Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Chemicals in Wild Alpine Insects: A Methodological Case Study.

With their high persistence in the environment and their potential for long-range atmospheric transport, persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic chemicals (PBTs) may be among the numerous anthropogenic threats to insect populations worldwide. The effects of PBTs on insects have been investigated in the laboratory, but topical field studies are scarce. A reason might be the multiple challenges faced by PBT-related field studies on wild insects. We studied two species of bumblebees (Bombus spp.) and of ants (Formica spp.) in two high-elevation locations in the Austrian and German Alps to tackle two of these challenges. First, PBTs occur in minuscule concentrations compared with other substances in the environment. Therefore, the practicability of body burden data from pooled individuals was tested. Second, fitness proxies like fecundity, which typically are endpoints for chemical toxicity, are difficult to quantify in the field. Hence, fluctuating asymmetry of bumblebee wings and ant heads was tested as an alternative endpoint. To exclude the possibility that fluctuating asymmetry was caused by genetic stressors, inbreeding levels were estimated using population-genetic markers, and their relationships to fluctuating asymmetry in the same individuals were assessed. We successfully quantified polychlorinated biphenyls and Hg as PBTs using the pooled samples and found PBT data from pooled individuals useful, in that significant correlations to fluctuating asymmetry were identified in bumblebees and ants. This finding confirmed the potential of fluctuating asymmetry to indicate PBT effects in wild insects. Inbreeding did not interfere with PBT links to fluctuating asymmetry in any instance. Our findings contribute to the development of a quantitative methodological framework for investigating the effects of persistent environmental chemicals on wild insects. Environ Toxicol Chem 2022;41:1215-1227. © 2022 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.

Effect of changes in continuous carboxylate feeding on the specific production rate of butanol using Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum.

Substrate variability in multi-feedstock biorefineries has implications for the stability of downstream bioprocesses. Here, we studied potential effects of fluctuating feed rates and pH on substrate uptake and butanol production by Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum during continuous co-feeding with butyric and acetic acid. Monitoring the fermentation extensively and at high frequency, enabled us to perform irregular fraction experimental designs. The total acid feed rate and the ratio of butyric acid to acetic acid in the feed were found to be significant factors in their uptake by the culture. Furthermore, to maximize the specific butanol production rate, glucose may not be limited and butyric acid should be supplied at a rate of 7.5 mmol L-1 h-1. Surprisingly, pH played a role only indirectly, in its effect on process stability. Obtained results facilitate the control of feed rates based on physiological descriptors, which will be a critical factor in the establishment of multi-feedstock biorefineries.

Statistical optimisation of enzymatic detoxification with laccase from Trametes versicolor for spent sulphite liquors using a novel in-situ NMR method.

Within this study the mediated detoxification of spent sulphite liquor via laccase from Trametes versicolor was analysed and optimised using an in-situ NMR-spectroscopy method. The enzymatic degradation kinetic was optimised using the degradation rate of aromatic compounds as indirect parameter. Via response surface methodology the impact of the temperature, the pH and the enzyme concentration was analysed and the conditions were optimised focusing on optimal detoxification. The results of the statistical calculation revealed a valid statistical model for the optimal impact on the aromatic degradation with a temperature of 31 °C, a pH of 6 and a laccase concentrations of 179 U g-1 dry matter of spent sulphite liquor. By using these conditions 88.73% of aromatic compounds could be degraded.