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Shao B, Niu L, Xie YG, Zhang R, Wang W, Xu X, Sun J, Xing D, Lee DJ, Ren N, Hua ZS, Chen C. Overlooked in-situ sulfur disproportionation fuels dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in sulfur-based system: Novel insight of nitrogen recovery. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 257:121700. [PMID: 38705068 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121700] [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: 02/28/2024] [Revised: 04/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Sulfur-based denitrification is a promising technology in treatments of nitrate-contaminated wastewaters. However, due to weak bioavailability and electron-donating capability of elemental sulfur, its sulfur-to-nitrate ratio has long been low, limiting the support for dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) process. Using a long-term sulfur-packed reactor, we demonstrate here for the first time that DNRA in sulfur-based system is not negligible, but rather contributes a remarkable 40.5 %-61.1 % of the total nitrate biotransformation for ammonium production. Through combination of kinetic experiments, electron flow analysis, 16S rRNA amplicon, and microbial network succession, we unveil a cryptic in-situ sulfur disproportionation (SDP) process which significantly facilitates DNRA via enhancing mass transfer and multiplying 86.7-210.9 % of bioavailable electrons. Metagenome assembly and single-copy gene phylogenetic analysis elucidate the abundant genomes, including uc_VadinHA17, PHOS-HE36, JALNZU01, Thiobacillus, and Rubrivivax, harboring complete genes for ammonification. Notably, a unique group of self-SDP-coupled DNRA microorganism was identified. This study unravels a previously concealed fate of DNRA, which highlights the tremendous potential for ammonium recovery and greenhouse gas mitigation. Discovery of a new coupling between nitrogen and sulfur cycles underscores great revision needs of sulfur-driven denitrification technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Li Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Yuan-Guo Xie
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Ruochen Zhang
- School of Civil and Transportation, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, PR China
| | - Wei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Xijun Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Jianxing Sun
- School of Minerals Processing and Bioengineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, PR China
| | - Defeng Xing
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Duu-Jong Lee
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong, PR China; Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Yuan Ze University, Chung-li 32003, Taiwan
| | - Nanqi Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Zheng-Shuang Hua
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Chuan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China.
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2
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Li X, Zhao J, Lu Z, Zhou J, Zhang W, Hu B. Role of sulfide on DNRA distribution and the microbial community structure in a sulfide-driven nitrate reduction process. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2024; 31:28803-28813. [PMID: 38564127 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-32912-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Microbial nitrate reduction processes involve two competing pathways: denitrification (DEN) and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). This study investigated the distribution of DNRA in a sole sulfur-driven nitrogen conversion process using a laboratory-scale sequencing biofilm batch reactor (SBBR) through a series of batch tests with varying sulfide/nitrate (S/N) ratios. The results showed that DNRA became more dominant in the sulfide-oxidizing autotrophic denitrification (SOAD) process as the S/N ratio increased to 1.5:1, 1.7:1, and 2:1, reaching a peak of 35.3% at the S/N ratio of 1.5:1. Oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) patterns demonstrated distinct inflection points for nitrate and nitrite consumption under the SOAD-only conditions, whereas these points overlapped when DNRA coexisted with SOAD. Analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA identified Ignavibacterium, Hydrogenophaga, and Geobacter as the dominant genera responsible for DNRA during autotrophic nitrate reduction. The findings of the DNRA divergence investigation provided valuable insights into enhancing biological nitrogen removal processes, particularly when coupled with the anammox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Li
- Key Laboratory of Water Supply & Sewage Engineering, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, School of Civil Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Jianqiang Zhao
- School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710064, China.
| | - Zhaolin Lu
- Southwest Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute of China, Chengdu, 610084, China
| | - Juncai Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Water Supply & Sewage Engineering, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, School of Civil Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Wenbo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Water Supply & Sewage Engineering, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, School of Civil Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Bo Hu
- Key Laboratory of Water Supply & Sewage Engineering, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, School of Civil Engineering, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710054, China
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3
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Wang W, Root CW, Peel HF, Garza M, Gidley N, Romero-Mariscal G, Morales-Paredes L, Arenazas-Rodríguez A, Ticona-Quea J, Vanneste J, Vanzin GF, Sharp JO. Photosynthetic pretreatment increases membrane-based rejection of boron and arsenic. WATER RESEARCH 2024; 252:121200. [PMID: 38309061 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2024.121200] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024]
Abstract
The metalloids boron and arsenic are ubiquitous and difficult to remove during water treatment. As chemical pretreatment using strong base and oxidants can increase their rejection during membrane-based nanofiltration (NF), we examined a nature-based pretreatment approach using benthic photosynthetic processes inherent in a unique type of constructed wetland to assess whether analogous gains can be achieved without the need for exogenous chemical dosing. During peak photosynthesis, the pH of the overlying clear water column above a photosynthetic microbial mat (biomat) that naturally colonizes shallow, open water constructed wetlands climbs from circumneutral to approximately 10. This biological increase in pH was reproduced in a laboratory bioreactor and resulted in analogous increases in NF rejection of boron and arsenic that is comparable to chemical dosing. Rejection across the studied pH range was captured using a monoprotic speciation model. In addition to this mechanism, the biomat accelerated the oxidation of introduced arsenite through a combination of abiotic and biotic reactions. This resulted in increases in introduced arsenite rejection that eclipsed those achieved solely by pH. Capital, operation, and maintenance costs were used to benchmark the integration of this constructed wetland against chemical dosing for water pretreatment, manifesting long-term (sub-decadal) economic benefits for the wetland-based strategy in addition to social and environmental benefits. These results suggest that the integration of nature-based pretreatment approaches can increase the sustainability of membrane-based and potentially other engineered treatment approaches for challenging water contaminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weishi Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA; Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Colin Wilson Root
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA; Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Henry F Peel
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA
| | - Maximilian Garza
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA
| | - Nicholas Gidley
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA
| | - Giuliana Romero-Mariscal
- Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru; Facultad de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa. Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Lino Morales-Paredes
- Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Formales, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa. Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Armando Arenazas-Rodríguez
- Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru; Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa. Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Juana Ticona-Quea
- Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Formales, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa. Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Johan Vanneste
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA; Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Gary F Vanzin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA; Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru
| | - Jonathan O Sharp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 1500 Illinois St., Golden, CO 80401, USA; Center for Mining Sustainability (Centro para Minería Sostenible), Colorado School of Mines and Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Santa Catalina 117, Arequipa 04001, Peru; Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA.
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Chen X, Wang G, Sheng Y, Liao F, Mao H, Li B, Zhang H, Qiao Z, He J, Liu Y, Lin Y, Yang Y. Nitrogen species and microbial community coevolution along groundwater flowpath in the southwest of Poyang Lake area, China. CHEMOSPHERE 2023; 329:138627. [PMID: 37031839 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138627] [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: 01/11/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate and ammonia overload in groundwater can lead to eutrophication of surface water in areas where surface water is recharged by groundwater. However, this process remained elusive due to the complicated groundwater N cycling, which is governed by the co-evolution of hydrogeochemical conditions and N-cycling microbial communities. Herein, this process was studied along a generalized groundwater flowpath in Ganjing Delta, Poyang Lake area, China. From groundwater recharge to the discharge area near the lake, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), NO3-N, and NO2-N decreased progressively, while NH3-N, total organic carbon (TOC), Fe2+, sulfide, and TOC/NO3- ratio accumulated in the lakeside samples. The anthropogenic influences such as sewage and agricultural activities drove the nitrate distribution, as observed by Cl- vs. NO3-/Cl- ratio and isotopic composition of nitrate. The hydrogeochemical evolution was intimately coupled with the changes in microbial communities. Variations in microbial community structures was significantly explained by Fe2+, NH3-N, and sulfide, while TOC/NO3- controlled the distribution of predicted N cycling gene. The absence of NH3-N in groundwater upstream was accompanied by the enrichment in Acinetobacter capable of nitrification and aerobic denitrification. These two processes were also supported by Ca2+ + Mg2+ vs. HCO3- ratio and isotopic composition of NO3-. The DNRA process downstream was revealed by both the presence of DNRA-capable microbes such as Arthrobacter and the isotopic composition of NH4+ in environments with high concentrations of NH3-N, TOC/NO3-, Fe2+, and sulfide. This coupled evolution of N cycling and microbial community sheds new light on the N biogeochemical cycle in areas where surface water is recharged by groundwater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianglong Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Guangcai Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China.
| | - Yizhi Sheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China.
| | - Fu Liao
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Hairu Mao
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Bo Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Hongyu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Zhiyuan Qiao
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Jiahui He
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Yingxue Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Yilun Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
| | - Ying Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology & MOE Key Laboratory of Groundwater Circulation and Environment Evolution, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China; School of Water Resources and Environment, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, PR China
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5
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Yang Z, Acker SM, Brady AR, Rodríguez AA, Paredes LM, Ticona J, Mariscal GR, Vanzin GF, Ranville JF, Sharp JO. Heavy metal removal by the photosynthetic microbial biomat found within shallow unit process open water constructed wetlands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 876:162478. [PMID: 36871713 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Nature-based solutions offer a sustainable alternative to labor and chemical intensive engineered treatment of metal-impaired waste streams. Shallow, unit process open water (UPOW) constructed wetlands represent a novel design where benthic photosynthetic microbial mats (biomat) coexist with sedimentary organic matter and inorganic (mineral) phases, creating an environment for multiple-phase interactions with soluble metals. To query the interplay of dissolved metals with inorganic and organic fractions, biomat was harvested from two distinct systems: the demonstration-scale UPOW within the Prado constructed wetlands complex ("Prado biomat", 88 % inorganic) and a smaller pilot-scale system ("Mines Park (MP) biomat", 48 % inorganic). Both biomats accumulated detectable background concentrations of metals of toxicological concern (Zn, Cu, Pb, and Ni) by assimilation from waters that did not exceed regulatory thresholds for these metals. Augmentation in laboratory microcosms with a mixture of these metals at ecotoxicologically relevant concentrations revealed a further capacity for metal removal (83-100 %). Experimental concentrations encapsulated the upper range of surface waters in the metal-impaired Tambo watershed in Peru, where a passive treatment technology such as this could be applied. Sequential extractions demonstrated that metal removal by mineral fractions is more important in Prado than MP biomat, possibly due to a higher proportion and mass of iron and other minerals from Prado-derived materials. Geochemical modeling using PHREEQC suggests that in addition to sorption/surface complexation of metals to mineral phases (modeled as iron (oxyhydr)oxides), diatom and bacterial functional groups (carboxyl, phosphoryl, and silanol) also play an important role in soluble metal removal. By comparing sequestered metal phases across these biomats with differing inorganic content, we propose that sorption/surface complexation and incorporation/assimilation of both inorganic and organic constituents of the biomat play a dominant role in metal removal potential by UPOW wetlands. This knowledge could be applied to passively treat metal impaired waters in analogous and remote regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaoxun Yang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America; Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America
| | - Sarah M Acker
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America; Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America
| | - Adam R Brady
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America
| | - Armando Arenazas Rodríguez
- Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America; Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Lino Morales Paredes
- Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Formales, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Juana Ticona
- Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America; Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Formales, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Giuliana Romero Mariscal
- Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America; Facultad de Ingeniería de Procesos, Universidad Nacional de San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
| | - Gary F Vanzin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America; Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America
| | - James F Ranville
- Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America; Department of Chemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America
| | - Jonathan O Sharp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America; Center for Mining Sustainability, United States of America; Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States of America.
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Tan C, Zhang W, Wei Y, Zhao N, Li J. Insights into nitrogen removal and microbial response of marine anammox bacteria-based consortia treating saline wastewater: From high to moderate and low salinities. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2023; 382:129220. [PMID: 37217147 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Marine anammox bacteria (MAB) have promising nitrogen removal performance in high saline wastewater treatment. Nevertheless, the impact resulting from moderate and low salinities on MAB is still unclear. Herein, MAB were applied to treat saline wastewater from high to moderate and low salinities for the first time. Independent of salinities (35-3.5 g/L), MAB consistently exhibited good nitrogen removal performance, and maximum total nitrogen removal rate (0.97 kg/(m3·d)) occurred at 10.5 g/L salts. More extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) were secreted by MAB-based consortia to resist hypotonic surroundings. However, a sharp EPS decrease was accompanied by the collapse of MAB-driven anammox process, and MAB granules disintegrated due to long-term exposure to salt-free environment. The relative abundance of MAB varied from 10.7% to 15.9% and 3.8% as salinity decreased from 35 to 10.5 and 0 g/L salts. These findings will provide practical implementation of MAB-driven anammox process treating wastewater with different salinities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Tan
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Weidong Zhang
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Yunna Wei
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Na Zhao
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Jin Li
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China.
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Vega MAP, Scholes RC, Brady AR, Daly RA, Narrowe AB, Vanzin GF, Wrighton KC, Sedlak DL, Sharp JO. Methane-Oxidizing Activity Enhances Sulfamethoxazole Biotransformation in a Benthic Constructed Wetland Biomat. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7240-7253. [PMID: 37099683 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c09314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Ammonia monooxygenase and analogous oxygenase enzymes contribute to pharmaceutical biotransformation in activated sludge. In this study, we hypothesized that methane monooxygenase can enhance pharmaceutical biotransformation within the benthic, diffuse periphytic sediments (i.e., "biomat") of a shallow, open-water constructed wetland. To test this hypothesis, we combined field-scale metatranscriptomics, porewater geochemistry, and methane gas fluxes to inform microcosms targeting methane monooxygenase activity and its potential role in pharmaceutical biotransformation. In the field, sulfamethoxazole concentrations decreased within surficial biomat layers where genes encoding for the particulate methane monooxygenase (pMMO) were transcribed by a novel methanotroph classified as Methylotetracoccus. Inhibition microcosms provided independent confirmation that methane oxidation was mediated by the pMMO. In these same incubations, sulfamethoxazole biotransformation was stimulated proportional to aerobic methane-oxidizing activity and exhibited negligible removal in the absence of methane, in the presence of methane and pMMO inhibitors, and under anoxia. Nitrate reduction was similarly enhanced under aerobic methane-oxidizing conditions with rates several times faster than for canonical denitrification. Collectively, our results provide convergent in situ and laboratory evidence that methane-oxidizing activity can enhance sulfamethoxazole biotransformation, with possible implications for the combined removal of nitrogen and trace organic contaminants in wetland sediments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A P Vega
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Rachel C Scholes
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Adam R Brady
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Rebecca A Daly
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Adrienne B Narrowe
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Gary F Vanzin
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Kelly C Wrighton
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - David L Sedlak
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jonathan O Sharp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
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Scalable and customizable parallel flow-through reactors to quantify biological processes related to contaminant attenuation by photosynthetic wetland microbial mats. MethodsX 2023; 10:102074. [PMID: 36865651 PMCID: PMC9971053 DOI: 10.1016/j.mex.2023.102074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Shallow, unit process open water wetlands harbor a benthic microbial mat capable of removing nutrients, pathogens, and pharmaceuticals at rates that rival or exceed those of more traditional systems. A deeper understanding of the treatment capabilities of this non-vegetated, nature-based system is currently hampered by experimentation limited to demonstration-scale field systems and static lab-based microcosms that integrate field-derived materials. This limits fundamental mechanistic knowledge, extrapolation to contaminants and concentrations not present at current field sites, operational optimization, and integration into holistic water treatment trains. Hence, we have developed stable, scalable, and tunable laboratory reactor analogs that offer the capability to manipulate variables such as influent rates, aqueous geochemistry, light duration, and light intensity gradations within a controlled laboratory environment. The design is composed of an experimentally adaptable set of parallel flow-through reactors and controls that can contain field-harvested photosynthetic microbial mats ("biomat") and could be adapted for analogous photosynthetically active sediments or microbial mats. The reactor system is contained within a framed laboratory cart that integrates programable LED photosynthetic spectrum lights. Peristaltic pumps are used to introduce specified growth media, environmentally derived, or synthetic waters at a constant rate, while a gravity-fed drain on the opposite end allows steady-state or temporally variable effluent to be monitored, collected, and analyzed. The design allows for dynamic customization based on experimental needs without confounding environmental pressures and can be easily adapted to study analogous aquatic, photosynthetically driven systems, particularly where biological processes are contained within benthos. The diel cycles of pH and dissolved oxygen (DO) are used as geochemical benchmarks for the interplay of photosynthetic and heterotrophic respiration and likeness to field systems. Unlike static microcosms, this flow-through system remains viable (based on pH and DO fluctuations) and has at present been maintained for more than a year with original field-based materials.•Lab-scale flow-through reactors enable controlled and accessible exploration of shallow, open water constructed wetland function and applications.•The footprint and operating parameters minimize resources and hazardous waste while allowing for hypothesis-driven experiments.•A parallel negative control reactor quantifies and minimizes experimental artifacts.
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9
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Diao M, Balkema C, Suárez-Muñoz M, Huisman J, Muyzer G. Succession of bacteria and archaea involved in the nitrogen cycle of a seasonally stratified lake. FEMS Microbiol Lett 2023; 370:7043454. [PMID: 36796795 PMCID: PMC9990978 DOI: 10.1093/femsle/fnad013] [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: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Human-driven changes affect nutrient inputs, oxygen solubility, and the hydrodynamics of lakes, which affect biogeochemical cycles mediated by microbial communities. However, information on the succession of microbes involved in nitrogen cycling in seasonally stratified lakes is still incomplete. Here, we investigated the succession of nitrogen-transforming microorganisms in Lake Vechten over a period of 19 months, combining 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and quantification of functional genes. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) and anammox bacteria were abundant in the sediment during winter, accompanied by nitrate in the water column. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria and denitrifying bacteria emerged in the water column in spring when nitrate was gradually depleted. Denitrifying bacteria containing nirS genes were exclusively present in the anoxic hypolimnion. During summer stratification, abundances of AOA, AOB, and anammox bacteria decreased sharply in the sediment, and ammonium accumulated in hypolimnion. After lake mixing during fall turnover, abundances of AOA, AOB, and anammox bacteria increased and ammonium was oxidized to nitrate. Hence, nitrogen-transforming microorganisms in Lake Vechten displayed a pronounced seasonal succession, which was strongly determined by the seasonal stratification pattern. These results imply that changes in stratification and vertical mixing induced by global warming are likely to alter the nitrogen cycle of seasonally stratified lakes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhe Diao
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Cherel Balkema
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - María Suárez-Muñoz
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Jef Huisman
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard Muyzer
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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10
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Vega MAP, Scholes RC, Brady AR, Daly RA, Narrowe AB, Bosworth LB, Wrighton KC, Sedlak DL, Sharp JO. Pharmaceutical Biotransformation is Influenced by Photosynthesis and Microbial Nitrogen Cycling in a Benthic Wetland Biomat. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:14462-14477. [PMID: 36197061 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
In shallow, open-water engineered wetlands, design parameters select for a photosynthetic microbial biomat capable of robust pharmaceutical biotransformation, yet the contributions of specific microbial processes remain unclear. Here, we combined genome-resolved metatranscriptomics and oxygen profiling of a field-scale biomat to inform laboratory inhibition microcosms amended with a suite of pharmaceuticals. Our analyses revealed a dynamic surficial layer harboring oxic-anoxic cycling and simultaneous photosynthetic, nitrifying, and denitrifying microbial transcription spanning nine bacterial phyla, with unbinned eukaryotic scaffolds suggesting a dominance of diatoms. In the laboratory, photosynthesis, nitrification, and denitrification were broadly decoupled by incubating oxic and anoxic microcosms in the presence and absence of light and nitrogen cycling enzyme inhibitors. Through combining microcosm inhibition data with field-scale metagenomics, we inferred microbial clades responsible for biotransformation associated with membrane-bound nitrate reductase activity (emtricitabine, trimethoprim, and atenolol), nitrous oxide reduction (trimethoprim), ammonium oxidation (trimethoprim and emtricitabine), and photosynthesis (metoprolol). Monitoring of transformation products of atenolol and emtricitabine confirmed that inhibition was specific to biotransformation and highlighted the value of oscillating redox environments for the further transformation of atenolol acid. Our findings shed light on microbial processes contributing to pharmaceutical biotransformation in open-water wetlands with implications for similar nature-based treatment systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael A P Vega
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), https://www.renuwit.org
| | - Rachel C Scholes
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), https://www.renuwit.org
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Adam R Brady
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), https://www.renuwit.org
| | - Rebecca A Daly
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Adrienne B Narrowe
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - Lily B Bosworth
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), https://www.renuwit.org
- Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
| | - Kelly C Wrighton
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, United States
| | - David L Sedlak
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), https://www.renuwit.org
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jonathan O Sharp
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
- NSF Engineering Research Center for Reinventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt), https://www.renuwit.org
- Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, Colorado 80401, United States
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11
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Spataru P. Influence of organic ammonium derivatives on the equilibria between NH 4+, NO 2- and NO 3- ions in the Nistru River water. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13505. [PMID: 35931731 PMCID: PMC9355948 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17568-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The toxic effects of ammonium derivatives in the river water depend dramatically on their natural or synthetic origins and on their chemical structures. It has been proved that 1-naphtylamine (1-NA) and diphenylamine (DPA) breaking impact on the ammonium oxidation and especially on nitrite ions oxidation processes in natural waters is associated with its toxicity. The NH4+ oxidation process slows down for about five days and ten days in river water samples with 0.5 mg/L DPA and corresponding 0.5 mg/L 1-NA. The NO2− oxidation delay in model samples of river water with 0.025 and 0.05 mg/L 1-NA, is four days and 35 days in the one with 0.5 mg/L 1-NA. For the sample with 0.05 mg/L DPA the delay of the NO2− oxidation is approximately of six days and 25 days for sample with 0.5 mg/L, DPA. The laboratory simulations have revealed: (1) absorption–desorption, the micro biotic reaction to the instantaneous increase of the concentration of ammonium ion in the river water (so-called shock/stress effect) and (2) the NH4+ increase stimulated by a certain (0.05 mg/L) concentration of 1-NA.The diethylamine (DEA) decomposition leads to increasing with approximately 3.8 mg/L NH4+ in river water samples of 20.0 mg/L DEA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petru Spataru
- Institute of Chemistry of the Republic of Moldova, 3 Academiei str, Chisinau, MD-2028, Republic of Moldova.
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12
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Li S, Jiang Z, Ji G. Effect of sulfur sources on the competition between denitrification and DNRA. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2022; 305:119322. [PMID: 35447253 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The fate of nitrogen is controlled by the competition between nitrate reduction pathways. Denitrification removes nitrogen in the system to the atmosphere, whereas dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonia (DNRA) retains nitrate in the form of ammonia. Different microbes specialize in the oxidation of different electron donors, thus electron donors might influence the outcomes of the competition. Here, we investigated the fate of nitrate with five forms of sulfur as electron donors. Chemoautotrophic nitrate reduction did not continue after the passages of the enrichments with sulfide, sulfite and pyrite. Nitrate reduction rate was the highest in the enrichment with thiosulfate. Denitrification was stimulated and no DNRA was observed with thiosulfate, while both denitrification and DNRA were stimulated with elemental sulfur. Metagenomes of the enrichments were assembled and binned into ten genomes. The enriched populations with thiosulfate included Thiobacillus, Lentimicrobium, Sulfurovum and Hydrogenophaga, all of which contained genes involved in sulfur oxidation. Elemental sulfur-based DNRA was performed by Thiobacillus (with NrfA and NirB) and Nocardioides (with only NirB). Our study established a link between sulfur sources, nitrate reduction pathways and microbial populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengjie Li
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Department of Environmental Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Zhuo Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Department of Environmental Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Guodong Ji
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education, Department of Environmental Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China.
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13
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Meng T, Wei Q, Yang Y, Cai Z. The influences of soil sulfate content on the transformations of nitrate and sulfate during the reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) process. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 818:151766. [PMID: 34801506 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The transformations and products of sulfate (SO42-) and nitrate (NO3-), especially the influences of SO42- content on the transformations during RSD process, are unclear. In this study, a series of soil SO42- contents (from 333 to 3000 mg S kg-1) were prepared before RSD treatment. The results indicated that nearly all the cumulative NO3- (>98.6%) was removed and not affected by the soil SO42- content. The 15N recovery results showed that 0.57-1.24% and 2.94-4.59% of NO3- translated into ammonium (NH4+) and organic N, respectively, and high SO42- contents stimulated the processes of NO3- dissimilatory reduction and NO3- immobilization. The soluble SO42- contents decreased by 397-922 mg S kg-1, but the contents of total sulfur, sulfide, and sulfate precipitation varied slightly after RSD, indicating that the decreased SO42- was mainly immobilized into organic sulfur in all soils. In addition, a fraction of decreased SO42- was adsorbed to the soil with a relatively high SO42- content. The leaching of SO42- was high (42.9-602 mg S kg-1) during the RSD process, and the leaching amounts increased with increasing soil SO42- content. In terms of the gases emitted from the transformations of NO3- and SO42-, the cumulative emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and six sulfurous gases (hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide, and dimethyl disulfide) were in the ranges of 17.1-21.2 mg N kg-1 and 7.78-23.5 μg S kg-1, respectively, during the whole RSD process. The emissions of sulfurous gases were inhibited by high soil SO42- content, but the N2O emissions were unaffected. In conclusion, the soil SO42- content influenced the transformations of NO3- and SO42- during RSD process, and the SO42- leaching and N2O emissions might threaten the environment which should be concerned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianzhu Meng
- College of Agriculture Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211106, China.
| | - Qi Wei
- College of Agriculture Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 211106, China
| | - Yanju Yang
- School of Geography Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
| | - Zucong Cai
- School of Geography Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; Zhongke Clean Soil (Guangzhou) Technology Service Co., Ltd., Guangzhou 510000, China.
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14
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Li X, Zhao J, Zhang Y, He J, Ma K, Liu C. Role of organic/sulfide ratios on competition of DNRA and denitrification in a co-driven sequencing biofilm batch reactor. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:18793-18804. [PMID: 34699005 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17058-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) are two competing pathways in nitrate-reducing process. In this study, a series of C/S ratios from 8:1 to 2:4 were investigated in a sequencing biofilm batch reactor (SBBR) to determine the role of reducers (sulfide and acetate) on their competition. The results showed that the proportion of DNRA increased in high electron system, either in organic-rich system or in sulfide-rich system. The highest DNRA ratio increased to 16.4% at the C/S ratio of 2:3. Excess electron donors, particularly sulfide, were favorable for DNRA in a limited nitrate environment. Moreover, a higher reductive environment could facilitate DNRA, especially, when ORP was lower than - 400 mV in this system. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis demonstrated that Geobacter might be the important participant involved in DNRA process in organic-rich system, while Desulfomicrobium might be the dominant DNRA bacteria in sulfide-rich system. DNRA cultivation could enrich nitrogen conversion pathways in conventional denitrification systems and deepen the insight into nitrogen removal at low C/N.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoling Li
- School of Civil Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water Supply &, Sewage Engineering Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Jianqiang Zhao
- School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710055, China.
| | - Yuhao Zhang
- School of Water and Environment, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710055, China
| | - Jiaojie He
- School of Civil Engineering, Key Laboratory of Water Supply &, Sewage Engineering Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Chang'an University, Xi'an, 710054, China
| | - Kaili Ma
- School of Environment, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, 453000, China
| | - Chunshuang Liu
- College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, 266580, China
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15
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Cecchetti AR, Stiegler AN, Gonthier EA, Bandaru SRS, Fakra SC, Alvarez-Cohen L, Sedlak DL. Fate of Dissolved Nitrogen in a Horizontal Levee: Seasonal Fluctuations in Nitrate Removal Processes. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2022; 56:2770-2782. [PMID: 35077168 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c07512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Horizontal levees are a nature-based approach for removing nitrogen from municipal wastewater effluent while simultaneously providing additional benefits, such as flood control. To assess nitrogen removal mechanisms and the efficacy of a horizontal levee, we monitored an experimental system receiving nitrified municipal wastewater effluent for 2 years. Based on mass balances and microbial gene abundance data, we determined that much of the applied nitrogen was most likely removed by heterotrophic denitrifiers that consumed labile organic carbon from decaying plants and added wood chips. Fe(III) and sulfate reduction driven by decay of labile organic carbon also produced Fe(II) sulfide minerals. During winter months, when heterotrophic activity was lower, strong correlations between sulfate release and nitrogen removal suggested that autotrophic denitrifiers oxidized Fe(II) sulfides using nitrate as an electron acceptor. These trends were seasonal, with Fe(II) sulfide minerals formed during summer fueling denitrification during the subsequent winter. Overall, around 30% of gaseous nitrogen losses in the winter were attributable to autotrophic denitrifiers. To predict long-term nitrogen removal, we developed an electron-transfer model that accounted for the production and consumption of electron donors. The model indicated that the labile organic carbon released from wood chips may be capable of supporting nitrogen removal from wastewater effluent for several decades with sulfide minerals, decaying vegetation, and root exudates likely sustaining nitrogen removal over a longer timescale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan R Cecchetti
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Angela N Stiegler
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Emily A Gonthier
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Siva R S Bandaru
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Sirine C Fakra
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Lisa Alvarez-Cohen
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - David L Sedlak
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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16
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Fida TT, Sharma M, Shen Y, Voordouw G. Microbial sulfite oxidation coupled to nitrate reduction in makeup water for oil production. CHEMOSPHERE 2021; 284:131298. [PMID: 34175514 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131298] [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: 01/21/2021] [Revised: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Bisulfite is used as an oxygen scavenger in waters used for oil production to prevent oxygen-mediated pipeline corrosion. Analysis of nitrate-containing water injected with ammonium bisulfite indicated increased concentrations of ammonium, sulfate and nitrite. To understand the microbial process causing these changes, water samples were used in enrichments with bisulfite and nitrate. Oxidation of bisulfite, reduction of nitrate, change in microbial community composition and corrosivity of bisulfite were determined. The results indicated that the microbial community was dominated by Sulfuricurvum, a sulfite-oxidizing nitrate-reducing bacterium (StONRB). Plating of the enriched StONRB culture yielded the bacterial isolate Sulfuricurvum sp. TK005, which coupled bisulfite oxidation with nitrate reduction to form sulfate and nitrite. Bisulfite also induced chemical corrosion of carbon steel at a rate of 0.28 ± 0.18 mm yr-1. Bisulfite and the generated sulfate could serve as electron acceptors for sulfate-reducing microorganisms (SRM), which reduce sulfate and bisulfite to sulfide. Nitrate is frequently injected to injection waters to contain the activity of SRM in oil reservoirs. This study suggests an alternative bisulfite injection procedure: Injection of nitrate after the chemical reaction of bisulfite with oxygen is completed. This could maintain the oxygen scavenger function of bisulfite and SRM inhibitory activity of nitrate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tekle Tafese Fida
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Mohita Sharma
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Yin Shen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Gerrit Voordouw
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada
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17
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Biochar and Zeolite as Alternative Biofilter Media for Denitrification of Aquaculture Effluents. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13192703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
Denitrification processes are crucial in aquaculture as they convert the undesirable nitrate to safer forms of nitrogen. Conventionally, plastic media are used for the biofiltration of wastewater. However, alternative media may be as effective/better than plastic and enhance the sustainability of the system. This study evaluated biochar and zeolite as alternatives for the denitrification of aquaculture effluents. Triplicates of laboratory-scale bioreactors were fabricated to compare the denitrification efficiencies of biochar and zeolite to that of plastic. The bioreactors were fed synthetic aquaculture wastewater having nitrate loading rates of 50, 125, and 150 mg/L. Zeolite exhibited highest values of surface roughness in terms of arithmetic mean height (0.89 µm), maximum height (6.52 µm), and root-mean-square height (1.17 µm), as corroborated by surface profilometry and scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed that under pseudo-steady-state conditions, zeolite displayed the highest nitrate removal efficiency (maximum 95.02 ± 0.01%), which was followed by biochar and plastic (maximum 92.91 ± 0.01% and 92.57 ± 0.02%, respectively) due to its extraordinary surface roughness that provided better adhesion to the bacteria. However, by the end of the study, all the media exhibited comparable rates. Thus, both zeolite and biochar are sustainable alternatives of biomedia for nitrate removal. However, time and labor constraints must be accounted for to scale-up such bioreactors.
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18
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Biomat Resilience to Desiccation and Flooding Within a Shallow, Unit Process Open Water Engineered Wetland. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13060815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Projections of increased hydrological extremes due to climate change heighten the need to understand and improve the resilience of our water infrastructure. While constructed natural treatment analogs, such as raingardens, wetlands, and aquifer recharge, hold intuitive promise for variable flows, the impacts of disruption on water treatment processes and outcomes are not well understood and limit widespread adoption. To this end, we studied the impact of desiccation and flooding extremes on demonstration-scale shallow, unit process open water (UPOW) wetlands designed for water treatment. System resilience was evaluated as a function of physical characteristics, nitrate removal, photosynthetic activity, and microbial ecology. Rehydrated biomat that had been naturally desiccated re-established nitrate removal consistent with undisrupted biomat in less than a week; however, a pulse of organic carbon and nitrogen accompanied the initial rehydration phase. Conversely, sediment intrusion due to flooding had a negative impact on the biomat’s photosynthetic activity and decreased nitrate attenuation rates by nearly 50%. Based upon past mechanistic inferences, attenuation potential for trace organics is anticipated to follow similar trends as nitrate removal. While the microbial community was significantly altered in both extremes, our results collectively suggest that UPOW wetlands have potential for seasonal or intermittent use due to their promise of rapid re-establishment after rehydration. Flooding extremes and associated sediment intrusion provide a greater barrier to system resilience indicating a need for proactive designs to prevent this outcome; however, residual treatment potential after disruption could provide operators with time to triage and manage the system should a flood occur again.
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Abstract
Nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) colonize diverse anoxic environments, including soil subsurface, groundwater, and wastewater. NRB and SRB compete for resources, and their interplay has major implications on the global cycling of nitrogen and sulfur species, with undesirable outcomes in some contexts. Competition between nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) for resources in anoxic environments is generally thought to be governed largely by thermodynamics. It is now recognized that intermediates of nitrogen and sulfur cycling (e.g., hydrogen sulfide, nitrite, etc.) can also directly impact NRB and SRB activities in freshwater, wastewater, and sediment and therefore may play important roles in competitive interactions. Here, through comparative transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, we have uncovered mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide- and cysteine-mediated inhibition of nitrate respiratory growth for the NRB Intrasporangium calvum C5. Specifically, the systems analysis predicted that cysteine and hydrogen sulfide inhibit growth of I. calvum C5 by disrupting distinct steps across multiple pathways, including branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) biosynthesis, utilization of specific carbon sources, and cofactor metabolism. We have validated these predictions by demonstrating that complementation with BCAAs and specific carbon sources relieves the growth inhibitory effects of cysteine and hydrogen sulfide. We discuss how these mechanistic insights give new context to the interplay and stratification of NRB and SRB in diverse environments. IMPORTANCE Nitrate-reducing bacteria (NRB) and sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) colonize diverse anoxic environments, including soil subsurface, groundwater, and wastewater. NRB and SRB compete for resources, and their interplay has major implications on the global cycling of nitrogen and sulfur species, with undesirable outcomes in some contexts. For instance, the removal of reactive nitrogen species by NRB is desirable for wastewater treatment, but in agricultural soils, NRB can drive the conversion of nitrates from fertilizers into nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Similarly, the hydrogen sulfide produced by SRB can help sequester and immobilize toxic heavy metals but is undesirable in oil wells where competition between SRB and NRB has been exploited to suppress hydrogen sulfide production. By characterizing how reduced sulfur compounds inhibit growth and activity of NRB, we have gained systems-level and mechanistic insight into the interplay of these two important groups of organisms and drivers of their stratification in diverse environments.
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Wang Q, Rogers MJ, Ng SS, He J. Fixed nitrogen removal mechanisms associated with sulfur cycling in tropical wetlands. WATER RESEARCH 2021; 189:116619. [PMID: 33232815 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Wetland ecosystems play an important role in nitrogen cycling, yet the role of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in tropical wetlands remains unclear. In the current study the anammox process accounted for 29.8 ~ 57.3% of nitrogen loss in ex situ activity batch tests of microcosms established from anoxic sediments of different tropical wetlands, with the highest activity being 17.95±0.51 nmol-N/g dry sediment/h. This activity was most likely driven by sulfide oxidation with dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (sulfide-driven DNRA). Microbial community analyses revealed a variety of anammox bacteria related to several known lineages, including Candidatus Anammoximicrobium, Candidatus Brocadia and Candidatus Kuenenia, at different wetlands. Metagenome predictions, batch tests, and isotope-tracing suggested that the high level of anammox activity was due to sulfide-driven DNRA. This was corroborated by a strong correlation (through Pearson's analysis) between the abundance of anammox bacteria and the nrfA (a dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium gene) and dsrA (a sulfate reductase gene) genes, as well as sulfate, ammonium and nitrate concentrations. These correlations suggest syntrophic interactions among sulfate-reducing, sulfide-driven DNRA, and anammox bacterial populations. A better understanding of the role of sulfur in nitrogen loss via the anammox reaction in natural systems could inform development of a viable wastewater treatment strategy that utilizes sulfate to minimize the activity of denitrifying bacteria and thus to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from wastewater treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingkun Wang
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 Singapore
| | - Matthew James Rogers
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 Singapore
| | - Sir Sing Ng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 Singapore
| | - Jianzhong He
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117576 Singapore.
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21
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Sabu EA, Gonsalves MJ, Sreepada RA, Shivaramu MS, Ramaiah N. Evaluation of the Physiological Bacterial Groups in a Tropical Biosecured, Zero-Exchange System Growing Whiteleg Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2021; 81:335-346. [PMID: 32880700 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01575-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
To elucidate the individual and multiple roles of physiological bacterial groups involved in biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur, the changes in the abundance of aerobic bacteria (heterotrophs, methane oxidizers, ammonia oxidizers, sulfur oxidizers, phosphate solubilizers, phosphate accumulators) and anaerobic bacteria (total anaerobes, nitrate reducers, denitrifiers and sulfate reducers) were investigated in a biosecured, zero-exchange system stocked with whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei for one production cycle. Key water quality parameters during the 96-day production cycle fell within the normal range for L. vannamei culture. Results of Spearman's correlation matrix revealed that different sets of variables correlated at varying levels of significance of the interrelationships between bacterial abundances and water quality parameters. The three nitrogenous species (ammonia, nitrite and nitrate) strongly influenced the physiological bacterial groups' abundance. The strong relationship of bacterial groups with phytoplankton biomass and abundance clearly showed the trophic interconnections in nutrient exchange/recycling. Canonical correspondence analysis performed to assess the total variation revealed that the three dissolved nitrogen species followed by salinity, temperature, phytoplankton biomass and pH collectively accounted for as much as 82% of the total variation. In conclusion, the results of the study revealed that the major drivers that interweaved biogeochemical cycles are the three dissolved nitrogen species, which microbially mediated various aerobic-anaerobic assimilation/dissimilation processes in the pond ecosystem. Considering the pond microbial ecology becoming an important management tool where applied research could improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the aquaculture industry, the findings of the present study are practically relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elaine A Sabu
- Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India
- School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa, 403 206, India
| | - Maria Judith Gonsalves
- Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India.
| | - R A Sreepada
- Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India
| | - Mamatha S Shivaramu
- Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India
- Department of Food Protectants & Infestation Control, CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, Karnataka, 570 020, India
| | - N Ramaiah
- Biological Oceanography Division, CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403 004, India
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22
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Nie WB, Ding J, Xie GJ, Yang L, Peng L, Tan X, Liu BF, Xing DF, Yuan Z, Ren NQ. Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane Coupled with Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Fuels Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2021; 55:1197-1208. [PMID: 33185425 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c02664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-DAMO) is critical for mitigating methane emission and returning reactive nitrogen to the atmosphere. The genomes of n-DAMO archaea show that they have the potential to couple anaerobic oxidation of methane to dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA). However, physiological details of DNRA for n-DAMO archaea were not reported yet. This work demonstrated n-DAMO archaea coupling the anaerobic oxidation of methane to DNRA, which fueled Anammox in a methane-fed membrane biofilm reactor with nitrate as only electron acceptor. Microelectrode analysis revealed that ammonium accumulated where nitrite built up in the biofilm. Ammonium production and significant upregulation of gene expression for DNRA were detected in suspended n-DAMO culture with nitrite exposure, indicating that nitrite triggered DNRA by n-DAMO archaea. 15N-labeling batch experiments revealed that n-DAMO archaea produced ammonium from nitrate rather than from external nitrite. Localized gradients of nitrite produced by n-DAMO archaea in biofilms induced ammonium production via the DNRA process, which promoted nitrite consumption by Anammox bacteria and in turn helped n-DAMO archaea resist stress from nitrite. As biofilms predominate in various ecosystems, anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled with DNRA could be an important link between the global carbon and nitrogen cycles that should be investigated in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Bo Nie
- School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73, Huanghe Road, Nangang, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Jie Ding
- School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73, Huanghe Road, Nangang, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Guo-Jun Xie
- School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73, Huanghe Road, Nangang, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Lu Yang
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Lai Peng
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Xin Tan
- School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73, Huanghe Road, Nangang, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Bing-Feng Liu
- School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73, Huanghe Road, Nangang, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China
| | - De-Feng Xing
- School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73, Huanghe Road, Nangang, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China
| | - Zhiguo Yuan
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - Nan-Qi Ren
- School of Environment, State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 73, Huanghe Road, Nangang, Harbin 150090, Heilongjiang, China
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23
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Delgado Vela J, Bristow LA, Marchant HK, Love NG, Dick GJ. Sulfide alters microbial functional potential in a methane and nitrogen cycling biofilm reactor. Environ Microbiol 2020; 23:1481-1495. [PMID: 33295079 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Cross-feeding of metabolites between coexisting cells leads to complex and interconnected elemental cycling and microbial interactions. These relationships influence overall community function and can be altered by changes in substrate availability. Here, we used isotopic rate measurements and metagenomic sequencing to study how cross-feeding relationships changed in response to stepwise increases of sulfide concentrations in a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor that was fed with methane and ammonium. Results showed that sulfide: (i) decreased nitrite oxidation rates but increased ammonia oxidation rates; (ii) changed the denitrifying community and increased nitrous oxide production; and (iii) induced dissimilatory nitrite reduction to ammonium (DNRA). We infer that inhibition of nitrite oxidation resulted in higher nitrite availability for DNRA, anammox, and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation. In other words, sulfide likely disrupted microbial cross-feeding between AOB and NOB and induced cross-feeding between AOB and nitrite reducing organisms. Furthermore, these cross-feeding relationships were spatially distributed between biofilm and planktonic phases of the reactor. These results indicate that using sulfide as an electron donor will promote N2 O and ammonium production, which is generally not desirable in engineered systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeseth Delgado Vela
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Laura A Bristow
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | | | - Nancy G Love
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Gregory J Dick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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24
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Pandey CB, Kumar U, Kaviraj M, Minick KJ, Mishra AK, Singh JS. DNRA: A short-circuit in biological N-cycling to conserve nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 738:139710. [PMID: 32544704 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This paper reviews dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) in soils - a newly appreciated pathway of nitrogen (N) cycling in the terrestrial ecosystems. The reduction of NO3- occurs in two steps; in the first step, NO3- is reduced to NO2-; and in the second, unlike denitrification, NO2- is reduced to NH4+ without intermediates. There are two sets of NO3-/NO2- reductase enzymes, i.e., Nap/Nrf and Nar/Nir; the former occurs on the periplasmic-membrane and energy conservation is respiratory via electron-transport-chain, whereas the latter is cytoplasmic and energy conservation is both respiratory and fermentative (Nir, substrate-phosphorylation). Since, Nir catalyzes both assimilatory- and dissimilatory-nitrate reduction, the nrfA gene, which transcribes the NrfA protein, is treated as a molecular-marker of DNRA; and a high nrfA/nosZ (N2O-reductase) ratio favours DNRA. Recently, several crystal structures of NrfA have been presumed to producee N2O as a byproduct of DNRA via the NO (nitric-oxide) pathway. Meta-analyses of about 200 publications have revealed that DNRA is regulated by oxidation state of soils and sediments, carbon (C)/N and NO2-/NO3- ratio, and concentrations of ferrous iron (Fe2+) and sulfide (S2-). Under low-redox conditions, a high C/NO3- ratio selects for DNRA while a low ratio selects for denitrification. When the proportion of both C and NO3- are equal, the NO2-/NO3- ratio modulates partitioning of NO3-, and a high NO2-/NO3- ratio favours DNRA. A high S2-/NO3- ratio also promotes DNRA in coastal-ecosystems and saline sediments. Soil pH, temperature, and fine soil particles are other factors known to influence DNRA. Since, DNRA reduces NO3- to NH4+, it is essential for protecting NO3- from leaching and gaseous (N2O) losses and enriches soils with readily available NH4+-N to primary producers and heterotrophic microorganisms. Therefore, DNRA may be treated as a tool to reduce ground-water NO3- pollution, enhance soil health and improve environmental quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- C B Pandey
- ICAR-Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur 342003, Rajasthan, India.
| | - Upendra Kumar
- ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753006, Odisha, India.
| | - Megha Kaviraj
- ICAR-National Rice Research Institute, Cuttack 753006, Odisha, India
| | - K J Minick
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - A K Mishra
- International Rice Research Institute, New Delhi 110012, India
| | - J S Singh
- Ecosystem Analysis Lab, Centre of Advanced Study in Botany, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi 221005, India
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25
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Seasonal bacterial community dynamics in a crude oil refinery wastewater treatment plant. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2019; 103:9131-9141. [DOI: 10.1007/s00253-019-10130-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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26
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Wenk J, Nguyen MT, Nelson KL. Natural Photosensitizers in Constructed Unit Process Wetlands: Photochemical Characterization and Inactivation of Pathogen Indicator Organisms. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2019; 53:7724-7735. [PMID: 31149822 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b01180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is a natural photosensitizer that contributes to the inactivation of microbial pathogens. In constructed treatment wetlands with open water areas DOM can promote sunlight disinfection of wastewater effluent, but a better understanding of DOM spectroscopic and photochemical properties and how they are impacted by different unit process wetlands is needed to inform design. The goals of this study were: (1) to investigate whether DOM isolates realistically represent the photochemistry of the source DOM in its original water and (2) to observe how changes of DOM along a treatment wetland affect its photochemistry, including pathogen inactivation. A pilot scale unit process wetland was studied that consisted of three different cells (open water, cattail, and bulrush) fed by secondary wastewater effluent. DOM was isolated using solid-phase extraction (SPE), photochemically characterized, and compared to the original water samples and standard DOMs. For MS2 coliphage, a virus indicator, the most efficient photosensitizer was the wastewater DOM isolated from the influent of the wetland, while for the bacterial indicator Enterococcus faecalis, inactivation results were comparable across wetland isolates. SPE resulted in isolation of 47% to 59% of whole water DOM and enriched for colored DOM. Singlet oxygen precursors were efficiently isolated, while some excited triplet state precursors remained in the extraction discharge. DOM processing indicators such as SUVA254, SUVA280, and spectral slopes including E2/ E3 ratios were reflected in the isolates. Photoinactivation of MS2 was significantly lower in both the reconstituted water samples and isolates compared to the original water sample, possibly due to disturbance of the trans-molecular integrity of DOM molecules by SPE that affects distance between MS2 and DOM sites with locally higher singlet oxygen production. For E. faecalis, results were similar in original water samples and isolates. Higher sorption of DOM to E. faecalis was roughly correlated with higher photoinactivation rates. To enhance sunlight disinfection in unit process wetlands, there is no advantage to placing open water cells after vegetated cells, as passage through the vegetated cells led to increased light absorption and lower singlet oxygen and triplet-state quantum yields and steady state concentrations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jannis Wenk
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering , University of California , Berkeley , California 94720-1710 , United States
- Re-Inventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt) Engineering Research Center (ERC) , University of California , Berkeley , California 94720-1710 , United States
| | - Mi T Nguyen
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering , University of California , Berkeley , California 94720-1710 , United States
- Re-Inventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt) Engineering Research Center (ERC) , University of California , Berkeley , California 94720-1710 , United States
| | - Kara L Nelson
- Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering , University of California , Berkeley , California 94720-1710 , United States
- Re-Inventing the Nation's Urban Water Infrastructure (ReNUWIt) Engineering Research Center (ERC) , University of California , Berkeley , California 94720-1710 , United States
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27
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Chen L, Liu S, Chen Q, Zhu G, Wu X, Wang J, Li X, Hou L, Ni J. Anammox response to natural and anthropogenic impacts over the Yangtze River. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 665:171-180. [PMID: 30772546 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2018] [Revised: 01/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Increasing attention has been paid to anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) in river ecosystems due to their special role in the global nitrogen cycle from land to the ocean. This study have revealed the spatial patterns of anammox bacterial response to geographic characteristics and dam operation along the Yangtze River, using 15N tracers and molecular analyses of microbial communities in sediment samples over a 4300 km continuum. Here we found a significant temperature-related increase in anammox bacterial abundance and alpha diversity from mountainous area in the upper, fluvial plain area in the middle and lower reach, to the river mouth. In contrast, an opposite trend in anammox contribution to N2 production (ra) was observed down the Yangtze River due to enhanced denitrification induced by spatial heterogeneity of total organic carbon. Interestingly, the Three Gorges Dam resulted in an intensive erosion and thus a change from muddy to sandy sediments within 400 km downstream the dam, which readjusted the anammox community characterized with a decreased bacterial diversity and enhanced anammox contribution to nitrogen loss. Our study highlights the importance of natural and anthropogenic impacts on anammox bacterial community and function in a complex large river ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Chen
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China; College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Sitong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China; College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
| | - Qian Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, Qinghai, China
| | - Guibing Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Environmental Aquatic Quality, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Xuan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China; College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Jiawen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China; College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xiaofei Li
- East China Normal University, State Key Lab Estuarine & Coastal Research, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Lijun Hou
- East China Normal University, State Key Lab Estuarine & Coastal Research, Shanghai 200062, China
| | - Jinren Ni
- Key Laboratory of Water and Sediment Sciences, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing 100871, China; College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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28
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Zhu G, Wang S, Wang C, Zhou L, Zhao S, Li Y, Li F, Jetten MSM, Lu Y, Schwark L. Resuscitation of anammox bacteria after >10,000 years of dormancy. THE ISME JOURNAL 2019; 13:1098-1109. [PMID: 30504897 PMCID: PMC6461854 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Water is essential for life on Earth, and an important medium for microbial energy and metabolism. Dormancy is a state of low metabolic activity upon unfavorable conditions. Many microorganisms can switch to a metabolically inactive state after water shortage, and recover once the environmental conditions become favorable again. Here, we resuscitated dormant anammox bacteria from dry terrestrial ecosystems after a resting period of >10 ka by addition of water without any other substrates. Isotopic-tracer analysis showed that water induced nitrate reduction yielding sufficient nitrite as substrate and energy for activating anammox bacteria. Subsequently, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) provided the substrate ammonium for anammox bacteria. The ammonium and nitrite formed were used to produce dinitrogen gas. High throughput sequencing and network analysis identified Brocadia as the dominant anammox species and a Jettenia species seemed to connect the other community members. Under global climate change, increasing precipitation and soil moisture may revive dormant anammox bacteria in arid soils and thereby impact global nitrogen and carbon cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guibing Zhu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Shanyun Wang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liguang Zhou
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Siyan Zhao
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yixiao Li
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fangbai Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Agro-environmental Pollution Control and Management, Guangdong Institute of Eco-environmental Sciences and Technology, Guangzhou, 510650, China
| | - Mike S M Jetten
- Department of Microbiology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Yonglong Lu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lorenz Schwark
- Institute for Geosciences, University of Kiel, D-24098, Kiel, Germany.
- WA-OIGC, Department of Chemistry, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
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29
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Coban O, Williams M, Bebout BM. Mechanisms of nitrogen attenuation from seawater by two microbial mats. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 147:373-381. [PMID: 30326399 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.09.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 09/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Microbial mats, due to their high microbial diversity, have the potential to express most biogeochemical cycling processes, highlighting their prospective use in bioremediation of various environmental contaminants. In this study the mechanisms of nitrogen attenuation were investigated in naturally occurring microbial mats from Elkhorn Slough, Monterey Bay, CA, USA, and Baja California Sur, Mexico. Key processes responsible for this removal were evaluated using quantification of functional genes related to nitrification, denitrification, and nitrogen fixation. Both microbial mats were capable of removing high (up to 2 mM) concentrations of ammonium and nitrate. Ammonium assimilation rates measured for Elkhorn Slough mats showed that this process was responsible for most of the ammonium uptake in these mats. While Elkhorn Slough mats did not show any evidence of nitrogen removal pathways other than microbial assimilation, Baja mats exhibited the potential for nitrification, denitrification, and DNRA as well as assimilation. The results of this study demonstrate the potential of microbial mats for bioremediation of nitrogenous pollutants independent of the mechanisms responsible for their removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oksana Coban
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA.
| | - MiKalley Williams
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
| | - Brad M Bebout
- Exobiology Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, 94035, USA
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30
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Gu Z, Li Y, Yang Y, Xia S, Hermanowicz SW, Alvarez-Cohen L. Inhibition of anammox by sludge thermal hydrolysis and metagenomic insights. BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY 2018; 270:46-54. [PMID: 30212773 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2018.08.132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) would be a feasible treatment method for thermal hydrolysis processed sidestream (THPS). Short-term study revealed that the 1/20 diluted THPS caused a 28% decrease of specific anammox activity. The MBR achieved a volumetric nitrogen loading rate of 3.64 kg/(m3·d) with undiluted regular sidestream (RS) fed, while the reactor crashed with 70% diluted THPS as feed. The ratio of produced NO3--N to consumed NH4+-N also decreased compared with RS feeding. Candidatus brocadia was the major anammox bacteria species with the average abundance of 33.3% (synthetic wastewater), 6.42% (RS) and 2.51% (THPS). The abundances of metagenome bins for dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) increased in the system with THPS compared with RS. The reason for the inhibition of anammox by THPS could be the high content of organic carbon in THPS, which caused the over-population of heterotrophic bacteria, i.e. DNRA bacteria, leading to anammox bacteria washout.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaoli Gu
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Yuan Li
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Yifeng Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Siqing Xia
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China; Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China.
| | - Slawomir W Hermanowicz
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Lisa Alvarez-Cohen
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, 1239 Siping Road, Shanghai 200092, China; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Beganskas S, Gorski G, Weathers T, Fisher AT, Schmidt C, Saltikov C, Redford K, Stoneburner B, Harmon R, Weir W. A horizontal permeable reactive barrier stimulates nitrate removal and shifts microbial ecology during rapid infiltration for managed recharge. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 144:274-284. [PMID: 30048866 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
We present results from field experiments linking hydrology, geochemistry, and microbiology during infiltration at a field site that is used for managed aquifer recharge (MAR). These experiments measured how a horizontal permeable reactive barrier (PRB) made of woodchips impacted subsurface nitrate removal and microbial ecology. Concentrations of dissolved organic carbon consistently increased in infiltrating water below the PRB, but not in un-amended native soil. The average nitrate removal rate in soils below the PRB was 1.5 g/m2/day NO3-N, despite rapid infiltration (up to 1.9 m/d) and a short fluid residence time within the woodchips (≤6 h). In contrast, 0.09 g/m2/day NO3-N was removed on average in native soil. Residual nitrate in infiltrating water below the PRB was enriched in δ15N and δ18O, with low and variable isotopic enrichment factors that are consistent with denitrification during rapid infiltration. Many putative denitrifying bacteria were significantly enhanced in the soil below a PRB; Methylotenera mobilis and genera Microbacterium, Polaromonas, and Novosphingobium had log2 fold-changes of +4.9, +5.6, +7.2, and +11.8, respectively. These bacteria were present before infiltration and were not enhanced in native soil. It appears that the woodchip PRB contributed to favorable conditions in the underlying soil for enhanced nitrate removal, quantitatively shifting soil microbial ecology. These results suggest that using a horizontal PRB could improve water quality during rapid infiltration for MAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Beganskas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA.
| | - Galen Gorski
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Tess Weathers
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Andrew T Fisher
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Calla Schmidt
- Environmental Science, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA
| | - Chad Saltikov
- Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Kaitlyn Redford
- Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Brendon Stoneburner
- Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Ryan Harmon
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Walker Weir
- Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
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32
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Wells NS, Kappelmeyer U, Knöller K. Anoxic nitrogen cycling in a hydrocarbon and ammonium contaminated aquifer. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 142:373-382. [PMID: 29908465 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.06.005] [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: 02/15/2018] [Revised: 06/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/02/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Nitrogen fate and transport through contaminated groundwater systems, where N is both ubiquitous and commonly limits pollutant attenuation, must be re-evaluated given evidence for new potential microbial N pathways. We addressed this by measuring the isotopic composition of dissolved inorganic N (DIN = NH4+, NO2-, and NO3-) and N functional gene abundances (amoA, nirK, nirS, hszA) from 20 to 38 wells across an NH4+, hydrocarbon, and SO42- contaminated aquifer. In-situ N attenuation was confirmed on three sampling dates (0, +6, +12 months) by the decreased [DIN] (4300 - 40 μM) and increased δ15N-DIN (5‰-33‰) over the flow path. However, the assumption of negligible N attenuation within the plume was complicated by the presence of alternative electron acceptors (SO42-, Fe3+), both oxidizing and reducing functional genes, and N oxides within this anoxic zone. Active plume N cycling was corroborated using an NO2- dual isotope based model, which found the fastest (∼10 day) NO2- turnover within the N and electron donor rich central plume. Findings suggest that N cycling is not always O2 limited within chemically complex contaminated aquifers, though this cycling may recycle the N species rather than attenuate N.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi S Wells
- Dept. of Catchment Hydrology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser Str. 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany; Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, School of Environment, Science & Engineering, Southern Cross University, Military Rd, Lismore, 2480, NSW, Australia.
| | - Uwe Kappelmeyer
- Dept. of Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Permoserstr. 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kay Knöller
- Dept. of Catchment Hydrology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser Str. 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany
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Wang S, Wang W, Liu L, Zhuang L, Zhao S, Su Y, Li Y, Wang M, Wang C, Xu L, Zhu G. Microbial Nitrogen Cycle Hotspots in the Plant-Bed/Ditch System of a Constructed Wetland with N 2O Mitigation. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:6226-6236. [PMID: 29750509 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Artificial microbial nitrogen (N) cycle hotspots in the plant-bed/ditch system were developed and investigated based on intact core and slurry assays measurement using isotopic tracing technology, quantitative PCR and high-throughput sequencing. By increasing hydraulic retention time and periodically fluctuating water level in heterogeneous riparian zones, hotspots of anammox, nitrification, denitrification, ammonium (NH4+) oxidation, nitrite (NO2-) oxidation, nitrate (NO3-) reduction and DNRA were all stimulated at the interface sediments, with the abundance and activity being about 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than those in nonhotspots. Isotopic pairing experiments revealed that in microbial hotspots, nitrite sources were higher than the sinks, and both NH4+ oxidation (55.8%) and NO3- reduction (44.2%) provided nitrite for anammox, which accounted for 43.0% of N-loss and 44.4% of NH4+ removal in riparian zones but did not involve nitrous oxide (N2O) emission risks. High-throughput analysis identified that bacterial quorum sensing mediated this anammox hotspot with B.fulgida dominating the anammox community, but it was B. anammoxidans and Jettenia sp. that contributed more to anammox activity. In the nonhotspot zones, the NO2- source (NO3- reduction dominated) was lower than the sink, limiting the effects on anammox. The in situ N2O flux measurement showed that the microbial hotspot had a 27.1% reduced N2O emission flux compared with the nonhotspot zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanyun Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Weidong Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Lu Liu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Linjie Zhuang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Siyan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Yu Su
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Yixiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Mengzi Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Cheng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Liya Xu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
| | - Guibing Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing , China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
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Jones ZL, Mikkelson KM, Nygren S, Sedlak DL, Sharp JO. Establishment and convergence of photosynthetic microbial biomats in shallow unit process open-water wetlands. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 133:132-141. [PMID: 29407695 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2018.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2017] [Revised: 12/23/2017] [Accepted: 01/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The widespread adoption of engineered wetlands designed for water treatment is hindered by uncertainties in system reliability, resilience and management associated with coupled biological and physical processes. To better understand how shallow unit process open-water wetlands self-colonize and evolve, we analyzed the composition of the microbial community in benthic biomats from system establishment through approximately 3 years of operation. Our analysis was conducted across three parallel demonstration-scale (7500 m2) cells located within the Prado Constructed Wetlands in Southern California. They received water from the Santa Ana River (5.9 ± 0.2 mg/L NO3-N), a water body where the flow is dominated by municipal wastewater effluent from May to November. Phylogenetic inquiry and microscopy confirmed that diatoms and an associated aerobic bacterial community facilitated early colonization. After approximately nine months of operation, coinciding with late summer, an anaerobic community emerged with the capability for nitrate attenuation. Varying the hydraulic residence time (HRT) from 1 to 4 days the subsequent year resulted in modest ecological changes across the three parallel cells that were most evident in the outlet regions of the cells. The community that established at this time was comparatively stable for the remaining years of operation and converged with one that had previously formed approximately 550 km (350 miles) away in a pilot-scale (400 m2) wetland in Northern California. That system received denitrified (20.7 ± 0.7 mg/L NO3-N), secondary treated municipal wastewater for 5 years of operation. Establishment of a core microbiome between the two systems revealed a strong overlap of both aerobic and anaerobic taxa with approximately 50% of the analyzed bacterial sequences shared between the two sites. Additionally the same species of diatom, Stauirsa construens var. venter, was prolific in both systems as the putative dominant primary producer. Our results indicate that despite differences in scale, geographic location and source waters, the shallow open-water wetland design can select for a rapid convergence of microbial structure and functionality associated with the self-colonizing benthic biomat. This resulting biomat matures over the first growing season with operational parameters such as HRT further exerting a modest selective bias on community succession.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zackary L Jones
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, United States; Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hydrologic Science & Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States
| | - Kristin M Mikkelson
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, United States; Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hydrologic Science & Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States
| | - Scott Nygren
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, United States; Orange County Water District, Fountain Valley, CA 92708, United States
| | - David L Sedlak
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, United States; Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, United States
| | - Jonathan O Sharp
- ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center, United States; Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hydrologic Science & Engineering Program, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, United States.
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35
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Huang C, Liu WZ, Li ZL, Zhang SM, Chen F, Yu HR, Shao SL, Nan J, Wang AJ. High recycling efficiency and elemental sulfur purity achieved in a biofilm formed membrane filtration reactor. WATER RESEARCH 2018; 130:1-12. [PMID: 29306789 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2017.10.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2017] [Revised: 10/04/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Elemental sulfur (S0) is always produced during bio-denitrification and desulfurization process, but the S0 yield and purification quality are too low. Till now, no feasible approach has been carried out to efficiently recover S0. In this study, we report the S0 generation and recovery by a newly designed, compact, biofilm formed membrane filtration reactor (BfMFR), where S0 was generated within a Thauera sp. strain HDD-formed biofilm on membrane surface, and then timely separated from the biofilm through membrane filtration. The high S0 generation efficiency (98% in average) was stably maintained under the operation conditions with the influent acetate, nitrate and sulfide concentration of 115, 120 and 100 mg/L, respectively, an initial inoculum volume of approximate 2.4 × 108 cells, and a membrane pore size of 0.45 μm. Under this condition, the sulfide loading approached 62.5 kg/m3·d, one of the highest compared with the previous reports, demonstrating an efficient sulfide removal and S0 generation capacity. Particular important, a solid analysis of the effluent revealed that the recovered S0 was adulterated with barely microorganisms, extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs), or inorganic chemicals, indicating a fairly high S0 recovery purity. Membrane biofilm analysis revealed that 80.7% of the generated S0 was accomplished within 45-80 μm of biofilm from the membrane surface and while, the complete membrane fouling due to bacteria and EPSs was generally observed after 14-16 days. The in situ generation and timely separation of S0 from the bacterial group by BfMFR, effectively avoids the sulfur circulation (S2- to S0, S0 to SO42-, SO42- to HS-) and guarantees the high S0 recovery efficiency and purity, is considered as a feasible approach for S0 recovery from sulfide- and nitrate-contaminated wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Wen-Zong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China
| | - Zhi-Ling Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China.
| | - Shu-Ming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Fan Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Hua-Rong Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Sen-Lin Shao
- School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, PR China
| | - Jun Nan
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China
| | - Ai-Jie Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, PR China.
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