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Branco RHR, Meulepas RJW, Sekar P, van Veelen HPJ, Rijnaarts HHM, Sutton NB. Biostimulation with oxygen and electron donors supports micropollutant biodegradation in an experimentally simulated nitrate-reducing aquifer. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 928:172339. [PMID: 38608893 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172339] [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: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 03/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/14/2024]
Abstract
The availability of suitable electron donors and acceptors limits micropollutant natural attenuation in oligotrophic groundwater. This study investigated how electron donors with different biodegradability (humics, dextran, acetate, and ammonium), and different oxygen concentrations affect the biodegradation of 15 micropollutants (initial concentration of each micropollutant = 50 μg/L) in simulated nitrate reducing aquifers. Tests mimicking nitrate reducing field conditions showed no micropollutant biodegradation, even with electron donor amendment. However, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and mecoprop were biodegraded under (micro)aerobic conditions with and without electron donor addition. The highest 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and mecoprop biodegradation rates and removal efficiencies were obtained under fully aerobic conditions with amendment of an easily biodegradable electron donor. Under microaerobic conditions, however, amendment with easily biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (DOC) inhibited micropollutant biodegradation due to competition between micropollutants and DOC for the limited oxygen available. Microbial community composition was dictated by electron acceptor availability and electron donor amendment, not by micropollutant biodegradation. Low microbial community richness and diversity led to the absence of biodegradation of the other 13 micropollutants (such as bentazon, chloridazon, and carbamazepine). Finally, adaptation and potential growth of biofilms interactively determined the location of the micropollutant removal zone relative to the point of amendment. This study provides new insight on how to stimulate in situ micropollutant biodegradation to remediate oligotrophic groundwaters as well as possible limitations of this process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita H R Branco
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Roel J W Meulepas
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Priyadharshini Sekar
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - H Pieter J van Veelen
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Huub H M Rijnaarts
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Nora B Sutton
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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Branco RHR, Meulepas RJW, Kadlecová K, Cardoso MFS, Rijnaarts HHM, Sutton NB. Effect of dissolved organic carbon on micropollutant biodegradation by aquifer and soil microbial communities. CHEMOSPHERE 2024; 347:140644. [PMID: 37952821 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.140644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Groundwater, a major source of drinking water worldwide, is often contaminated with micropollutants. Although microbial communities in aquifers and soils have the capability to biodegrade some micropollutants, this process is limited in situ. Biostimulation with dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is known to promote micropollutant biodegradation, but the role of DOC biodegradability is still poorly understood. This study investigated how three DOC types with different biodegradability (humics, dextran and acetate) affect the biodegradation of 15 micropollutants by aquifer and soil microbial communities under aerobic and nitrate reducing conditions. Although originating from different environments, both communities were able to biodegrade the same 4 micropollutants under aerobic conditions - 2,4-D, MCPP, chloridazon (CLZ) and chloridazon-desphenyl. However, DOC addition only affected MCPP biodegradation, promoting MCPP biodegradation regardless of DOC biodegradability. Biodegradation of 2,4-D, MCPP and CLZ under aerobic conditions was observed after a lag phase, whose duration differed per compound. 2,4-D was biodegraded first and fully. Aquifer community was able to degrade about half of the initial MCPP concentration (removal efficiency of 49.3 ± 11.7%). CLZ was fully biodegraded by the aquifer community, but not by the soil community, possibly due to substrate competition with organics originating from the inoculum. Therefore, the natural organic carbon present in the inocula and in environmental systems can influence micropollutant biodegradation. Under nitrate reducing conditions micropollutant biodegradation was not observed nor biostimulated by DOC addition. The results also highlight the importance of sufficient exposure time to trigger in situ micropollutant biodegradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita H R Branco
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Roel J W Meulepas
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Kateřina Kadlecová
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Marta F S Cardoso
- Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, P.O. Box 1113, 8900 CC, Leeuwarden, the Netherlands
| | - Huub H M Rijnaarts
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Nora B Sutton
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
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Aldas-Vargas A, Poursat BAJ, Sutton NB. Potential and limitations for monitoring of pesticide biodegradation at trace concentrations in water and soil. World J Microbiol Biotechnol 2022; 38:240. [PMID: 36261779 PMCID: PMC9581840 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-022-03426-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Pesticides application on agricultural fields results in pesticides being released into the environment, reaching soil, surface water and groundwater. Pesticides fate and transformation in the environment depend on environmental conditions as well as physical, chemical and biological degradation processes. Monitoring pesticides biodegradation in the environment is challenging, considering that traditional indicators, such as changes in pesticides concentration or identification of pesticide metabolites, are not suitable for many pesticides in anaerobic environments. Furthermore, those indicators cannot distinguish between biotic and abiotic pesticide degradation processes. For that reason, the use of molecular tools is important to monitor pesticide biodegradation-related genes or microorganisms in the environment. The development of targeted molecular (e.g., qPCR) tools, although laborious, allowed biodegradation monitoring by targeting the presence and expression of known catabolic genes of popular pesticides. Explorative molecular tools (i.e., metagenomics & metatranscriptomics), while requiring extensive data analysis, proved to have potential for screening the biodegradation potential and activity of more than one compound at the time. The application of molecular tools developed in laboratory and validated under controlled environments, face challenges when applied in the field due to the heterogeneity in pesticides distribution as well as natural environmental differences. However, for monitoring pesticides biodegradation in the field, the use of molecular tools combined with metadata is an important tool for understanding fate and transformation of the different pesticides present in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Aldas-Vargas
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Baptiste A J Poursat
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Nora B Sutton
- Environmental Technology, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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Application of biodegradation in mitigating and remediating pesticide contamination of freshwater resources: state of the art and challenges for optimization. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2016; 100:7361-76. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-7709-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2016] [Revised: 06/26/2016] [Accepted: 06/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Paszko T, Muszyński P, Materska M, Bojanowska M, Kostecka M, Jackowska I. Adsorption and degradation of phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicides in soils: A review. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2016; 35:271-86. [PMID: 26292078 DOI: 10.1002/etc.3212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2015] [Revised: 05/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The primary aim of the present review on phenoxyalkanoic acid herbicides-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid (2,4-D), 2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy) acetic acid (MCPA), (2R)-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) propanoic acid (dichlorprop-P), (2R)-2-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy) propanoic acid (mecoprop-P), 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) butanoic acid (2,4-DB), and 4-(4-chloro-2-methylphenoxy) butanoic acid (MCPB)-was to compare the extent of their adsorption in soils and degradation rates to assess their potential for groundwater contamination. The authors found that adsorption decreased in the sequence of 2,4-DB > 2,4-D > MCPA > dichlorprop-P > mecoprop-P. Herbicides are predominantly adsorbed as anions-on organic matter and through a water-bridging mechanism with adsorbed Fe cations-and their neutral forms are adsorbed mainly on organic matter. Adsorption of anions of 2,4-D, MCPA, dichlorprop-P, and mecoprop-P is inversely correlated with their lipophilicity values, and modeling of adsorption of the compounds based on this relationship is possible. The predominant dissipation mechanism of herbicides in soils is bacterial degradation. The contribution of other mechanisms, such as degradation by fungi, photodegradation, or volatilization from soils, is much smaller. The rate of bacterial degradation decreased in the following order: 2,4-D > MCPA > mecoprop-P > dichlorprop-P. It was found that 2,4-D and MCPA have the lowest potential for leaching into groundwater and that mecoprop-P and dichlorprop-P have slightly higher potential. Because of limited data on adsorption and degradation of 2,4-DB and MCPB, estimation of their leaching potential was not possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tadeusz Paszko
- Department of Chemistry, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland
| | - Paweł Muszyński
- Department of Chemistry, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland
| | | | - Monika Bojanowska
- Department of Chemistry, University of Life Sciences, Lublin, Poland
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Coleman NV. Primers: Functional Genes for Aerobic Chlorinated Hydrocarbon-Degrading Microbes. SPRINGER PROTOCOLS HANDBOOKS 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/8623_2015_91] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Liu YJ, Liu SJ, Drake HL, Horn MA. Consumers of 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acid from agricultural soil and drilosphere harborcadA,r/sdpA, andtfdA-like gene encoding oxygenases. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2013; 86:114-29. [DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2012] [Revised: 03/15/2013] [Accepted: 05/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Shuang-Jiang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources; Institute of Microbiology; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing; China
| | - Harold L. Drake
- Department of Ecological Microbiology; University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth; Germany
| | - Marcus A. Horn
- Department of Ecological Microbiology; University of Bayreuth; Bayreuth; Germany
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Batıoğlu-Pazarbaşı M, Milosevic N, Malaguerra F, Binning PJ, Albrechtsen HJ, Bjerg PL, Aamand J. Discharge of landfill leachate to streambed sediments impacts the mineralization potential of phenoxy acid herbicides depending on the initial abundance of tfdA gene classes. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2013; 176:275-83. [PMID: 23454590 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.01.050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2012] [Revised: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 01/31/2013] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
To understand the role of abundance of tfdA gene classes belonging to β- and γ-proteobacteria on phenoxy acid herbicide degradation, streambed sediments were sampled around three seepage meters (SMs) installed in a landfill-impacted groundwater-surface water interface. Highest herbicide mass discharge to SM3, and lower herbicide mass discharges to SM1 and SM2 were determined due to groundwater discharge rates and herbicide concentrations. SM1-sediment with the lowest abundance of tfdA gene classes had the slowest mineralization, whereas SM2- and SM3-sediments with more abundant tfdA genes had faster mineralization. The observed difference in mineralization rates between discharge zones was simulated by a Monod-based kinetic model, which confirmed the role of abundance of tfdA gene classes. This study suggests presence of specific degraders adapted to slow growth rate and high yield strategy due to long-term herbicide exposure; and thus groundwater-surface water interface could act as a natural biological filter and protect stream water quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meriç Batıoğlu-Pazarbaşı
- Department of Geochemistry, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 Copenhagen K, Denmark.
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