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Alberts ME, Hindle R, Charriere C, Schoonmaker AL, Kaminsky H, Muench DG. The effect of rhizosphere pH on removal of naphthenic acid fraction compounds from oil sands process-affected water in a willow hydroponic system. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 948:174720. [PMID: 38997021 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174720] [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: 04/03/2024] [Revised: 07/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/14/2024]
Abstract
The extraction and processing of bitumen from the oil sands in northern Alberta, Canada generates large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). OSPW contains a complex mixture of inorganic and organic compounds, including naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFCs) that are of particular concern due to their toxicity to aquatic organisms. Phytoremediation is a cost-effective, scalable approach that has the potential to remove NAFCs from OSPW and reduce OSPW toxicity. Environmental pH influences the chemical form and bioavailability of NAFCs. However, little is known about the influence of pH on the uptake of NAFCs in plant systems. This study sought to elucidate the impact of rhizosphere pH on the uptake of NAFCs using a sandbar willow (Salix interior) hydroponic system. To mimic and maintain the naturally low pH conditions of the root, OSPW solutions in these systems were adjusted to a low pH level (pH 5.0) and their NAFC uptake from solution was compared to that of OSPW at native pH (pH 8.0). Our findings revealed that the lower pH hydroponic systems demonstrated enhanced NAFC removal from solution as determined by LC-MS analysis, where up to 26% of NAFCs were removed from OSPW over 72 h at pH 5.0 compared to 8% removed at pH 8.0. Similarly, analysis of spike-in 13C-labeled NAs demonstrated that the OSPW hydroponic system rapidly removed a relatively labile NA (13C-cyclohexane carboxylic acid) from solution at both pH levels, whereas near complete removal of a recalcitrant NA (13C-1-adamantane carboxylic acid) was observed in pH 5.0 solutions only. These results provide insight into the importance of rhizosphere pH on efficient NAFC uptake by plant root systems. Further research will determine whether OSPW phytoremediation efficiency can be enhanced using field treatment conditions that promote low rhizosphere pH levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell E Alberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, T2N 1N4, AB, Canada
| | - Ralph Hindle
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, T2N 1N4, AB, Canada; Vogon Laboratory Services, Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
| | - Camryn Charriere
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, T2N 1N4, AB, Canada
| | - Amanda L Schoonmaker
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Centre for Boreal Research, 8102 99 Avenue, Peace River, T8S1R2, AB, Canada
| | - Heather Kaminsky
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Technology Access Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, 10210 Princess Elizabeth Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T5G 0Y2, Canada
| | - Douglas G Muench
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, T2N 1N4, AB, Canada.
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Zheng M, Sánchez-Montes I, Li J, Duan X, Xu B, El-Din MG. Attenuation of phenylnaphthenic acids related to oil sands process water using solar activated calcium peroxide: Influence of experimental factors, mechanistic modeling, and toxicity evaluation. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 263:122188. [PMID: 39098152 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.122188] [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: 06/10/2024] [Revised: 07/15/2024] [Accepted: 07/29/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024]
Abstract
Refractory naphthenic acids (NAs) are among the primary toxic compounds in oil sands process water (OSPW), a matrix with a complex chemical composition that poses challenges to its remediation. This study evaluated the effectiveness of calcium peroxide (CaO2) combined with solar radiation (solar/CaO2) as an advanced water treatment process for degrading model NAs (1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid, pentanoic acid, and diphenylacetic acid) in synthetic water (STW) and provide preliminary insights in treating real OSPW. Solar light and CaO2 acted synergistically to degrade target NAs in STW (>67 of synergistic factor) following a pseudo-first-order kinetic (R2 ≥ 0.95), with an optimal CaO2 dosage of 0.1 g L-1. Inorganic ions and dissolved organic matter were found to hinder the degradation of NAs by solar/CaO2 treatment; however, the complete degradation of NAs was reached in 6.7 h of treatment. The main degradation mechanism involved the generation of hydroxyl radicals (•OH), which contributed ∼90% to the apparent degradation rate constant (K), followed by H2O2 (4-5%) and 1O2 (0-5%). The tentative transformation pathways of three NAs were proposed, confirming an open-ring reaction and resulting in short-chain fatty acid ions as final products. Furthermore, a reduction in acute microbial toxicity and genotoxic effect was observed in the treated samples, suggesting that solar/CaO2 treatment exhibits high environmental compatibility. Furthermore, the solar/CaO2 system was successfully applied as a preliminary step for real-world applications to remove natural NAs, fluorophore organic compounds, and inorganic components from OSPW, demonstrating the potential use of this technology in the advanced treatment of oil-tailing-derived NAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Zheng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, T6G 1H9, Edmonton, AB, Canada; Key Laboratory of Organic Compound Pollution Control Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, PR China
| | - Isaac Sánchez-Montes
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, T6G 1H9, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Jia Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, T6G 1H9, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Xiaodi Duan
- Key Laboratory of Organic Compound Pollution Control Engineering (MOE), School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444, PR China
| | - Bin Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, Key Laboratory of Yangtze Water Environment, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, PR China
| | - Mohamed Gamal El-Din
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, T6G 1H9, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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Reis PCJ, Correa-Garcia S, Tremblay J, Beaulieu-Laliberté A, Muench DG, Ahad JME, Yergeau E, Comte J, Martineau C. Microbial degradation of naphthenic acids using constructed wetland treatment systems: metabolic and genomic insights for improved bioremediation of process-affected water. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad153. [PMID: 38012121 PMCID: PMC10710301 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Naphthenic acids (NAs) are a complex mixture of organic compounds released during bitumen extraction from mined oil sands that are important contaminants of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). NAs can be toxic to aquatic organisms and, therefore, are a main target compound for OSPW. The ability of microorganisms to degrade NAs can be exploited for bioremediation of OSPW using constructed wetland treatment systems (CWTS), which represent a possible low energy and low-cost option for scalable in situ NA removal. Recent advances in genomics and analytical chemistry have provided insights into a better understanding of the metabolic pathways and genes involved in NA degradation. Here, we discuss the ecology of microbial NA degradation with a focus on CWTS and summarize the current knowledge related to the metabolic pathways and genes used by microorganisms to degrade NAs. Evidence to date suggests that NAs are mostly degraded aerobically through ring cleavage via the beta-oxidation pathway, which can be combined with other steps such as aromatization, alpha-oxidation, omega-oxidation, or activation as coenzyme A (CoA) thioesters. Anaerobic NA degradation has also been reported via the production of benzoyl-CoA as an intermediate and/or through the involvement of methanogens or nitrate, sulfate, and iron reducers. Furthermore, we discuss how genomic, statistical, and modeling tools can assist in the development of improved bioremediation practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula C J Reis
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, QC, Canada
| | - Sara Correa-Garcia
- Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Québec city, QC G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Julien Tremblay
- Centre Armand Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, Québec city, QC G1K 9A9, Canada
- Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council Canada, Montréal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Aurélie Beaulieu-Laliberté
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, QC, Canada
- Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie (GRIL), Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Douglas G Muench
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Jason M E Ahad
- Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Québec city, QC G1K 9A9, Canada
| | - Etienne Yergeau
- Energy, Mining and Environment, National Research Council Canada, Montréal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada
| | - Jérôme Comte
- Centre Eau Terre Environnement, Institut national de la recherche scientifique, QC, Canada
- Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie (GRIL), Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada
| | - Christine Martineau
- Laurentian Forestry Centre, Natural Resources Canada, Québec city, QC G1V 4C7, Canada
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Kataya A, Mitchell S, Etman R, Samuel M, Moorhead GB. Peroxisomal protein phosphatase PP2A-B' theta interacts with and piggybacks SINA-like 10 E3 ligase into peroxisomes. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2023; 644:34-39. [PMID: 36623396 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.12.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is targeted to the plant peroxisome via a C-terminal SSL sequence on its regulatory B' theta (θ) subunit. To date the substrates of peroxisomal PP2A are unknown but are thought to be recruited by the regulatory B'θ subunit. Employing yeast two hybrid screening, we have identified Arabidopsis E3 ligase SINA-like 10 as a B'θ binding partner. The E3 ligase SINA-like 10 was found to harbor the PP2A B'-binding Short Linear interaction Motif or SLiM, LxxIxE. This interaction was further verified both in vitro and in vivo using direct pulldown assays and bimolecular fluorescence complementation. Utilizing peroxisomal targeted and a cytosolic version of B'θ (lacking its C-terminal peroxisomal targeting sequence SSL>) bimolecular fluorescence complementation suggests an interaction to occur in the cytosol followed by piggybacking E3 ligase SINA-like 10 into peroxisomes. These results identify a first peroxisomal PP2A interactor, which also obtains a PP2A B'-binding SLiM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr Kataya
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada; Department of Chemistry, Bioscience, and Environmental Engineering, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.
| | - Sierra Mitchell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Rasha Etman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Marcus Samuel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Greg B Moorhead
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 1N4, Canada.
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Kataya A, Gautam N, Jamshed M, Muench DG, Samuel MA, Thelen JJ, Moorhead GB. Identification of Arabidopsis Protein Kinases That Harbor Functional Type 1 Peroxisomal Targeting Signals. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:745883. [PMID: 35242755 PMCID: PMC8886021 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.745883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Peroxisomes are eukaryotic specific organelles that perform diverse metabolic functions including fatty acid β-oxidation, reactive species metabolism, photorespiration, and responses to stress. However, the potential regulation of these functions by post-translational modifications, including protein phosphorylation, has had limited study. Recently, we identified and catalogued a large number of peroxisomal phosphorylated proteins, implicating the presence of protein kinases in this organelle. Here, we employed available prediction models coupled with sequence conservation analysis to identify 31 protein kinases from the Arabidopsis kinome (all protein kinases) that contain a putative, non-canonical peroxisomal targeting signal type 1 (PTS1). From this, twelve C-terminal domain-PTS1s were demonstrated to be functional in vivo, targeting enhanced yellow fluorescent protein to peroxisomes, increasing the list of presumptive peroxisomal protein kinases to nineteen. Of the twelve protein kinases with functional PTS1s, we obtained full length clones for eight and demonstrated that seven target to peroxisomes in vivo. Screening homozygous mutants of the presumptive nineteen protein kinases revealed one candidate (GPK1) that harbors a sugar-dependence phenotype, suggesting it is involved in regulating peroxisomal fatty acid β-oxidation. These results present new opportunities for investigating the regulation of peroxisome functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amr Kataya
- Department of Chemistry, Bioscience, and Environmental Engineering, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.,Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Nitija Gautam
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Muhammad Jamshed
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Douglas G Muench
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Marcus A Samuel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Jay J Thelen
- Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, United States
| | - Greg B Moorhead
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
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Alberts ME, Wong J, Hindle R, Degenhardt D, Krygier R, Turner RJ, Muench DG. Detection of naphthenic acid uptake into root and shoot tissues indicates a direct role for plants in the remediation of oil sands process-affected water. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148857. [PMID: 34328940 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Bitumen extraction from surface-mined oil sands deposits results in the accumulation of large volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW). Naphthenic acids (NAs) are primary contributors to OSPW toxicity and have been a focal point for the development of OSPW remediation strategies. Phytoremediation is an approach that utilizes plants and their associated microbes to remediate contaminants from soil and groundwater. While previous evidence has indicated a role for phytoremediation in OSPW treatment through the transformation and degradation of NAs, there are no reports that demonstrate the direct uptake of NAs into plant tissue. Using NAs labelled with 14C radioisotopes (14C-NAs) paired with whole-plant autoradiography, we show that NAs representing aliphatic (linear), single-ring, and diamondoid compounds were effectively removed from hydroponic solution and OSPW-treated soil by sandbar willow (Salix interior) and slender wheatgrass (Elymus trachycaulus) and their associated microbiomes. The NA-derived 14C label accumulated in root and shoot tissues of both plant species and was concentrated in vascular tissue and rapidly growing sink tissues, indicating that 14C-NAs or their metabolic derivatives were incorporated into physiological processes within the plants. Slender wheatgrass seedlings grown under axenic (sterile) hydroponic and soil conditions also effectively removed all 14C-NAs, including a highly stable diamondoid NA, demonstrating that plants can directly take up simple and complex NAs without the assistance of microbes. Furthermore, root and shoot tissue fractionation into major biomolecule groups suggests that NA-derived carbon is allocated toward biomolecule synthesis rapidly after NA treatment. These findings provide evidence of plant-mediated uptake of NAs and support a direct role for plants and their associated microbes in the development of future large-scale OSPW phytoremediation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitchell E Alberts
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeremy Wong
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ralph Hindle
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Vogon Laboratory Services Ltd., Cochrane, Alberta, Canada
| | - Dani Degenhardt
- Natural Resources Canada (Canadian Forest Service), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Richard Krygier
- Natural Resources Canada (Canadian Forest Service), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Raymond J Turner
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Douglas G Muench
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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Zito P, Smith DF, Cao X, Ghannam R, Tarr MA. Barium ion adduct mass spectrometry to identify carboxylic acid photoproducts from crude oil-water systems under solar irradiation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. PROCESSES & IMPACTS 2020; 22:2313-2321. [PMID: 33150906 DOI: 10.1039/d0em00390e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Petroleum derived dissolved organic matter (DOMHC) samples were successfully cationized with barium, revealing many [M-H + Ba]+ peaks in both dark and simulated sunlight treatments. The DOMHC samples generated after light exposure exhibited a greater number of [M-H + Ba]+ peaks compared to the dark control. Multiple [M-H + Ba]+ peaks were investigated in the irradiated DOMHC using low resolution MS/MS in order to confirm the presence of diagnostic fragment ions, m/z 139, 155 and 196 in each treatment. Due to the high complexity of the bariated DOMHC mixture, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS/MS) was employed to obtain molecular level information for both irradiated and dark treatments. The irradiated DOMHC treatments had more bariated oxygenated species over a wide range of H/C and O/C when compared to the dark controls. Doubly bariated species were also observed in DOMHC, which provides evidence that photochemistry transforms DOMHC to even more complex mixtures with multiple oxygenations per molecule. This study provides evidence that barium adduct mass spectrometry can be successfully applied to DOMHC screening for the presence of COOHs, both in dark samples and solar irradiated samples. Furthermore, direct evidence and molecular composition of aqueous phase crude oil photoproducts is provided by this technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe Zito
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA. and Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, Chemical Analysis & Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA
| | - Donald F Smith
- National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32310, USA
| | - Xian Cao
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA.
| | - Rana Ghannam
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA. and Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Sciences, Chemical Analysis & Mass Spectrometry Facility, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA
| | - Matthew A Tarr
- Department of Chemistry, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148, USA.
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