1
|
Hassan Z, Westerhoff HV. Arsenic Contamination of Groundwater Is Determined by Complex Interactions between Various Chemical and Biological Processes. TOXICS 2024; 12:89. [PMID: 38276724 PMCID: PMC11154318 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12010089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
At a great many locations worldwide, the safety of drinking water is not assured due to pollution with arsenic. Arsenic toxicity is a matter of both systems chemistry and systems biology: it is determined by complex and intertwined networks of chemical reactions in the inanimate environment, in microbes in that environment, and in the human body. We here review what is known about these networks and their interconnections. We then discuss how consideration of the systems aspects of arsenic levels in groundwater may open up new avenues towards the realization of safer drinking water. Along such avenues, both geochemical and microbiological conditions can optimize groundwater microbial ecology vis-à-vis reduced arsenic toxicity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zahid Hassan
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, A-Life, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- Department of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Jagannath University, Dhaka 1100, Bangladesh
| | - Hans V. Westerhoff
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, A-Life, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
- School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
- Synthetic Systems Biology and Nuclear Organization, Swammerdam Institute for Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Stellenbosch Institute of Advanced Studies (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Leiva-Aravena E, Vera MA, Nerenberg R, Leiva ED, Vargas IT. Biofilm formation of Ancylobacter sp. TS-1 on different granular materials and its ability for chemolithoautotrophic As(III)-oxidation at high concentrations. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2022; 421:126733. [PMID: 34339991 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126733] [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: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The oxidation of arsenic (As) is a key step in its removal from water, and biological oxidation may provide a cost-effective and sustainable method. The biofilm-formation ability of Ancylobacter sp. TS-1, a novel chemolithoautotrophic As oxidizer, was studied for four materials: polypropylene, graphite, sand, and zeolite. After seven days under batch mixotrophic conditions, with high concentrations of As(III) (225 mg·L-1), biofilm formation was detected on all materials except for polypropylene. The results demonstrate As(III)-oxidation of TS-1 biofilms and suggest that the number of active cells was similar for graphite, sand, and zeolite. However, the biofilm biomass follows the specific surface area of each material: 7.0, 2.4, and 0.4 mg VSS·cm-3 for zeolite, sand, and graphite, respectively. Therefore, the observed biofilm-biomass differences were probably associated with different amounts of EPS and inert biomass. Lastly, As(III)-oxidation kinetics were assessed for the biofilms formed on graphite and zeolite under chemolithoautotrophic conditions. The normalized oxidation rate for biofilms formed on these materials was 3.6 and 1.0 mg·L-1·h-1·cm-3, resulting among the highest reported values for As(III)-oxidizing biofilms operated at high-As(III) concentrations. Our findings suggest that biofilm reactors based on Ancylobacter sp. TS-1 are highly promising for their utilization in As(III)-oxidation pre-treatment of high-As(III) polluted waters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Enzo Leiva-Aravena
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; CEDEUS, Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable, Chile
| | - Mario A Vera
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Instituto de Ingeniería Biológica y Médica, Facultades de Ingeniería, Medicina y Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Robert Nerenberg
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences Notre Dame, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Eduardo D Leiva
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; Departamento de Química Inorgánica, Facultad de Química y de Farmacia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Ignacio T Vargas
- Departamento de Ingeniería Hidráulica y Ambiental, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; CEDEUS, Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable, Chile.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Pu G, Zeng D, Mo L, Liao J, Chen X, Qiu S, Lv Y. Artificial light at night alter the impact of arsenic on microbial decomposers and leaf litter decomposition in streams. ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 2020; 191:110014. [PMID: 31810590 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.110014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Revised: 11/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Artificial light at night (ALAN, also known as light pollution) has been proved to be a contributor to environmental change and a biodiversity threat worldwide, yet little is known about its potential interaction with different metal pollutants, such as arsenic (As), one of the largest threats to aquatic ecosystems. To narrow this gap, an indoor microcosm study was performed using an ALAN simulation device to examine whether ALAN exposure altered the impact of arsenic on plant litter decomposition and its associated fungi. Results revealed that microbial decomposers involved in the conversion of As(III) to As(V), and ALAN exposure enhanced this effect; ALAN or arsenic only exposure altered fungal community composition and the correlations between fungi species, as well as stimulated or inhibited litter decomposition, respectively. The negative effects of arsenic on the decomposition of Pterocarya stenoptera leaf litter was alleviated by ALAN resulting in the enhanced photodegradation of leaf litter lignin and microbiological oxidation of As(III) to As(V), the increased microbial biomass and CBH activity, as well as the enhanced correlations between CBH and litter decomposition rate. Overall, results expand our understanding of ALAN on environment and highlight the contribution of ALAN to the toxicity of arsenic in aquatic ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gaozhong Pu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China.
| | - Danjuan Zeng
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China
| | - Ling Mo
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China
| | - Jianxiong Liao
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China
| | - Xiaxia Chen
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China; College of Life Science, Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi, Guilin, 541006, China
| | - Shuo Qiu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin, 541006, China
| | - Yanna Lv
- School of Pharmacy and Biological Sciences, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, 261053, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ample Arsenite Bio-Oxidation Activity in Bangladesh Drinking Water Wells: A Bonanza for Bioremediation? Microorganisms 2019; 7:microorganisms7080246. [PMID: 31398879 PMCID: PMC6723331 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms7080246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Millions of people worldwide are at risk of arsenic poisoning from their drinking water. In Bangladesh the problem extends to rural drinking water wells, where non-biological solutions are not feasible. In serial enrichment cultures of water from various Bangladesh drinking water wells, we found transfer-persistent arsenite oxidation activity under four conditions (aerobic/anaerobic; heterotrophic/autotrophic). This suggests that biological decontamination may help ameliorate the problem. The enriched microbial communities were phylogenetically at least as diverse as the unenriched communities: they contained a bonanza of 16S rRNA gene sequences. These related to Hydrogenophaga, Acinetobacter, Dechloromonas, Comamonas, and Rhizobium/Agrobacterium species. In addition, the enriched microbiomes contained genes highly similar to the arsenite oxidase (aioA) gene of chemolithoautotrophic (e.g., Paracoccus sp. SY) and heterotrophic arsenite-oxidizing strains. The enriched cultures also contained aioA phylotypes not detected in the previous survey of uncultivated samples from the same wells. Anaerobic enrichments disclosed a wider diversity of arsenite oxidizing aioA phylotypes than did aerobic enrichments. The cultivatable chemolithoautotrophic and heterotrophic arsenite oxidizers are of great interest for future in or ex-situ arsenic bioremediation technologies for the detoxification of drinking water by oxidizing arsenite to arsenate that should then precipitates with iron oxides. The microbial activities required for such a technology seem present, amplifiable, diverse and hence robust.
Collapse
|
5
|
Jebelli MA, Maleki A, Amoozegar MA, Kalantar E, Gharibi F, Darvish N, Tashayoe H. Isolation and identification of the native population bacteria for bioremediation of high levels of arsenic from water resources. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2018; 212:39-45. [PMID: 29427940 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.01.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Health of millions of people is threatened by the risk of drinking arsenic-contaminated water worldwide. Arsenic naturally conflicts with the concept of life, but recent studies showed that some microorganisms use toxic minerals as the source of energy. Hence, the researchers should consider the development of cost-effective and highly productive procedures to remove arsenic. The current study was conducted on a native bacterial population of Seyed-Jalaleddin Spring Kurdistan, Iran. Accordingly, the arsenic amount in water samples was measured >500 μg/L by the two field and in vitro methods. Water samples were transferred to laboratory and cultured on chemically defined medium (CDM) with arsenic salts. A total of 14 native arsenic-resistant bacterial strains were isolated and after providing pure culture and performing biochemical tests, the isolates were identified using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and 16s rRNA genomic sequencing. The potential of bacterial strains for the biotransformation of arsenic was assessed by the qualitative assessment of AgNO3 method and efficiency of arsenic speciation was determined for the first time by silver diethyldithiocarbamate (SDDC) method with an error of less than 5%. Among the isolated strains, only strain As-11 and strain As-12 showed arsenic transformation characteristics and were registered in NCBI database by the access numbers KY119262 and KY119261, respectively. Results of the current study indicated that strain As-11 had the potential of biotransformation of As(V) to As(III) and vice versa with the efficiency of 78% and 48%, respectively. On the other hand, strain As-12 had the potential for biotransformation of As(V) to As(III) and vice versa with the efficiency of 28% and 45%, respectively.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Ahmadi Jebelli
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Environmental Health Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Afshin Maleki
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Environmental Health Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran.
| | - Mohammad Ali Amoozegar
- Extremophiles Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology and Center of Excellence in Phylogeny of Living Organisms, College of Science, University of Tehran, Iran
| | - Enayatollah Kalantar
- Dietary Supplement and Probiotic Research Center, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran.
| | - Fardin Gharibi
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Environmental Health Research Center, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran
| | - Neda Darvish
- Graduate School of Environment and Energy, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University,Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamidreza Tashayoe
- Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Water Purification Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| |
Collapse
|