Inhibition of methanogenesis in salt marsh sediments and whole-cell suspensions of methanogenic bacteria by nitrogen oxides.

Hydrogen-dependent evolution of methane from salt marsh sediments and whole-cell suspensions of Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum and Methanobacterium fornicicum ceased or decreased after the introduction of nitrate, nitrite, nitric oxide, or nitrous oxide. Sulfite had a similar effect on methanogenesis in the whole-cell suspensions. In salt marsh sediments, nitrous oxide was the strongest inhibitor, followed by nitric oxide, nitrite, and nitrate in decreasing order of inhibition. In whole-cell suspensions, nitric oxide was the strongest inhibitor, followed by nitrous oxide, nitrite, and nitrate. Consideration of the results from experiments using an indicator of oxidation potential, along with the reversed order of effectiveness of the nitrogen oxides in relation to their degree of reduction ,suggests that the inhibitory effect observed was not due to a redox change. Evidence is also presented that suggests that the decrease in the rate of methane production in the presence of oxides of nitrogen was not attributable to competition for methane-producing substrates.

Nitrate removal in closed-system aquaculture by columnar denitrification.

The columnar denitrification method of nitrate-nitrogen removal from high-density, closed system, salmonid aquaculture was investigated and found to be feasible. However, adequate chemical monitoring was found to be necessary for the optimization and quality control of this method. When methanol-carbon was not balanced with inlet nitrate-nitrogen, the column effluent became unsatisfactory for closed-system fish culture due to the presence of excess amounts of nitrite, ammonia, sulfide, and dissolved organic carbon. Sulfide production was also influenced by column maturity and residence time. Methane-carbon was found to be unsatisfactory as an exogenous carbon source. Endogenous carbon could not support high removal efficiencies. Freshwater columns adpated readily to an artificial seawater with a salinity of 18% without observable inhibition. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the bacterial flora was mainly rod forms with the Peritricha (protozoa) dominating as the primary consumers. Denitrifying bacteria isolated from freshwater columns were tentatively identified as species of Pseudomonas and Alcaligenes. A pilot plant column was found to behave in a manner similar to the laboratory columns except that nitrite production was never observed.

Decrease in nitrate reductase activity in extracts of Trichoderma viride Incubated with chlorides.

Reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent nitrate reductase activity in crude extracts of Trichoderma virde was significantly inhibited by physiological concentrations of ammonium chloride, sodium chloride, and potassium chloride, but not by ammonium or sodium sulfate. The chloride inhibition of nitrate reductase activity increased in a linear manner with chloride concentration.

Blockage by acetylene of nitrous oxide reduction in Pseudomonas perfectomarinus.

Suspensions of denitrifying cells of Pseudomonas perfectomarinus reduced nitrate and nitrate as expected to dinitrogen; but, in the presence of acetylene, nitrous oxide accumulated when nitrate or nitrate was reduced. When supplied at the outset in place of nitrate and nitrate, nitrous oxide was rapidly reduced to dinitrogen by cells incubated in anaerobic vessels in the absence of acetylene. In the presence of 0.01 atmospheres of acetylene, however, nitrous oxide was not reduced. Ethylene was not produced, nor did it influence the rate of nitrous oxide reduction when provided instead of acetylene. Cells exposed to 0.01 atmospheres of acetylene for as long as 400 min were able to reduce nitrous oxide after removal of acetylene at a rate comparable to that of cells not exposed to acetylene. Acetylene did not affect the production or functioning of assimilatory nitrate or nitrite reductase in axenic cultures of Enterobacter aerogenes or Trichoderma uride. While exposed to acetylene, bacteria in marine sediment slurries produced measurable quantities of nitrous oxide from glucose- or acetate-dependent reduction of added nitrate. Possible use of acetylene blockage for measurement of denitrification in unamended marine sediments is discussed.