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Guo Y, Askari N, Smets I, Appels L. A review on co-metabolic degradation of organic micropollutants during anaerobic digestion: Linkages between functional groups and digestion stages. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 256:121598. [PMID: 38663209 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2023] [Revised: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
The emerging presence of organic micropollutants (OMPs) in water bodies produced by human activities is a source of growing concern due to their environmental and health issues. Biodegradation is a widely employed treatment method for OMPs in wastewater owing to its high efficiency and low operational cost. Compared to aerobic degradation, anaerobic degradation has numerous advantages, including energy efficiency and superior performance for certain recalcitrant compounds. Nonetheless, the low influent concentrations of OMPs in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and their toxicity make it difficult to support the growth of microorganisms. Therefore, co-metabolism is a promising mechanism for OMP biodegradation in which co-substrates are added as carbon and energy sources and stimulate increased metabolic activity. Functional microorganisms and enzymes exhibit significant variations at each stage of anaerobic digestion affecting the environment for the degradation of OMPs with different structural properties, as these factors substantially influence OMPs' biodegradability and transformation pathways. However, there is a paucity of literature reviews that explicate the correlations between OMPs' chemical structure and specific metabolic conditions. This study provides a comprehensive review of the co-metabolic processes which are favored by each stage of anaerobic digestion and attempts to link various functional groups to their favorable degradation pathways. Furthermore, potential co-metabolic processes and strategies that can enhance co-digestion are also identified, providing directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yutong Guo
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemical and Biochemical Reactor Engineering and Safety (CREaS) Campus De Nayer, Jan Pieter De Nayerlaan 5, Sint-Katelijne-Waver 2860, Belgium
| | - Najmeh Askari
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemical and Biochemical Reactor Engineering and Safety (CREaS) Campus De Nayer, Jan Pieter De Nayerlaan 5, Sint-Katelijne-Waver 2860, Belgium
| | - Ilse Smets
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemical and Biochemical Reactor Engineering and Safety (CREaS), Celestijnenlaan 200F box 2424, Heverlee 3001, Belgium
| | - Lise Appels
- KU Leuven, Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemical and Biochemical Reactor Engineering and Safety (CREaS) Campus De Nayer, Jan Pieter De Nayerlaan 5, Sint-Katelijne-Waver 2860, Belgium.
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Díaz-Cubilla M, Letón P, Luna-Vázquez C, Marrón-Romera M, Boltes K. Effect of Carbamazepine, Ibuprofen, Triclosan and Sulfamethoxazole on Anaerobic Bioreactor Performance: Combining Cell Damage, Ecotoxicity and Chemical Information. TOXICS 2022; 10:toxics10010042. [PMID: 35051084 PMCID: PMC8779021 DOI: 10.3390/toxics10010042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are partially degraded in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), thereby leading to the formation of more toxic metabolites. Bacterial populations in bioreactors operated in WWTPs are sensitive to different toxics such as heavy metals and aromatic compounds, but there is still little information on the effect that pharmaceuticals exert on their metabolism, especially under anaerobic conditions. This work evaluated the effect of selected pharmaceuticals that remain in solution and attached to biosolids on the metabolism of anaerobic biomass. Batch reactors operated in parallel under the pressure of four individual and mixed PPCPs (carbamazepine, ibuprofen, triclosan and sulfametoxazole) allowed us to obtain relevant information on anaerobic digestion performance, toxicological effects and alterations to key enzymes involved in the biodegradation process. Cell viability was quantitatively evaluated using an automatic analysis of confocal microscopy images, and showed that triclosan and mixed pollutants caused higher toxicity and cell death than the other individual compounds. Both individual pollutants and their mixture had a considerable impact on the anaerobic digestion process, favoring carbon dioxide production, lowering organic matter removal and methane production, which also produced microbial stress and irreversible cell damage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mabel Díaz-Cubilla
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,600, 28871 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (M.D.-C.); (P.L.)
| | - Pedro Letón
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,600, 28871 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (M.D.-C.); (P.L.)
- IMDEA Water Institute, Parque Científico Tecnológico, 28805 Alcala de Henares, Spain
| | - Carlos Luna-Vázquez
- Departamento de Electrónica, Universidad de Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,600, 28871 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (C.L.-V.); (M.M.-R.)
| | - Marta Marrón-Romera
- Departamento de Electrónica, Universidad de Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,600, 28871 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (C.L.-V.); (M.M.-R.)
| | - Karina Boltes
- Departamento de Química Analítica, Química Física e Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona Km. 33,600, 28871 Alcala de Henares, Spain; (M.D.-C.); (P.L.)
- IMDEA Water Institute, Parque Científico Tecnológico, 28805 Alcala de Henares, Spain
- Correspondence: Karina Boltes
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