Composting post-anaerobic digestion for emerging contaminant biodegradation: Impacts of operating conditions.

Sustainable manure management technologies are needed, and combining anaerobic digestion (AD) for energy generation and aerobic composting (AC) to stabilize digestate and remove emerging contaminants (ECs), including veterinary pharmaceuticals and steroid hormones, is promising. This study identified post-AD, AC operating conditions that maximized degradation of study ECs, expected to be present in cattle manure digested using treated municipal wastewater as the water source. Study ECs included sulfamethoxazole (SMX), chlortetracycline (CTC), oxytetracycline (OTC), estrone (E1), and naproxen (NPX). Composting conditions were simulated in bench-scale reactors, with microorganisms from digestate produced in an AD system (25L scale), by varying temperatures, pH, and carbon source compositions (representing food waste/manure co-digestion with different residence times). Results indicate maximum SMX biodegradation occurred at 35°C, pH 7, and with high levels of easily degradable carbon (≥99%, 99%, and 98%), and maximum E1 biodegradation occurred at 35°C, and with low levels of easily degradable carbon (≥97% and 99%). Abiotic degradation was responsible for the nearly complete removal of tetracyclines under all conditions and for partial degradation of NPX (between 20% and 48%). Microorganisms originating from the AD system putatively capable of SMX and E1 biodegradation, or of contributing to biodegradation during the AC phase, were identified, including phylotypes previously shown to biodegrade SMX (Brevundimonas and Alcaligenes).

Pulling needles out of a haystack: Subtractive Community Metatranscriptomics retrieves anaerobic o-xylene degradation pathway genes out of a mixed microbial culture.

For many contaminants, biomarker genes are unknown or assays are unavailable, and most biomarker assays target the first pathway step. Herein, we obtained sequences for all of the genes in a previously hypothesized o-xylene degradation pathway based on similarities to analogous genes in a known toluene degradation pathway. Comparative metatranscriptomics resulted in sequences for genes annotated as bssA, bbsEF, bbsCD, and bbsB, while genes for bbsG and bbsH were notably missing. Prokaryotic Suppressive Subtractive Hybridization PCR cDNA Subtraction (Prokaryotic SSH-PCR cDNA Subtraction) was applied for the first time to a mixed-species microbiome to enrich abundances of genes up-regulated during o-xylene degradation prior to metatranscriptomic sequencing. The subtracted metatranscriptome was sequenced using the MinION; this approach was highly effective at retrieving sequences for biodegradation genes including the previously missing bbsG and bbsH. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis confirmed up-regulation. Thus, data reported herein lend credence to the previously hypothesized anaerobic o-xylene degradation pathway, and new biomarker assays are presented. A novel biomarker development tool for mixed species systems, Subtractive Community Metatranscriptomics (SCM), is demonstrated.

Advanced methods for RNA recovery from petroleum impacted soils.

Microbially-mediated hydrocarbon degradation is well documented. However, how these microbial processes occur in complex subsurface petroleum impacted systems remains unclear, and this knowledge is needed to guide technologies to enhance microbial degradation effectively. Analysis of RNA derived from soils impacted by petroleum liquids would allow for analysis of active microbial communities, and a deeper understanding of the dynamic biochemistry occurring during site remediation. However, RNA analysis in soils impacted with petroleum liquids is challenging due to: (A) RNA being inherently unstable, and (B) petroleum impacted soils containing problematic levels of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) inhibitors that must be removed to yield high-purity RNA for downstream analysis. A previously published soil wash pretreatment step and a commercially available DNA extraction kit protocol were combined and modified to be able to purify RNA from soils containing petroleum liquids.•A key modification involved reformulation of the pretreatment solution via replacing water as the diluent with a commercially-available RNA preservation solution.•Methods were developed and demonstrated using cryogenically preserved soils from three former petroleum refineries. Results showed the new soil washing approach had no adverse effects on RNA recovery but did improve RNA quality, by PCR inhibitor removal, which in turn allows for characterization of active microbial communities present in petroleum impacted soils.•In summary, our method for extracting RNA from petroleum-impacted soils provides a promising new tool for resolving metabolic processes at sites as they progress toward restoration via natural and/or engineered remediation.

Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 on College Campuses: Initial Efforts, Lessons Learned, and Research Needs.

Wastewater surveillance for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging approach to help identify the risk of a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. This tool can contribute to public health surveillance at both community (wastewater treatment system) and institutional (e.g., colleges, prisons, and nursing homes) scales. This paper explores the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from initial wastewater surveillance efforts at colleges and university systems to inform future research, development and implementation. We present the experiences of 25 college and university systems in the United States that monitored campus wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 during the fall 2020 academic period. We describe the broad range of approaches, findings, resources, and impacts from these initial efforts. These institutions range in size, social and political geographies, and include both public and private institutions. Our analysis suggests that wastewater monitoring at colleges requires consideration of local information needs, sewage infrastructure, resources for sampling and analysis, college and community dynamics, approaches to interpretation and communication of results, and follow-up actions. Most colleges reported that a learning process of experimentation, evaluation, and adaptation was key to progress. This process requires ongoing collaboration among diverse stakeholders including decision-makers, researchers, faculty, facilities staff, students, and community members.

Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 on college campuses: Initial efforts, lessons learned and research needs.

Background: Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 is an emerging approach to help identify the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak. This tool can contribute to public health surveillance at both community (wastewater treatment system) and institutional (e.g., colleges, prisons, nursing homes) scales. Objectives: This research aims to understand the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from initial wastewater surveillance efforts at colleges and university systems to inform future research, development and implementation. Methods: This paper presents the experiences of 25 college and university systems in the United States that monitored campus wastewater for SARS-CoV-2 during the fall 2020 academic period. We describe the broad range of approaches, findings, resource needs, and lessons learned from these initial efforts. These institutions range in size, social and political geographies, and include both public and private institutions. Discussion: Our analysis suggests that wastewater monitoring at colleges requires consideration of information needs, local sewage infrastructure, resources for sampling and analysis, college and community dynamics, approaches to interpretation and communication of results, and follow-up actions. Most colleges reported that a learning process of experimentation, evaluation, and adaptation was key to progress. This process requires ongoing collaboration among diverse stakeholders including decision-makers, researchers, faculty, facilities staff, students, and community members.

Inoculum microbiome composition impacts fatty acid product profile from cellulosic feedstock.

Conversion of organic wastes to fatty acids rather than methane through anaerobic digestion-based technologies has considerable promise. However, the relationships between microbiome structure and fatty acids produced from cellulosic feedstocks are not well understood. This study investigated the nature of those relationships for anaerobic digester sludge, bison rumen, and cattle rumen inocula grown on cellulose. Acetic acid production was highest in anaerobic sludge reactors, while propionic acid production was highest in cattle rumen reactors. Butyric and pentanoic acid were produced at the highest rates in bison rumen before Day 5. Reactor microbiomes remained distinct, despite identical operating conditions. Novel associations linked Alistipes with butyric acid production and Eubacterium nodatum and Clostridiales bacterium with pentanoic acid production. This study provides new insights into the ability of microbiomes to convert cellulose to different fatty acid mixtures and adds impetus for the rewiring of anaerobic digestion to generate high-value products.

Advancing biomarkers for anaerobic o-xylene biodegradation via metagenomic analysis of a methanogenic consortium.

Quantifying functional biomarker genes and their transcripts provides critical lines of evidence for contaminant biodegradation; however, accurate quantification depends on qPCR primers that contain no, or minimal, mismatches with the target gene. Developing accurate assays has been particularly challenging for genes encoding fumarate-adding enzymes (FAE) due to the high level of genetic diversity in this gene family. In this study, metagenomics applied to a field-derived, o-xylene-degrading methanogenic consortium revealed genes encoding FAE that would not be accurately quantifiable by any previously available PCR assays. Sequencing indicated that a gene similar to the napthylmethylsuccinate synthase gene (nmsA) was most abundant, although benzylsuccinate synthase genes (bssA) also were present along with genes encoding alkylsuccinate synthase (assA). Upregulation of the nmsA-like gene was observed during o-xylene degradation. Protein homology modeling indicated that mutations in the active site, relative to a BssA that acts on toluene, increase binding site volume and accessibility, potentially to accommodate the relatively larger o-xylene. The new nmsA-like gene was also detected at substantial concentrations at field sites with a history of xylene contamination.

Impact of primary carbon sources on microbiome shaping and biotransformation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

Knowledge of the conditions that promote the growth and activity of pharmaceutical and personal care product (PPCP)-degrading microorganisms within mixed microbial systems are needed to shape microbiomes in biotreatment reactors and manage process performance. Available carbon sources influence microbial community structure, and specific carbon sources could potentially be added to end-of-treatment train biotreatment systems (e.g., soil aquifer treatment [SAT]) to select for the growth and activity of a range of microbial phylotypes that collectively degrade target PPCPs. Herein, the impacts of primary carbon sources on PPCP biodegradation and microbial community structure were explored to identify promising carbon sources for PPCP biotreatment application. Six types of primary carbon sources were investigated: casamino acids, two humic acid and peptone mixtures (high and low amounts of humic acid), molasses, an organic acids mixture, and phenol. Biodegradation was tracked for five PPCPs (diclofenac, 5-fluorouracil, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, and triclosan). Primary carbon sources were found to differentially impact microbial community structures and rates and efficiencies of PPCP biotransformation. Of the primary carbon sources tested, casamino acids, organic acids, and phenol showed the fastest biotransformation; however, on a biomass-normalized basis, both humic acid-peptone mixtures showed comparable or superior biotransformation. By comparing microbial communities for the different primary carbon sources, abundances of unclassified Beijerinckiaceae, Beijerinckia, Sphingomonas, unclassified Sphingomonadaceae, Flavobacterium, unclassified Rhizobiales, and Nevskia were statistically linked with biotransformation of specific PPCPs.

Ambient-temperature co-digestion of low-solids municipal and industrial waste mixtures: Insights from molecular analyses.

The performance of ambient temperature anaerobic co-digestion was investigated for mixtures of six substrates: canned tomato and salsa waste, portable toilet waste, septic tank waste, winery waste, beer and cider waste, and fats, oils, and grease (FOG). Laboratory semi-continuous reactor studies and molecular biological analyses revealed that beer/winery, and tomato/FOG/winery/beer mixtures resulted in the best performance in terms of biogas production (515 and 371 mL CH4/g VS, respectively) and methanogenic populations. A portable toilet/septage mixture resulted in the overall poorest performance and inhibition of microbial activity was evident. Average methane content was ~70% for all mixtures tested. The findings of this study reveal that healthy methanogen populations were present, further supporting the feasibility of biogas production via the novel feedstock mixtures in ambient temperature lagoons. Implications: Disposal of septic tank waste and other high chemical oxygen demand (COD) 10 industrial food processing waste at a small wastewater treatment plant is uncommon, because it can upset the treatment process and requires additional power for treatment. Ambient-temperature covered lagoon digesters can be an alternative low-cost technology for co-digestion of these recalcitrant waste streams while generating bioenergy. The results of this study demonstrated that there is potential for implementation of unheated covered lagoon digester systems 15 for conversion of liquid wastes for production of renewable biomethane while eliminating the need to treat these wastes at a wastewater treatment plant.

Meta-proteomic analysis of protein expression distinctive to electricity-generating biofilm communities in air-cathode microbial fuel cells.

BACKGROUND: Bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) harness electrons from microbial respiration to generate power or chemical products from a variety of organic feedstocks, including lignocellulosic biomass, fermentation byproducts, and wastewater sludge. In some BESs, such as microbial fuel cells (MFCs), bacteria living in a biofilm use the anode as an electron acceptor for electrons harvested from organic materials such as lignocellulosic biomass or waste byproducts, generating energy that may be used by humans. Many BES applications use bacterial biofilm communities, but no studies have investigated protein expression by the anode biofilm community as a whole. RESULTS: To discover functional protein expression during current generation that may be useful for MFC optimization, a label-free meta-proteomics approach was used to compare protein expression in acetate-fed anode biofilms before and after the onset of robust electricity generation. Meta-proteomic comparisons were integrated with 16S rRNA gene-based community analysis at four developmental stages. The community composition shifted from dominance by aerobic Gammaproteobacteria (90.9 ± 3.3%) during initial biofilm formation to dominance by Deltaproteobacteria, particularly Geobacter (68.7 ± 3.6%) in mature, electricity-generating anodes. Community diversity in the intermediate stage, just after robust current generation began, was double that at the early stage and nearly double that of mature anode communities. Maximum current densities at the intermediate stage, however, were relatively similar (~ 83%) to those achieved by mature-stage biofilms. Meta-proteomic analysis, correlated with population changes, revealed significant enrichment of categories specific to membrane and transport functions among proteins from electricity-producing biofilms. Proteins detected only in electricity-producing biofilms were associated with gluconeogenesis, the glyoxylate cycle, and fatty acid ß-oxidation, as well as with denitrification and competitive inhibition. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate that it is possible for an MFC microbial community to generate robust current densities while exhibiting high taxonomic diversity. Moreover, these data provide evidence to suggest that startup growth of air-cathode MFCs under conditions that promote the establishment of aerobic-anaerobic syntrophy may decrease startup times. This study represents the first investigation into protein expression of a complex BES anode biofilm community as a whole. The findings contribute to understanding of the molecular mechanisms at work during BES startup and suggest options for improvement of BES generation of bioelectricity from renewable biomass.

Differential Sensitivity of Wetland-Derived Nitrogen Cycling Microorganisms to Copper Nanoparticles.

Metallic nanoparticles (NPs), the most abundant nanomaterials in consumer and industrial products, are the most probable class to enter the environment. In this study, wetland-derived microcosms were incubated with copper nanoparticles (Cu-NP) and ionic CuCl2 to investigate acute (10 days) and chronic (100 days) exposure towards nitrogen cycling microorganisms. The microbial ecology of wetlands play a crucial role in balancing nitrogen in pristine environments as well as in areas impacted by high nutrient loads (e.g., at wastewater effluent discharges). Gene abundance and expression changes were monitored using the GeoChip 5.0 high throughput functional gene microarray and metatranscriptomic shotgun sequencing (RNA-seq), respectively. After 10 days, the Cu-NP impacted microbial communities experienced structural shifts within microorganisms associated with dissimilatory nitrogen reduction accompanied by lower nitrate removal as compared to the unexposed controls. By day 100, these differences were largely resolved and nitrate removal was similar to the unexposed control. Furthermore, the Cu-NP exposed microcosms tolerated copper and were more resilient and adaptive than the unexposed controls based on the abundance and expression of other functions, including electron transfer, metal homeostasis, and stress response. These findings suggest sudden influxes of Cu-NPs into wetland systems may impair nitrogen removal initially, but long-term microbial shifts and functional redundancy would promote the net flux of total nitrogen out of the wetlands.

Impact of inoculum sources on biotransformation of pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

Limited knowledge of optimal microbial community composition for PPCP biotreatment, and of the microbial phylotypes that drive biotransformation within mixed microbial communities, has hindered the rational design and operation of effective and reliable biological PPCP treatment technologies. Herein, bacterial community composition was investigated as an isolated variable within batch biofilm reactors via comparison of PPCP removals for three distinct inocula. Inocula pre-acclimated to model PPCPs were derived from activated sludge (AS), ditch sediment historically-impacted by wastewater treatment plant effluent (Sd), and material from laboratory-scale soil aquifer treatment (SAT) columns. PPCP removals were found to be substantially higher for AS- and Sd-derived inocula compared to the SAT-derived inocula despite comparable biomass. Removal patterns differed among the 6 model compounds examined (diclofenac, 5-fluorouracil, gabapentin, gemfibrozil, ibuprofen, and triclosan) indicating differences in biotransformation mechanisms. Sphingomonas, Beijerinckia, Methylophilus, and unknown Cytophagaceae were linked with successful PPCP biodegradation via next-generation sequencing of 16S rRNA genes over time. Results indicate the criticality of applying engineering approaches to control bacterial community compositions in biotreatment systems.

Enhanced anaerobic digestion performance via combined solids- and leachate-based hydrolysis reactor inoculation.

Suboptimal conditions in anaerobic digesters (e.g., presence of common inhibitors ammonia and salinity) limit waste hydrolysis and lead to unstable performance and process failures. Application of inhibitor-tolerant inocula improves hydrolysis, but approaches are needed to establish and maintain these desired waste-hydrolyzing bacteria in high-solids reactors. Herein, performance was compared for leach bed reactors (LBRs) seeded with unacclimated or acclimated inoculum (0-60% by mass) at start-up and over long-term operation. High quantities of inoculum (∼60%) increase waste hydrolysis and are beneficial at start-up or when inhibitors are increasing. After start-up (∼112days) with high inoculum quantities, leachate recirculation leads to accumulation of inhibitor-tolerant hydrolyzing bacteria in leachate. During long-term operation, low inoculum quantities (∼10%) effectively increase waste hydrolysis relative to without solids-derived inoculum. Molecular analyses indicated that combining digested solids with leachate-based inoculum doubles quantities of Bacteria contacting waste over a batch and supplies additional desirable phylotypes Bacteriodes and Clostridia.

Comparison of bacterial and archaeal communities in depth-resolved zones in an LNAPL body.

Advances in our understanding of the microbial ecology at sites impacted by light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) are needed to drive development of optimized bioremediation technologies, support longevity models, and develop culture-independent molecular tools. In this study, depth-resolved characterization of geochemical parameters and microbial communities was conducted for a shallow hydrocarbon-impacted aquifer. Four distinct zones were identified based on microbial community structure and geochemical data: (i) an aerobic, low-contaminant mass zone at the top of the vadose zone; (ii) a moderate to high-contaminant mass, low-oxygen to anaerobic transition zone in the middle of the vadose zone; (iii) an anaerobic, high-contaminant mass zone spanning the bottom of the vadose zone and saturated zone; and (iv) an anaerobic, low-contaminant mass zone below the LNAPL body. Evidence suggested that hydrocarbon degradation is mediated by syntrophic fermenters and methanogens in zone III. Upward flux of methane likely contributes to promoting anaerobic conditions in zone II by limiting downward flux of oxygen as methane and oxygen fronts converge at the top of this zone. Observed sulfate gradients and microbial communities suggested that sulfate reduction and methanogenesis both contribute to hydrocarbon degradation in zone IV. Pyrosequencing revealed that Syntrophus- and Methanosaeta-related species dominate bacterial and archaeal communities, respectively, in the LNAPL body below the water table. Observed phylotypes were linked with in situ anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation in LNAPL-impacted soils.

Temperature impacts on anaerobic biotransformation of LNAPL and concurrent shifts in microbial community structure.

Thermally-enhanced bioremediation is a promising treatment approach for petroleum contamination; however, studies examining temperature effects on anaerobic biodegradation in zones containing light non-aqueous phase liquids (LNAPLs) are lacking. Herein, laboratory microcosm studies were conducted for a former refinery to evaluate LNAPL transformation, sulfate reduction, and methane generation over a one-year period for temperatures ranging from 4 to 40 °C, and microbial community shifts were characterized. Temperatures of 22 and 30 °C significantly increased total biogas generation compared to lower (4 and 9 °C) and higher temperatures (35 and 40 °C; p < 0.1). Additionally, at 22 and 30 °C methane generation commenced ~6 months earlier than for 35 and 40 °C. Statistically significant biodegradation of benzene, toluene and xylenes was observed at elevated temperatures but not at lower temperatures (p < 0.1). Additionally, a novel differential chromatogram approach was developed to overcome challenges associated with resolving losses in complex mixtures of hydrocarbons, and application of this method revealed greater losses of hydrocarbons at 22 and 30 °C as compared to lower and higher temperatures. Finally, molecular biology assays revealed that the composition and activity of microbial communities shifted in a temperature-dependent manner. Collectively, results demonstrated that anaerobic biodegradation processes can be enhanced by increasing the temperature of LNAPL-containing soils, but biodegradation does not simply increase as temperature increases likely due to a lack of microorganisms that thrive at temperatures well above the historical high temperatures for a site. Rather, optimal degradation is achieved by holding soils at the high end of, or slightly higher than, their natural range.

Microbial community acclimation enhances waste hydrolysis rates under elevated ammonia and salinity conditions.

Hydrolysis rates under potentially inhibitory concentrations of ammonia and salinity were investigated for two model feedstocks (manure and food waste). Rates were determined under a range of ammonia and salinity concentrations (1.0-10.0 g TAN [total ammonia nitrogen] L(-1) and 3.9-20.0 g sodium L(-1)) with unacclimated and acclimated microbial inocula. Microbial community changes as a function of acclimation and feedstock were also investigated. Using unacclimated inocula, hydrolysis was found to be severely inhibited for elevated ammonia and salinity (~4 to 10-fold, respectively) or hydrolysis was not detected. However, for inocula acclimated over 2-4 months, statistically significant inhibition generally was not detectable. Molecular analyses demonstrated that microbial community composition changed during acclimation, and bacterial communities under elevated ammonia were distinct from communities under elevated salinity. Feedstock source also had a major influence on bacterial community structure.

Molecular assessment of the sensitivity of sulfate-reducing microbial communities remediating mine drainage to aerobic stress.

Sulfate-reducing permeable reactive zones (SR-PRZs) are microbially-driven anaerobic systems designed for the removal of heavy metals and sulfate in mine drainage. Environmental perturbations, such as oxygen exposure, may adversely affect system stability and long-term performance. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of two successive aerobic stress events on the performance and microbial community composition of duplicate laboratory-scale lignocellulosic SR-PRZs operated using the following microbial community management strategies: biostimulation with ethanol or carboxymethylcellulose; bioaugmentation with sulfate-reducing or cellulose-degrading enrichments; inoculation with dairy manure only; and no inoculation. A functional gene-based approach employing terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and quantitative polymerase chain reaction targeting genes of sulfate-reducing (dsrA), cellulose-degrading (cel5, cel48), fermentative (hydA), and methanogenic (mcrA) microbes was applied. In terms of performance (i.e., sulfate removal), biostimulation with ethanol was the only strategy that clearly had an effect (positive) following exposure to oxygen. In terms of microbial community composition, significant shifts were observed over the course of the experiment. Results suggest that exposure to oxygen more strongly influenced microbial community shifts than the different microbial community management strategies. Sensitivity to oxygen exposure varied among different populations and was particularly pronounced for fermentative bacteria. Although the community structure remained altered after exposure, system performance recovered, indicating that SR-PRZ microbial communities were functionally redundant. Results suggest that pre-exposure to oxygen might be a more effective strategy to improve the resilience of SR-PRZ microbial communities relative to bioaugmentation or biostimulation.

The effect of multiple primer-template mismatches on quantitative PCR accuracy and development of a multi-primer set assay for accurate quantification of pcrA gene sequence variants.

Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is a critical tool for quantifying the abundance of specific organisms and the level or expression of target genes in medically and environmentally relevant systems. However, often the power of this tool has been limited because primer-template mismatches, due to sequence variations of targeted genes, can lead to inaccuracies in measured gene quantities, detection failures, and spurious conclusions. Currently available primer design guidelines for qPCR were developed for pure culture applications, and available primer design strategies for mixed cultures were developed for detection rather than accurate quantification. Furthermore, past studies examining the impact of mismatches have focused only on single mismatches while instances of multiple mismatches are common. There are currently no appropriate solutions to overcome the challenges posed by sequence variations. Here, we report results that provide a comprehensive, quantitative understanding of the impact of multiple primer-template mismatches on qPCR accuracy and demonstrate a multi-primer set approach to accurately quantify a model gene pcrA (encoding perchlorate reductase) that has substantial sequence variation. Results showed that for multiple mismatches (up to 3 mismatches) in primer regions where mismatches were previously considered tolerable (middle and 5' end), quantification accuracies could be as low as ~0.1%. Furthermore, tests were run using a published pcrA primer set with mixtures of genomic DNA from strains known to harbor the target gene, and for some mixtures quantification accuracy was as low as ~0.8% or was non-detect. To overcome these limitations, a multiple primer set assay including minimal degeneracies was developed for pcrA genes. This assay resulted in nearly 100% accurate detection for all mixed microbial communities tested. The multi-primer set approach demonstrated herein can be broadly applied to other genes with known sequences.

Autohydrogenotrophic perchlorate reduction kinetics of a microbial consortium in the presence and absence of nitrate.

This is the first study to model the effects of nitrate on autohydrogenotrophic perchlorate biokinetics. Batch experiments demonstrated that the presence of nitrate significantly inhibited perchlorate degradation by a hydrogen-oxidizing, perchlorate-reducing microbial consortium. However, the consortium was capable of significant perchlorate reduction while the bulk of the nitrate was still present. Results showed that a modified competitive inhibition model successfully predicted autohydrogenotrophic perchlorate degradation in the presence of nitrate (initial concentrations of ∼230 µg ClO(4)(-)/L and 2.2-4.6 mg NO(3)(-)-N/L). The model describes perchlorate degradation as a function of the biomass, perchlorate, hydrogen, and nitrate concentrations, as well as the single-component perchlorate (28 µg/L), hydrogen (2.3 × 10(-6) M (aq)), and nitrate (0.15 mg/L as N) half-saturation coefficients (K(s)) and perchlorate maximum substrate utilization rate (k) (1.8 µg ClO(4)(-)/mg TSS-hr). Single-component parameters were obtained through a series of batch experiments performed under perchlorate-, nitrate-, and hydrogen-limiting conditions with initial concentrations of 80-340 µg ClO(4)(-)/L, 2.7-3.6 mg NO(3)(-)-N/L, and 1%-3% H(2) (g) by volume.

Quantitative measurement of direct nitrous oxide emissions from microalgae cultivation.

Although numerous lifecycle assessments (LCA) of microalgae-based biofuels have suggested net reductions of greenhouse gas emissions, limited experimental data exist on direct emissions from microalgae cultivation systems. For example, nitrous oxide (N(2)O) is a potent greenhouse gas that has been detected from microalgae cultivation. However, little quantitative experimental data exist on direct N(2)O emissions from microalgae cultivation, which has inhibited LCA performed to date. In this study, microalgae species Nannochloropsis salina was cultivated with diurnal light-dark cycling using a nitrate nitrogen source. Gaseous N(2)O emissions were quantitatively measured using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. Under a nitrogen headspace (photobioreactor simulation), the reactors exhibited elevated N(2)O emissions during dark periods, and reduced N(2)O emissions during light periods. Under air headspace conditions (open pond simulation), N(2)O emissions were negligible during both light and dark periods. Results show that N(2)O production was induced by anoxic conditions when nitrate was present, suggesting that N(2)O was produced by denitrifying bacteria within the culture. The presence of denitrifying bacteria was verified through PCR-based detection of norB genes and antibiotic treatments, the latter of which substantially reduced N(2)O emissions. Application of these results to LCA and strategies for growth management to reduce N(2)O emissions are discussed.