Genus-specific and phase-dependent effects of nitrate on a sulfate-reducing bacterial community as revealed by dsrB-based DGGE analyses of wastewater reactors

The response mechanism of microorganisms to the organic carbon-driven formation of black and odorous water

The formation of black and odorous water is a complex process influenced by various factors such as organic matter and environmental conditions. However, there are limited studies on the role of microorganisms in water and sediment during the blackening and odorization process. In this study, we investigated the characteristics of black and odorous water formation by simulating organic carbon-driven black and odorous water through indoor experiments. The study revealed that the water turned black and odorous when DOC reached 50 mg/L and the microbial community structure in the water changed significantly during this process, with the relative abundance of Desulfobacterota increasing significantly and Desulfovibrio being the main dominant genus in Desulfobacterota. Additionally, we observed a notable decrease in the α-diversity of the microbial community in water and a considerable increase in microbial function of sulfur compounds respiration in water. In contrast, the sediment microbial community changed slightly, and the main functions of the sediment microbial community remained unchanged. The partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) suggested that organic carbon will drive the blackening and odorization process by affecting DO levels and microbial community structure and that the contribution of Desulfobacterota in water to the formation of black and odorous water was higher than that in sediment. Overall, our study provides insights into the characteristics of black and odorous water formation and suggests potential ways to prevent its formation by controlling DOC and inhibiting the growth of Desulfobacterota in water bodies.

Function of Biohydrogen Metabolism and Related Microbial Communities in Environmental Bioremediation

Hydrogen (H₂) metabolism has attracted considerable interest because the activities of H₂-producing and consuming microbes shape the global H₂ cycle and may have vital relationships with the global cycling of other elements. There are many pathways of microbial H₂ emission and consumption which may affect the structure and function of microbial communities. A wide range of microbial groups employ H₂ as an electron donor to catalyze the reduction of pollutants such as organohalides, azo compounds, and trace metals. Syntrophy coupled mutualistic interaction between H₂-producing and H₂-consuming microorganisms can transfer H₂ and be accompanied by the removal of toxic compounds. Moreover, hydrogenases have been gradually recognized to have a key role in the progress of pollutant degradation. This paper reviews recent advances in elucidating role of H₂ metabolism involved in syntrophy and hydrogenases in environmental bioremediation. Further investigations should focus on the application of bioenergy in bioremediation to make microbiological H₂ metabolism a promising remediation strategy.

The bioenergetics mechanisms and applications of sulfate-reducing bacteria in remediation of pollutants in drainage: A review

Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB), a group of anaerobic prokaryotes, can use sulfur species as a terminal electron acceptor for the oxidation of organic compounds. They not only have significant ecological functions, but also play an important role in bioremediation of contaminated sites. Although numerous studies on metabolism and applications of SRB have been conducted, they still remain incompletely understood and even controversial. Fully understanding the metabolism of SRB paves the way for allowing the microorganisms to provide more beneficial services in bioremediation. Here we review progress in bioenergetics mechanisms and application of SRB including: (1) electron acceptors and donors for SRB; (2) pathway for sulfate reduction; (3) electron transfer in sulfate reduction; (4) application of SRB for economical and concomitant treatment of heavy metal, organic contaminants and sulfates. Moreover, current knowledge gaps and further research needs are identified.

Microbial Character Related Sulfur Cycle under Dynamic Environmental Factors Based on the Microbial Population Analysis in Sewerage System

The undesired sulfur cycle derived by microbial population can ultimately causes the serious problems of sewerage systems. However, the microbial community characters under dynamic environment factors in actual sewerage system is still not enough. This current study aimed to character the distributions and compositions of microbial communities that participate in the sulfur cycle under the dynamic environmental conditions in a local sewerage system. To accomplish this, microbial community compositions were assessed using 454 high-throughput sequencing (16S rDNA) combined with dsrB gene-based denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. The results indicated that a higher diversity of microbial species was present at locations in sewers with high concentrations of H₂S. Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria were dominant in the sewerage system, while Actinobacteria alone were dominant in regions with high concentrations of H₂S. Specifically, the unique operational taxonomic units could aid to characterize the distinct microbial communities within a sewerage manhole. The proportion of sulfate-reducing bacteria, each sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) were strongly correlated with the liquid parameters (DO, ORP, COD, Sulfide, NH₃-N), while the Mycobacterium and Acidophilic SOB (M&A) was strongly correlated with gaseous factors within the sewer, such as H₂S, CH₄, and CO. Identifying the distributions and proportions of critical microbial communities within sewerage systems could provide insights into how the microbial sulfur cycle is affected by the dynamic environmental conditions that exist in sewers and might be useful for explaining the potential sewerage problems.

Study of the succession of microbial communities for sulfur cycle response to ecological factors change in sediment of sewage system

The biological reaction process of sulfur in biofilms and sediments causes serious problems of corrosion and odor in sewage systems. This study aims to reveal the distribution and shift of microbial diversity that survives inside the sediment in response to surrounding changes in sewage systems. The successions of microbial community were compared via denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and by constructing phylogenetic trees via maximum likelihood method. The results indicated that the shift of microbial diversity is not significant along the vertical layer inside the sediment. The influences of sediment accumulation time on the shift in microbial diversity are evident, particularly with the switch of the accumulation stage. Implementing a control strategy for oxygen injection and nitrate addition evidently inhibits and stimulates some dominant sulfate-reducing bacterial strains in the sediment. The diversity in the total bacteria is positively related with ORP, dissolved oxygen, and sulfide concentration.

Sulfate-reducing bacteria detection based on the photocatalytic property of microbial synthesized ZnS nanoparticles

This work presented a novel method for specific detection of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) based on the photocatalytic property of ZnS nanoparticles. ZnS semiconductor nanoparticles were synthesized by taking advantage of the characteristic bacterial metabolite, sulfide, and then ZnS nanomaterials were used as photocatalyst for methylene blue (MB) photodegradation. As the amount of ZnS photocatalyst synthesized from microbe metabolized sulfide was affected by initial bacterial concentration before cultivation, the photodegradation ratio of MB was highly related with initial SRB concentration. Under the optimized conditions, a linear relationship between the MB photodegradation ratio and the logarithm of SRB concentration was observed in the range of 1.0×10(3)-1.0×10(8) cfu mL(-1). Besides, this proposed method showed excellent specificity for SRB detection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of using the photocatalytic property of microbial synthesized ZnS for bacterial detection.