Development of solid agents of the diphenyl ether herbicide degrading bacterium Bacillus sp. Za based on a mixed organic fertilizer carrier.

The long-term and widespread use of diphenyl ether herbicides has caused serious soil residue problems and threatens the agricultural ecological environment. The development of biodegrading agents using high-efficiency degrading strains as pesticide residue remediation materials has been widely recognized. In this study, the strain Bacillus sp. Za was used to prepare solid agents for the remediation of diphenyl ether herbicides-contaminated soil. The ratio of organic fertilizer was 1:3 (pig manure: cow dung), the inoculum amount of Za was 10%, the application amount of solid agents was 7%, and the application mode was mixed application, all of which were the most suitable conditions for solid agents. After the solid agents were stored for 120 days, the amount of Za remained above 108 CFU/g. The degradation rates of the solid agents for lactofen, bifenox, fluoroglycofen, and fomesafen in soil reached 87.40, 82.40, 78.20, and 65.20%, respectively, on the 7th day. The application of solid agents alleviated the toxic effect of lactofen residues on maize seedlings. A confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) was used to observe the colonization of Za-gfp on the surface of maize roots treated in the solid agents, and Za-gfp mainly colonized the elongation zone and the mature area of maize root tips, and the colonization time exceeded 21 days. High-throughput sequencing analysis of soil community structural changes in CK, J (solid agents), Y (lactofen), and JY (solid agents + lactofen) groups showed that the addition of solid agents could restore the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere soil of maize seedlings. The development of solid agents can facilitate the remediation of soil contaminated with diphenyl ether herbicide residues and improve the technical level of the microbial degradation of pesticide residues.

Efficient biotransformation of sulfide in anaerobic sequencing batch reactor by composite microbial agent: performance optimization and microbial community analysis.

Sulfur-containing wastewater is very common as an industrial waste, yet a high-efficiency composite microbial agent for sulfur-containing wastewater treatment is still lacking. In this work, three novel and efficient desulfurizing bacteria were isolated from the sewage treatment tank of Zhejiang Satellite Energy Co., Ltd. They were identified as Brucella melitensis (S1), Ochrobactrum oryzae (S8), and Achromobacter xylosoxidans (S9). These three strains of bacteria were responsible for the oxidative metabolism of sodium sulfide via a similar polythionate pathway, which could be expressed as follows: S2-→S2O32-/S0→SO32-→SO42-. Activated carbon, wheat bran, and diatomite at 1:1:1 ratio are used as carriers to construct a composite microbial agent containing the three bacteria. The desulfurization efficiency of 95% was predicted by response surface methodology under the following optimum conditions: the dosage of the inoculum was 3 g/L, pH 7.86, and temperature of 39 °C. Additionally, the impact resistance was studied in the anaerobic sequencing batch reactor. The removal capacity of microbial agent reached 98%. High-throughput analysis showed that composite microbial agent increased bacterial evenness and diversity, and the relative abundance of Brucellaceae increased from 5.04 to 8.79% in the reactor. In the process of industrial wastewater transformation, the transformation rate of sulfide by composite microbial agent was maintained between 70 and 81%. The composite microbial agent had potential for the treatment of sulfur-containing wastewater.

A composite microbial agent containing bacterial and fungal species: Optimization of the preparation process, analysis of characteristics, and use in the purification for volatile organic compounds.

Proper preservation of microbial activity over long periods poses a considerable challenge for pollutant biopurification. A composite microbial agent, mainly composed of bacteria and fungi isolated by the current research team, was constructed in this study and its performance in the removal of mixed waste gases (containing α-pinene, n-butyl acetate and o-xylene) was investigated. According to the removal efficiency in the first 24h and the response to starvation, the optimal ratio of selected carriers (activated carbon, wheat bran and sawdust) was found to be 1:2:1. In some cases of storages, the removal capability of the microbial agent was more than twice that of the suspension. Microbial analysis showed that the inoculated bacterial and fungal strains dominated the agent preparation and utilization. These results indicated that the agent has potential for use in biopurification of mixed waste gas, favoring the reduction of environmental passives and longer retention of microbial activity.