Microbial ecology in selenate-reducing biofilm communities: Rare biosphere and their interactions with abundant phylotypes.

Selenate (SeO42- ) reduction in hydrogen (H2 )-fed membrane biofilm reactors (H2 -MBfRs) was studied in combinations with other common electron acceptors. We employed H2 -MBfRs with two distinctly different conditions: R1, with ample electron-donor availability and acceptors SeO42- and sulfate (SO42- ), and R2, with electron-donor limitation and the presence of electron acceptors SeO42- , nitrate (NO3- ), and SO42- . Even though H2 was available to reduce all input SeO42- and SO42- in R1, SeO42- reduction was preferred over SO42- reduction. In R2, co-reduction of NO3- and SeO42- occurred, and SO42- reduction was mostly suppressed. Biofilms in all MBfRs had high microbial diversity that was influenced by the "rare biosphere" (RB), phylotypes with relative abundance less than 1%. While all MBfR biofilms had abundant members, such as Dechloromonas and Methyloversatilis, the bacterial communities were significantly different between R1 and R2. For R1, abundant genera were Methyloversatilis, Melioribacter, and Propionivibrio; for R2, abundant genera were Dechloromonas, Hydrogenophaga, Cystobacter, Methyloversatilis, and Thauera. Although changes in electron-acceptor or -donor loading altered the phylogenetic structure of the microbial communities, the biofilm communities were resilient in terms of SeO42- and NO3- reductions, because interacting members of the RB had the capacity of respiring these electron acceptors.

Influence of operating conditions on sulfate reduction from real mining process water by membrane biofilm reactors.

Two H2-based membrane biofilm reactor (H2-MBfR) systems, differing in membrane type, were tested for sulfate reduction from a real mining-process water having low alkalinity and high concentrations of dissolved sulfate and calcium. Maximum sulfate reductions were 99%, with an optimum pH range between 8 and 8.5, which minimized any toxic effect of unionized hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and calcite scaling on the fibers and in the biofilm. Although several strategies for control of pH and gas back-diffusion were applied, it was not possible to sustain a high degree of sulfate reduction over the long-term. The most likely cause was precipitation of calcite inside the biofilm and on the surface of fibers, which was shown by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) analysis. Another possible cause was a decline in pH, leading to inhibition by H2S. A H2/CO2 mixture in the gas supply was able to temporarily recover the effectiveness of the reactors and stabilize the pH. Biomolecular analysis showed that the biofilm was comprised of 15-20% SRB, but a great variety of autotrophic and heterotrophic genera, including sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, were present. Results also suggest that the MBfR system can be optimized by improving H2 mass transfer using fibers of higher gas permeability and by feeding a H2/CO2 mixture that is automatically adjusted for pH control.

Critical Uncertainties and Gaps in the Environmental- and Social-Impact Assessment of the Proposed Interoceanic Canal through Nicaragua.

The proposed interoceanic canal will connect the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean, traversing Lake Nicaragua, the major freshwater reservoir in Central America. If completed, the canal would be the largest infrastructure-related excavation project on Earth. In November 2015, the Nicaraguan government approved an environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for the canal. A group of international experts participated in a workshop organized by the Academy of Sciences of Nicaragua to review this ESIA. The group concluded that the ESIA does not meet international standards; essential information is lacking regarding the potential impacts on the lake, freshwater and marine environments, and biodiversity. The ESIA presents an inadequate assessment of natural hazards and socioeconomic disruptions. The panel recommends that work on the canal project be suspended until an appropriate ESIA is completed. The project should be resumed only if it is demonstrated to be economically feasible, environmentally acceptable, and socially beneficial.

Scientists raise alarms about fast tracking of transoceanic canal through Nicaragua.

Seeking economic growth and job creation to tackle the nation's extreme poverty, the Nicaraguan government awarded a concession to build an interoceanic canal and associated projects to a recently formed Hong Kong based company with no track record or related expertise. This concession was awarded without a bidding process and in advance of any feasibility, socio-economic or environmental impact assessments; construction has begun without this information. The 278 km long interoceanic canal project may result in significant environmental and social impairments. Of particular concern are damage to Lake Cocibolca, a unique freshwater tropical lake and Central America's main freshwater reservoir; damage to regional biodiversity and ecosystems; and socio-economic impacts. Concerned about the possibly irreparable damage to the environment and to native communities, conservationists and the scientific community at large are urging the Nicaraguan government to devise and reveal an action plan to address and mitigate the possible negative repercussions of this interoceanic canal and associated projects. Critical research needs for preparation of a comprehensive benefit-cost analysis for this megaproject are presented.

The diffusion-active permeable reactive barrier.

Using the biogeochemical model CCBATCH, which we expanded to include transport processes, we study a novel approach for the treatment of aquifers contaminated with toxic concentrations of metals, the diffusion-active permeable reactive barrier (DAPRB), which is based on generation of sulfide by Sulfate Reducing Bacteria (SRB) as the groundwater moves through a layered treatment zone. In the DAPRB, layers of low conductivity (low-K) containing reactive materials are intercalated between layers of high conductivity (high-K) that transport the groundwater across the barrier. Because diffusion dominates transport in the reactive layers, microbial communities can take advantage there of the chemical-gradient mechanism for protection from toxicants. The ideal sulfidic DAPRB design includes particulate organic matter (POM) and solid sulfate mineral inside the reactive (low-K) layer. This leads to sulfate reduction and the formation of sulfide ligands that complex with toxic metals, such as Zn(2+) in the high-K layer. We perform a theoretical biogeochemical analysis of the ideal configuration of a DAPRB for treatment of Zn-contaminated groundwater. Our analysis using the expanded CCBATCH confirms the gradient-resistance mechanism for bio-protection, with the ZnS bio-sink forming at the intersection of the Zn and sulfide plumes inside the high-K layers of the DAPRB. The detailed DAPRB analysis also shows that total alkalinity and pH distributions are representative footprints of the two key biogeochemical processes taking place, sulfidogenesis and Zn immobilization as sulfide mineral. This is so because these two reactions consume or produce acidic hydrogen and alkalinity. Additionally, because Zn immobilization is due to ZnS mineral precipitation, the ZnS mineral distribution is a good indicator for the bio-sink. Bio-sinks are located for the most part within the high-K layers, and their exact position depends on the relative magnitude of metal and sulfide fluxes. Finally, we conduct a practicality analysis that supports the feasibility of implementing the proposed design. For instance, the fraction of reactive material that is consumed during sulfidogenesis is relatively small (including POM and sulfate source), a total volume fraction of less than 6% over a time span of 50years.

A biogeochemical framework for metal detoxification in sulfidic systems.

We develop a comprehensive biogeochemical framework for understanding and quantitatively evaluating metals bio-protection in sulfidic microbial systems. We implement the biogeochemical framework in CCBATCH by expanding its chemical equilibrium and biological sub-models for surface complexation and the formation of soluble and solid products, respectively. We apply the expanded CCBATCH to understand the relative importance of the various key ligands of sulfidic systems in Zn detoxification. Our biogeochemical analysis emphasizes the relative importance of sulfide over other microbial products in Zn detoxification, because the sulfide yield is an order of magnitude higher than that of other microbial products, while its reactivity toward metals also is highest. In particular, metal-titration simulations using the expanded CCBATCH in a batch mode illustrate how sulfide detoxifies Zn, controlling its speciation as long as total sulfide is greater than added Zn. Only in the absence of sulfide does complexation of Zn to biogenic organic ligands play a role in detoxification. Our biogeochemical analysis conveys fundamental insight on the potential of the key ligands of sulfidic systems to effect Zn detoxification. Sulfide stands out for its reactivity and prevalence in sulfidic systems.

Modeling bio-protection and the gradient-resistance mechanism.

We expand the biogeochemical program CCBATCH to describe transport processes in 1-D ground-water systems. We use the expanded CCBATCH with our biogeochemical framework for metal detoxification in sulfidic systems to study complex bio-protection scenarios. In particular, in our numerical experiments we expose a consortium of sulfate-reducing bacteria and fermenting bacteria to a toxic concentration of Zn(2+) in a 1-D system with precipitation of zinc-sulfide solids turned off or on. Our results confirm the key role of sulfide precipitation in detoxification when coupled effects of transport and biological processes are considered. The potential of sulfide as a detoxifying agent in bio-protection is explained by its high mobility, its high affinity for metals, and its high rate of production in sulfidic systems. Thus, our numerical results offer important evidence for the gradient-resistance mechanism and validate that a metal-resistance criterion developed from an analytical solution is accurate for defining when bio-protection should succeed.