumulation in the initial stage was explored. The prepared photocatalysts have excellent stability and high reusability, and have a large advantage in comprehensive economy. Therefore, this study provides a reference for the preparation of low-cost rare earth metal doped photocatalysts with special morphology for the degradation of antibiotic wastewater.

Urban stormwater runoff is a critical pathway for microplastics pollution, yet its detailed transport dynamics remain poorly characterized. This study employed intra-event time-series sampling (at intervals of 0, 5, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 240 min after runoff initiation) during a heavy rainfall event in Shanghai (China) to investigate microplastics concentrations and characteristics across three urban functional areas. Our results revealed that microplastic pollution levels were strongly land-use-dependent: the dining area was a severe hotspot, with a time-weighted average concentration of 689.7 ± 214.1 items/L, which was significantly higher than the residential area (215.6 ± 38.9 items/L) and the parking area (172.8 ± 18.8 items/L), and all concentrations far exceeded local aquatic background values. A pronounced first flush effect was observed, particularly in the dining area, where the peak concentration was reached within just 5 min. The runoff was dominated by small-sized (<1.0 mm) and fibrous microplastics composed of PET and PP. These small fibers were preferentially exported in the early phase of runoff (within the first 30 min), whereas granules and larger-sized microplastics accumulated in the later phase. By elucidating the land-use-dependent transport dynamics and fate of microplastics, this study provides a scientific basis for targeted source control, including prioritizing initial flush interception, and stormwater management in global megacities.

Global climate change has complex effects on phytoplankton communities and growth by altering hydrological rhythms (e.g., droughts and floods). Predicting and managing aquatic ecosystem health requires in-depth research on the response mechanism of phytoplankton functional groups (FGs) to hydrological dynamic changes. Here, we deployed the structural equation model and preliminarily elucidated the comprehensive driving mechanisms involving water level (WL)-physicochemical parameters-FGs in different hydrological years, which categorized by WL fluctuations from 2004 to 2022 in Dongting Lake, China. The results revealed the groups S1 (cyanobacteria) and Lo (dinoflagellates) were predominant in dry years, while the groups P (diatoms) and MP (cyanobacteria, diatoms) were dominant in normal and wet years. WL and water temperature were the primary driving factors of FGs by altering physicochemical parameters in dry and wet years, while ammonia nitrogen, secchi depth become more essential in normal years. Notably, the effects of nutrients and light on FGs in different hydrological years were influenced by the coupling effects of WL fluctuations (e.g., discharge and duration) and human activities (e.g., pollution discharge and sand mining). Moreover, the low connectivity during droughts and environmental homogeneity during floods intensified the homogenization of lake habitats, leading to regional homogenization in FGs. Overall, we emphasize the direct or indirect effects of WL fluctuations on FGs dynamics and providing insights for formulating effective conservation strategies to control cyanobacterial blooms in river-connected lakes.

In this study, 15 sampling sites were set up in Dongting Lake, a typical river-connected lake in China, to investigate water quality and diatioms in March, June, September and December from year 2017 to 2022. Seven diatom indices, including relative abundance of diatoms (RAD), percentage motile diatoms (PMD), generic diatom index (GDI), diatom quotient (DU), pollution tolerance index for diatoms (PTI), trophic diatom index (TDI), and Pampean diatom index (IDP), were selected to screen the adaptability of water quality assessment comparing with the Nemero index (NI), which is simple to calculate and has always been the main method for water quality assessment in Dongting Lake. The results from 2017 to 2019 showed that the diatom density in Dongting Lake ranged from 0.7 × 104 to 85.5 × 104 ind./L, with a certain decreasing trend. The spatial and temporal changes of some water quality factors were obvious, just like the temperature of water (WT), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+–N), dissolved oxygen (DO) and the comprehensive trophic level index (∑TLI) ranged from 45.99 to 50.72, with an average value of 47.85, indicating that the overall condition of Dongting Lake was medium nutrition. Correlation analysis showed that PTI, RAD and PMD could represent the information of DU, GDI, TDI and IDP, and were significantly positively correlated with DO (p < 0.01), while significantly negatively correlated with electrical conductivity (Cond), potassium permanganate (CODMn), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), chemical oxygen demand (CODCr) and ∑TLI (p < 0.001). The index verification results from year 2020 to 2022 showed that PTI, RAD and PMD were all significantly positively correlated with NI (p < 0.001). Taking into account the data integrity of the index calculation and the difficulty degree, RAD was finally selected as the biological indicator for evaluating the water quality of Dongting Lake. The results of this study provide a new path or alternative method for water quality assessment of the river-connected lakes.

Today, the limestone karst cave systems in southern China are extensive and well developed. Due to the slow uplift of the crust since the Neogene and extensive river downcutting that made these caves accessible, the sediments in these karst caves preserve a plethora of Quaternary vertebrate fossils (including hominins) and occasionally stone artifacts. These remains provide important clues for studying the paleontology, archaeology and paleoenvironment in the region. However, in these caves it is difficult to understand how these fossils were deposited. In fact, it is often extremely difficult to determine the provenance and transport history of homogeneous clastic sediments, which may carry these fossils and artifacts into these caves, because they often do not have distinct sedimentological features. Here we present a provenance analysis of the Pleistocene clastic sediments from Chuifeng, Mohui, Ganxian and Luna Caves, four caves that may be considered representative of the basin, and compared with the sediment samples from the local fluvial terraces and the surface of limestone hills in Bubing Basin, Guangxi, southern China, utilizing their major and trace element composition as a provenance marker. The major, trace element ratios, and rare earth element distribution data all indicate that the clastic sediments of these four cave sites are directly derived from the weathered residual sediments found on the limestone hills where these caves are located. In all cases, the cave deposits are clearly different from the clastic sediments from the four local fluvial terraces in the basin. Our results provide a new set of data that complement and further expands the common view that these clastic sediments and encased mammal fossils are transported into these cave sites by fluvial action. The clastic sediments on these limestone hills are primarily transported into the caves through cave entrances and/or pipeline or fractures in the hills by sheet flow. As such, it is likely that biological agents (e.g., porcupine and/or carnivore/hominin transport) and not fluvial activity may have played an even greater role in the accumulation of vertebrate fossils in cave sites than traditionally thought. This study should have broader implications in investigations into the relationship between clastic sediments and fossils in cave sites across time and space.

Rivers are not only a vital part of the Earth’s water cycle but also sources and sinks for greenhouse gases (GHGs), exerting a significant influence on the global carbon budget. Rapid urbanization and intense human activities lead to water pollution and river habitat degradation, thereby affecting riverine greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions indirectly. Artificial management and restoration measures taken for rivers further increase the uncertainty of GHG emissions from rivers. In the context of carbon neutrality goals, research on GHG emissions from rivers has gradually become a hot topic. However, there is a scarcity of collective and comparative studies on the spatiotemporal patterns and mechanisms of riverine GHG emissions, especially a lack of summaries exploring the impacts of pollution and restoration on GHG emissions from rivers. This work systematically reviews recent studies concerning the emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O from rivers, with a particular focus on the characteristics and driving factors. Results have shown that riverine GHG emissions exhibit significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Besides hydrological factors such as wind speed, flow velocity, rainfall, and water level, large amounts of pollutants entering rivers strongly affect the production and emission of GHGs, since nutrients, organic matter, heavy metals, microplastics, and antibiotics can alter the biogeochemical processes in river ecosystems. Remediation measures can reduce water pollution levels, but some measures may further increase the emission of GHGs from rivers. This work emphasizes the need for conducting in-depth research on the synergies between treating river pollution and reducing riverine GHG emissions. It also proposes to reinforce the monitoring of GHGs and construct emission databases of rivers for sustainable watershed management.

The performance and mechanisms for pollutant removal were investigated in an extended pilot-scale operation. Results demonstrated that the PF-EFB system maintained stable and efficient performance after over 450 days of continuous operation. Under various operating conditions, the total nitrogen (TN) concentration was reduced to <2 mg/L, and the removal rate exceeded 90 %. The effluent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentration remained below 40 mg/L. Additionally, a combination of nitrogen transformation and molecular biology analyses was conducted to explore the mechanisms. The key bacterial groups driving system performance were aerobic and anoxic nitrifying bacteria, which dominated the microbial population. Microbial community analysis showed that the abundance of aerobic denitrifying bacteria in the middle of the system was 40.5 %, while the abundance of anoxic denitrifying bacteria at the end was 19.0 %. This spatial variation in the distribution of aerobic and anoxic denitrifying bacteria along the flow direction inside the reactor, driven by environmental factors, is key to the system's efficient denitrification. Overall, the PF-EFB system effectively addressed challenges posed by water flow fluctuations and enhanced nitrogen removal efficiency. This innovative system offers significant benefits and serves as a valuable reference for rural sewage treatment.

The emergence of emerging contaminants, especially antibiotics, poses a great challenge to the traditional treatment processes in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) due to their non-biodegradable and toxic properties. In this study, the potential of UF-based processes for concurrently removing trace-amount (ng/L-mu g/L) ofloxacin (OFC) and sulfamethazine (SMT) from the real effluent of WWTPs was assessed. The operational conditions of single UF were firstly optimized including molecular weight cut-off (50 kDa) and filtration pressure (25 kPa) with the maximum OFC and SMT retention of 60.65 +/- 1.61 % and 50.21 +/- 2.11 %, respectively. The impacts of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and NO3- on UF for the concurrent abatement of antibiotics were explored. It was noteworthy that DOM (below 25 mg/L) could enhance OFC abatement by UF, whereas NO3- was adverse for the concurrent abatement of OFC and SMT. The optimal combining sequence of UF and O-3 processes for concurrently removing OFC and SMT from the effluent of WWTPs was also investigated. Compared with O-3-UF, UF-O-3 demonstrated a higher efficiency for concurrent elimination of OFC and SMT. The tech-economic feasibility analysis indicated that UF-O-3 could provide one promising option for simultaneously removing OFC and SMT from the WWTPs effluent due to its relatively low potential ecological risks based on UV254 removal, acute toxicity and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy (3D-EEM) and excellent cost-effectiveness (the operating cost is about 0.35 CNY/m(3)).

Phytoplankton is the most important component of water ecosystems, which could indicate the state of the water environment owing to its sensitivity to water environment variation. However, its response to the environment is influenced by classification methods. To understand the phytoplankton population(phyla and genera) and functional groups(FG) for driving response characteristics and applicability to the environment in Dongting Lake, a total of four samples were collected from the lake from March to December 2019, and the distribution characteristics of the phytoplankton population and functional groups and their responses to environmental factors were compared and analyzed. Meanwhile, the applicability of the TLI index, Shannon-Wiener index, and Q index was compared in Dongting Lake. The results showed that a total of 61 genera belonging to six phyla of phytoplankton were detected in Dongting Lake, which could be divided into 23 functional groups and nine dominant functional groups. The succession trend of functional groups was P/MP/D(March)→MP/P/J(June)→MP/H1(September)→Y/P/MP(December). The results of hierarchical segmentation showed that the population distribution and change in phytoplankton were driven by environmental factors more than the area in Dongting Lake. The main environmental factors affecting phytoplankton population and functional groups were water temperature(WT), permanganate index, dissolved oxygen(DO), conductivity(Cond), water level(WL), and total phosphorus(TP). RDA analysis showed that phytoplankton functional groups identified phytoplankton response to environmental factors better than phytoplankton population. It was shown that using the Q index to evaluate water quality had better applicability in Dongting Lake.

Since July 2022, the Yangtze River basin has experienced the most severe hydro-meteorological drought since record collection started in 1961, which has greatly affected the ecological environment of the Dongting Lake (DTL) basin. To investigate the effects of drought events on the eutrophication and phytoplankton community structure of DTL, the lake was sampled twice in August and September 2022 based on the water level fluctuations resulting in 47 samples. Furthermore, we combined the comprehensive trophic level index (TLI) and phytoplankton Shannon–Wiener diversity index (H) to characterize and evaluate the eutrophication status. The key influencing factors of the phytoplankton community were identified using redundancy analysis (RDA), hierarchical partitioning, and the Jaccard similarity index (J). Our results showed that the TLI of DTL changed from light–moderate eutrophication status (August) to mesotrophic status (September), whereas the H changed from light or no pollution to medium pollution. The phytoplankton abundance in August (122.06 × 104 cells/L) was less than that in September (351.18 × 104 cells/L) in DTL. A trend in phytoplankton community succession from Bacillariophyta to Chlorophyta and Cyanophyta was shown. The combination of physiochemical and ecological assessment more accurately characterized the true eutrophic status of the aquatic ecosystem. The RDA showed that the key influencing factors in the phytoplankton community were water temperature (WT), pH, nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients, and the permanganate index (CODMn) in August, while dissolved oxygen (DO) and redox potential (ORP) were the key factors in September. Hierarchical partitioning further indicated that temporal and spatial variations had a greater impact on the phytoplankton community. And the J of each region was slightly similar and very dissimilar, from August to September, which indicated a decreased hydrological connectivity of DTL during drought. These analyses indicated that the risk to the water ecology of DTL intensified during the summer–autumn drought in 2022. Safeguarding hydrological connectivity in the DTL region is a prerequisite for promoting energy flow, material cycle, and water ecosystem health.

针对城市河道治理后反复出现水华现象的问题,以上海市青浦区小涞港河段为研究区域,基于层次分析法和熵权法的组合赋权法,参考相关研究并结合实地调查,优化选取水质、底泥、护岸等相关指标建立评价指标体系,进行河道生态修复效果评价.结果表明:较高的硝酸盐浓度[NO3--N浓度为(3.055±2.863)mg/L,其与叶绿素a浓度显著相关,r=0.36,P<0.05]是闸控型平原河网水系河流重要的水华潜在风险因素,建议结合现有闸泵工程活水畅流技术,进一步优化曝气方式,创造合适的缺氧微环境以及通过硫、铁元素耦合强化总氮去除;河道底泥以营养盐污染[内源氮浓度为(2171.99±1664.40)mg/kg]为主,现有沉水植物种类较为单一,易产生丝状藻华孳生现象,建议增加沉水植物的种类并进行合理配置,降低底泥营养盐污染,增强以沉水植物为核心的水生生态系统稳定性;采用的浆砌混凝土硬质护岸对雨水径流污染的净化拦截能力严重不足,建议适当拓宽河道,对护岸进行生态化改造,选择合理的填料基质和植被配置,以强化护岸对面源污染的截留功能.

Selective separation and recovery of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and other valuable resources promotes a sus-tainable wastewater treatment system, but its cost-effective separation approaches are poorly understood. This study investigated the feasibility of applying a forward osmosis (FO) dewatering process for the selective sep-aration of VFA, ammonium and phosphate from anaerobic acidogenic fermentation. Limited VFA rejection of fermentation broth, i.e., less than 20 %, was observed under acidic conditions, while the rejection rate was significantly increased to-90 % at neutral pH. The transfer of ammonium across the membranes was remarkably impacted by the feed solution pH. Lower pH (-4) values resulted in higher rejection rates of ammonium (-96 %), and the rate gradually declined as pH increased. The rejection of phosphate, which remained higher than 98 %, was less sensitive to pH variations. The increase in water flux promoted the rejection of VFA, ammonium and phosphate, and the membrane orientation significantly impacted the transfer of nutri-ents in the FO process. The active layer facing the feed solution (AL-FS) mode exhibited higher rejection rates of VFA, ammonium and phosphate than the active layer facing the draw solution (AL-DS) mode, which was ascribed to the internal concentration polarization effect. Furthermore, approximately 80 % of water could be effectively reduced from a real acidogenic fermentation liquor during the FO process; ammonium and phosphate were 3.72 -fold and 4.10-fold concentrated in feed solution, respectively, and VFA was selectively separated in draw so-lution. The work confirmed the feasibility of utilizing FO processes in separating and enriching VFA, ammonium and phosphate from anaerobic fermentation liquors, providing meaningful information on promoting FO-based processes in treating wastewater.

Identifying the drivers that impact phytoplankton biomass and dynamics of functional groups (FGs) is crucial to the management of lake aquatic systems. To explore the interactive effects of hydrological characteristics, physicochemical parameters and phytoplankton FGs in the largest river-connected lake, a case study was carried out at Dongting Lake, China. We analyzed the changes in the hydrological characteristics of the lake as well as in the phytoplankton biomass throughout the year to explore the driving factors that influence phytoplankton FGs. Four periods were defined in our study based on water level (WL) fluctuations including the rising periods (RⅠ and RⅡ) and the falling periods (FⅠ and FⅡ). The phytoplankton biomass in Dongting Lake was the highest in RⅡ, followed by RⅠ, FⅠ, and FⅡ. And the trend of FGs dominance through the four periods were P/MP/D (RⅠ) → P/MP/J (RⅡ) → MP (FⅠ) → MP/P/Y (FⅡ). Changes in phytoplankton biomass and FGs were the result of a combination of hydrological characteristics and physicochemical parameters. Throughout the water period, the hydrological characteristics did not directly influence phytoplankton, instead exerting a more indirect effect on phytoplankton biomass and FGs by affecting the water’s physicochemical parameters, e.g., permanganate index (CODMn), nitrogen nutrients, dissolved oxygen (DO), water temperature (WT), and conductivity (Cond). CODMn might be a significant predictor of phytoplankton biomass and FGs in all water periods, explaining 36.6% of the variability, followed by Cond, WT, ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), and DO explaining 17.6%, 12.3%, 11.3%, and 7.2%, respectively. However, according to each water phase analysis, the WL was the key factor for phytoplankton growth in RⅡ. Nitrogen nutrients, WT and Cond had more pronounced effects on phytoplankton in RⅠ, FⅠ and FⅡ, respectively., Based on the findings of our study, we suggest that increased control of organic matter input into the lake and nitrogen fertilizer use at nearby agricultural surface sources are effective actions that are needed to prevent and control algal blooms in Dongting Lake.

为探究高效治理丝状绿藻水华的方法,研究了纳米Cu@C复合材料对丝状绿藻水绵(Spirogyra sp.)生长的抑制效果与作用机制以及对水环境的影响.结果显示,随着纳米Cu@C质量浓度从0增至40 mg·L-1,水绵的生物量和叶绿素a含量逐渐下降,呈明显的剂量-效应关系,生长抑制率最大可达60％;纳米Cu@C质量浓度增至50、60 mg·L-1,水绵的生长抑制率反而有所下降.纳米Cu@C对水绵细胞的可溶性蛋白含量、过氧化氢酶活性、过氧化物酶活性均呈低浓度促进,高浓度抑制,而对超氧化物歧化酶活性只产生不同程度的促进.各浓度纳米Cu@C暴露组水绵细胞的相对电导率和丙二醛含量均显著高于空白对照组(p＜0.05).水绵胞内物质外流可能会造成水绵生长水体的总氮、总磷、高锰酸盐指数出现一定上升.纳米Cu@C的Cu2+溶出浓度远低于饮用水安全标准,急性生物毒性较弱.综合来看,纳米Cu@C复合材料具有控制水绵孳生的应用潜力.

A novel tubular bioreactor-enhanced floating treatment wetland (TB-EFTW) was developed for the in situ treatment of high nitrate river water. When compared with the enhanced floating treatment wetland (EFTW), the TB-EFTW system achieved 30% higher total nitrogen removal efficiency. Further, the average TN level of the TB-EFTW effluent was below the Grade IV requirement (1.5 mg/L) specified in Chinese standard (GB3838-2002). Microbial analysis revealed that both aerobic and anoxic denitrifying bacteria coexisted in the new system. The relative abundance of aerobic and anoxic denitrifiers were 42.69% and 22% at the middle and end of the tubular bioreactor (TB), respectively. It is reasonable to assume that effective nitrogen removal can mainly be attributed to the addition of solid carbon source and the spatial difference in DO distribution (oxic-anoxic areas in sequence) inside the TB. The initial investment cost and operating costs associated with the TB-EFTW system are approximately 14,000 and 3500 yuan per 1000 m(3) river water, respectively. Considering its low cost, minimal maintenance requirements, and effective nitrogen removal, this newly developed system can be regarded as a promising technology for treating high nitrate river water. Practitioner Points A novel TB-EFTW system was developed to upgrade traditional in situ treatment techniques. The TB-EFTW could achieve 30% higher nitrogen removal efficiency than EFTWs. Both aerobic and anoxic denitrifying bacteria coexisted in the system. The system shows better technical and economic performance compared with routine techniques.

为揭示鲁迅公园湖泊水体浮游植物的群落结构特征和水体健康状态,于2019年1—10月对鲁迅公园湖泊水体进行了生态学调查,分析了浮游植物的群落组成、密度、生物量、多样性、均匀度及优势种.共鉴定出浮游植物8门83属,其中蓝藻门、绿藻门和硅藻门物种数量最多,全年平均细胞密度为14.17×106 ind/L,全年平均生物量为3.57 mg/L,平均细胞密度和生物量都随着季度变化而增加;优势门类为蓝藻门、绿藻门和硅藻门,主要代表属有伪鱼腥藻、平裂藻、栅藻、小环藻.采用冗余分析对鲁迅公园湖泊水体中的环境因子与浮游植物之间的关系进行了进一步解析,结果表明,pH值、硝态氮、亚硝氮和高锰酸盐指数是影响浮游植物群落结构的关键影响因子.

To meet the increasingly stringent discharge standards of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Taihu Lake Basin, the Chinese government successively established the National Special Water Project Program to develop new technologies to retrofit and upgrade existing wastewater treatment processes during the 11th, 12th, and 13th Five-Year Plans. However, there is a lack of systematic sorting of the existing research outcomes, and thus hinders the application and promotion of the upgrade technologies. Based on the outcomes of the National Special Water Project and a field survey, this research analyzed the current status of wastewater treatment in the Taihu Lake Basin and systematically integrated the retrofitting measures of WWTPs in terms of achieving the Grade IA of the national standard and local stricter discharge standards (DB 32/1072-2018 and DB 33/2169-2018). In particular, the boundary conditions, design parameters, specific recommendations of the technologies, and some typical engineering cases were provided accordingly. Finally, this study discussed the future development directions of WWTPs during the upgrade process from the perspective of carbon neutrality and digitalization. The present work will hopefully assist in retrofitting and constructing WWTPs to achieve the stricter effluent discharge criteria and help optimize the design and construction of WWTPs in the best way.

Change of water environment is strongly associated with mosquito breeding. Because of long-term effectiveness, low cost and high environmental compatibility, ecological pollution control systems have been widely used in water pollution control projects. However, the potential effects of mosquito breeding are likely to cause expansion of mosquito populations and an increase in the risk of transmission of vector-borne diseases, which may become an urgent problem to be solved during the water environment "post-remediation" period. This review summarizes the physical, chemical and biological factors affecting mosquito breeding caused by water environment changes and analyzes the effects of water pollution control approaches on mosquito breeding and the underlying mechanisms, so as to promote the interdisciplinary connections between water pollution control and vector control, and avoid secondary disasters caused by ecological environment restoration, such as mosquito infestation. This review may provide insights into the use of technology combinations and water pollution control approaches in vector control.

The nitrate reduction contributions of denitrification, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) remain largely unknown especially in the context of river remediation. In this research, the quantitative differentiation of these three nitrate-reduction processes with different remediation conditions was done by the joint use of microbial analysis and nitrogen isotope-tracing. The experiments were done in simulated river systems with 100-day operations. The results of isotope-tracing showed that the respective N-removal contribution of denitrification was 85.88%-92.46% and 83.49%-84.73% in urban river with aeration and addition of Ca(NO3)2, whereas anammox became the same important (contribution of 49.35%-57.85%) with denitrification for nitrogen removal at a high C/N (Chemical oxygen demand/total nitrogen) ratio of 20. Besides, DNRA only occurred at a C/N ratio of 10 with high-level ammonium accumulation (11.20 ± 0.61 mg/L). Microbial analyses indicated that Ca(NO3)2 injection could promote not only the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (from 47.66% to 59.52%) but also the abundance of hzsB (from (4.66 ± 0.40) × 104 copies·g-1 to (2.66 ± 0.12) × 105 copies·g-1). Moreover, Ca(NO3)2 injection showed significantly positive correlation with Candidatus Jettenia of hzsB and Thiobacillus of all the denitrification functional genes including narG, norB, nosZ and nirS. The C/N ratio showed significantly positive correlation with Azoarcus of nirS (r = 0.941, p < 0.01) and Alloactinosynnema of hzsB (r = 0.941, p < 0.01). It was worth noting that Thiobacillus dominated in N-transformation processes, which underlined the need for the coupling of N transformation with other elements such as sulfur for better understanding and manipulating N cycling in urban rivers.