Microbial metabolism and activity in terms of nitrate removal in bioelectrochemical systems

Electrochemical-coupled sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification for nitrogen removal from raw landfill leachate: Evaluation of performance and mechanisms

The cost-effective and environment-friendly sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (SdAD) process has drawn significant attention for advanced nitrogen removal from low carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio wastewater in recent years. However, achieving efficient nitrogen removal and maintaining system stability of SdAD process in treating low C/N landfill leachate treatment have been a major challenge. In this study, a novel electrochemical-coupled sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrification (ESdAD) system was developed and compared with SdAD system through a long-term continuous study. Superior nitrogen removal performance (removal efficiency of 89.1 ± 2.5 %) was achieved in ESdAD system compared to SdAD process when treating raw landfill leachate (influent total nitrogen (TN) concentration of 241.7 ± 36.3 mg-N/L), and the effluent TN concentration of ESdAD bioreactor was as low as 24.8 ± 5.1 mg-N/L, which meets the discharge standard of China (< 40 mg N/L). Moreover, less sulfate production rate (1.3 ± 0.2 mg SO42--S/mgNOx--N vs 1.7 ± 0.2 mg SO42--S/mgNOx--N) and excellent pH modulation (pH of 6.9 ± 0.2 vs 5.8 ± 0.4) were also achieved in the ESdAD system compared to SdAD system. The improvement of ESdAD system performance was contributed to coexistence and interaction of heterotrophic bacteria (e.g., Rhodanobacter, Thermomonas, etc.), sulfur autotrophic bacteria (e.g., Thiobacillus, Sulfurimonas, Ignavibacterium etc.) and hydrogen autotrophic bacteria (e.g., Thauera, Comamonas, etc.) under current stimulation. In addition, microbial nitrogen metabolic activity, including functional enzyme (e.g., Nar and Nir) activities and electron transfer capacity of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and cytochrome c (Cyt-C), were also enhanced during current stimulation, which facilitated the nitrogen removal and maintained system stability. These findings suggested that ESdAD is an effective and eco-friendly process for advanced nitrogen removal for low C/N wastewater.

Molecular level insight of thiocyanate degradation by Pseudomonas putida TDB-1 under a high arsenic and alkaline condition

It is a big challenge to bioremediate thiocyanate pollution in the gold extraction heap leaching tailings and surrounding soils with high contents of arsenic and alkali. Here, a novel thiocyanate-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas putida TDB-1 was successfully applied to completely degrade 1000 mg/L thiocyanate under a high arsenic (400 mg/L) and alkaline condition (pH = 10). It also leached the contents of thiocyanate from 1302.16 to 269.72 mg/kg in the gold extraction heap leaching tailings after 50 h. The maximum transformation rates of S and N in thiocyanate to the two finial products of SO₄^2- and NO₃^- were 88.98 % and 92.71 %, respectively. Moreover, the genome sequencing confirmed that the biomarker gene of thiocyanate-degrading bacterium, CynS was identified in the strain TDB-1. The bacterial transcriptome revealed that critical genes, such as CynS, CcoNOQP, SoxY, tst, gltBD, arsRBCH and NhaC, etc. in the thiocyanate degradation, S and N metabolisms, and As and alkali resistance were significantly up-regulated in the groups with 300 mg/L SCN^- (T300) and with 300 mg/L SCN^- and 200 mg/L As (TA300). In addition, the protein-protein interaction network showed that the glutamate synthase encoding by gltB and gltD served as central node to integrate the S and N metabolism pathways with thiocyanate as substrate. The results of our study provide a novel molecular level insight for the dynamic gene expression regulation of thiocyanate degradation by the strain TDB-1 with a severe arsenic and alkaline stress.

Mechanism on the microbial salt tolerance enhancement by electrical stimulation

The application of biological methods in industrial saline wastewater treatment is limited, since the activities of microorganisms are strongly inhibited by the highly concentrated salts. Acclimatized halotolerant and halophilic microorganisms are of high importance since they can resist the environmental stresses of high salinity. The acclimation to salinity can be passive or active based on whether external simulation is used. However, there is a need for development of economic, efficient and reliable active biological stimulation technologies to accelerate salinity acclimation. Recent studies have shown that electrical stimulation can effectively enhance microbial salt tolerance and pollutant removal ability. However, there have been no comprehensive reviews of the mechanisms involved. Therefore, this mini-review described the mechanisms of electrical stimulation that can significantly improve microbial bioactivity and biodiversity. These mechanisms include regulation of Na⁺ and K⁺ transporters by changing membranepotential and promoting ATP production, as well as regulation of extracellular polymer substances through enhanced release of low molecular weight EPS and quorum sensing molecules. The information provided herein will facilitate the application of biological high-salinity wastewater treatment.

Weak electrical stimulation on biological denitrification: Insights from the denitrifying enzymes

In order to improve the denitrification efficiency of low carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) wastewater, we conducted continuous flow experiments of weakly electrically stimulated denitrification using a direct current output voltage. The results showed that the best denitrification was achieved at a voltage of 0.2 V. The removal of nitrate and total nitrogen was increased by 20% and the production of intermediate greenhouse gas (N₂O) was reduced by 62.6%. We explored the specific pathways involved in the weak electrical stimulated denitrification using enzyme activity as a cut-off point. The enzyme activity analysis and 3D fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that nitrate reductase (NAR) and nitrite reductase (NIR) activities were significantly enhanced by weak electrical stimulation, and the aromatic protein content in extracellular polymers substances (EPS) increased, accelerating electron transfer and promoting the conversion of loosely bound EPS (LB) to tightly bound EPS (TB). The accelerated electron transfer further increased enzyme activity and the metabolic rate of microorganisms. This study indicates that weak electrical stimulation could improve activities of biological enzymes to enhance denitrification efficiency.

Microbial activity enhancement in constructed wetlands operated as bioelectrochemical systems

Treatment wetlands (TW) operated as bioelectrochemical systems (BES-TW) provide a higher degree of treatment than conventional TW. Yet, the fundamental processes or mechanisms for the envisaged better performance of BES-TW over conventional TW remains poorly understood. This work aimed to determine to which extent microbial activity enhancement could be the reason behind this treatment performance increase. To this purpose, pilot-scale horizontal sub-surface flow BES-TW operated under three different configurations were continuously fed with real urban wastewater. BES-TW were evaluated for COD and ammonia removal efficiency, and two techniques of microbial activity assessment were applied. Configurations, tested in duplicate, were: control TWs without electrodes (C-TW), TWs operated as microbial fuel cells (MFC-TW), and TWs operated as microbial electrolysis cells (MEC-TW). Microbial activity was assessed by measuring the enzymatic activity (EA) (FDA hydrolysis technique) and the aerobic activity (AA) (estimated through respirometry). Results showed that BES-TW outperformed C-TW in terms of both microbial activity enhancement and contaminants removal efficiency, especially in the case of MEC-TW. More precisely, this configuration showed an average improvement of 17%, and 56% in COD removal and EA efficiencies, respectively, compared to C-TW. Regarding AA activity, although MEC-TW seemed to outperform the rest of the configurations, differences were not statistically significant. This work demonstrates that TWs operated as BES increase the overall enzymatic activity of the treatment bed and this, in turn, is the leading cause to a higher degree of treatment performance.

Performance of an up-flow anaerobic bio-electrochemical system (UBES) for treating sulfamethoxazole (SMX) antibiotic wastewater

This paper focused on the feasibility and performance of an up-flow anaerobic bio-electrochemical system (UBES) for treating sulfamethoxazole (SMX) antibiotic wastewater at different COD loading rates (LRs) from 2.02 ± 0.13 to 6.09 ± 0.14 kgCOD/(m3·d). Open-circuit UBES had a lower average COD removal rate of 62.4 ± 4.7% in Run2, and the accumulation of volatile fatty acid (VFA) was occurred. However, closed-circuit UBES can alleviate the accumulation of VFA (which was decreased from 720.4 to 102.4 mg/L), the highest average COD, SMX removal rates were 85.7 ± 3.2% and 73.7 ± 2.0%, respectively. The closed-circuit UBES can withstand more than 3 times LR than open-circuit UBES, which proved that the ability of microorganisms to resist toxic substance stress was strengthened. And the mathematical models for pollutants removal rate were established and well interpreted the results, which also can guide the operation of UBES.

Understanding the interdependence of strain of electrotroph, cathode potential and initial Cu(II) concentration for simultaneous Cu(II) removal and acetate production in microbial electrosynthesis systems

Metallurgical microbial electrosynthesis systems (MES) are holding great promise for simultaneous heavy metal removal and acetate production from heavy metal-contaminated and organics-barren waters. How critical parameters of strain of electrotroph, cathode potential and initial heavy metal concentration affect MES performance, however, is not yet fully understood. Heavy metal of Cu(II) and four Cu(II)-tolerant electrotrophs (Stenotrophomonas maltophilia JY1, Citrobacter sp. JY3, Pseudomonas aeruginosa JY5 and Stenotrophomonas sp. JY6) were employed to evaluate MES performance at various cathode potentials (-900 or -600 mV vs. standard hydrogen electrode) and initial Cu(II) concentrations (60-120 mg L^-1). Each electrotrophs exhibited incremental Cu(II) removals with increased Cu(II) at -900 mV, higher than at -600 mV or in the abiotic controls. Acetate production by JY1 and JY6 decreased with the increase in initial Cu(II), compared to an initial increase and a decrease thereafter for JY3 and JY5. For each electrotrophs, the biofilms than the planktonic cells released more amounts of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with a compositional diversity and stronger Cu(II) complexation at -900 mV. These were higher than at -600 mV, or in the controls either under open circuit conditions or in the absence of Cu(II). This work demonstrates the interdependence of strain of electrotroph, cathode potential and initial Cu(II) on simultaneous Cu(II) removal and acetate production through the release of different amounts of EPS with diverse composites, contributing to enhancing the controlled MES for efficient recovery of value-added products from Cu(II)-contaminated and organics-barren waters.

Electrosynthesis of acetate from inorganic carbon (HCO3-) with simultaneous hydrogen production and Cd(II) removal in multifunctional microbial electrosynthesis systems (MES)

The simultaneous production of acetate from bicarbonate (from CO₂ sequestration) and hydrogen gas, with concomitant removal of Cd(II) heavy metal in water is demonstrated in multifunctional metallurgical microbial electrosynthesis systems (MES) incorporating Cd(II) tolerant electrochemically active bacteria (EAB) (Ochrobactrum sp. X1, Pseudomonas sp. X3, Pseudomonas delhiensis X5, and Ochrobactrum anthropi X7). Strain X5 favored the production of acetate, while X7 preferred the production of hydrogen. The rate of Cd(II) removal by all EAB (1.20-1.32 mg/L/h), and the rates of acetate production by X5 (29.4 mg/L/d) and hydrogen evolution by X7 (0.0187 m³/m³/d) increased in the presence of a circuital current. The production of acetate and hydrogen was regulated by the release of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), which also exhibited invariable catalytic activity toward the reduction of Cd(II) to Cd(0). The intracellular activities of glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and dehydrogenase were altered by the circuital current and Cd(II) concentration, and these regulated the products distribution. Such understanding enables the targeted manipulation of the MES operational conditions that favor the production of acetate from CO₂ sequestration with simultaneous hydrogen production and removal/recovery of Cd(II) from metal-contaminated and organics-barren waters.

Reduction of Cu(II) and simultaneous production of acetate from inorganic carbon by Serratia Marcescens biofilms and plankton cells in microbial electrosynthesis systems

Simultaneous Cu(II) reduction (6.42 ± 0.02 mg/L/h), acetate production (1.13 ± 0.02 mg/L/h) from inorganic carbon (i.e., CO₂ sequestration), and hydrogen evolution (0.0315 ± 0.0005 m³/m³/d) were achieved in a Serratia marcescens Q1 catalyzed microbial electrosynthesis system (MES). The biofilms released increasing amounts of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) with a higher compositional diversity and stronger Cu(II) complexation, compared to the plankton cells, at higher Cu(II) concentrations (up to 80 mg/L) and circuital currents (cathodic potential of -900 mV vs. standard hydrogen electrode (SHE)). Moreover, the biofilms reduced Cu(II) to Cu(0) more effectively than the plankton cells. At Cu(II) concentrations below 80 mg/L, the dehydrogenase activity in the biofilms was higher than in the plankton cells, and increased with circuital current, which was converse to the lower activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and antioxidative glutathione (GSH) in the biofilms than the plankton cells, although all these physiological activities were positively correlated with the concentration of Cu(II). This is the first study that evaluates the EPS constituents and the physiological activities of the biofilms and the plankton cells in the MESs, that favors the production of acetate from CO₂ sequestration and the simultaneous reduction of Cu(II) from organics-barren waters contaminated with heavy metals.

Toxic effects of vanadium (V) on a combined autotrophic denitrification system using sulfur and hydrogen as electron donors

Vanadium (V) is a common heavy metal and often co-occurs with nitrate in effluents from mining and metal finishing industry. In the present study, the toxic effects of V(V) were examined in a sulfur and hydrogen based autotrophic denitrification system. This combined system achieved simultaneously microbial denitrification and V(V) reduction. High concentration of V(V) (60 and 100 mg/L) inhibited the denitrification activities, while 30 mg/L V(V) had a very slight effect. V(V) induced increases of lactate dehydrogenase release and reactive oxygen species production, which may inhibit nitrate and nitrite reductases activities and abundances of denitrifying functional genes. Moreover, the extracellular polymeric substance production was also suppressed under V(V) stress, thereby decreasing the amount of biofilm biomass. Microbial community analyses suggesting the genus Bacillus may have higher tolerance to V(V). These findings can provide scientific basis for the optimized design of treatment system to remove nitrate and V(V) simultaneously.

Opportunities for groundwater microbial electro-remediation

Groundwater pollution is a serious worldwide concern. Aromatic compounds, chlorinated hydrocarbons, metals and nutrients among others can be widely found in different aquifers all over the world. However, there is a lack of sustainable technologies able to treat these kinds of compounds. Microbial electro‐remediation, by the means of microbial electrochemical technologies (MET), can become a promising alternative in the near future. MET can be applied for groundwater treatment in situ or ex situ, as well as for monitoring the chemical state or the microbiological activity. This document reviews the current knowledge achieved on microbial electro‐remediation of groundwater and its applications.

Performance and microbial communities of completely autotrophic denitrification in a bioelectrochemically-assisted constructed wetland system for nitrate removal

A bioelectrochemically-assisted constructed wetland (BECW) system was used to treat nitrate-contaminated wastewater without organic carbon source. The denitrification performance and microbial community composition of a BECW in closed-circuit mode (BECW-C) was compared to a BECW in open-circuit mode (BECW-O). The highest denitrification efficiency (78.92±3.12%) was obtained in the BECW-C with an applied current of 15mA. No nitrite accumulation was observed during the autotrophic denitrification process in the BECW-C. The significantly higher denitrification efficiency of the BECW-C compared to the BECW-O suggested enhanced denitrification due to in situ generation of hydrogen. The bacterial communities in the anode, cathode and rhizosphere regions collected from the BECW-C (with 10 or 15mA) and the BECW-O were characterized using 16S rRNA pyrosequencing technology, which revealed different microbial community structures among the treatments. The results also indicated that Thiohalophilus and Clostridium sensu stricto might be responsible for autotrophic denitrification in the BECW-C.

Microbial community and metabolism activity in a bioelectrochemical denitrification system under long-term presence of p-nitrophenol

Bioelectrochemical denitrification system (BEDS) is a promising technology for nitrate removal from wastewaters. The hazards and effects concerning p-nitrophenol (PNP) towards BEDS lack enough investigations and possess great research prospects. This study investigated how PNP affected the nitrate removal efficiency, microbial communities, functional denitrifying genes abundances, nitrate and nitrite reductase activities, diffusible signal factors (DSF) release, and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) production in the BEDS. Results indicated that nitrate removal efficiency decreased with initial PNP concentration increased from 0 to 100mg/L. Phylum Firmicutes and class Clostridia were the main contributors for denitrification process in this BEDS. The abundances of the denitrifying genes nirS, nirK, napA, and narG all presented decreased trends with increasing PNP. In addition, the concentrations of nitrate reductase (NR), nitrite reductase (NIR), and EPS obviously decreased, while the concentration of DSF increased with increasing PNP, which demonstrated that higher PNP would inhibit the biofilm formation.

Performance and recent improvement in microbial fuel cells for simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal: A review

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have become a promising technology for wastewater treatment accompanying electricity generation. Carbon and nitrogen removal can be achieved by utilizing the electron transfer between the anode and cathode in an MFC. However, large-scale power production and high removal efficiency must be achieved at a low cost to make MFCs practical and economically competitive in the future. This article reviews the principles, feasibility and bottlenecks of MFCs for simultaneous carbon and nitrogen removal, the recent advances and prospective strategies for performance improvement, as well as the involved microbes and electron transfer mechanisms.

Nutrients removal and recovery in bioelectrochemical systems: a review

Nutrient removal and recovery has received less attention during the development of bioelectrochemical systems (BES) for energy efficient wastewater treatment, but it is a critical issue for sustainable wastewater treatment. Both nitrogen and phosphorus can be removed and/or recovered in a BES through involving biological processes such as nitrification and bioelectrochemical denitrification, the NH4(+)/NH3 couple affected by the electrolyte pH, or precipitating phosphorus compounds in the high-pH zone adjacent a cathode electrode. This paper has reviewed the nutrients removal and recovery in various BES including microbial fuel cells and microbial electrolysis cells, discussed the influence factors and potential problems, and identified the key challenges for nitrogen and phosphorus removal/recovery in a BES. It expects to give an informative overview of the current development, and to encourage more thinking and investigation towards further development of efficient processes for nutrient removal and recovery in a BES.