Biodegradation of organochlorine pesticide endosulfan by bacterial strain Alcaligenes faecalis JBW4

The recently discovered endosulfan-degrading bacterial strain Alcaligenesfaecalis JBW4 was isolated from activated sludge. This strain is able to use endosulfan as a carbon and energy source. The optimal conditions for the growth of strain JBW4 and for biodegradation by this strain were identified, and the metabolic products of endosulfan degradation were studied in detail. The maximum level of endosulfan biodegradation by strain JBW4 was obtained using broth at an initial pH of 7.0, an incubation temperature of 40℃ and an endosulfan concentration of I00 mg/L. The concentration of endosulfan was determined by gas chromatography. Strain JBW4 was able to degrade 87.5% of α-endosulfan and 83.9% of β-endosulfan within 5 days. These degradation rates are much higher than the previously reported bacterial strains. Endosulfan diol and endosulfan lactone were the major metabolites detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; endosulfan sulfate, which is a persistent and toxic metabolite, was not detected. These results suggested that A. faecalis JBW4 degrades endosulfan via a non-oxidative pathway. The biodegradation of endosulfan by A. faecalis is reported for the first time. Additionally, the present study indicates that strain JBW4 may have potential for the biodegradation of endosulfan residues.     

Construction of WCB-11: A novel phiYFP arsenic-resistant whole-cell biosensor

The prediction and assessment of environmental pollution by arsenic are important preconditions of advocating environmental protection and human health risk assessment.A yellow fluorescent protein-based whole-cell biosensor for the detection of arsenite and arsenate was constructed and tested.An arsenic-resistant promoter and the regulatory gene arsR were obtained by PCR from the genome of Escherichia coli DH5α,and phiYFP was introduced into E.coli DH5α as a reporter gene to construct an arsenic-resistant whole-cell biosensor(WCB-11) in which phiYFP was expressed well for the first time.Experimental results demonstrated that the biosensor has a good response to arsenic and the expression of phiYFP.When strain WCB-11 was exposed to As 3+ and As 5+,the expression of yellow fluorescence was time-dependent and dose-dependent.This engineered construct is expected to become established as an inexpensive and convenient method for the detection of arsenic in the field.     

Enzymatic preparation of hydrophobic biomass with one-pot synthesis and the oil removal performance

Oil pollution is causing deleterious damage to aquatic ecosystems and human health. The utilization of agricultural waste such as corn stalk (CS) to produce biosorbents has been considered an ecofriendly and efficient approach for removing oil. However, most previous studies focused on the modification of the whole CS, which is inefficient due to the heterogeneity of CS. In this study, corn stalk pith (CP), which has excellent amphipathic characteristics, was selected to prepare a high-efficienc...     

Estimation of carbon dioxide flux and source partitioning over Beijing, China

The magnitude and partitioning of carbon dioxide emission from the urban area in Beijing, China was estimated based on a statistical approach. Results showed that the urban surface is a net source of CO2 to atmosphere. The main sources of CO2 are vehicles, which accounted for 75.5% and 38.9% of CO2 emission in summer and winter, respectively. At midday in summer, the CO2 uptake of-0.034 mg/（m^2.sec） indicated that vegetation is an important sink of CO2 in summer. Comparison between the annual emission rates of CO2 from the statistical approach and that directly measured by the eddy covariance technique implies that a bottom-up emission approach is a viable means to estimate CO2 emission in an urban area.     

Stepwise superposition approximation approach for analytical solutions with non-zero initial concentration using existing solutions of zero initial concentration in contaminate transport

Analytical solutions for contaminant transport are widely used for both theoretical and practical purposes. However, many existing solutions are obtained subject to an initial condition of zero concentration, which is often unrealistic in many practical cases. This article proposed a stepwise superposition approximation approach to solve the non-zero initial concentration problem for first-type and third-type boundary conditions by using the existing zero initial concentration solution. Theoretical examples showed that the approach was highly efficient if a proper superposition scheme with relative concentration increments was constructed. The key parameter that controlled the convergence speed was the time increment (Δt) multiplied by the rate constant ( ). The approach served also as an alternative way to make a convenient concentration calculation even if the non-zero initial concentration solution of a problem was known.     

Sources, chemistry, impacts and regulations of complex air pollution: Preface

正Clean air is essential to people's health and that of the environment.Since the industrial revolution,however,the quality of the air that people breathe has deteriorated considerably—mainly as a result of human activities.Rising industrial and energy production,the burning of fossil fuels and the dramatic rise in traffic all contribute to air pollution in our cities which,in turn,can lead to serious health problems for instance     

Genotoxicity evaluation and a primary risk assessment of organic pollutants in the drinking water sources of Nanjing, China

An increasing number of industrial, agricultural, and commercial chemicals in the aquatic environment leads to various deleterious effects on organisms, which is becoming an increasingly serious problem in China. In this study, the comet assay was conducted to investigate the genotoxicity to human body caused by organic concentrates in the drinking water sources of Nanjing City from Yangtze River of China, and health and ecology risk due to expose to these organic pollutants were evaluated with the multimedia environmental assessment system （MEAS）. For all the water samples, they were collected from four different locations in the drinking water sourcr samples, es of Nanjing City. The results of the comet assay showed that all the organic concentrates from the water samples could induce different levels DNA damages on human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and a statistically significant difference （p〈0.01） was observed compared with the solvent control, which demonstrated the genotoxicity was in existence. According to the ambient severity （AS） of individual compound, we had sorted out the main organic pollutants in the drinking water source of the four waterworks, and the results showed that there was some potential hazard to human body for all the source water, namely the total ambient severity （TAS） of health for each water source was more than 1. However, the TAS of ecology for each water source was less than 1, which indicated that it was safe to ecology. The results of this investigation demonstrate the application of the comet assay and the MEAS in aquatic environmental monitoring studies, and the comet assay found to be fast, sensitive, and suitable for genotoxicity monitoring programs of drinking water source.     

Determination of gaseous semi- and low-volatile organic halogen compounds by barrier-discharge atomic emission spectrometry

A group parameter approach using "total organic halogen" is effective for monitoring gaseous organic halogen compounds, including fluorine, chlorine, and bromine compounds, generated from combustion. We described the use of barrier-discharge radiofrequency- helium-plasma/atomic emission spectrometry, for the detection of semi- and low-volatile organic halogen compounds (SLVOXs), which can be collected by Carbotrap TM adsorbents and analyzed using thermal desorption. The optimal carrier gas flow rates at the injection and desorption lines were established to be 100 mL/min. The detection range for SLVOXs in the gaseous samples was from 10 ng to tens of micrograms. Measuring F was more difficult than measuring Cl or Br, because the wavelength of F is close to that of air. The barrier- discharge radiofrequency-helium-plasma/atomic emission spectrometry measured from 85% to 103% of the SLVOXs in the gas sample. It has been found that Carbotrap B is appropriate for high-boiling-point compounds, and Carbotrap C is suitable for the determination of organic halogen compounds with lower boiling points, in the range 200-230°C. Under optimal analysis conditions, a chlorine- containing plastic was destroyed using different oxygen concentrations. Lower oxygen concentrations resulted in the production of lower amounts of organic halogen compounds.     

Quantification of hookworm ova from wastewater matrices using quantitative PCR

A quantitative PCR(q PCR) assay was used to quantify Ancylostoma caninum ova in wastewater and sludge samples.We estimated the average gene copy numbers for a single ovum using a mixed population of ova.The average gene copy numbers derived from the mixed population were used to estimate numbers of hookworm ova in A.caninum seeded and unseeded wastewater and sludge samples.The newly developed qP CR assay estimated an average of3.7 × 10~3 gene copies per ovum,which was then validated by seeding known numbers of hookworm ova into treated wastewater.The qP CR estimated an average of(1.1 ± 0.1),(8.6 ± 2.9)and(67.3 ± 10.4) ova for treated wastewater that was seeded with(1 ± 0),(10 ± 2) and(100 ± 21)ova,respectively.The further application of the q PCR assay for the quantification of A.caninum ova was determined by seeding a known numbers of ova into the wastewater matrices.The qP CR results indicated that 50%,90% and 67% of treated wastewater(1 L),raw wastewater(1 L)and sludge(~4 g) samples had variable numbers of A.caninum gene copies.After conversion of the q PCR estimated gene copy numbers to ova for treated wastewater,raw wastewater,and sludge samples,had an average of 0.02,1.24 and 67 ova,respectively.The result of this study indicated that qP CR can be used for the quantification of hookworm ova from wastewater and sludge samples;however,caution is advised in interpreting qP CR generated data for health risk assessment.     

A review on the generation, determination and mitigation of Urban Heat Island

Urban Heat Island （UHI） is considered as one of the major problems in the 21st century posed to human beings as a result of urbanization and industrialization of human civilization. The large amount of heat generated from urban structures, as they consume and re-radiate solar radiations, and from the anthropogenic heat sources are the main causes of UHI. The two heat sources increase the temperatures of an urban area as compared to its surroundings, which is known as Urban Heat Island Intensity （UHII）. The problem is even worse in cities or metropolises with large population and extensive economic activities. The estimated three billion people living in the urban areas in the world are directly exposed to the problem, which will be increased significantly in the near future. Due to the severity of the problem, vast research effort has been dedicated and a wide range of literature is available for the subject. The literature available in this area includes the latest research approaches, concepts, methodologies, latest investigation tools and mitigation measures. This study was carded out to review and summarize this research area through an investigation of the most important feature of UHI. It was concluded that the heat re-radiated by the urban structures plays the most important role which should be investigated in details to study urban heating especially the UHI. It was also concluded that the future research should be focused on design and planning parameters for reducing the effects of urban heat island and ultimately living in a better environment.     

Biological treatment of chicken feather waste for improved biogas production

A two-stage system was developed which combines the biological degradation of keratin-rich waste with the production of biogas. Chicken feather waste was treated biologically with a recombinant Bacillus megaterium strain showing keratinase activity prior to biogas production. Chopped, autoclaved chicken feathers (4%, W/V) were completely degraded, resulting in a yellowish fermentation broth with a level of 0.51 mg/mL soluble proteins after 8 days of cultivation of the recombinant strain. During the subsequent anaerobic batch digestion experiments, methane production of 0.35 Nm³/kg dry feathers (i.e., 0.4 Nm³/kg volatile solids of feathers), corresponding to 80% of the theoretical value on proteins, was achieved from the feather hydrolyzates, independently of the pre-hydrolysis time period of 1, 2 or 8 days. Cultivation with a native keratinase producing strain, Bacillus licheniformis resulted in only 0.25 mg/mL soluble proteins in the feather hydrolyzate, which then was digested achieving a maximum accumulated methane production of 0.31 Nm³/kg dry feathers. Feather hydrolyzates treated with the wild type B. megaterium produced 0.21 Nm³ CH₄/kg dry feathers as maximum yield.     

Enzymes Involved in the Aerobic Bacterial Degradation of N-Heteroaromatic Compounds: Molybdenum Hydroxylases and Ring-Opening 2,4-Dioxygenases

N  -heteroaromatic compounds are utilized by micro-organisms as a source of carbon (and nitrogen) and energy. The aerobic bacterial degradation of these growth substrates frequently involves several hydroxylation steps and subsequent dioxygenolytic cleavage of (di)hydroxy-substituted heteroaromatic intermediates to aliphatic metabolites which finally are channeled into central metabolic pathways. As a rule, the initial bacterial hydroxylation of a N-heteroaromatic compound is catalyzed by a molybdenum hydroxylase, which uses a water molecule as source of the incorporated oxygen. The enzyme's redox-active centers – the active site molybdenum ion coordinated to a distinct pyranopterin cofactor, two different [2Fe2S] centers, and in most cases, flavin adenine dinucleotide – transfer electrons from the N-heterocyclic substrate to an electron acceptor, which for many molybdenum hydroxylases is still unknown. Ring-opening 2,4-dioxygenases involved in the bacterial degradation of quinaldine and 1H-4-oxoquinoline catalyze the cleavage of two carbon-carbon bonds with concomitant formation of carbon monoxide. Since they contain neither a metal center nor an organic cofactor, and since they do not show any sequence similarity to known oxygenases, these unique dioxygenases form a separate enzyme family. Quite surprisingly, however, they appear to be structurally and mechanistically related to enzymes of the α/β hydrolase fold superfamily. Microbial enzymes are a great resource for biotechnological applications. Microbial strains or their enzymes may be used for degradative (bioremediation) or synthetic (biotransformation) purposes. Modern bioremediation or biotransformation strategies may even involve microbial catalysts or strains designed by protein engineering or pathway engineering. Prerequisite for developing such modern tools of biotechnology is a comprehensive understanding of microbial metabolic pathways, of the structure and function of enzymes, and of the molecular mechanisms of biocatalysis.     

巨大芽孢杆菌对土壤理化性质及植物富集镉锌的影响

不同生物之间存在复杂相互作用,构建多元生物协同修复有利于提高修复效果.微生物群落繁殖快,适应性强以及抗逆性等优势在土壤重金属污染治理中发挥着重要作用.以巨大芽孢杆菌（Bacillus megaterium）为供试菌株,以包心芥菜［Brassica juncea（L.） Czerniak.］为供试植物,探究二者联合作用下修复Cd和Zn污染土壤的可行性.首先开展60 d室内培养试验,明确巨大芽孢杆菌活化土壤Cd和Zn含量的潜力及改善土壤质量的可行性;进而通过盆栽试验探究巨大芽孢杆菌对包心芥菜富集重金属的影响.结果表明室内培养条件下,巨大芽孢杆菌能够显著降低土壤pH值,土壤有效态Cd和Zn含量显著增加,与对照相比,增幅分别为24%~47%和11%~13%;同时土壤磷酸酶（ALP）、蔗糖酶（SU）和脲酶（UR）活性明显改善.盆栽试验结果表明,与对照相比,接菌处理显著提高了包心芥菜生物量,增幅为10%~23%.同时植物富集Cd和Zn含量升高：植物地上和地下部分Cd富集浓度分别为对照组的1.61~1.70倍和1.05~1.15倍;不同部位对Zn的富集浓度分别为对照的1.38~1.61倍和1.47~1.53倍.相关性分析结果表明,土壤pH值是引起土壤重金属有效态活性和酶活性改变的关键因素.接菌处理下,植物过氧化氢酶（CAT）活性对增强植物抗逆性更为显著.试验结果初步证实了巨大芽孢杆菌-包心芥菜联合修复Cd和Zn污染土壤的可行性.     

硫丹对蚯蚓存活、生长和肠胃线粒体超微结构的影响

通过人工土壤法对蚯蚓进行14d的急性暴露,研究了硫丹对蚯蚓存活、生长的影响;试验结束后,从硫丹剂量为0.5mg·kg-1和5 mg·kg-1的处理中挑选蚯蚓制作超薄切片,观察肠、胃部线粒体超微结构的变化.结果表明,硫丹对蚯蚓有较强的毒性作用,14d的LC50为6.52mg·kg-1.试验期间硫丹对蚯蚓的生长有显著的抑制作用,生长抑制率随硫丹剂量和暴露时间增加而增大.蚯蚓肠胃部的线粒体对硫丹有较强的敏感性,在非致死剂量下超微结构的损伤程度随硫丹剂量增加而加重.     

外源菌剂联合柠檬酸强化龙葵修复土壤镉污染

设置对照（CK）、摩西球囊霉菌（GM）、摩西球囊霉菌+柠檬酸（GM+CA）、摩西球囊霉菌+巨大芽孢杆菌（GM+BM）和摩西球囊霉菌+巨大芽孢杆菌+柠檬酸（GM+BM+CA）这5个处理,通过测定土壤全Cd、有效Cd和植株Cd吸收量及微生物群落变化,分析了外源菌剂和柠檬酸添加对龙葵修复Cd污染效果的影响.结果表明,相对于CK处理,GM处理龙葵根、茎和叶生物量显著增加35.67%、41.35%和65.38%,GM+BM+CA处理龙葵根和茎生物量显著增加73.38%和75.38%.GM处理提高了龙葵各部位Cd含量但差异不显著,GM+BM+CA处理龙葵叶部的Cd含量显著提高79.34%.GM处理龙葵茎和叶Cd累积量显著提高47.51%和89.58%.GM+BM+CA处理龙葵叶部Cd累积量显著提高226.84%.GM+BM+CA处理显著增加了Cd由龙葵茎向叶的转运系数,增幅为52.47%.GM+BM+CA处理显著增加了叶的富集系数,增幅为120.53%.此外,联合修复对根际微生物群落结构也产生了影响,特别体现在诱导某些关键微生物类群,如变形菌门、放线菌门、球囊菌门和油壶菌门相对丰度增加2.00%~5.77%、0.76%~9.96%、2.11%~3.63%和0.54%~2.98%.RDA分析发现变形菌门和放线菌门与土壤全Cd呈显著负相关,球囊菌门和油壶菌门与土壤全Cd呈负相关.关键微生物的变化增强了龙葵吸收根际养分和抗Cd胁迫的能力,提高龙葵Cd累积能力,有效降低土壤全Cd含量.综上,摩西球囊霉菌、柠檬酸与巨大芽孢杆菌通过共接种的方式活化了土壤中的难溶态Cd,有助于龙葵富集更多的Cd,同时也与摩西球囊霉菌产生联合修复的效果.富集植物-微生物联合修复Cd污染土壤有较好的应用潜力.     

淡水水体底泥中厌氧氨氧化菌的原位鉴别

采用16S rRNA方法对江苏省新沂河的底泥样品进行了厌氧氨氧化菌的原位检测,建立了样品的16S rRNA克隆文库,共包括6个16S rRNA克隆序列.对文库中克隆序列利用ARB软件包进行了排队分析及系统发育树的绘制.分析结果表明,新沂河底泥样品中含有与已知厌氧氨氧化菌Candidatus“Brocadia anammoxidans”相似性为91%的16S rRNA基因,经鉴定为厌氧氨氧化菌Brocadia分支的新种类.样品中还含有组成Planctomycetes新分支的16S rRNA基因,它们与已知厌氧氨氧化菌序列的遗传距离较远,其微生物特性还有待进一步研究.厌氧氨氧化菌在淡水环境中的发现将有助于进一步研究厌氧氨氧化过程在受损淡水生态系统修复重建中的作用,重新认识其中的氮循环过程.     

Comamonas sp. IDO2合成靛蓝的特性研究

利用吲哚降解菌丛毛单胞菌(Comamonas)IDO2转化吲哚合成靛蓝,优化靛蓝合成条件,并对合成产物进行分析.结果表明,菌株IDO2能够在苯酚、萘、苯和菲的诱导下转化吲哚合成靛蓝,在苯酚诱导时靛蓝的产量最高.采用表面响应法优化菌株合成靛蓝的条件:吲哚197.76mg·L~(-1),苯酚203.39 mg·L~(-1),酵母浸粉0.18%,在此条件下靛蓝的合成量为9.0 mg·L~(-1),与初始条件下的产量相比提高了104%.此外,考察了不同金属离子对菌株IDO2合成靛蓝的影响,结果表明Ba~(2+)和Ca~(2+)对靛蓝的合成具有促进作用.采用液相色谱/飞行时间/质谱联用对菌株IDO2转化吲哚的产物进行定量和定性分析,发现合成产物主要为靛蓝和靛红,并依此提出了可能的反应途径.     

Identification of naphthalene metabolism by white rot fungus Armillaria sp. F022

Armillaria sp. F022, a white rot fungus isolated from tropical rain forest (Samarinda, Indonesia) was used to biodegrade naphthalene in cultured medium. Transformation of naphthalene by Armillaria sp. F022 which is able to use naphthalene, a two ring-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) as a source of carbon and energy was investigated. The metabolic pathway was elucidated by identifying metabolites, biotransformation studies and monitoring enzyme activities in cell-free extracts. The identification of metabolites suggests that Armillaria sp. F022 initiates its attack on naphthalene by dioxygenation at its C-1 and C-4 positions to give 1,4-naphthoquinone. The intermediate 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde and salicylic acid, and the characteristic of the meta-cleavage of the resulting diol were identified in the long-term incubation. A part from typical metabolites of naphthalene degradation known from mesophiles, benzoic acid was identified as the next intermediate for the naphthalene pathway of this Armillaria sp. F022. Neither phthalic acid, catechol and cis,cis-muconic acid metabolites were detected in culture extracts. Several enzymes (manganese peroxidase, lignin peroxidase, laccase, 1,2-dioxygenase and 2,3-dioxygenase) produced by Armillaria sp. F022 were detected during the incubation.     

饮用水快速砂滤池优势微生物群落的代谢功能解析

快速砂滤池广泛应用于饮用水处理中,其净水效能一直被认为是物理化学作用,而对滤池表面附着微生物的净水作用仍不明晰.为了解析滤池中微生物的群落构成和功能特征,研究对国内8个城市的11座饮用水快滤池的进出水和滤料进行采样分析.进出水水质分析结果表明经过滤池处理,溶解性有机碳(DOC)有少量去除,氨氮(NH_4~+-N)显著降低,硝酸盐氮(NO_3~--N)显著增加,总氮(TN)未发生明显变化.利用宏基因组技术获得了滤池中微生物群落的构成和功能信息,滤池优势菌属(相对丰度占前10%)共14种,包括两类氨氧化细菌Nitrospira和Nitrosomonas.对优势菌属的功能基因信息进行分析,发现优势微生物菌群具有更高的碳水化合物、氮、硫和异生物质代谢功能丰度. Aeromonas的碳水化合物代谢基因相对丰度最高,Bradyrhizobium的氮、硫及异生物质代谢基因的相对丰度最高,说明这两种菌是影响饮用水水质的重要菌属.通过评价各个优势菌属对异生物质的代谢潜能,发现Bradyrhizobium、Sphingomonas、Methyloglobulus、Sphingopyxis和Klebsiella是饮用水快速砂滤池中降解微量有机污染物的关键菌.