Influence of geometry and solids concentration on the hydrodynamics and mass transfer of a rectangular airlift reactor for marine sediment and soil bioremediation

Hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics of a three-phase airlift reactor were studied in a rectangular split-vessel reactor and using an air-seawater-marine sediment system. Experiments were conducted over a range of downcomer to riser cross-sectional area ratios (A_D/A_R = 0.65 to 1.0) for two-phase systems and for five sediment concentrations (5 to 25% w/v) using marine sediments. The influence of higher sediment concentrations (30 to 50% w/v) was examined for A_D/A_R = 1. The presence of fine sediment particles in the system had little effect on hydrodynamic and mass transfer parameters compared to the two-phase systems up to 25% loading, decreasing at higher loadings. The airlift reactor was found to meet the dissolved oxygen demand needed for a contaminated sediment treatment process. Axial distribution of the particles was uniform along the riser and the downcomer. Correlations were developed that described the hydrodynamic and mass transfer behaviour for all experimental conditions examined.     

Reduction of hexavalent chromium by Bacillus sp. isolated from chromite mine soils and characterization of reduced product

BACKGROUND: The reduction of highly mobile and toxic hexavalent chromium by bacterial strains is considered to be a viable alternative to reduce Cr(VI) contamination, in soils and water bodies, emanating from the overburden dumps of chromite ores and mine drainage. The present study reports the isolation of Cr(VI) resistant bacterial strains from an Indian chromite mine soil and their potential use in reduction of hexavalent chromium. RESULTS: Among the isolates, a bacterial strain (CSB‐4) was identified as Bacillus sp. based on standard biochemical tests and partial 16SrRNA gene sequencing, which was tolerant to as high as 2000 mg L^?1 Cr(VI) concentration. The strain was capable of reducing Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in different growth media. Under the optimized conditions pH ～7.0, 100 mg L^?1 Cr(VI), 35 °C temperature and stirring speed 100 rpm, CSB‐4 reduced more than 90% of Cr(VI) in 144 h. The time course reduction data fitted well an exponential rate equation yielding rate constants in the range 3.22 × 10^?2 to 6.5 × 10^?3 h^?1 for Cr(VI) concentration of 10–500 mg L^?1. The activation energy derived from temperature dependence rate constants between 25 and 35 °C was found to be 99 kJ mol^?1. The characterization of reduced product associated with bacterial cells by SEM‐EDS, FT‐IR and XRD was also reported. CONCLUSION: Reasonably high tolerance and reduction ability of indigenous Bacillus sp. (CSB‐4) for Cr(VI) under a wide range of experimental conditions show promise for its possible use in reclamation of chromite ore mine areas including soils and water bodies. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

土壤中石油污染物微生物降解及其降解去向

通过多因素对比预实验，将筛选出的7个石油烃降解的主要影响因素以正交表方法组合起来，对其进行了实验研究。探讨了石油迁移转化对于各种土壤物理化学条件及其他环境因素改变的敏感程度，并找出了各主要影响因素的重要性和最佳水平；测定了土壤中所存在的石油污染物在生物降解作用下的后期产物，研究了不同条件下的样品残留污染物组分之间的差异。影响土壤中石油烃类降解的主要因素有土壤石油污染强度、营养物(NH4NO3、K2HPO4)、氧化剂(3%H2O2溶液)、表面活性剂(TW80)、温度、土壤含水率和土壤透气性；在降解的不同阶段，各个因素的重要性以及最佳水平会发生相应的变化；在生物降解后期，土壤中残留的石油污染物主要是正构和异构烷烃；正构烷烃的色谱图由原来的对称钟形变为左陡右缓的偏钟形；异构烷烃所占比重增大，正十五烷和正二十一烷之间的谱图基线被明显抬高。     

Evaluation of basidiomycetous fungi for pretreatment of contaminated soil

BACKGROUND: For most dioxin‐contaminated sawmill soils, combustion is recommended. However, the process may be inefficient if the soil has a high organic matter content. The use of saprotrophic basidiomycetous fungi is an alternative for pretreatment of this kind of soil. A total of 147 fungi were evaluated for their ability to grow in sawmill soil. From this screening, the best soil colonizing fungi were selected to study their enzyme activities and degradation of soil organic matter. Pine (Pinus sylvestris) bark was used as a co‐substrate to propagate the fungi into the soil. The activities of manganese peroxidase (MnP), laccase, endo‐1,4‐β‐glucanase, endo‐1,4‐β‐xylanase, and endo‐1,4‐β‐mannanase were analysed from the inocula and fungal treated soil. RESULTS: The screening revealed that 56 out of 147 fungi were able to grow in non‐sterile soil, and most of them were litter‐decomposing fungi (LDF). In pine bark cultures, the highest enzyme activities were observed with Phanerochaete velutina, which produced 5 U g^?1 of MnP. The activity of endo‐1,4‐β‐glucanase was generally higher than that of other hydrolytic enzymes. The highest carbon loss from soil with a high organic matter content was achieved by P. velutina (3.4%) and Stropharia rugosoannulata (2.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Many LDF, and in addition the white‐rot fungus P. velutina, are potential degraders of soil organic matter since they showed good growth and respiratory activity. Pine bark was a suitable lignocellulosic co‐substrate and a good promoter of MnP activity. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

植物内生菌在环境污染修复中的应用研究进展

植物内生细菌作为微生物学同植物微生态学的重要交叉点,近年来备受关注。国内外学者针对植物内生菌这一宝贵的微生物资源库进行了多方面的研究和探索。本文主要介绍植物内生菌的概念和特点,并重点阐述了植物内生菌在环境污染的生物修复中的应用研究动态。旨在为植物内生菌的实际应用提供新的思路。     

Bacterial Dehydrogenases Facilitate Oxidative Inactivation and Bioremediation of Chloramphenicol

Antimicrobial resistance represents a major threat to human health and knowledge of the underlying mechanisms is therefore vital. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of oxidoreductases that inactivate the broad-spectrum antibiotic chloramphenicol via dual oxidation of the C3-hydroxyl group. Accordingly, chloramphenicol oxidation either depends on standalone glucose-methanol-choline (GMC)-type flavoenzymes, or on additional aldehyde dehydrogenases that boost overall turnover. These enzymes also enable the inactivation of the chloramphenicol analogues thiamphenicol and azidamfenicol, but not of the C3-fluorinated florfenicol. Notably, distinct isofunctional enzymes can be found in Gram-positive (e. g., Streptomyces sp.) and Gram-negative (e. g., Sphingobium sp.) bacteria, which presumably evolved their selectivity for chloramphenicol independently based on phylogenetic analyses. Mechanistic and structural studies provide further insights into the catalytic mechanisms of these biotechnologically interesting enzymes, which, in sum, are both a curse and a blessing by contributing to the spread of antibiotic resistance as well as to the bioremediation of chloramphenicol.     

Taking Synthetic Biology to the Seas: From Blue Chassis Organisms to Marine Aquaforming

Oceans cover 71 % of Earth's surface and are home to hundreds of thousands of species, many of which are microbial. Knowledge about marine microbes has strongly increased in the past decades due to global sampling expeditions, and hundreds of detailed studies on marine microbial ecology, physiology, and biogeochemistry. However, the translation of this knowledge into biotechnological applications or synthetic biology approaches using marine microbes has been limited so far. This review highlights key examples of marine bacteria in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering, and outlines possible future work based on the emerging marine chassis organisms Vibrio natriegens and Halomonas bluephagenesis. Furthermore, the valorization of algal polysaccharides by genetically enhanced microbes is presented as an example of the opportunities and challenges associated with blue biotechnology. Finally, new roles for marine synthetic biology in tackling pressing global challenges, including climate change and marine pollution, are discussed.     

Enzymatic biodegradation and detoxification of azo and anthraquinone dyes by indigenously isolated bacterial monocultures and their synergistic behaviour in developed consortia

Wastewater generated by textile industry needs to be treated to reduce its toxicity before final disposal and/or for recycling purposes. In the current study, several bacterial strains were screened for dye decolorization potential. UV–visible spectroscopy was used to determine maximum absorption wavelength of disperse dyes. HPLC and MTS assay were used to confirm the degradation and detoxification of disperse dyes, respectively. Results revealed that indigenously isolated Bacillus licheniformis, Glutamicibacter uratoxydans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed strong decolorization of red, blue and violet, respectively in 6–9 h. MTS assay revealed 100% viability of NIH/3T3 cell lines in presence of treated dyes. Enzyme screening assay confirmed the production of intracellular and membrane bound oxidoreductases in presence of specific dye as substrate. To resolve this issue, bacterial consortia were prepared, and better decolorization of all dyes was achieved in synergistic behaviour of Consortia 1 and 4 with 85% and 88% decolorization potential, respectively.     

Sporosarcina pasteurii诱导碳酸盐-铀共沉淀修复低浓度铀废水的试验研究

对有钙源条件下Sporosarcina pasteurii诱导碳酸盐-铀共沉淀修复低浓度铀废水的性能开展了试验研究。试验结果表明,该细菌能分泌脲酶水解尿素诱导产生方解石并促使其与铀发生共沉淀,使废水中铀的去除率达到95.38%;该细菌能够耐受的铀浓度高达500 mg/L;铀的去除率随Ca²⁺浓度的升高而增加;温度在30℃左右和碱性环境有利于方解石与铀的共沉淀。对沉淀产物进行XRD、SEM-EDS表征分析表明,其主要成分为方解石,且包含铀元素;消解分析表明,在方解石形成过程中铀以共沉淀的方式被固定到了沉淀产物中。本研究表明,Sporosarcina pasteurii诱导碳酸盐-铀共沉淀对修复低浓度铀废水有潜在应用前景。