A denitrifying strain ZY04 with a high nitrite-accumulating rate was isolated and purified from activated sludge in a laboratory-scale A2/O reactor. The strain was characterized and identified as Acinetobacter johnsonii by 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis. The sequences of the key functional genes (napA, nirB, nirD) involved in partial denitrification were amplified via polymerase chain reaction, which provided a basis for exploring gene expression. The effects of different environmental factors (C/N ratio, pH and temperature) on the partial denitrification performance and transcriptional levels of the functional genes during the logarithmic growth phase were investigated by batch experiments. The results showed that the partial denitrification performance was optimal when the C/N ratio was 5, the pH value was 6–8 and the temperature was 25°C. The gene expression during the logarithmic growth phase indicated the good performance of partial denitrification under different environmental conditions. All three functional genes exhibited the highest expression levels at 25°C. The results of inhibitory kinetics analysis revealed that three biokinetic models (Aiba, Edwards and Andrews) simulated the growth pattern of strain ZY04 inhibited by a single substrate (nitrate or sodium acetate) well. In the double-substrate inhibitory model, five models of nine combinations successfully fitted the growth characteristics of the strain affected by the double substrate of nitrate and sodium acetate. The relevant semi-saturation parameters and substrate inhibition parameters were obtained, and the correlation coefficient (R2) reached 98%.
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