Conventional soil treatment areas are designed to have an aerobic environment for the removal of organic material (BOD) and pathogens. This aerobic environment is also very conducive to nitrification — the biological oxidation of NH4+ to NO3-. The nitrate formed by nitrification is, in the nitrogen cycle, used by plants as a nitrogen source (synthesis) or reduced to N2 gas through the process of denitrification.There are two key things needed for denitrification: food (usually carbon) and anoxic conditions. A large variety of heterotrophic bacteria can use nitrate in lieu of oxygen for the degradation of organic matter under anoxic conditions. If O2 is present,
