Applications of functional nanoparticle-stabilized surfactant foam in petroleum-contaminated soil remediation.

Surfactant foam (SF) can be used to remediate petroleum-contaminated soil because of its easy transfer to inhomogeneous and low-permeability formations. Nanoparticles (NPs) not only stabilize SF under extreme conditions but also impart various functions, aiding the removal of petroleum contaminants. This review discusses the stabilization mechanisms of nanoparticle-stabilized SF (NP-SF) as well as the effects of NP size, chargeability, wettability, and NP-to-surfactant ratio on foam stability. SF stabilized by inert SiO2 NPs is most commonly used to remediate soil contaminated with crude oil and diesel. Low dose of SF stabilized by nano zero-valent iron is cost-effective for treating soil contaminated with chlorinated organics and heavy metal ions. The efficiency and recyclability of Al2O3/Fe3O4 NPs in the remediation of diesel and crude oil contamination could be enhanced by applying a magnetic field. This review provides a theoretical basis and practical guidelines for developing functional NP-SF to improve the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soils. Future research should focus on the structural design of photocatalytic NPs and the application of catalytic NP-SF in soil remediation.

Combination of biochar and AMF promotes phosphorus utilization by stimulating rhizosphere microbial co-occurrence networks and lipid metabolites of Phragmites.

Agricultural biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi were used to promote the growth of Phragmites in the structural damaged and nutritional imbalanced littoral zone soils. Wheat straw biochar played a significant role in improving soil porosity and supplementing available phosphorus to 79.20 ± 3.20 mg/kg, compared with CK at 17.50 ± 0.88 mg/kg. The addition of Diversispora versiformis improved the plant net photosynthetic rate reaching up to 25.66 ± 0.65 µmol·m-2·s-1, which was 36.60 % higher than CK. The combination of biochar and fungi contributed to the whole plant dry weight biomass of 32.30 % and 234.00 % higher than the single biochar or AMF amendment groups, respectively. Meanwhile, the analysis of microbial co-occurrence networks showed the most relevant networks node species were mainly Talaromyces, Chaetomiacea and Gemmatimonadetes etc. Root lipid metabolite of Glycerophospholines further proved that phosphorus utilization was also enhanced endogenously in the rhizosphere soil. These results indicate that the combination of biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play synergic role in enhancing phosphorus utilization endogenously and exogenously.

[Extraction of surface active substance and analysis of demulsifying characteristics for the demulsifying strain Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1].

Extraction and identification of surface active substance of Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1, as well as description of its emulsion breaking process were conducted to reveal the demulsifying characteristics of this demulsifying strain. Alkali solvent was adopted in the extraction process with conditions optimized as 35 degrees C, 0.08 mol x L(-1) of alkali concentration, 12 g x L(-1) of sample to solution ratio, and 4 h of extraction time by launching both single-factor and orthogonal tests. Under this optimal condition, the extracted surface active substance (the extraction ratio was 36.1%) achieved 77% emulsion breaking ratio for 500 mg x L(-1) within 48 h. FT-IR showed the existence of glycolipids, lipids and proteins in the surface active substance, the molecular weight of which mainly scattered between 55 and 61 256. Saccharides, lipids and proteins were identified as the three chief components in surface active substance with the content of 22.2%, 7.5% and 13.4%, respectively. The proteins were further proved to take the most responsibility for the emulsion breaking ability. Moreover, obvious difference in the emulsion breaking process was demonstrated between the original demulsifying strain S-XJ-1 and the extracted surface active substance by real time observation of Turbiscan Lab Expert. The results suggested that the demulsifying efficiency of the strain was jointly contributed by its surface active substance and demulsifying cell morphology, and the former possessed higher functional priority than the latter.

Application of waste frying oils in the biosynthesis of biodemulsifier by a demulsifying strain Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1.

Exploration of biodemulsifiers has become a new research aspect. Using waste frying oils (WFOs) as carbon source to synthesize biodemulsifiers has a potential prospect to decrease production cost and to improve the application of biodemulsifiers in the oilfield. In this study, a demulsifying strain, Alcaligenes sp. S-XJ-1, was investigated to synthesize a biodemulsifier using waste frying oils as carbon source. It was found that the increase of initial pH of culture medium could increase the biodemulsifier yield but decrease the demulsification ratio compared to that using paraffin as carbon source. In addition, a biodemulsifier produced by waste frying oils and paraffin as mixed carbon source had a lower demulsification capability compared with that produced by paraffin or waste frying oil as sole carbon source. Fed-batch fermentation of biodemulsifier using waste frying oils as supplementary carbon source was found to be a suitable method. Mechanism of waste frying oils utilization was studied by using tripalmitin, olein and tristearin as sole carbon sources to synthesize biodemulsifier. The results showed saturated long-chain fatty acid was difficult for S-XJ-1 to utilize but could effectively enhance the demulsification ability of the produced biodemulsifier. Moreover, FT-IR result showed that the demulsification capability of biodemulsifiers was associated with the content of C=O group and nitrogen element.