Use of specific gene analysis to assess the effectiveness of surfactant-enhanced trichloroethylene cometabolism

The response of C/N/S cycling functional microbial communities to redox conditions in shallow aquifers using in-situ sediment as bio-trap matrix

Microbial communities are fundamental components driving critical biogeochemical carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) cycles in groundwater ecosystems. The reduction-oxidation (redox) potential is one important environmental factor influencing the microbial community composition. Here, we developed a bio-trap method using in-situ sediment as a matrix to collect aquifer sediment samples and evaluate the response of microbial composition and C/N/S cycling functions to redox variations created by providing sole O2, joint O2 and H2, and sole H2 to three wells. Illumina sequencing analyses showed that the microbial communities in the bio-trap sediment could respond quickly to redox changes in the wells, demonstrating that this bio-trap method is promising for detecting microbial variation in the aquifer sediment. The microbial metabolic functions related to C, N and S cyclings and organic pollutants degradation were predicted by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) approach. It was found that the joint O2 and H2 injection produced medium oxidation-reduction potential (ORP -346 and -614 mV) and enhanced more microbial functions than sole O2 or H2, which mainly include oxidative phosphorylation, most carbon source metabolism, various pollutants degradation, and nitrogen and sulfur metabolism. Moreover, the functional genes encoding phenol monooxygenase, dioxygenase, nitrogen fixation, nitrification, aerobic and anaerobic nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase, nitric oxide reductase, and sulfur oxidation increased. These findings tell us the contaminant bioremediation and N, S metabolism can be promoted by adjusting ORP realised by injecting joint O2 and H2.

Response of TCE biodegradation to elevated H2 and O2: Implication for electrokinetic-enhanced bioremediation

The study investigated the influences of pure H2 and O2 introduction, simulating gases produced from the electrokinetic-enhanced bioremediation (EK-Bio), on TCE degradation, and the dynamic changes of the indigenous microbial communities. The dissolved hydrogen (DH) and oxygen (DO) concentrations ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 mg/L and 2.6 to 6.6 mg/L, respectively. The biological analysis was conducted by 16S rRNA sequencing and functional gene analyses. The results showed that the H2 introduction enhanced TCE degradation, causing a 90.4% TCE removal in the first 4 weeks, and 131.1 μM was reduced eventually. Accordingly, cis-dichloroethylene (cis-DCE) was produced as the only product. The following three ways should be responsible for this promoted TCE degradation. Firstly, the high DH rapidly reduced the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) value to around -500 mV, beneficial to TCE microbial dechlorination. Secondly, the high DH significantly changed the community and promoted the enrichment of TCE anaerobic dechlorinators, such as Sulfuricurvum, Sulfurospirillum, Shewanella, Geobacter, and Desulfitobacterium, and increased the abundance of dechlorination gene pceA. Thirdly, the high DH promoted preferential TCE dechlorination and subsequent sulfate reduction. However, TCE bio-remediation did not occur in a high DO environment due to the reduced aerobic function or lack of functional bacteria or co-metabolic substrate. The competitive dissolved organic carbon (DOC) consumption and unfriendly microbe-microbe interactions also interpreted the non-degradation of TCE in the high DO environment. These results provided evidence for the mechanism of EK-Bio. Providing anaerobic obligate dechlorinators, and aerobic metabolic bacteria around the electrochemical cathodes and anodes, respectively, or co-metabolic substrates to the anode can be feasible methods to promote remediation of TCE-contaminated shallow aquifer under EK-Bio technology.

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.

Identification and synergetic mechanism of TCE, H2 and O2 metabolic microorganisms in the joint H2/O2 system

The sole H₂ and O₂ usually promote chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs) biotransformation by several mechanisms, including reductive dechlorination and aerobic oxidation. However, the mechanism of the CHCs transformation in joint H₂ and O₂ system (H₂/O₂ system) is still unclear. In this study, the degradation kinetics of trichloroethene (TCE) were investigated and DNA stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) were used to explore the synergistic mechanism of functional microorganisms on TCE degradation under the condition of H₂/O₂ coexistence. In the H₂/O₂ microcosm, TCE was significantly removed by 13.00 μM within 40 days, much higher than N₂, H₂ and O₂ microcosms, and 1,1-DCE was detected as an intermediate. DNA-SIP technology identified three anaerobic TCE metabolizers, five aerobic TCE metabolizers, nine hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria (HOB), some TCE metabolizers utilizing limited O₂, and some anaerobic dechlorinating bacteria reductively using H₂ to dechlorinate TCE. It is also confirmed for the first time that 3 OUTs belonging to Methyloversatilis and SH-PL14 can simultaneously utilize H₂ and O₂ as energy sources to grow and metabolize TCE or 1,1-DCE. HOB may provide carbon sources or electron acceptors or donors for TCE biotransformation. These findings confirm the coexistence of anaerobic and aerobic TCE metabolizers and degraders, which synergistically promoted the conversion of TCE in the joint H₂/O₂ system. Our results provide more information about the functional microbe resources and synergetic mechanisms for TCE degradation.

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.

Response of chlorinated hydrocarbon transformation and microbial community structure in an aquifer to joint H2 and O2

Hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) are critical electron donors and acceptors to promote the anaerobic and aerobic microbial transformation of chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs), respectively. Electrochemical technology can effectively supply H2 and O2 directly to an aquifer. However, the response of CHC transformation and microbial community structure to joint H2 and O2 are still unclear. In this work, microcosms containing different combinations of H2 and O2 were constructed with natural sediments and nine mixed CHCs. The joint H2 and O2 microcosm (H2/O2 microcosm) significantly promoted the biotransformation of trichloroethylene (TCE), trans-dichloroethene (tDCE) and chloroform (CF). Illumina sequencing analyses suggested that a particular microbial community was formed in the H2/O2 microcosm. The specific microbial species included Methyloversatilis, Dechloromonas, Sediminibacterium, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Curvibacter, Comamonas and Acidovorax, and the relative abundance of the tceA, phe and soxB genes synchronously increased. These results suggested that some specific microbes are potential CHC converters using H2 and O2 as energy sources, and aerobic and anaerobic transformations exist simultaneously in the H2/O2 microcosm. It provides a theoretical basis for establishing efficient green remediation technologies for CHC contaminated aquifers.

Chlorinated ethene biodegradation and associated bacterial taxa in multi-polluted groundwater: Insights from biomolecular markers and stable isotope analysis

Chlorinated ethenes (CEs) are most problematic pollutants in groundwater. Dehalogenating bacteria, and in particular organohalide-respiring bacteria (OHRB), can transform PCE to ethene under anaerobic conditions, and thus contribute to bioremediation of contaminated sites. Current approaches to characterize in situ biodegradation of CEs include hydrochemical analyses, quantification of the abundance of key species (e.g. Dehalococcoides mccartyi) and dehalogenase genes (pceA, vcrA, bvcA and tceA) involved in different steps of organohalide respiration (OHR) by qPCR, and compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of CEs. Here we combined these approaches with sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons to consider both OHRB and bacterial taxa involved in CE transformation at a multi-contaminated site. Integrated analysis of hydrogeochemical characteristics, gene abundances and bacterial diversity shows that bacterial diversity and OHRB mainly correlated with hydrogeochemical conditions, suggesting that pollutant exposure acts as a central driver of bacterial diversity. CSIA, abundances of four reductive dehalogenase encoding genes and the prevalence of Dehalococcoides highlighted sustained PCE, DCE and VC degradation in several wells of the polluted plume. These results suggest that bacterial taxa associated with OHR play an essential role in natural attenuation of CEs, and that representatives of taxa including Dehalobacterium and Desulfosporosinus co-occur with Dehalococcoides. Overall, our study emphasizes the benefits of combining several approaches to evaluate the interplay between the dynamics of bacterial diversity in CE-polluted plumes and in situ degradation of CEs, and to contribute to a more robust assessment of natural attenuation at multi-polluted sites.

Micropollutants cometabolism of microalgae for wastewater remediation: Effect of carbon sources to cometabolism and degradation products

This study investigated the impacts of selective sole carbon source-induced micropollutants (MPs) cometabolism of Chlorella sp. by: (i) extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), superoxide dismutase and peroxidase enzyme production; (ii) MPs removal efficiency and cometabolism rate; (iii) MPs' potential degradation products identification; and (iv) degradation pathways and validation using the Eawag database to differentiate the cometabolism of Chlorella sp. with other microbes. Adding the sole carbon sources in the presence of MPs increased EPS and enzyme concentrations from 2 to 100-fold in comparison with only sole carbon sources. This confirmed that MPs cometabolism had occurred. The removal efficiencies of tetracycline, sulfamethoxazole, and bisphenol A ranged from 16-99%, 32-92%, and 58-99%, respectively. By increasing EPS and enzyme activity, the MPs concentrations accumulated in microalgae cells also fell 400-fold. The cometabolism process resulted in several degradation products of MPs. This study drew an insightful understanding of cometabolism for MPs remediation in wastewater. Based on the results, proper carbon sources for microalgae can be selected for practical applications to remediate MPs in wastewater while simultaneously recovering biomass for several industries and gaining revenue.

Variation of Microbial Communities in Aquatic Sediments under Long-Term Exposure to Decabromodiphenyl Ether and UVA Irradiation

Abiotic components create different types of environmental stress on bacterial communities in aquatic ecosystems. In this study, the long-term exposure to various abiotic factors, namely a high-dose of the toxic chemical decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209), continuous UVA irradiation, and different types of sediment, were evaluated in order to assess their influence on the bacterial community. The dominant bacterial community in a single stress situation, i.e., exposure to BDE-209 include members of Comamonadaceae, members of Xanthomonadaceae, a Pseudomonas sp. and a Hydrogenophaga sp. Such bacteria are capable of biodegrading polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). When multiple environmental stresses were present, Acidobacteria bacterium and a Terrimonas sp. were predominant, which equipped the population with multiple physiological characteristics that made it capable of both PBDE biodegradation and resistance to UVA irradiation. Methloversatilis sp. and Flavisolibacter sp. were identified as representative genera in this population that were radioresistant. In addition to the above, sediment heterogeneity is also able to alter bacterial community diversity. In total, seventeen species of bacteria were identified in the microcosms containing more clay particles and higher levels of soil organic matter (SOM). This means that these communities are more diverse than in microcosms that contained more sand particles and a lower SOM, which were found to have only twelve identifiable bacterial species. This is the first report to evaluate how changes in bacterial communities in aquatic sediment are affected by the presence of multiple variable environmental factors at the same time.

Removal of tetrachloroethene from polluted air by activated sludge

A one-step technological system containing activated sludge fed with synthetic domestic wastewater was applied to treat waste air polluted with tetrachloroethene (PCE). In the first stage of the experiment, air passed through a bioscrubber; in the second and third stages, it passed through the bioreactor containing activated sludge and bacteria immobilised in oak chips. These bacteria are active in PCE biodegradation. Process efficiency in the final stage of the experiment was high; the elimination capacity was 0.23 g m^-3 h^-1 with the PCE mass loading rate of 0.58 g m^-3 h^-1. It has been shown that in the activated sludge bioreactor, bacteria adapted to PCE biodegradation and the wood chips protected microorganisms from the toxic effects of pollution. The dominant strains of bacteria immobilised in wood chips have been identified. Most of them were Gram-negative rods - Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, Ralstonia pickettii and Ochrobactrum anthropii. Only one strain was Gram-positive and of cylindrical shape. The results of the study indicate the potential of immobilised bacteria capable of degrading chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons for the air and wastewater treatment. The low cost of the treatment process is an advantage.

Effects of Planted Versus Naturally Growing Vallisneria natans on the Sediment Microbial Community in West Lake, China

Submerged macrophytes play an important role in aquatic ecosystems, which has led to an increase in studies on vegetation recovery in polluted lakes from which submerged macrophytes have disappeared. The comparison of microbial communities in sediment cloned with planted and naturally growing submerged macrophytes is an interesting but rarely studied topic. In this investigation, Maojiabu and Xilihu, two adjacent sublakes of West Lake (Hangzhou, China), were selected as aquatic areas with planted and naturally growing macrophytes, respectively. Sediment samples from sites with/without Vallisneria natans were collected from both sublakes. The results showed that sediment total nitrogen and organic matter were significantly lower in the plant-covered sites than that in the non-plant sites in Maojiabu. Additionally, the sediment microbial community characterized by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing differed more significantly for Maojiabu than for Xilihu. The relative abundances of microbes involved in C, N, and S elemental cycling were significantly higher in the sediments with plants than in those without. Results from both fatty acid methyl ester analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing indicated that vegetation significantly influenced the sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB). Thus, the gene copies and composition of SRB were explored further. The relative gene abundance of SRB was 66% higher with natural vegetation colonization but was not influenced by artificial colonization. An increase in dominant SRB members from the families Syntrophobacteraceae and Thermodesulfovibrionaceae contributed to the increase of total SRB. Thus, macrophyte planting influences sediment nutrient levels and microbial community more than natural growth does, whereas the latter is more beneficial to sediment SRB.

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.

Diverse Reductive Dehalogenases Are Associated with Clostridiales-Enriched Microcosms Dechlorinating 1,2-Dichloroethane

The achievement of successful biostimulation of active microbiomes for the cleanup of a polluted site is strictly dependent on the knowledge of the key microorganisms equipped with the relevant catabolic genes responsible for the degradation process. In this work, we present the characterization of the bacterial community developed in anaerobic microcosms after biostimulation with the electron donor lactate of groundwater polluted with 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA). Through a multilevel analysis, we have assessed (i) the structural analysis of the bacterial community; (ii) the identification of putative dehalorespiring bacteria; (iii) the characterization of functional genes encoding for putative 1,2-DCA reductive dehalogenases (RDs). Following the biostimulation treatment, the structure of the bacterial community underwent a notable change of the main phylotypes, with the enrichment of representatives of the order Clostridiales. Through PCR targeting conserved regions within known RD genes, four novel variants of RDs previously associated with the reductive dechlorination of 1,2-DCA were identified in the metagenome of the Clostridiales-dominated bacterial community.

Aerobic degradation of trichloroethylene by co-metabolism using phenol and gasoline as growth substrates

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a common groundwater contaminant of toxic and carcinogenic concern. Aerobic co-metabolic processes are the predominant pathways for TCE complete degradation. In this study, Pseudomonas fluorescens was studied as the active microorganism to degrade TCE under aerobic condition by co-metabolic degradation using phenol and gasoline as growth substrates. Operating conditions influencing TCE degradation efficiency were optimized. TCE co-metabolic degradation rate reached the maximum of 80% under the optimized conditions of degradation time of 3 days, initial OD₆₀₀ of microorganism culture of 0.14 (1.26 × 10⁷ cell/mL), initial phenol concentration of 100 mg/L, initial TCE concentration of 0.1 mg/L, pH of 6.0, and salinity of 0.1%. The modified transformation capacity and transformation yield were 20 μg (TCE)/mg (biomass) and 5.1 μg (TCE)/mg (phenol), respectively. Addition of nutrient broth promoted TCE degradation with phenol as growth substrate. It was revealed that catechol 1,2-dioxygenase played an important role in TCE co-metabolism. The dechlorination of TCE was complete, and less chlorinated products were not detected at the end of the experiment. TCE could also be co-metabolized in the presence of gasoline; however, the degradation rate was not high (28%). When phenol was introduced into the system of TCE and gasoline, TCE and gasoline could be removed at substantial rates (up to 59% and 69%, respectively). This study provides a promising approach for the removal of combined pollution of TCE and gasoline.

Air purification from TCE and PCE contamination in a hybrid bioreactors and biofilter integrated system

A two-stage waste air treatment system, consisting of hybrid bioreactors (modified bioscrubbers) and a biofilter, was used to treat waste air containing chlorinated ethenes - trichloroethylene (TCE) and tetrachloroethylene (PCE). The bioreactor was operated with loadings in the range 0.46-5.50gm(-3)h(-1) for TCE and 2.16-9.02gm(-3)h(-1) for PCE. The biofilter loadings were in the range 0.1-0.97gm(-3)h(-1) for TCE and 0.2-2.12gm(-3)h(-1) for PCE. Under low pollutant loadings, the efficiency of TCE elimination was 23-25% in the bioreactor and 54-70% in the biofilter. The efficiency of PCE elimination was 44-60% in the bioreactor and 50-75% in the biofilter. The best results for the bioreactor were observed one week after the pollutant loading was increased. However, the process did not stabilize. In the next seven days contaminant removal efficiency, enzymatic activity and biomass content were all diminished.