Actinomycetes in Environmental Applications

Peer reviewe

Microbial conversion of sewage sludge into raw material for PHA plastic : In: Biocircular economy in Päijät-Häme. Examples from 2020s

Biopolymeerit, kuten polyhydroksyalkanoaatit (PHA), ovat tärkeitä vaihtoehtoja öljyperäisille polymeereille, koska ne ovat 100 % biohajoavia, silti kestäviä ja kierrättävät hiiltä. Niille on ympäristöystävällisiä valmistusprosesseja sekä valtava määrä eri käyttöalueita kulutushyödykkeistä lääketieteeseen

Sonication Effects on Atrazine Dissipation in Vadose Zone Sediment Slurries

Herbicide atrazine easily leaches to groundwater, where it is persistent. We studied whether sonication accelerates atrazine dissipation (100 mg·L−1) in vadose zone sediment slurries. Sediments were from 11.3 to 14.6 m depths in an atrazine-contaminated groundwater area. The slurries and autoclave-sterilized slurries were sonicated (bath, 43 kHz, 320 W) for 0, 5, 10, 20, or 30 min once/twice a day, and atrazine concentrations were followed. Atrazine concentrations raised in the sterilized slurries sonicated twice a day for 10 min (86.0 ± 7.7 mg·L−1), while they remained low in the slurries (56.6 ± 10.9 mg·L−1) due to microbial degradation. Twice a day sonications for 20–30 min did not enhance microbial atrazine degradation. Chemical dissipation may have occurred in the sterilized slurries sonicated twice a day for 30 min. However, sonication did not decrease atrazine concentrations below those in the non-sonicated slurries (55.1 ± 7.8 mg·L−1) and sterilized slurries (67.1 ± 7.9 mg·L−1). Atrazine concentrations in the sterilized slurries were higher than in the slurries, indicating changes in sediment structure and adsorption due to autoclaving. Sonication parameters needed for releasing atrazine from interactions with particles may be close to those damaging microbial cells. This suggests difficulties in enhancing microbial atrazine degradation by sonication, though chemical degradation can be enhanced.Peer reviewe

Exposure to bacterial and fungal bioaerosols in facilities processing biodegradable waste

The aim of the study was to determine the exposure of workers within biodegradable waste processing facilities to bacteria and fungi to identify any exposures of potential concern to health. Occupational measurements were performed in six composting and three bioenergy (bioethanol or methane/biogas) producing facilities. Bioaerosols were measured from breathing zones with Button aerosol or open face cassette filter samplers, and swab specimens were taken from the nasal mucous membranes of the workers. Aspergillus fumigatus, Bacillus cereus group, Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Streptomyces spp., and Yersinia spp. were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). A. fumigatus, and mesophilic and thermophilic actinobacteria were also cultivated fromfilters. Bacterial airborne endotoxins collected by IOM samplers were analyzed using a Limulus assay.mBioaerosol levels were high, especially in composting compared to bioenergy producing facilities. Endotoxin concentrations in composting often exceeded the occupational exposure value of 90 EU/m3, which may be harmful to the health. In addition to endotoxins, the concentrations of A. fumigatus (up to 2.4 × 105 copies/m3) and actinobacteria/Streptomyces spp. (up to 1.6 × 106 copies/m3) in the air of composting facilities were often high. Microbial and endotoxin concentrations were typically highest in waste reception and pre-treatment, equal or decreased during processing and handling of treated waste, and lowest in wheel loader cabins and control rooms/outdoors. Still, the parameters measured in wheel loader cabins were often higher than in the control sites, which suggests that the use of preventive measures could be improved. B. cereus group, Salmonella spp., and Yersinia spp. were rarely detected in bioaerosols or nasal swabs. Although Campylobacter spp. DNA was rarely detected in air, as a new finding, Campylobacter ureolyticus DNA was frequently detected in the nasal mucous membranes of workers, based on partial 16S rDNA sequencing. Moreover, especially A. fumigatus and C. ureolyticus spp. DNA concentrations in swabs after the work shift were significantly higher than before the shift, which indicates their inhalation or growth during the work shift. Microbial qPCR analysis of bioaerosols and swab samples of nasal mucosa allowed measuring exposure in various work operations and during the work shift, identifying problems for health risk assessment to improve working conditions, and evaluating the eectiveness of preventive measures and personal protection of workers.Peer reviewe

Improved Short-Term Microbial Degradation in Circulating Water Reducing High Stagnant Atrazine Concentrations in Subsurface Sediments

The triazine herbicide atrazine easily leaches with water through soil layers into groundwater, where it is persistent. Its behavior during short-term transport is poorly understood, and there is no in situ remediation method for it. The aim of this study was to investigate whether water circulation, or circulation combined with bioaugmentation (Pseudomonas sp. ADP, or four isolates from atrazine-contaminated sediments) alone or with biostimulation (Na-citrate), could enhance atrazine dissipation in subsurface sediment–water systems. Atrazine concentrations (100 mg L−1) in the liquid phase of sediment slurries and in the circulating water of sediment columns were followed for 10 days. Atrazine was rapidly degraded to 53–64 mg L−1 in the slurries, and further to 10–18 mg L−1 in the circulating water, by the inherent microbes of sediments collected from 13.6 m in an atrazine-contaminated aquifer. Bioaugmentation without or with biostimulation had minor effects on atrazine degradation. The microbial number simultaneously increased in the slurries from 1.0 × 103 to 0.8–1.0 × 108 cfu mL−1, and in the circulating water from 0.1–1.0 × 102 to 0.24–8.8 × 104 cfu mL−1. In sediments without added atrazine, the cultivable microbial numbers remained low at 0.82–8.0 × 104 cfu mL−1 in the slurries, and at 0.1–2.8 × 103 cfu mL−1 in the circulating water. The cultivated microorganisms belonged to the nine genera Acinetobacter, Burkholderia, Methylobacterium, Pseudomonas, Rhodococcus, Sphingomonas, Streptomyces, Variovorax and Williamsia; i.e., biodiversity was low. Water flow through the sediments released adsorbed and complex-bound atrazine for microbial degradation, though the residual concentration of 10–64 mg L−1 was high and could contaminate large groundwater volumes from a point source, e.g., during heavy rain or flooding

Evaluation of the factors limiting biogas production in full-scale processes and increasing the biogas production efficiency

Biogas production from sewage sludge volatile solids (VS) by anaerobic digestion slows down towards the end of the process, among inhibitory factors being pH increase upon ammonia accumulation, poorly digestible biomaterials, and high fixed solid (FS) content. The possibility of concentrating the digested sludge VS (41.7-56.6% on a dry weight basis) by surface and bottom layer separation with biogas post-production was studied. Furthermore, the potential to recycle concentrated VS and digested sludge back to the process after adjusting pH 7.0 to optimal for biogas-producing microbes and after acid, alkali, thermal, and sonolytic treatments was examined. In general, pH 7.0 control alone improved biogas production from the recycled digested sludge the most. An equally good improvement in biogas production was achieved by recycling the digested sludge, which had been heated until ammonia had evaporated and the pH dropped to 7.0 (1-2 h, 75 degrees C), and at the same time, VS was degraded. The biogas production from the sonicated and recycled sludge was almost as good as from the pH-adjusted, or heat-treated recycled sludge. After the acid and base treatments of the digested sludge, the recycled sludge yielded often the lowest biogas volume, as the added chemicals increased the FS concentration, which proved to be a more important inhibitory factor than poorly degradable VS. The high FS content significantly reduced the benefits of the treatments. By separating the surface and bottom layers with biogas post-production, the surface layer of VS was concentrated to 51.6-61.8%, while different compositions of the layers affected the biogas production.Peer reviewe

Torjunta-aineiden esiintyminen pohjavedessä. Loppuraportti

Ennen vuotta 2000 todettuja torjunta-aineiden aiheuttamia pohjaveden pilaantumistapauksia tunnetaan Suomessa vain muutamia. Toisaalta torjunta-aineiden säännöllistä pohjavesiseurantaa ei ole tehty. Pohjavesinäytteistä on määritysmenetelmien tarkentumisen myötä löydetty myös yhä useampia torjunta-aineita. Suomen ympäristökeskuksen (SYKE) hankkeessa ”Torjunta-aineiden esiintyminen pohjavedessä (TOPO)” selvitettiin torjunta-aineiden esiintymistä pohjavedenottamoiden raakavedessä. Selvityksessä mukana olleet pohjavesialueet sijaitsivat yhdentoista ympäristökeskuksen alueilla. Hankkeessa tutkittiin vuosien 2002–2005 aikana torjunta-aineiden esiintymistä 295 näytteestä 282 havaintopisteestä 190 pohjavesialueelta. Tutkimus kohdistui pohjavesialueille, joilla sijaitsi tai on aikaisemmin sijainnut toimintaa, johon liittyy torjunta-aineiden käyttöä. Tällaisia toimintoja ovat mm. maa- ja metsätalous, taimi- ja kauppapuutarhat, virkistysalueet, hautausmaat, maantie- ja raideliikenne ja teollisuuslaitokset. Koska tutkimuskohteet on valittu edellä kuvatun mukaisesti, tuloksia ei voi suoraan yleistää kaikkiin pohjavesialueisiin.  Torjunta-aineita tai niiden hajoamistuotteita todettiin 37 % tutkituilta pohjavesialueilta, 35 % havaintopisteistä ja 39 % näytteistä. Määritysrajan ylittäneitä pitoisuuksia todettiin 28 % tutkituista pohjavesialueista, 26 % havaintopisteistä ja 29 % näytteistä. Sosiaali- ja terveysministeriön asetuksessa 461/2000 talousvedelle asetettu raja-arvo (0,1 µg/l) ylittyi raakaveden osalta 15 pohjavesialueella eli 8 % tutkituista pohjavesialueista. Yli raja-arvon suuruisina pitoisuuksina todettiin pohjavedessä atratsiinia, DEA:aa, DEDIA:aa, heksatsinonia, bentatsonia, bromasiilia sekä BAM:a. Yli määritysrajan mutta alle asetetun raja-arvon suuruisia torjunta-ainepitoisuuksia todettiin 20 % tutkituista pohjavesialueista. Useiden tässä selvityksessä pohjavedestä todettujen torjunta-aineiden myynti ja käyttö on kielletty tai muutoin loppunut. Käytöstä poistettujen torjunta-aineiden löytyminen pohjavedestä on merkki siitä, etteivät ne pohjaveteen päästyään hajoa nopeasti, vaan poistuvat pääosin normaalin pohjaveden kierron kautta. Joissakin pisteissä oli havaittavissa varsinaisen tehoaineen pitoisuuden olevan pienempi kuin hajoamistuotteen, mikä on merkki aineen hajoamisesta pohjavesiolosuhteissa

A zero-valent iron and organic matter mixture enhances herbicide and herbicide degradation product removal in subsurface waters

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2016.12.013Peer reviewe

Influence of organic matter, nutrients, and cyclodextrin on microbial and chemical herbicide and degradate dissipation in subsurface sediment slurries

Pesticides leaching from soil to surface and groundwater are a global threat for drinking water safety, as no cleaning methods occur for groundwater environment. We examined whether peat, compost-peat-sand (CPS) mixture, NH4NO3, NH4NO3 with sodium citrate (Na-citrate), and the surfactant methyl-beta-cyclodextrin additions enhance atrazine, simazine, hexazinone, dichlobenil, and the degradate 2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) dissipations in sediment slurries under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, with sterilized controls. The vadose zone sediment cores were drilled from a depth of 11.3-14.6m in an herbicide-contaminated groundwater area. The peat and CPS enhanced chemical atrazine and simazine dissipation, and the peat enhanced chemical hexazinone dissipation, all oxygen-independently. Dichlobenil dissipated under all conditions, while BAM dissipation was fairly slow and half-lives could not be calculated. The chemical dissipation rates could be associated with the chemical structures and properties of the herbicides, and additive compositions, not with pH. Microbial atrazine degradation was only observed in the Pseudomonas sp. ADP amended slurries, although the sediment slurries were known to contain atrazine-degrading microorganisms. The bioavailability of atrazine in the water phase seemed to be limited, which could be due to complex formation with organic and inorganic colloids. Atrazine degradation by indigenous microbes could not be stimulated by the surfactant methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, or by the additives NH4NO3 and NH4NO3 with Na-citrate, although the nitrogen additives increased microbial growth. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe