Role of the denitrifying Haloarchaea in the treatment of nitrite-brines

Haloferax mediterranei is a denitrifying halophilic archaeon able to reduce nitrate and nitrite under oxic and anoxic conditions. In the presence of oxygen, nitrate and nitrite are used as nitrogen sources for growth. Under oxygen scarcity, this haloarchaeon uses both ions as electron acceptors via a denitrification pathway. In the present work, the maximal nitrite concentration tolerated by this organism was determined by studying the growth of H. mediterranei in minimal medium containing 30, 40 and 50 mM nitrite as sole nitrogen source and under initial oxic conditions at 42 °C. The results showed the ability of H. mediterranei to withstand nitrite concentrations up to 50 mM. At the beginning of the incubation, nitrate was detected in the medium, probably due to the spontaneous oxidation of nitrite under the initial oxic conditions. The complete removal of nitrite and nitrate was accomplished in most of the tested conditions, except in culture medium containing 50 mM nitrite, suggesting that this concentration compromised the denitrification capacity of the cells. Nitrite and nitrate reductases activities were analyzed at different growth stages of H. mediterranei. In all cases, the activities of the respiratory enzymes were higher than their assimilative counterparts; this was especially the case for NirK. The denitrifying and possibly detoxifying role of this enzyme might explain the high nitrite tolerance of H. mediterranei. This archaeon was also able to remove 60 % of the nitrate and 75 % of the nitrite initially present in brine samples collected from a wastewater treatment facility. These results suggest that H. mediterranei, and probably other halophilic denitrifying Archaea, are suitable candidates for the bioremediation of brines with high nitrite and nitrate concentrations (AU)

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Diversity of the nitrite reductase gene nirS in the sediment of a free-water surface constructed wetland

The diversity of the nitrite reductase gene nirS was studied in the bulk sediment of a free-water surface constructed wetland (FWS-CW) located next to the Empuriabrava wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), in Castelló d'Empúries (Girona, NE Spain). The study period extended from the inception of the treatment wetland, in June 1998, until March 1999 and comprised periods of relatively high nitrate and ammonium concentrations at the influent and low nitrate-removal efficiencies. To evaluate nirS diversity, partial gene sequences were obtained by cloning of the respective PCR products. Rarefaction curves based on DOTUR analyses of the deduced amino-acid sequences predicted a greater diversity of nirS genes in samples containing higher ammonium concentrations. Estimated Shannon-Weaver indices of the four cloned samples showed a positive relationship with the N-NH4 +/N-NO3 - ratios measured at the FWS-CW inlet. Identities between the deduced amino-acid sequences and those previously deposited in public databases ranged from 72 to 97%. Phylogenetic analysis based on these deduced sequences grouped 165 nirS clones in seven main clusters according to high similarity indices. Up to 60% of the clones clustered together in a highly homogeneous group with little homologies to any sequence retrieved from cultured representatives. Moreover, prevailing environmental conditions appeared to select for particular denitrifying populations, e.g., with respect to ammonium load and nitrogen removal efficiencies. This observation is of particular interest for the management of treatment wetlands, in which only slight variations in the theoretical denitrification potential of the system can occur (AU)

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