Biological removal of the xenobiotic trichloroethylene (TCE) through cometabolism in nitrifying systems

Acetylene Tunes Microbial Growth During Aerobic Cometabolism of Trichloroethene

Microbial aerobic cometabolism is a possible treatment approach for large, dilute trichloroethene (TCE) plumes at groundwater contaminated sites. Rapid microbial growth and bioclogging pose a persistent problem in bioremediation schemes. Bioclogging reduces soil porosity and permeability, which negatively affects substrate distribution and contaminant treatment efficacy while also increasing the operation and maintenance costs of bioremediation. In this study, we evaluated the ability of acetylene, an oxygenase enzyme-specific inhibitor, to decrease biomass production while maintaining aerobic TCE cometabolism capacity upon removal of acetylene. We first exposed propane-metabolizing cultures (pure and mixed) to 5% acetylene (v v-1) for 1, 2, 4, and 8 d and we then verified TCE aerobic cometabolic activity. Exposure to acetylene overall decreased biomass production and TCE degradation rates while retaining the TCE degradation capacity. In the mixed culture, exposure to acetylene for 1-8 d showed minimal effects on the composition and relative abundance of TCE cometabolizing bacterial taxa. TCE aerobic cometabolism and incubation conditions exerted more notable effects on microbial ecology than did acetylene. Acetylene appears to be a viable approach to control biomass production that may lessen the likelihood of bioclogging during TCE cometabolism. The findings from this study may lead to advancements in aerobic cometabolism remediation technologies for dilute plumes.

Aerobic co-metabolic cis-Dichloroethene degradation with Trichloroethene as primary substrate and effects of concentration ratios

Pollution with chloroethenes threaten groundwater resources worldwide. Cis-Dichloroethene (cDCE) and Trichloroethene (TCE) are widespread pollutants that often occur together at contaminated sites, either as primary discharges or as degradation products of anaerobic dechlorination. In this study, comprehensive microcosm experiments were conducted with groundwater samples of seven sites contaminated with chloroethenes. In total, twelve wells with different pollutant concentrations and chloroethene compositions were sampled, and aerobic microcosms including sterile controls were set up. The results revealed interactions as well as interferences between cDCE and TCE. First, co-metabolic cDCE degradation with TCE as growth substrate was detected for the first time in this work. Transformation yields Ty' (molar ratio of co-substrate degraded to primary substrate degraded) of the degradation process were determined and showed a linear relationship with the cDCE/TCE concentration ratio. At low cDCE/TCE ratio, aerobic metabolic TCE degradation can result in complete cDCE removal due to co-metabolic degradation. Secondly, interfering effects were detected at notable cDCE levels resulting in deceleration of TCE degradation and residual concentrations which were also correlating linearly with the cDCE/TCE concentration ratio. These findings are significant for investigating chloroethene contaminated sites and planning remediation strategies. In particular, the efficiency biological remediation methods in the presence of both pollutants can be evaluated more precisely through the knowledge of interactions and interferences. Our study emphasizes that co-contaminants and possible effects of contaminant mixtures on the degradation rates of individual substances should be considered in general.

Recent advances and trends of trichloroethylene biodegradation: A critical review

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a ubiquitous chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbon (CAH) in the environment, which is a Group 1 carcinogen with negative impacts on human health and ecosystems. Based on a series of recent advances, the environmental behavior and biodegradation process on TCE biodegradation need to be reviewed systematically. Four main biodegradation processes leading to TCE biodegradation by isolated bacteria and mixed cultures are anaerobic reductive dechlorination, anaerobic cometabolic reductive dichlorination, aerobic co-metabolism, and aerobic direct oxidation. More attention has been paid to the aerobic co-metabolism of TCE. Laboratory and field studies have demonstrated that bacterial isolates or mixed cultures containing Dehalococcoides or Dehalogenimonas can catalyze reductive dechlorination of TCE to ethene. The mechanisms, pathways, and enzymes of TCE biodegradation were reviewed, and the factors affecting the biodegradation process were discussed. Besides, the research progress on material-mediated enhanced biodegradation technologies of TCE through the combination of zero-valent iron (ZVI) or biochar with microorganisms was introduced. Furthermore, we reviewed the current research on TCE biodegradation in field applications, and finally provided the development prospects of TCE biodegradation based on the existing challenges. We hope that this review will provide guidance and specific recommendations for future studies on CAHs biodegradation in laboratory and field applications.

Occurrence of priority substances in urban wastewaters of Istanbul and the estimation of the associated risks in the effluents

Increase in the contamination of the aquatic environments is a global challenge; hence, understanding the sources of priority substances (PSs) is essential. In an attempt to implement this principle, a year-long monitoring covering all seasons was carried out in the influents and effluents of four largest wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Istanbul. Results obtained showed the presence of 48 PSs (66% of the target compounds) including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dioxins and dioxin-like compounds (DLCs), alkylphenols, phthalates, and metals ranging from low nanograms to micrograms per liter. Priority hazardous substances that were banned for long were still found to be present in wastewaters. PAHs, DLCs, alkylphenols, and metals were found to be present in all samples. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and DLCs were detected in more than 80% of the influent samples. Trichloromethane had the highest concentrations among the most frequently (80-100%) detected PSs in the influents and effluents. The potential risks that may arise from WWTP effluents containing PSs were estimated by calculating the risk quotients (RQs). Upon the risk estimation conducted on the PSs in effluents, monitoring of the endrin, alpha-cypermethrin, theta-cypermethrin, zeta-cypermethrin, quinoxyfen, bifenox, benzo-ghi-perylene, and DEHP is recommended for the WWTP effluents.

Effects of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin on T Cell Differentiation in Primary Biliary Cholangitis

Exposure to dioxins, such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), is reported to affect the autoimmune system and increase the risk of autoimmune disease. Generally, dioxin exerts its toxicity via aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune disease, and its pathogenesis involves the interplay between immune and environmental factors. This study showed the effect of dendritic cells (DCs) activated by TCDD on naïve CD4⁺ T cell differentiation in patients with PBC. CD14⁺ mononuclear cells were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with PBC and healthy people by magnetic cell separation and introduced into DCs. Two days after stimulation by TCDD, DCs were cocultured with naïve CD4⁺ T cells in a ratio of 1 : 2 for 3 days. Then, differentiation-related factors for naïve CD4⁺ T cells were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and flow cytometry. The results showed that TCDD-activated DCs could promote Th1 and Th17 differentiation in patients with PBC. Therefore, this study demonstrated TCDD as an AhR agonist in regulating naïve CD4⁺ T cell differentiation in patients with PBC.

Biological removal of pharmaceuticals by Navicula sp. and biotransformation of bezafibrate

Pharmaceutically active compounds are of great concern due to their detection frequency in the environment and the unexpected risks. In this study, the simultaneous removal of mixed pharmaceuticals by microalgae was explored using a typical freshwater diatom Navicula sp. Results showed that Navicula sp. could efficiently remove atenolol, carbamazepine, ibuprofen and naproxen with the efficiencies of >90% after 21 d of exposure. As compared to the removal efficiencies of each pharmaceutical in the individual pharmaceutical treatments, the degradation of sulfamethoxazole, bezafibrate, and naproxen was improved in the mixed treatment, whereas the removal efficiencies of carbamazepine and atenolol decreased. Additionally, the presence of hydrophobic pharmaceuticals (i.e., ibuprofen and naproxen) accelerated the degradation of carbamazepine and sulfamethoxazole and inhibited the removal of atenolol in the mixture with the combination of six pharmaceuticals, while the addition of other pharmaceuticals show no significant effect on the removal of ibuprofen and naproxen. The bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals in Navicula sp. increased as their log K_OW values decreased. Four bezafibrate metabolites were identified and the degradation pathways of bezafibrate in diatom were proposed. It is the first report on the metabolism of BEZ in diatom, and further studies on the environmental risk of the metabolites should be investigated.

A novel process of the isolation of nitrifying bacteria and their development in two different natural lab-scale packed-bed bioreactors for trichloroethylene bioremediation

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a carcinogenic compound that is commonly present in groundwater and has been detected in drinking water sources for Mexican towns in the Mexico-US border area. Nitrifying bacteria, such as Nitrosomonas europaea, have been shown to be capable of degrading halogenated compounds, including TCE, but it is difficult to obtain high cell concentrations of these bacteria. The aim of the present study was to generate biomass of a nitrifying bacterial consortium from the sludge of an urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and evaluate its capacity to biodegrade TCE in two different natural lab-scaled packed bed bioreactors. The consortium was isolated by a novel method using a continuous stirred-tank bioreactor inoculated with activated sludge from the Domos WWTP located in Cd. Obregón, Sonora, Mexico. The bioreactor was fed with specific media to cultivate ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at a dilution rate near the maximum specific growth rate reported for Nitrosomonas europaea. Optical density and suspended solids measurements were performed to determine the culture biomass production, and the presence of inorganic nitrogen species was determined by spectrophotometry. The presence of nitrifying ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) was confirmed by PCR amplification, and biofilm formation was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Batch-scale experiments confirmed the biodegradative activity of the isolated consortium, which was subsequently fixed in an inorganic carrier as zeolite and a synthetic carrier such as polyurethane to both be used as lab-scale packed-bed bioreactors, with up to 58.63% and 62.7% of TCE biodegradation achieved, respectively, demonstrating a possible alternative for TCE bioremediation in environmental and engineering systems.

2-Chlorophenol consumption by cometabolism in nitrifying SBR reactors

Cometabolic consumption of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) by a nitrifying sludge was evaluated in two SBR reactors fed with 60 mg 2-CP-C/L and different initial ammonium concentrations (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 mg NH₄⁺-N/L). Irrespectively to the increase in ammonium concentration and throughout the operational cycles, the sludge achieved a complete nitrification in 14 days, accounting for ammonium consumption efficiencies close to 99% and nitrate production yields between 0.93 and 0.99. The sludge was able to completely consume 2-CP within 7 days. The increase in ammonium concentration provoked an increment in the specific rates of both ammonium (qNH₄⁺-N) and 2-CP (q2-CP-C) consumption up to 5.2 and 3.1 times, respectively. The cometabolic effect of the increase in ammonium concentration on 2-CP consumption was supported by a direct and significant relationship between the qNH₄⁺-N and q2-CP-C (r = 0.83). Moreover, batch assays conducted with ammonium, 2-CP, allylthiourea as specific inhibitor of the ammonium monooxygenase (AMO) enzyme, and the sludge inoculated into the reactors, resulted in a decrease of 34% in q2-CP-C, evidencing the participation of the AMO in the consumption of 2-CP. When the same assays were carried out with the sludge obtained from the SBR reactors after 13 operating cycles, a higher participation of the AMO in 2-CP consumption was noticed with a decrease of 53% in q2-CP-C. According to these results, the use of nitrifying sludge and high ammonium concentrations in SBR systems can be a suitable alternative for increasing the cometabolic consumption of recalcitrant compounds like 2-CP.

Trichloroethylene Alters Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg Paradigm in Mice: A Novel Mechanism for Chemically Induced Autoimmunity

The role of environmental factors in autoimmune diseases has been increasingly recognized. While major advance has been made in understanding biological pathogen-induced autoimmune diseases, chemically triggered autoimmunity is poorly understood. Trichloroethylene (TCE), a common environmental pollutant, has recently been shown to induce autoimmunity. This study explored whether TCE could cause imbalance of T helper (Th) cell subsets which would contribute to the pathogenesis of TCE-induced medicamentosa-like dermatitis. BALB/c mice were treated with TCE via drinking water at doses of 2.5 or 5.0 mg/mL for 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Trichloroethylene exposure caused time- and dose-dependent increase in Th1, Th2, and Th17 and decrease in regulatory cell (Treg) in the spleen at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks, with greatest changes mainly at 4 weeks. These effects were mirrored by similar changes in the expression of their corresponding cytokines interferon-γ, interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-17A, and IL-10. Mechanistically, these phenotypic changes were accounted for by alterations to their respective master transcription factors T-box expressed in T cells, GATA-binding protein 3, Retinoic acid-related orphan receptor ct (RORct), and forkhead box P3. Of interest, TCE treatment shifted the ratios of Th1/Th2 and Th17/Treg; specifically, TCE increased Th17/Treg. These findings provide the first evidence that TCE exposure significantly changes the Th1/Th2/Th17/Treg paradigm and their specific cytokines driven by altered master transcription factors. This may promote autoimmune reactions in the pathogenesis of TCE-induced skin sensitization and associated damage to other tissues.

Natural attenuation of chlorinated ethenes in hyporheic zones: A review of key biogeochemical processes and in-situ transformation potential

Chlorinated ethenes (CEs) are legacy contaminants whose chemical footprint is expected to persist in aquifers around the world for many decades to come. These organohalides have been reported in river systems with concerning prevalence and are thought to be significant chemical stressors in urban water ecosystems. The aquifer-river interface (known as the hyporheic zone) is a critical pathway for CE discharge to surface water bodies in groundwater baseflow. This pore water system may represent a natural bioreactor where anoxic and oxic biotransformation process act in synergy to reduce or even eliminate contaminant fluxes to surface water. Here, we critically review current process understanding of anaerobic CE respiration in the competitive framework of hyporheic zone biogeochemical cycling fuelled by in-situ fermentation of natural organic matter. We conceptualise anoxic-oxic interface development for metabolic and co-metabolic mineralisation by a range of aerobic bacteria with a focus on vinyl chloride degradation pathways. The superimposition of microbial metabolic processes occurring in sediment biofilms and bulk solute transport delivering reactants produces a scale dependence in contaminant transformation rates. Process interpretation is often confounded by the natural geological heterogeneity typical of most riverbed environments. We discuss insights from recent field experience of CE plumes discharging to surface water and present a range of practical monitoring technologies which address this inherent complexity at different spatial scales. Future research must address key dynamics which link supply of limiting reactants, residence times and microbial ecophysiology to better understand the natural attenuation capacity of hyporheic systems.

Removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products by ammonia oxidizing bacteria acclimated in a membrane bioreactor: Contributions of cometabolism and endogenous respiration

We carried out batch experiments using biomass from a membrane bioreactor (MBR) to study the influence of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) on the removal of 45 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs). Kinetic parameters such as biodegradation constants and adsorption coefficients with and without AOB inhibition were estimated. No significant differences in adsorption tendency were found, but the biodegradability of most compounds was enhanced when ammonia was completely oxidized, indicating that AOB present in MBR played a critical role in eliminating the PPCPs. Moreover, target PPCPs were degraded in 2 stages, first by cometabolic degradation related to AOB growth, and then by endogenous respiration by microorganisms in the absence of other growth substrate. The compounds were classified into 3 groups according to removal performance and cometabolic degradation. Our approach provides new insight into the removal of PPCPs via cometabolism and endogenous respiration under AOB enrichment cultures developed in MBR.

Simultaneous oxidation of ammonium and cresol isomers in a sequencing batch reactor: physiological and kinetic study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the physiological and kinetic capacities of a nitrifying consortium to simultaneously oxidize ammonium (138 mg N/L day), m-cresol, o-cresol, and p-cresol (180 mg C/L day in mixture) in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). A 1-L SBR was firstly operated without cresol addition (phase I) for stabilizing the nitrification respiratory process with ammonium consumption efficiencies close to 100 % and obtaining nitrate as the main end product. When cresols were added (phase II m-cresol (10, 20, and 30 mg C/L); phase III m-cresol (30 mg C/L) and o-cresol (10, 20, and 30 mg C/L); phase IV a mixture of three isomers (30 mg C/L each one)), inhibitory effects were evidenced by decreased values of the specific rates of nitrification compared with values from phase I. However, the inhibition diminished throughout the operation cycles, and the overall nitrifying physiological activity of the sludge was not altered in terms of efficiency and nitrate yield. The different cresols were totally consumed, being o-cresol the most recalcitrant. The use of SBR allowed a metabolic adaptation of the consortium to oxidize the cresols as the specific rates of consumption increased throughout the cycles, showing that this type of reactor can be a good alternative for treating industrial effluents in a unique reactor.

Removal characteristics of pharmaceuticals and personal care products: Comparison between membrane bioreactor and various biological treatment processes

We investigated the concentrations of 57 target compounds in the different treatment units of various biological treatment processes in South Korea, including modified biological nutrient removal (BNR), anaerobic-anoxic-aerobic (A2O), and membrane bioreactor (MBR) systems, to elucidate the occurrence and removal fates of PPCPs in WWTPs. Biological treatment processes appeared to be most effective in eliminating most PPCPs, whereas some PPCPs were additionally removed by post-treatment. With the exception of the MBR process, the A2O system was effective for PPCPs removal. As a result, removal mechanisms were evaluated by calculating the mass balances in A2O and a lab-scale MBR process. The comparative study demonstrated that biodegradation was largely responsible for the improved removal performance found in lab-scale MBR (e.g., in removing bezafibrate, ketoprofen, and atenolol). Triclocarban, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and tetracycline were adsorbed in large amounts to MBR sludge. Increased biodegradability was also observed in lab-scale MBR, despite the highly adsorbable characteristics. The enhanced biodegradation potential seen in the MBR process thus likely plays a key role in eliminating highly adsorbable compounds as well as non-degradable or persistent PPCPs in other biological treatment processes.

Cometabolic degradation of lincomycin in a Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor (SBBR) and its microbial community

Cometabolism technology was employed to degrade lincomycin wastewater in Sequencing Batch Biofilm Reactor (SBBR). In contrast with the control group, the average removal rate of lincomycin increased by 56.0% and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) increased by 52.5% in the cometabolic system with glucose as growth substrate. Under the same condition, Oxidation-Reduction Potential (ORP) was 85.1±7.3mV in cometabolic system and 198.2±8.4mV in the control group, indicating that glucose changed the bulk ORP and created an appropriate growing environment for function bacteria. Functional groups of lincomycin were effectively degraded in cometabolic system proved by FTIR and GC-MS. Meanwhile, results of DGGE and 16S rDNA showed great difference in dominant populations between cometabolic system and the control group. In cometabolic system, Roseovarius (3.35%), Thiothrix (2.74%), Halomonas (2.49%), Ignavibacterium (2.02%), and TM7_genus_incertae_sedis (1.93%) were verified as dominant populations at genus level. Cometabolism may be synergistically caused by different functional dominant bacteria.

Kinetics of aerobic cometabolic biodegradation of chlorinated and brominated aliphatic hydrocarbons: A review

This review analyses kinetic studies of aerobic cometabolism (AC) of halogenated aliphatic hydrocarbons (HAHs) from 2001-2015 in order to (i) compare the different kinetic models proposed, (ii) analyse the estimated model parameters with a focus on novel HAHs and the identification of general trends, and (iii) identify further research needs. The results of this analysis show that aerobic cometabolism can degrade a wide range of HAHs, including HAHs that were not previously tested such as chlorinated propanes, highly chlorinated ethanes and brominated methanes and ethanes. The degree of chlorine mineralization was very high for the chlorinated HAHs. Bromine mineralization was not determined for studies with brominated aliphatics. The examined research period led to the identification of novel growth substrates of potentially high interest. Decreasing performance of aerobic cometabolism were found with increasing chlorination, indicating the high potential of aerobic cometabolism in the presence of medium- and low-halogenated HAHs. Further research is needed for the AC of brominated aliphatic hydrocarbons, the potential for biofilm aerobic cometabolism processes, HAH-HAH mutual inhibition and the identification of the enzymes responsible for each aerobic cometabolism process. Lastly, some indications for a possible standardization of future kinetic studies of HAH aerobic cometabolism are provided.

Plasma Kallikrein-Kinin system mediates immune-mediated renal injury in trichloroethylene-sensitized mice

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a major environmental pollutant. An immunological response is a newly-recognized mechanism for TCE-induced kidney damage. However, the role of the plasma kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) in immune-mediated kidney injury has never been examined. This study aimed to explore the role of the key components of the KKS, i.e. plasma kallikrein (PK), bradykinin (BK) and its receptors B1R and B2R, in TCE-induced kidney injury. A mouse model of skin sensitization was used to explore the mechanism of injury with or without a PK inhibitor PKSI. Kidney function was evaluated by measuring blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) in conjunction with histopathologic characterization. Plasma BK was determined by ELISA; Renal C5b-9 membrane attack complex was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Expression of BK and PK in the kidney was detected by immunofluorescence. mRNA and protein levels of B1R and B2R were assessed by real-time qPCR and Western blot. As expected, numerous inflammatory cell infiltration and tubular epithelial cell vacuolar degeneration were observed in TCE-sensitized mice. Moreover, serum BUN and Cr and plasma BK were increased. In addition, deposition of BK, PK and C5b-9 were observed and B1R and B2R mRNA and proteins levels were up-regulated. Pre-treatment with PKSI, a highly selective inhibitor of PK, alleviated TCE-induced renal damage. In addition, PKSI attenuated TCE-induced up-regulation of BK, PK and its receptors and C5b-9. These results provided the first evidence that activation of the KKS contributed to immune-mediated renal injury induced by TCE and also helped to identify the KKS as a potential therapeutic target for mitigating chemical sensitization-induced renal damage.

Aerobic biodegradation of trichloroethylene and phenol co-contaminants in groundwater by a bacterial community using hydrogen peroxide as the sole oxygen source

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and phenol were often found together as co-contaminants in the groundwater of industrial contaminated sites. An effective method to remove TCE was aerobic biodegradation by co-metabolism using phenol as growth substrates. However, the aerobic biodegradation process was easily limited by low concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in groundwater, and DO was improved by air blast technique with difficulty. This study enriched a bacterial community using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as the sole oxygen source to aerobically degrade TCE by co-metabolism with phenol in groundwater. The enriched cultures were acclimatized to 2-8 mM H2O2 which induced catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase to decompose H2O2 to release O2 and reduce the toxicity. The bacterial community could degrade 120 mg/L TCE within 12 days by using 8 mM H2O2 as the optimum concentration, and the TCE degradation efficiency reached up to 80.6%. 16S rRNA gene cloning and sequencing showed that Bordetella, Stenotrophomonas sp., Sinorhizobium sp., Variovorax sp. and Sphingobium sp. were the dominant species in the enrichments, which were clustered in three phyla: Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. Polymerase chain reaction detection proved that phenol hydroxylase (Lph) gene was involved in the co-metabolic degradation of phenol and TCE, which indicated that hydroxylase might catalyse the epoxidation of TCE to form the unstable molecule TCE-epoxide. The findings are significant for understanding the mechanism of biodegradation of TCE and phenol co-contamination and helpful for the potential applications of an aerobic bioremediation in situ the contaminated sites.

Natural attenuation potential of tricholoroethene in wetland plant roots: role of native ammonium-oxidizing microorganisms

Bench-scale microcosms with wetland plant roots were investigated to characterize the microbial contributions to contaminant degradation of trichloroethene (TCE) with ammonium. The batch system microcosms consisted of a known mass of wetland plant roots in aerobic growth media where the roots provided both an inoculum of root-associated ammonium-oxidizing microorganisms and a microbial habitat. Aqueous growth media, ammonium, and TCE were replaced weekly in batch microcosms while retaining roots and root-associated biomass. Molecular biology results indicated that ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were enriched from wetland plant roots while analysis of contaminant and oxygen concentrations showed that those microorganisms can degrade TCE by aerobic cometabolism. Cometabolism of TCE, at 29 and 46 μg L(-1), was sustainable over the course of 9 weeks, with 20-30 mg L(-1) ammonium-N. However, at 69 μg L(-1) of TCE, ammonium oxidation and TCE cometabolism were completely deactivated in two weeks. This indicated that between 46 and 69 μg L(-1) TCE with 30 mg L(-1) ammonium-N there is a threshold [TCE] below which sustainable cometabolism can be maintained with ammonium as the primary substrate. However, cometabolism-induced microbial deactivation of ammonium oxidation and TCE degradation at 69 μg L(-1) TCE did not result in a lower abundance of the amoA gene in the microcosms, suggesting that the capacity to recover from TCE inhibition was still intact, given time and removal of stress. Our study indicates that microorganisms associated with wetland plant roots can assist in the natural attenuation of TCE in contaminated aquatic environments, such as urban or treatment wetlands, and wetlands impacted by industrial solvents.

In situ aerobic cometabolism of chlorinated solvents: a review

The possible approaches for in situ aerobic cometabolism of aquifers and vadose zones contaminated by chlorinated solvents are critically evaluated. Bioaugmentation of resting-cells previously grown in a fermenter and in-well addition of oxygen and growth substrate appear to be the most promising approaches for aquifer bioremediation. Other solutions involving the sparging of air lead to satisfactory pollutant removals, but must be integrated by the extraction and subsequent treatment of vapors to avoid the dispersion of volatile chlorinated solvents in the atmosphere. Cometabolic bioventing is the only possible approach for the aerobic cometabolic bioremediation of the vadose zone. The examined studies indicate that in situ aerobic cometabolism leads to the biodegradation of a wide range of chlorinated solvents within remediation times that vary between 1 and 17 months. Numerous studies include a simulation of the experimental field data. The modeling of the process attained a high reliability, and represents a crucial tool for the elaboration of field data obtained in pilot tests and for the design of the full-scale systems. Further research is needed to attain higher concentrations of chlorinated solvent degrading microbes and more reliable cost estimates. Lastly, a procedure for the design of full-scale in situ aerobic cometabolic bioremediation processes is proposed.

Bioremediation of coking wastewater containing carbazole, dibenzofuran, dibenzothiophene and naphthalene by a naphthalene-cultivated Arthrobacter sp. W1

A naphthalene-utilizing bacterium, Arthrobacter sp. W1, was used to investigate the cometabolic degradation of carbazole (CA), dibenzofuran (DBF) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) using naphthalene as the primary substrate. Both the growing and washed cells of strain W1 could degrade CA, DBF, DBT, and naphthalene simultaneously and quickly. Inhibition kinetics confirmed that the presence of CA, DBF and DBT in the growing system would inhibit the cells growth and biodegradability of strain W1. The relationship between ln(C/C0) and time, and specific degradation rate and CA, DBF and DBT concentration could be described well by First-order and Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The treatment of real coking wastewater containing high concentration of phenol, naphthalene, CA, DBF, DBT and NH3-N was shown to be highly efficient by naphthalene-grown W1 coupling with activation zeolite. Toxicity assessment indicated the treatment of the coking wastewater by strain W1 coupling with activation led to less toxicity than untreated wastewater.

Biodegradation and cometabolic modeling of selected beta blockers during ammonia oxidation

Accurate prediction of pharmaceutical concentrations in wastewater effluents requires that the specific biochemical processes responsible for pharmaceutical biodegradation be elucidated and integrated within any modeling framework. The fate of three selected beta blockers-atenolol, metoprolol, and sotalol-was examined during nitrification using batch experiments to develop and evaluate a new cometabolic process-based (CPB) model. CPB model parameters describe biotransformation during and after ammonia oxidation for specific biomass populations and are designed to be integrated within the Activated Sludge Models framework. Metoprolol and sotalol were not biodegraded by the nitrification enrichment culture employed herein. Biodegradation of atenolol was observed and linked to the activity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and heterotrophs but not nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. Results suggest that the role of AOB in atenolol degradation may be disproportionately more significant than is otherwise suggested by their lower relative abundance in typical biological treatment processes. Atenolol was observed to competitively inhibit AOB growth in our experiments, though model simulations suggest inhibition is most relevant at atenolol concentrations greater than approximately 200 ng·L(-1). CPB model parameters were found to be relatively insensitive to biokinetic parameter selection suggesting the model approach may hold utility for describing pharmaceutical biodegradation during biological wastewater treatment.

Trichloroethylene aerobic cometabolism by suspended and immobilized butane-growing microbial consortia: a kinetic study

A kinetic study of butane uptake and trichloroethylene (TCE) aerobic cometabolism was conducted by two suspended-cell (15 and 30°C) and two attached-cell (15 and 30°C) consortia obtained from the indigenous biomass of a TCE-contaminated aquifer. The shift from suspended to attached cells resulted in an increase of butane (15 and 30°C) and TCE (15°C) biodegradation rates, and a significant decrease of butane inhibition on TCE biodegradation. The TCE 15°C maximum specific biodegradation rate was equal to 0.011 mg(TCE ) mg(protein)(-1) d(-1) with suspended cells and 0.021 mg(TCE) mg(protein)(-1) d(-1) with attached cells. The type of mutual butane/TCE inhibition depended on temperature and biomass conditions. On the basis of a continuous-flow simulation, a packed-bed PFR inoculated with the 15 or 30°C attached-cell consortium could attain a 99.96% conversion of the studied site's average TCE concentration with a 0.4-0.5-day hydraulic residence time, with a low effect of temperature on the TCE degradation performances.

Current trends in trichloroethylene biodegradation: a review

Over the past few years biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) using different microorganisms has been investigated by several researchers. In this review article, an attempt has been made to present a critical summary of the recent results related to two major processes--reductive dechlorination and aerobic co-metabolism used for TCE biodegradation. It has been shown that mainly Clostridium sp. DC-1, KYT-1, Dehalobacter, Dehalococcoides, Desulfuromonas, Desulfitobacterium, Propionibacterium sp. HK-1, and Sulfurospirillum bacterial communities are responsible for the reductive dechlorination of TCE. Efficacy of bacterial communities like Nitrosomonas, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, and Xanthobacter sp. etc. for TCE biodegradation under aerobic conditions has also been examined. Mixed cultures of diazotrophs and methanotrophs have been used for TCE degradation in batch and continuous cultures (biofilter) under aerobic conditions. In addition, some fungi (Trametes versicolor, Phanerochaete chrysosporium ME-446) and Actinomycetes have also been used for aerobic biodegradation of TCE. The available information on kinetics of biofiltration of TCE and its degradation end-products such as CO2 are discussed along with the available results on the diversity of bacterial community obtained using molecular biological approaches. It has emerged that there is a need to use metabolic engineering and molecular biological tools more intensively to improve the robustness of TCE degrading microbial species and assess their diversity.