Bioremediation of creosote contaminated soil in both laboratory and field scale: Investigating the ability of methyl-β-cyclodextrin to enhance biostimulation

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. We investigated the bioremediation of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in historically creosote contaminated soil using both laboratory and field scale experiments. We found that nutrient amendments and circulation of methyl-β-cyclodextrin (CD) solution enhanced soil microbial degradation capacity. In the laboratory experiment, the degradation of lower molecular weight, 2-3 ringed PAHs was achieved already by circulating nutrient solution and the use of CD mainly increased the desorption and removal of larger, 4-5 aromatic ringed PAH compounds. The 1% CD concentration was most feasible for bioremediation as most of the extracted PAH compounds were degraded. In the 5% CD treatment, the PAH desorption from soil was too fast compared to the degradation capacity and 25% of the total PAH amount remained in the circulated solution. Similar lab-scale results have been generated earlier, but very little has been done in full field scale, and none in freezing conditions. Although freezing stopped circulation and degradation completely during the winter, PAH degradation returned during the warm period in the field test. Circulation effectiveness was lower than in the laboratory but the improved nutrient and moisture content seemed to be the main reason for decreasing soil PAH concentrations. It also appeared that PAH extraction yield in chemical analysis was increased by the CD treatment in field conditions and the results of CD-treated and non-treated soil may therefore not be directly comparable. Therefore, a positive effect of CD on PAH degradation velocity could not be statistically confirmed in the field test. Based on our results, we recommend initiating the bioremediation of PAH contaminated soil by enhancing the microbial degradation with nutrient amendments. The CD seems to be useful only at the later stage when it increases the solubilisation of strongly absorbed contaminants to some extent. More investigation is also needed of the CD effect on the PAH yield in the chemical analysis

Soil vapor extraction of wet gasoline-contaminated soil made possible by electroosmotic dewatering–lab simulations applied at a field site

© 2017 The Author(s)Purpose: Soil restoration is still mainly carried out ex situ by excavating and replacing the contaminated soil. In situ remediation would reduce the costs of soil transportation and this way, the problem is not merely transferred elsewhere. The present study introduces a field case where the aged, oil-contaminated soil in a former fuel station in Finland was treated in situ sequentially with different methods. Materials and methods: Several approaches, including soil vapor extraction and biostimulation with electrokinetic pumping, were performed in the field. After these treatments, the dense original portion of the soil beneath the gasoline pump location, ca 100 m3, was still contaminated with petroleum-derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs), with concentrations of nearly 10,000 mg kg−1 measured at some hotspots. After a period of electroosmotic water circulation, the electrical field (0.5 V cm−1, DC) was kept connected for 6 months without addition of water, leading to dewatering and warming of the soil. Results and discussion: In contrast to the situation with the original wet soil, VOCs, in lab conditions, were found to volatilize very efficiently from the dewatered soil. When the soil vapor extraction treatment was renewed using perforated tubing installed horizontally at ca 1 m depth in the dewatered soil at the contaminated site, the treatment was efficient and the soil was decontaminated in 5 months. The final VOC concentrations were on average 190 mg kg−1 (n = 13) with the highest value of 700 mg kg−1 at one hotspot. After a risk evaluation, the site was concluded to be sufficiently clean for industrial use. Conclusions: Since with many former fuel stations, the contamination consists of both volatile fractions that are difficult to degrade by biological means and heavier compounds for which biostimulation is often suitable, a combination of different methods may be worth pursuing

Over twenty years farmland reforestation decreases fungal diversity of soils, but stimulates the return of ectomycorrhizal fungal communities

© 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature. Background and Aims: Although soil-inhabiting fungi can affect tree health and biomass production in managed and pristine forests, little is known about the sensitivity of the plant-fungal associations to long-term changes in land use. We aimed to investigate how reforestation of farmlands change soil characteristics and affected the recovery of soil fungal functional guilds. Methods: We examined edaphic conditions and fungal communities (Illumina Sequencing) in three land-use types: primary forests (PF), secondary forests (SF, established over two decades ago) and active farmlands during May, July and September in Wuying, China. Results: Edaphic conditions and general fungal communities varied with land-use. Interestingly, overall fungal diversity was higher in soils at the farmland than at the forested sites, possibly as a result of recurring disturbances (tilling) allowing competitive release as described by the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. Although ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity and richness were marginally higher in PF than in SF, the latter still hosted surprisingly diverse and abundant ectomycorrhizal fungal communities. Conclusions: Reforestation largely restored fungal communities that were still in transition, as their composition in SF was distinct from that in PF. Our results highlight the ability of fungi grown in previously strongly managed agricultural land to rapidly respond to reforestation and thus provide support for forest trees

The abundance of health-associated bacteria is altered in PAH polluted soils-Implications for health in urban areas?

Long-term exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been connected to chronic human health disorders. It is also well-known that i) PAH contamination alters soil bacterial communities, ii) human microbiome is associated with environmental microbiome, and iii) alteration in the abundance of members in several bacterial phyla is associated with adverse or beneficial human health effects. We hypothesized that soil pollution by PAHs altered soil bacterial communities that had known associations with human health. The rationale behind our study was to increase understanding and potentially facilitate reconsidering factors that lead to health disorders in areas characterized by PAH contamination. Large containers filled with either spruce forest soil, pine forest soil, peat, or glacial sand were left to incubate or contaminated with creosote. Biological degradation of PAHs was monitored using GC-MS, and the bacterial community composition was analyzed using 454 pyrosequencing. Proteobacteria had higher and Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes had lower relative abundance in creosote contaminated soils than in non-contaminated soils. Earlier studies have demonstrated that an increase in the abundance of Proteobacteria and decreased abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes are particularly associated with adverse health outcomes and immunological disorders. Therefore, we propose that pollution-induced shifts in natural soil bacterial community, like in PAH-polluted areas, can contribute to the prevalence of chronic diseases. We encourage studies that simultaneously address the classic "adverse toxin effect" paradigm and our novel "altered environmental microbiome" hypothesis.Peer reviewe

Microbial Diversity and Bioactive Substances in Disease Suppressive Composts from India

© 2016 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC. The present study aimed to investigate microbial communities in seven Indian composts and their potential for biocontrol of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. In addition, identification of bioactive substances in disease suppressive composts was also attempted. Composts were chosen based on disease suppressiveness and subjected to molecular microbial analyses. Total genomic DNA from the composts was extracted and amplified with polymerase chain reaction using primers targeting the 18S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes of fungi and bacteria, respectively. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting and DNA sequencing were used to identify the fungal and bacterial targets. Phylogenetic analysis of the fungal 18S rRNA ITS gene sequences showed that phylum Ascomycota was dominant in all composts, while in the bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences, the phylum Proteobacteria was dominant. Some fungi in disease suppressive composts grouped phylogenetically close to F. oxysporum. Bacterial sequences with close similarity (>95% identity) with Actinobacterium showed a strong presence only in disease suppressive composts. Disease suppressive composts formed a separate group in the cluster analysis of 18S rRNA ITS and 16S rRNA gene sequences. Gas chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry was performed with compost extracts to determine if bioactive substances were present in disease suppressive composts. The analysis of compost organic matter showed a negative association of disease suppressiveness with phloroglucinol, sitosterol, and monoenoic fatty acid, while cholesterol and certain organic acids were positively associated with suppressiveness

Yard vegetation is associated with gut microbiota composition

Gut microbes play an essential role in the development and functioning of the human immune system. A disturbed gut microbiota composition is often associated with a number of health disorders including immune-mediated diseases. Differences in host characteristics such as ethnicity, living habit and diet have been used to explain differences in the gut microbiota composition in inter-continental comparison studies. As our previous studies imply that daily skin contact with organic gardening materials modify gut microflora, here we investigated the association between living environment and gut microbiota in a homogenous western population along an urban-rural gradient. We obtained stool samples from 48 native elderly Finns in province Hame in August and November 2015 and identified the bacterial phylotypes using 16S rRNA Illumina MiSeq sequencing. We assumed that yard vegetation and land cover classes surrounding homes explain the stool bacterial community in generalized linear mixed models. Diverse yard vegetation was associated with a reduced abundance of Clostridium sensu stricto and an increased abundance of Faecalibacterium and Prevotellaceae. The abundance of Bacteroides was positively and strongly associated with the built environment. Exclusion of animal owners did not alter the main associations. These results suggest that diverse vegetation around homes is associated with health-related changes in gut microbiota composition. Manipulation of the garden diversity, possibly jointly with urban planning, is a promising candidate for future intervention studies that aim to maintain gut homeostasis. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

The abundance of health-associated bacteria is altered in PAH polluted soils - Implications for health in urban areas?

© 2017 Parajuli et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Long-term exposure to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been connected to chronic human health disorders. It is also well-known that i) PAH contamination alters soil bacterial communities, ii) human microbiome is associated with environmental microbiome, and iii) alteration in the abundance of members in several bacterial phyla is associated with adverse or beneficial human health effects. We hypothesized that soil pollution by PAHs altered soil bacterial communities that had known associations with human health. The rationale behind our study was to increase understanding and potentially facilitate reconsidering factors that lead to health disorders in areas characterized by PAH contamination. Large containers filled with either spruce forest soil, pine forest soil, peat, or glacial sand were left to incubate or contaminated with creosote. Biological degradation of PAHs was monitored using GC-MS, and the bacterial community composition was analyzed using 454 pyrosequencing. Proteobacteria had higher and Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes had lower relative abundance in creosote contaminated soils than in non-contaminated soils. Earlier studies have demonstrated that an increase in the abundance of Proteobacteria and decreased abundance of the phyla Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes are particularly associated with adverse health outcomes and immunological disorders. Therefore, we propose that pollution-induced shifts in natural soil bacterial community, like in PAH-polluted areas, can contribute to the prevalence of chronic diseases. We encourage studies that simultaneously address the classic “adverse toxin effect” paradigm and our novel “altered environmental microbiome” hypothesis

Reviewing, indicating, and counting books for modern research evaluation systems

In this chapter, we focus on the specialists who have helped to improve the conditions for book assessments in research evaluation exercises, with empirically based data and insights supporting their greater integration. Our review highlights the research carried out by four types of expert communities, referred to as the monitors, the subject classifiers, the indexers and the indicator constructionists. Many challenges lie ahead for scholars affiliated with these communities, particularly the latter three. By acknowledging their unique, yet interrelated roles, we show where the greatest potential is for both quantitative and qualitative indicator advancements in book-inclusive evaluation systems.Comment: Forthcoming in Glanzel, W., Moed, H.F., Schmoch U., Thelwall, M. (2018). Springer Handbook of Science and Technology Indicators. Springer Some corrections made in subsection 'Publisher prestige or quality

Soil biota in boreal urban greenspace : Responses to plant type and age

Plant functional type influences the abundance and distribution of soil biota. With time, as root systems develop, such effects become more apparent. The relationship of plant type and time with the structure and abundance of soil microbial and invertebrate communities has been widely investigated in a variety of systems. However, much less is known about long-term soil community dynamics within the context of urban environments. In this study, we investigated how soil microbes, nematodes and earthworms respond to different plant functional types (lawns only and lawns with deciduous or evergreen trees) and park age in 41 urban parks in southern Finland. As non-urban controls we included deciduous and evergreen trees in 5 forest sites. We expected that microbial biomass and the relative abundance of fungi over bacteria would increase with time. We also expected major differences in soil microbial and nematode communities depending on vegetation: we hypothesized that i) the presence of trees, and evergreens in particular, would support a greater abundance of fungi and fungal-feeding nematodes over bacteria and bacterial-feeding nematodes and ii) the fungi to bacteria ratio would be lowest in lawns, with deciduous trees showing intermediate values. In contrast to our predictions, we showed that old deciduous trees, rather than evergreens, supported the highest fungal abundances and fungal-feeding nematodes in the soil. Consistent with our predictions, microbial biomass in urban park soils tended to increase with time, whereas - in contrast to our hypotheses - fungal-feeding nematode abundance declined. Even in the oldest parks included in the current study, microbial biomass estimates never approximated those in the minimally managed natural forests, where biomass estimates were three times higher. Anecic earthworm abundance also increased with time in urban parks, whereas abundances of fungal-feeding, plant-feeding and omnivorous nematodes, as well as those of epigeic and endogeic earthworms remained constant with time and without any distinct differences between urban parks and the control forests. Our findings highlight that although urban park soils harbor diverse soil communities and considerable microbial biomass, they are distinct from adjacent natural sites in community composition and biomass.Peer reviewe