Treatment of halogenated organic compounds and monitoring of microbial dynamics in up-flow fixed bed reactors under sequentially alternating pollutant scenarios

Two up-flow fixed bed reactors (UFBR) were operated for 8 months treating a model synthetic wastewater containing 2-fluorobenzoate (2-FB) and dichloromethane (DCM). The stability of the reactors under dynamic conditions, that is, sequentially alternating pollutants (SAP), shock loads, and starvation periods was assessed. Two support materials were used: expanded clay (EC) that does not adsorb 2-FB or DCM, and granular-activated carbon (GAC) that adsorbs 180 mg gg⁻¹ of 2-FB and 390 mg gg⁻¹ of DCM. The reactors were inoculated with a 2-FB-degrading strain (FB2) and a DCM degrader (TM1). 2-FB was fed at organic loads ranging from 0 to 800 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹, while DCM was fed at 0–250 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹. 2-FB or DCM were never detected at the outlet of the GAC reactor, while in the EC reactor outlet small amounts were observed. Nevertheless, the highest biological elimination capacity was observed in the EC reactor (over 700 mg L⁻¹ d⁻¹ of 2-FB). DGGE analysis revealed a fairly stable bacterial community with the largest shifts occurring during starvation periods and changes in feed composition. Several bacterial strains isolated from the reactors showed capacity for 2-FB degradation, while only strain TM1 degraded DCM

Isolation of a Xanthobacter sp. degrading dichloromethane and characterization of the gene involved in the degradation

A bacterial strain able to degrade dichloromethane (DCM) as the sole carbon source was isolated from a wastewater treatment plant receiving domestic and pharmaceutical effluent. 16S rDNA studies revealed the strain to be a Xanthobacter sp. (strain TM1). The new isolated strain when grown aerobically on DCM showed Luong type growth kinetics, with lmax of 0.094 h-1 and Sm of 1,435 mg l-1. Strain TM1 was able to degrade other aromatic and aliphatic halogenated compounds, such as halobenzoates, 2-chloroethanol and dichloroethane. The gene for DCM dehalogenase, which is the key enzyme in DCM degradation, was amplified through PCR reactions. Strain TM1 contains type A DCM dehalogenase (dcmAa), while no product could be obtained for type B dehalogense (dcmAb). The sequence was compared against 12 dcmAa from other DCM degrading strains and 98% or 99% similarity was observed with all other previously isolated DCM dehalogenase genes. This is the first time a Xanthobacter sp. is reported to degrade DCM.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

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Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Protein Electrophoresis of Freshwater Photosynthetic Sulfur Bacteria

6 páginas, 1 figura, 2 tablas.Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel protein electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was carried out using different bacterial strains of the photosynthetic sulfur bacteria Chlorobium, Thiocapsa, Thiocystis, and Chromatium cultured in the laboratory, and the natural blooms in two karstic lakes (Lake Ciso´ and Lake Vilar, NE Spain) where planktonic photosynthetic bacteria (purple and green sulfur bacteria) massively developed accounting for most of the microbial biomass. Several extraction, solubilization, and electrophoresis methods were tested to develop an optimal protocol for the best resolution of the SDS-PAGE. Protein composition from different water depths and at different times of the year was visualized within a molecular mass range between 100 and 15 kDa yielding up to 20 different protein bands. Protein banding patterns were reproducible and changed in time and with depth in agreement with changes in photosynthetic bacteria composition. When a taxonomically stable community was followed in time, differences were observed in the intensity but not in the composition of the SDS-PAGE banding pattern. Three environmental variables directly related to the activity of sulfur bacteria (light, oxygen, and sulfide concentrations) had a significant effect on protein banding patterns and explained 33% of the variance. Changes in natural protein profiles of the bacterial blooms agreed with changes in species composition and in the in situ metabolic state of the populations.Work supported by grants VIARC REN2003-08333 and CRENYC CGL2006-12058 from the Spanish Ministerio de Educacio´n y Ciencia (MEC) to EOC. MBO received a I3P postdoctoral fellow from the Spanish Council for Research (CSIC).Peer reviewe

Biotreatment of industrial wastewaters under transient-state conditions: process stability with fluctuations of organic load, substrates, toxicants and environmental parameters.

51 páginas.Biotreatment of industrial wastewater is often challenged by operation under transient states with respect to organic loads, pollutants, and physical characteristics. Furthermore, the potential presence of inhibitory compounds requires careful monitoring and adequate process design. This review describes difficulties encountered in biological treatment of wastewater with highly variable influent characteristics. Typical design aspects of biological processes are presented and discussed with respect to their success in treating highly fluctuating wastewaters. In general, biomass retention is a key factor for dealing with highly fluctuating and/or inhibitory wastewater, but the how it operates also affects the stability of performance, as it was shown that dynamic operation instead of operation at a constant flow enhances biodegradation onset and more evenly distributed activity. Although ultimately stable effluent quality must be achieved, the microbial population stability is not necessarily high, as it was shown that microbial diversity and flexibility may play a critical role in functional stability.Peer reviewe

Biodegradation of 2-fluorobenzoate and dichloromethane under simultaneous and sequential alternating pollutant feeding

13 páginas, 5 figuras, 2 tablas.Two up-flow fixed-bed reactors (UFBRs), inoculated with activated sludge and operated for 162 days, were fed 1 mmol L−1 d−1 with two model halogenated compounds, 2-fluorobenzoate (2-FB) and dichloromethane (DCM). Expanded clay (EC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) were used as biofilm carrier. EC did not have any adsorption capacity for both model compounds tested, whereas GAC could adsorb 1.3 mmol g−1 GAC for 2-FB and 4.5 mmol g−1 GAC for DCM. Both pollutants were degraded in both reactors undersimultaneousfeeding. However, biodegradation in the EC reactor was more pronounced, and re-inoculation of the GAC reactor was required to initiate 2-FB degradation. Imposing sequentialalternatingpollutant (SAP) feeding caused starvation periods in the EC reactor, requiring time-consuming recovery of 2-FB biodegradation after resuming its feeding, whereas DCM degradation recovered significantly faster. The SAP feeding did not affect performance in the GAC reactor as biodegradation of both pollutants was continuously observed during SAP feeding, indicating the absence of true starvation.This research was supported by the EU Research Training Network: Biotreatment of sequentially alternatingpollutants in wastewaters; HPRTN-CT-2002-00213. The authors wish to thank FCT for a research grant to M.F. Carvalho (SFRH/BPD/14281/2003).Peer reviewe

Biodegradation of 2-fluorobenzoate and dichloromethane under simultaneous and sequential alternating pollutant feeding

13 páginas, 5 figuras, 2 tablas.Two up-flow fixed-bed reactors (UFBRs), inoculated with activated sludge and operated for 162 days, were fed 1 mmol L−1 d−1 with two model halogenated compounds, 2-fluorobenzoate (2-FB) and dichloromethane (DCM). Expanded clay (EC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) were used as biofilm carrier. EC did not have any adsorption capacity for both model compounds tested, whereas GAC could adsorb 1.3 mmol g−1 GAC for 2-FB and 4.5 mmol g−1 GAC for DCM. Both pollutants were degraded in both reactors undersimultaneousfeeding. However, biodegradation in the EC reactor was more pronounced, and re-inoculation of the GAC reactor was required to initiate 2-FB degradation. Imposing sequentialalternatingpollutant (SAP) feeding caused starvation periods in the EC reactor, requiring time-consuming recovery of 2-FB biodegradation after resuming its feeding, whereas DCM degradation recovered significantly faster. The SAP feeding did not affect performance in the GAC reactor as biodegradation of both pollutants was continuously observed during SAP feeding, indicating the absence of true starvation.This research was supported by the EU Research Training Network: Biotreatment of sequentially alternatingpollutants in wastewaters; HPRTN-CT-2002-00213. The authors wish to thank FCT for a research grant to M.F. Carvalho (SFRH/BPD/14281/2003).Peer reviewe

Biodegradation of 2-fluorobenzoate and dichloromethane under simultaneous and sequential alternating pollutant feeding

Two up-flow fixed-bed reactors (UFBRs), inoculated with activated sludge and operated for 162 days,were fed 1 mmol Lˉ¹ dˉ¹ with twomodel halogenated compounds, 2-fluorobenzoate (2-FB) and dichloromethane (DCM). Expanded clay (EC) and granular activated carbon (GAC)were used as biofilm carrier. EC did not have any adsorption capacity for both model compounds tested, whereas GAC could adsorb 1.3 mmol gˉ¹ GAC for 2-FB and 4.5mmol gˉ¹ GAC for DCM. Both pollutants were degraded in both reactors under simultaneous feeding. However, biodegradation in the EC reactor was more pronounced, and re-inoculation of the GAC reactorwas required to initiate 2-FB degradation. Imposing sequential alternating pollutant (SAP) feeding caused starvation periods in the EC reactor, requiring time-consuming recovery of 2-FB biodegradation after resuming its feeding, whereas DCMdegradation recovered significantly faster. The SAP feeding did not affect performance in the GAC reactor as biodegradation of both pollutants was continuously observed during SAP feeding, indicating the absence of true starvation

Comparison of removal of pharmaceuticals in MBR and activated sludge systems

7 páginas, 2 tablas.Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) nowadays attract serious attention for the treatment of municipal wastewater, due to recent technical innovations and drastic cost reductions of the employed membranes. Especially the high biomass concentrations and long sludge retention times are favorable for the biodegradation of organic pollutants, resulting in high rate treatment systems. These characteristic features of MBR technology are not merely advantageous for organic matter removal, but also likely promote a higher biodegradation efficiency of refractory organic pollutants. The increasing concern about the potential accumulation of micro-pollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, in the aquatic environment triggered many investigations into their biological degradation or fate in wastewater treatment systems. In this work a short overview is presented on the current knowledge of removal of pharmaceuticals in MBRs compared to their removal in conventional activatedsludge treatment system. In general, for slowly degradable pharmaceuticals the removal in MBRs is better due to the relatively long sludge ages, which leads to the development of distinct microbial communities in MBRs compared to activatedsludge plants. Nevertheless, from the literature results it could not be concluded that pharmaceuticalremoval in MBR reactors is better as many other factors have been indicated that may affect biodegradation rates, which are not directly related to the reactor configuration.This research project has been funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education and ScienceDPI2006-15707-C02-01 and DPI2006-15707-C02-02.Peer reviewe

H2 enrichment from synthesis gas by Desulfotomaculum carboxydivorans for potential applications in synthesis gas purification and biodesulfurization

9 páginas, 5 figuras, 1 tabla.Desulfotomaculum carboxydivorans, recently isolated from a full-scale anaerobic wastewater treatment facility, is a sulfate reducer capable of hydrogenogenic growth on carbon monoxide (CO). In the presence of sulfate, the hydrogen formed is used for sulfate reduction. The organism grows rapidly at 200 kPa CO, pH 7.0, and 55°C, with a generation time of 100 min, producing nearly equimolar amounts of H2 and CO2 from CO and H2O. The high specific CO conversion rates, exceeding 0.8 mol CO (g protein)−1 h−1, makes this bacterium an interesting candidate for a biological alternative of the currently employed chemical catalytic water–gas shift reaction to purify synthesis gas (contains mainly H2, CO, and CO2). Furthermore, as D. carboxydivorans is capable of hydrogenotrophic sulfate reduction at partial CO pressures exceeding 100 kPa, it is also a good candidate for biodesulfurization processes using synthesis gas as electron donor at elevated temperatures, e.g., in biological flue gas desulfurization. Although high maximal specific sulfate reduction rates (32 mmol (g protein)−1 h−1) can be obtained, its sulfide tolerance is rather low and pH dependent, i.e., maximally 9 and 5 mM sulfide at pH 7.2 and pH 6.5, respectively.This research was financially supported by a grant from the Technology Foundation STW (grant STW-WBC 5280), applied science division of NWO, the Netherlands, and Shell Global Solutions (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and Paques B.V. (Balk, the Netherlands).Peer reviewe