Biodegradation of meta-fluorophenol by an acclimated activated sludge

An acclimated activated sludge was examined for its ability to degrade meta-fluorophenol as sole carbon source in aerobic batch cultures. The mechanism study revealed that the initial step in the aerobic biodegradation of meta-fluorophenol was their transformation to fluorocatechol. Following transformation of the fluorophenol to fluorocatechol, ring cleavage by catechol 1,2-dioxygenases proceeded via an ortho-cleavage pathway, then defluorination occurred.     

Biodegradation of 2,4,6-trinitrophenol by Rhodococcus sp. isolated from a picric acid-contaminated soil

A picric acid-degrading bacterium, strain NJUST16, was isolated from a soil contaminated by picric acid and identified as a member of Rhodococcus sp. based on 16S rRNA sequence. The degradation assays suggested that the strain NJUST16 could utilize picric acid as the sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy. The isolate grew optimally at 30 degrees C and initial pH 7.0-7.5 in the mineral salts medium supplemented with picric acid. It was basically consistent with degradation of picric acid by the isolate. Addition of nitrogen sources such as yeast extract and peptone accelerated the degradation of picric acid. However, the stimulation was concentration dependent. The degradation was accompanied by release of stoichiometric amount of nitrite and acidification. The degradation of picric acid at relatively high concentrations (>3.93 mM) demonstrated that the degradation was both pH and nitrite dependent. Neutral and slightly basic pH was crucial to achieve high concentrations of picric acid degradation by the NJUST16 strain.     

Biodegradation of redox dye Methylene Blue by up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor

The objective of this study is to evaluate the decolorization of Methylene Blue (MB) by an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. The UASB reactor was operated under batch condition with total treatment volume of 3l and operation time of 24 h per batch. It was found that the color of MB disappeared within a few minutes after entering into the UASB reactor due to reduction by anaerobic biomass. However, the reduced MB was re-oxidized again by air after discharged from the reactor and thus caused low color removal efficiency. The presence of suitable amount of organic content (sucrose and peptone) as an electron donor played an important factor for color removal. It was observed that more than 90% of color removal efficiency was achieved in the UASB reactor with 0.627 mmoll(-1) of MB concentration and the presence of low amount of organic content (<0.45 g COD/(ld)). Biological dye reduction kinetics depends on the concentration of dye and reducing equivalents. The kinetic behavior of MB biodegradation by microbes was also investigated to determine the model involved in the process.     

Degradation of quinoline by Rhodococcus sp. QL2 isolated from activated sludge

A novel aerobic gram-positive bacterial strain capable of utilizing quinoline as sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy was isolated from activated sludge of a coke plant wastewater treatment process. The isolate was identified as Rhodococcus sp. QL2 based on its morphology, physiochemical properties in addition to the results from 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The optimum temperature and the pH for its growth were 35–40 °C and 8.0, respectively. Extra nitrogen sources stimulated the bacterial growth on quinoline. Strain QL2 had strong quinoline degradability, and its degradation kinetics could be described with Haldane's model. Strain QL2 also had a broad range of substrate utilization. Identification of intermediates by GC/MS showed Rhodococcus sp. QL2 degraded quinoline via two pathways simultaneously.     

Biodegradation of phenanthrene using adapted microbial consortium isolated from petrochemical contaminated environment

In developing countries like India, there are many industrial areas discharging effluent containing large amount of polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) which causes hazardous effect on the soil-water environment. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize high-efficiency PAH-degrading microbial consortium from 3 decade old petrochemical refinery field located in Nagpur, Maharashtra with history of PAH disposal. Based on biochemical tests and 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis the consortium was identified as Sphingobacterium sp., Bacillus cereus and a novel bacterium Achromobacter insolitus MHF ENV IV with effective phenanthrene-degrading ability. The biodegradation data of phenanthrene indicates about 100%, 56.9% and 25.8% degradation at the concentration of 100mg/l, 250 mg/l and 500 mg/l respectively within 14 days. The consortium and its monoculture isolates also utilized variety of other hydrocarbons for growth. To best of our knowledge this is the first time that Achromobacter insolitus has been reported to mineralize phenanthrene effectively. GC-MS analysis of phenanthrene degradation confirmed biodegradation by detection of intermediates like salicylaldehyde, salicylic acid and catechol. All the results indicated that the microbial consortium have a promising application in bioremediation of petrochemical contaminated environments and could be potentially useful for the study of PAH degradation and for bioremediation purposes.     

Biodegradation of 4-CP in an activated sludge reactor: effects of biosurfactant and the sludge age

The biosurfactant's effect on the biodegradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) in the existence of glucose was researched under the circumstances of using unacclimated culture and various sludge ages. The removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 4-CP, the growth of biomass and specific substrate removal rates were examined under various operating conditions. When 150 mg/l concentration of 4-CP was applied, glucose and 4-CP degraded in the same period in the unacclimated bioreactors where biosurfactant was added. Nevertheless, the COD removal in the control reactor noticeably decreased and when compared with reactors which biosurfactant was added, a longer period was needed for the degradation of 4-CP in this reactor. While the complete removal of 4-CP in the control reactor eventuated on the 14th day, in the reactor which 2xcritical micelle concentration (CMC) was added the complete removal of 4-CP eventuated on the end of the 1st day. These results showed that addition of biosurfactant reduced the transient time before the steady-state. COD and 4-CP removal performances were improved by increasing the sludge age. No difference in system performance was observed at high sludge ages in the absence and presence of biosurfactant. However, the performance of the system in the presence of biosurfactant was satisfactory even at low sludge ages. That is, the system should be operated either at high sludge ages (>15 days) in the absence of biosurfactant or at low sludge ages (<15 days) in the presence of surfactants.     

Biodegradation of total organic carbons (TOC) in Jordanian petroleum sludge

Biodegradation is cost-effective, environmentally friendly treatment for oily contaminated sites by the use of microorganisms. In this study, laboratory experiments were conducted to establish the performance of bacterial isolates in degradation of organic compounds contained in oily sludge from the Jordanian Oil Refinery plant. As a result of the laboratory screening, three natural bacterial consortia capable of degrading total organic carbons (TOC) were prepared from isolates enriched from the oil sludge. Experiments were conducted in Erlenmeyer flasks under aerobic conditions, with TOC removal percentage varied from 0.3 to 28% depending on consortia type and concentration. Consortia 7B and 13B exhibited the highest TOC removal percentage of 28 and 22%, respectively, before nutrient addition. TOC removal rate was enhanced after addition of nutrients to incubated flasks. The highest TOC reduction (43%) was estimated after addition of combination of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur to consortia 7B.

A significant variation (P < 0.005) was obser0ved between the effect of consortia type and concentration on TOC% reduction. No significant variation was observed between incubation at 10 and 18 days in TOC% reduction. This is the first report concerning biological treatment of TOC by bacteria isolated from the oil refinery plants, where it lays the ground for full integrated studies recommended for the degradation of organic compounds that assist in solving sludge problems.     

Biodegradation of Direct Red 5B, a textile dye by newly isolated Comamonas sp. UVS

Soil samples collected from the vicinity of "Manpasand textile industry", located near Ichalkaranji, India were studied for screening and isolation of bacterial strains capable of degradation of textile dyes. A potential strain was selected on the basis of rapid dye degradation and later identified as Comamonas sp. UVS. Comamonas sp. UVS showed 100% decolorization of Direct Red 5B (DR5B) dye at 40 degrees C and pH 6.5. The maximum Direct Red 5B concentration decolorized was 1100mg/l in nutrient broth within 125h. A numerical simulation with the Michaelis-Menten kinetics model gives an optimal value of 16.01+/-0.36mgdye/gcell/h for maximum rate (V(max)) and 7.97+/-0.21mg/l for the Michaelis constant (K(m)). The induction in the activities of laccase and LiP was observed during decolorization. These enzymes were inhibited by the addition of sodium azide. The biodegradation was monitored by UV-vis, FTIR spectroscopy and HPLC. The GCMS analysis indicated the presence of 7-benzoylamino-3-diazenyl-4-hydroxy-naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid in degraded product of the dye. The germination of Triticum aestivum seeds was inhibited with DR5B treatment but not with the treatment of dye degradation products.     

污水厂脱水污泥制吸附剂及脱除H2S效能研究

采用热解炭化法制备了一系列污泥吸附剂,优化制备工艺,利用扫描电镜(SEM)、比表面积和孔径分析等技术对污泥吸附剂的结构进行了表征,并研究了脱除H2S效能。结果表明,活化温度、活化时间和固液比等因素均对污泥吸附剂的碘吸附值产生影响。当活化温度为550℃、活化时间为2.0h、固液比为1∶2时所制备材料(SA)的碘吸附值最高,为493.12mg/g;制备的SA具有较好的脱除H2S效能,能满足精脱硫的要求,当空速为4600h-1时,SA的除臭时间可达48min;此外SA中含有的多种金属元素,平均孔径为3.4nm,这些性质均有利于H2S的吸附脱除。     

Biodegradation of anthracene by Aspergillus fumigatus

An anthracene-degrading strain, identified as Aspergillus fumigatus, showed a favorable ability in degradation of anthracene. The degradation efficiency could be maintained at about 60% after 5d with initial pH of the medium kept between 5 and 7.5, and the optimal temperature of 30 °C. The activity of this strain was not affected significantly by high salinity. Exploration on co-metabolism showed that the highest degradation efficiency was reached at equal concentration of lactose and anthracene. Excessive carbon source would actually hamper the degradation efficiency. Meanwhile, the strain could utilize some aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, phenol etc. as sole source of carbon and energy, indicating its degradation diversity. Experiments on enzymatic degradation indicated that extracellular enzymes secreted by A. fumigatus could metabolize anthracene effectively, in which the lignin peroxidase may be the most important constituent. Analysis of ion chromatography showed that the release of anions of A. fumigatus was not affected by addition of anthracene. GC-MS analysis revealed that the molecular structure of anthracene changed with the action of the microbe, generating a series of intermediate compounds such as phthalic anhydride, anthrone and anthraquinone by ring-cleavage reactions.     

Feasibility of nutrient recovery from industrial sludge by vermicomposting technology

Transformation of industrial sludges into vermicompost is of double interest: on the one hand, a waste is converted into value added product, and, on the other, it controls a pollutant that is a consequence of increasing industrialization. This paper reports the feasibility of utilization of vermicomposting technology for nutrient recovery from industrial sludge in laboratory scale experiment employing Eisenia fetida earthworm. A total of nine vermireactors, having different percentage of wastewater treatment plant sludge of a food industry and cow dung, were established and monitored for fertilizer quality of vermicompost and growth and fecundity of the earthworms for 3 months. The earthworms were unable to survive in 100% FIS. There was a decrease in pH, organic carbon content, organic matter, C:N ratio, and increase in ash content, EC, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus content in all the vermireactors. Total Kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN) content increased in the range of 12.2–28.7 g kg⁻¹ in different vermireactors after vermicomposting. C:N ratio was 1.59–5.24 folds lesser in final vermicomposts than initial raw substrate. The heavy metals’ content in final vermicomposts was higher than initial feed mixtures. Maximum worm biomass was observed in control, i.e., 100% CD (836 mg earthworm⁻¹) and the lowest in 30% CD + 70% FIS feed mixture (280 mg earthworm⁻¹). Cocoon production was started during 6–7th week in all feed mixture except in feed mixture no. 9. After 12 weeks maximum cocoons (57) were counted in 100% CD and minimum (2) in 30% CD + 70% FIS feed. The results indicated that food industry sludge could be converted into good quality manure by vermicomposting if mixed up to 30% with cow dung.     

Bioleaching of chromium from tannery sludge by indigenous Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans

Chromium in tannery sludge will cause serious environmental problems and is toxic to organisms. The acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans can leach heavy metals form urban and industrial wastes. This study examined the ability of an indigenous sulfur-oxidizing A. thiooxidans to leach chromium from tannery sludge. The results showed that the pH of sludge mixture inoculated with the indigenous A. thiooxidans decreased to around 2.0 after 4 days. After 6 days incubation in shaking flasks at 30 degrees C and 160 rpm, up to 99% of chromium was solubilized from tannery sludge. When treated in a 2-l bubble column bioreactor for 5 days at 30 degrees C and aeration of 0.5 vvm, 99.7% of chromium was leached from tannery sludge. The results demonstrated that chromium in tannery sludge can be efficiently leached by the indigenous A. thiooxidans.     

Ultrasonic reduction of excess sludge from the activated sludge system

Sludge treatment has long become the most challenging problem in wastewater treatment plants. Previous studies showed that ozone or chlorine effectively liquefies sludge into substrates for bio-degradation in the aeration tank, and thus reduces the excess sludge. This paper employs ultrasound to reduce the excess sludge from the sequential batch reactor (SBR) system. Partial sludge was disintegrated into dissolved substrates by ultrasound in an external sono-tank and was then returned to the SBR for bio-degradation. The results showed that ultrasound (25kHz) effectively liquefied the sludge. The most effective conditions for sludge reduction were as following: sludge sonication ratio of 3/14, ultrasound intensity of 120kW/kgDS, and sonication duration of 15min. The amount of excess sludge was reduced by 91.1% to 17.8mg/(Ld); the organic content and settleability of sludge in the SBR were not impacted. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was 81.1%, the total nitrogen (TN) removal efficiency was 17-66%, and high phosphorus concentration in the effluent was observed.     

Biological hydrogen production from sterilized sewage sludge by anaerobic self-fermentation

Due to richness in proteins and carbohydrates, the sewage sludge produced from the wastewater treatment processes is becoming a potential substrate for biological hydrogen production. In this study, sterilized sludge was employed to produce hydrogen by batch anaerobic self-fermentation without any extra-feeds and extra-seeds. Sterilization can screen hydrogen-producing microorganisms from sludge microflora and release organic materials from microbial cells of sludge. Experimental results suggested that sterilization could accelerate and increase the hydrogen production of sewage sludge in the anaerobic self-fermentation, and the biogas did not contain methane. The hydrogen yield was increased from 0.35 mL H₂/g VS (raw sludge) to 16.26 mL H₂/g VS (sterilized sludge). Although sterilization could fully inhibit the activity of methanogens in the sludge, the hydrogen consumption still occurred in the anaerobic self-fermentation of sterilized sludge due to the existence of other hydrogen-consuming actions. The decrease of pH in the anaerobic self-fermentation of sterilized sludge was very lower (from 6.81 to 6.56) because NH₄⁺ produced by degradation of proteins could neutralize organic acids produced in the process. The soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) increase of sterilized sludge was higher than that of raw sludge. Volatile fatty acids (VFA) were the important by-products and acetate was the major composition. The hydrogen fermentation of carbohydrates was the major source of hydrogen production.     

Glass-ceramic from sewage sludge ash

Glass-ceramic was produced by adding limestone to sewage sludge incinerated ash. Black glass was produced by melting a blended ash batch at 1450°C. For nucleation, this glass was reheated at 800°C for 1 h, and reheated at 1100°C for 2 h to form glass-ceramic. The main components of sewage sludge incinerated ash are SiO2 and Al2O3. Because small amounts of Fe2O3, sulfur and carbon are included, the addition of limestone alone can generate the crystal nucleant, FeS, to form anorthite (CaO·Al2O3·2SiO2) crystal. The glass-ceramic showed superior characteristics of high strength and acid resistance for use in construction materials. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Removal of copper from industrial sludge by traditional and microwave acid extraction

This work elucidates the removal of copper from industrial sludge by traditional and microwave acid extraction. The effects of acid concentration, extraction time, sludge particle size and solid/liquid (S/L) ratio on copper removal efficiency were evaluated. Leaching with more concentrated acid yielded greater copper content from the industrial sludge. The experimental findings reveal that the most economical traditional extraction conditions were the use of 1N sulfuric or nitric acid for 60 min at an S/L ratio of 1/20; however, at an S/L ratio of 1/6, the extraction time needed to achieve the same copper removal efficiency was increased to 36 h. Increasing the microwave power and reducing the S/L ratio increased the copper extraction efficiency and the effect in the larger S/L ratio system was more significant. A comparison of the results of microwave-assisted (microwave only) and microwave-enhanced (microwave with addition of active carbon) acid extraction demonstrated that under both conditions, S/L ratio = 1/6 and 1/20; adding active carbon shortened the extraction time required to achieve 80% copper extraction efficiency from 20 to 10 min. These experimental results indicate that the most important factors that most strongly affected microwave acid extraction were the addition of a microwave absorber, the microwave power input and the S/L ratio. The sludge particle size did not significantly affect the copper extraction. The results reveal that sulfuric acid was an effective extractant and that the copper fraction in the extracted sludge shifted from being mostly bound to the Fe–Mn oxides and organic matter, to being mostly bound to organic matter and remaining as a residue during acid extraction.     

Biodegradation of cyanide containing effluents by Scenedesmus obliquus

Biological degradation of cyanide has been shown a viable and robust process for degrading cyanide in mining process wastewaters. Several algal cultures can effectively degrade cyanide as carbon and/or nitrogen source for their growth. In this study, cyanide effluent degradation by Scenedesmus obliquus was examined. Gold mill effluents containing WAD cyanide concentration of 77.9mg/L was fed to batch unit to examine the ability of S. obliquus for degrading cyanide. Cyanide was reduced down to 6mg/L in 77h. Microbial growth and metal uptake of Zn, Fe and Cu was examined during cyanide degradation. The cells well adapted to high pH and the effluent contained cyanide and the metals. It is important that Zn level reduced down 50%, of the starting concentration. pH was kept at 10.3 to prevent loss of cyanide as HCN, due its volatile nature. The bio treatment process was considered to be successful in degrading cyanide in the mine process water.     

Biodegradation pattern of hydrocarbons from a fuel oil-type complex residue by an emulsifier-producing microbial consortium

The biodegradation of a hazardous waste (bilge waste), a fuel oil-type complex residue from normal ship operations, was studied in a batch bioreactor using a microbial consortium in seawater medium. Experiments with initial concentrations of 0.18 and 0.53% (v/v) of bilge waste were carried out. In order to study the biodegradation kinetics, the mass of n-alkanes, resolved hydrocarbons and unresolved complex mixture (UCM) hydrocarbons were assessed by gas chromatography (GC). Emulsification was detected in both experiments, possibly linked to the n-alkanes depletion, with differences in emulsification start times and extents according to the initial hydrocarbon concentration. Both facts influenced the hydrocarbon biodegradation kinetics. A sequential biodegradation of n-alkanes and UMC was found for the higher hydrocarbon content. Being the former growth associated, while UCM biodegradation was a non-growing process showing enzymatic-type biodegradation kinetics. For the lower hydrocarbon concentration, simultaneous biodegradation of n-alkanes and UMC were found before emulsification. Nevertheless, certain UCM biodegradation was observed after the medium emulsification. According to the observed kinetics, three main types of hydrocarbons (n-alkanes, biodegradable UCM and recalcitrant UCM) were found adequate to represent the multicomponent substrate (bilge waste) for future modelling of the biodegradation process.     

Characterization of magnetotactic bacteria and their magnetosomes isolated from Tieshan iron ore in Hubei Province of China

Several magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) have been isolated from iron cap belt, surface soil of intermediate belt and “primary iron ore belt” of Tieshan iron ore in Hubei Province, China. These magnetotactic bacteria were cultivated in enrichment medium at room temperature (25–30 °C), with oxygen concentration of 5–10% under the field of a permanent magnet. The magnetotactic bacteria were cocci or rods. They contained two or more magnetosomes under transmission electron microscope (TEM H-7000 FA), and the magnetosomes were in the shapes of rounded, triangular, rectangular and irregular. Energy spectrum analysis with Jeol 2000 transmission electron microscope (JEM2000FXII) equipped with energy dispersive system (EDS) controlled by Oxford Instruments Analytical system (INCA) showed that iron oxides were the main component of the magnetic particles.