Pronounced temporal changes in soil microbial community and nitrogen transformation caused by benzalkonium chloride

As one typical cationic disinfectant, quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) were approved for surface disinfection in the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and then unintentionally or intentionally released into the surrounding environment. Concerningly, it is still unclear how the soil microbial community succession happens and the nitrogen (N) cycling processes alter when exposed to QACs. In this study, one common QAC (benzalkonium chloride (BAC) was selected as the target contaminant, and its effects on the temporal changes in soil microbial community structure and nitrogen transformation processes were determined by qPCR and 16S rRNA sequencing-based methods. The results showed that the aerobic microbial degradation of BAC in the two different soils followed first-order kinetics with a half-life (4.92 vs. 17.33 days) highly dependent on the properties of the soil. BAC activated the abundance of N fixation gene (nifH) and nitrification genes (AOA and AOB) in the soil and inhibited that of denitrification gene (narG). BAC exposure resulted in the decrease of the alpha diversity of soil microbial community and the enrichment of Crenarchaeota and Proteobacteria. This study demonstrates that BAC degradation is accompanied by changes in soil microbial community structure and N transformation capacity.     

Alterations in microbial community during the remediation of a black-odorous stream by acclimated composite microorganisms

Microbial application is an efficient, economical, and ecofriendly method for remediating black-odorous rivers. In this study, the field treatment effect and microbial community changes were monitored during remediation by the acclimated complex microorganisms of a typical black-odorous stream. After the treatment, the total phosphorus and ammonia contents decreased by 74.0% and 76.3% and the concentrations of dissolved oxygen increased from 1.65 to 4.90 mg/L, indicating the effectiveness of the acclimated composite microorganisms. The proportion of Bacteroidetes decreased significantly by 48.1% and that of Firmicutes increased by 2.23% on average, and the microbial diversity index first increased and then tended to be uniform. Redundancy analysis demonstrated that the pH, dissolved oxygen, and oxidation-reduction potential together determined the composition of the microbial communities (p < 0.05). These findings showed that the acclimated composite microorganisms can effectively remediate the black odor.     

Mixing regime shapes the community assembly process, microbial interaction and proliferation of cyanobacterial species Planktothrix in a stratified lake

Lake mixing influences aquatic chemical properties and microbial community composition,and thus, we hypothesized that it would alter microbial community assembly and interaction. To clarify this issue, we explored the community assembly processes and cooccurrence networks in four seasons at two depths(epilimnion and hypolimnion) in a mesotrophic and stratified lake(Chenghai Lake), which formed stratification in the summer and turnover in the winter. During the stratification period, the epilimni...     

Multiple effects of nitrate amendment on the transport, transformation and bioavailability of antimony in a paddy soil-rice plant system

Nitrate (NO₃^?) is known to be actively involved in the processes of mineralization and heavy metal transformation; however, it is unclear whether and how it affects the bioavailability of antimony (Sb) in paddy soils and subsequent Sb accumulation in rice. Here, the effects of NO₃^? on Sb transformation in soil-rice system were investigated with pot experiments over the entire growth period. Results demonstrated that NO₃^? reduced Sb accumulation in brown rice by 15.6% compared to that in the control. After amendment with NO₃^?, the Sb content in rice plants increased initially and then gradually decreased (in roots by 46.1%). During the first 15 days, the soil pH increased, the oxidation of Sb(III) and sulfides was promoted, but the reduction of iron oxide minerals was inhibited, resulting in the release of adsorbed and organic-bound Sb from soil. The microbial arsenite-oxidizing marker gene aoxB played an important role in Sb(III) oxidation. From days 15 to 45, after NO₃^? was partially consumed, the soil pH decreased, and the reductive dissolution of Fe(III)-bearing minerals was enhanced; consequently, iron oxide-bound Sb was transformed into adsorbed and dissolved Sb species. After day 45, NO₃^? was completely reduced, Sb(V) was evidently reduced to Sb(III), and green rust was generated gradually. Thus, the available Sb decreased due to its enhanced affinity for iron oxides. Moreover, NO₃^? inhibited the reductive dissolution of iron minerals, which ultimately caused low Sb availability. Therefore, NO₃^? can chemically and biologically reduce the Sb availability in paddy soils and alleviate Sb accumulation in rice. This study provides a potential strategy for decreasing Sb accumulation in rice in the Sb-contaminated sites.     

Effects of natural organic matter on cadmium mobility in paddy soil: A review

Cadmium (Cd) contamination in paddy soil has caused public concern. The uptake of Cd by rice plants depends on soil Cd mobility, which is in turn substantially influenced by organic matter (OM). In this review, we first summarize the fate of Cd in soil and the role of OM. We then focus on the effects of OM on Cd mobility in paddy soil and the factors influencing the remedial effectiveness of OM amendments. We further discuss the performance of straw incorporation in the remediation of Cd-contaminated paddy soils reported in laboratory and field studies. Considering the huge production of organic materials (such as straw) in agriculture, the use of natural OM for soil remediation has obvious appeal due to the environmental benefits and low cost. Although there have been successful application cases, the properties of OM amendments and soil can significantly affect the remedial performance of the OM amendments. Importantly, straw incorporation alone does not often decrease the mobility of Cd in soil or the Cd content in rice grains. Careful evaluation is required when considering natural OM amendments, and the factors and mechanisms that influence their remedial effectiveness need further investigation in paddy soil with realistic Cd concentrations.     

Performance and microbial community analysis of bioaugmented activated sludge for nitrogen-containing organic pollutants removal

Nitrogen-containing organic pollutants (quinoline, pyridine and indole) are widely distributed in coking wastewater, and bioaugmentation with specific microorganisms may enhance the removal of these recalcitrant pollutants. The bioaugmented system (group B) was constructed through inoculation of two aromatics-degrading bacteria, Comamonas sp. Z1 (quinoline degrader) and Acinetobacter sp. JW (indole degrader), into the activated sludge for treatment of quinoline, indole and pyridine, and the non-bioaugmented activated sludge was used as the control (group C). Both groups maintained high efficiencies (> 94%) for removal of nitrogen-containing organic pollutants and chemical oxygen demand (COD) during the long-term operation, and group B was highly effective at the starting period and the operation stage fed with raw wastewater. High-throughput sequencing analysis indicated that nitrogen-containing organic pollutants could shape the microbial community structure, and communities of bioaugmented group B were clearly separated from those of non-bioaugmented group C as observed in non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) plot. Although the inoculants did not remain their dominance in group B, bioaugmentation could induce the formation of effective microbial community, and the indigenous microbes might play the key role in removal of nitrogen-containing organic pollutants, including Dokdonella, Comamonas and Pseudoxanthomonas. Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) analysis suggested that bioaugmentation could facilitate the enrichment of functional genes related to xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism, probably leading to the improved performance in group B. This study indicated that bioaugmentation could promote the removal of nitrogen-containing organic pollutants, which should be an effective strategy for wastewater treatment.     

Chromium transformation driven by iron redox cycling in basalt-derived paddy soil with high geological background values

The flooding and drainage of paddy fields has great effects on the transformation of heavy metals, however, the transformation of Cr in basalt-derived paddy soil with high geological background values was less recognized. The typical basalt-derived paddy soil was incubated under alternating redox conditions. The Cr fractions and the dynamics of Fe/N/S/C were examined. The HCl-extractable Cr increased under anaerobic condition and then decreased during aerobic stage. The UV-vis spectra of the supernatant showed that amounts of colloids were released under anaerobic condition, and then re-aggregated during aerobic phase. The scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that Fe oxides were reduced and became dispersed during anaerobic stage, whereas Fe(II) was oxidized and recrystallized under aerobic condition. Based on these results, a kinetic model was established to further distinguish the relationship between the transformation of Cr and Fe. During anaerobic phase, the reduction of Fe(III) oxides not only directly released the structurally bound Cr, but also enhanced the breakdown of soil aggregation and dissolution of organic matter causing indirect mobilization of Cr. During aerobic phase, the oxidation of Fe(II) and further recrystallization of newly formed Fe(III) oxides might induce the re-aggregation of soil colloids and further incorporation of Cr. In addition, the kinetic model of Cr and Fe transformation was further verified in the pot experiment. The model-based findings demonstrated that the Cr transformation in the basalt-derived paddy soil with high geological background values was highly driven by redox sensitive iron cycling.     

Conversion of nitrogen and carbon in enriched paddy soil by denitrification coupled with anammox in a bioelectrochemical system

The aim of this study is to investigate conversion of nitrogen and COD in enriched paddy soil by nitrification coupled with anammox process in a dual chamber bioelectrochemical system. The paddy soil was enriched for denitrification coupled with anammox by microbial consortia and was acclimatized in the cathodic chamber of microbial fuel cells(MFCs). The bioelectrochemical systems were treated with different ammonium concentrations in the cathodic chamber: the MFC with low concentration ammonium...     

Dye reduction-based electron-transfer activity monitoring assay for assessing microbial electron transfer activity of microbial fuel cell inocula

Microbial fuel cells (MFC) utilize microbes as catalysts to convert chemical energy to electricity.Inocula used for MFC operation must therefore contain active microbial population.The dye reduction-based electron-transfer activity monitoring (DREAM) assay was employed to evaluate different inocula used in MFCs for their microbial bioelectrical activity.The assay utilizes the redox property of Methylene Blue to undergo color change from blue to colorless state upon microbial reduction.The extent...     

Co-metabolic and biochar-promoted biodegradation of mixed PAHs by highly efficient microbial consortium QY1

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), typical representatives of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs), have become ubiquitous in the environment. In this study, a novel microbial consortium QY1 that performed outstanding PAHs-degrading capacity has been enriched. The degradation characteristics of single and mixed PAHs treated with QY1 were studied, and the effect of biochar on biodegradation of mixed PAHs and the potential of biochar in PAHs-heavy metal combined pollution bioremediation were also investigated. Results showed that, in single substrate system, QY1 degraded 94.5% of 500 mg/L phenanthrene (PHE) and 17.8% of 10 mg/L pyrene (PYR) after 7 days, while in PHE-PYR mixture system, the biodegradation efficiencies of PHE (500 mg/L) and PYR (10 mg/L) reached 94.0% and 96.2%, respectively, since PHE served as co-metabolic substrate to have significantly improved PYR biodegradation. Notably, with the cooperation of biochar, the biodegradations of PHE and PYR were greatly accelerated. Further, biochar could reduce the adverse impact of heavy metals (Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cr₂O₇^2?) on PYR biodegradation remarkably. The sequencing analysis revealed that Methylobacterium, Burkholderia and Stenotrophomonas were the dominant genera of QY1 in almost all treatments, indicating that these genera might play key roles in PAHs biodegradation. Overall, this study provided new insights into the efficient bioremediation of PAHs-contaminated site.     

Bamboo charcoal addition enhanced the nitrogen removal of anammox granular sludge with COD: Performance, physicochemical characteristics and microbial community

The effects of different chemical oxygen demand(COD) concentrations on the anammox granular sludge with Bamboo Charcoal(BC) addition were evaluated in UASB reactor. The results showed that the average total nitrogen(TN) removal efficiency was reduced from85.9% to 81.4% when COD concentration was increased from 50 to 150 mg/L. However, the TN removal efficiency of BC addition reactors was dramatically 3.1%–6.4% higher than that without BC under different COD concentrations. The average diameter o...     

A strategy for enhancing anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge: Driving anodic oxidation by adding nitrate into microbial electrolysis cell

Cathodic reduction of CO₂ and anodic oxidation of organic matters are crucial to methane-producing microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) applied in anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge. However, cathodic CO₂ reduction is usually restrained by slow metabolism rates of H₂-utilizing methanogens and low electron-capturing capacity of CO₂, which consequently slows down the anodic oxidation that participates to sludge disintegration. Herein, a strategy with adding nitrate as electron acceptor to foster electronic transfer between the anode and cathode was proposed to improve anodic oxidation. Results showed that the average efficiency of anodic oxidation in the nitrate-added MEC increased by 55.9%. Accordingly, volatile suspended solid removal efficiency in the nitrate-added MEC was 21.9% higher than that of control MEC. Although the initial cumulative methane production in the nitrate-added MEC was lower than that of control MEC, the cumulative methane production in 24?days was 8.9% higher. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated that anodic oxidation of MEC with nitrate accelerated the disintegration of sludge flocs and cell walls. Calculation on current signal further revealed that anodic oxidation driven by cathodic nitrate reduction was the main mechanism responsible for the improved sludge digestion.     

Kinetics of antimony biogeochemical processes under pre-definite anaerobic and aerobic conditions in a paddy soil

While the transformation of antimony(Sb) in paddy soil has been previously investigated, the biogeochemical processes of highly chemical active Sb in the soil remain poorly understood. In addition, there is a lack of quantitative understanding of Sb transformation in soil. Therefore, in this study, the kinetics of exogenous Sb in paddy soils were investigated under anaerobic and aerobic incubation conditions. The dissolved Sb(V) and the Sb(V) extracted by diffusive gradient technique decreased u...     

Metabolomic modulations in a freshwater microbial community exposed to the fungicide azoxystrobin

An effective broad-spectrum fungicide, azoxystrobin(AZ), has been widely detected in aquatic ecosystems, potentially affecting the growth of aquatic microorganisms. In the present study, the eukaryotic alga Monoraphidium sp. and the cyanobacterium Pseudanabaena sp. were exposed to AZ for 7 days. Our results showed that 0.2–0.5 mg/L concentrations of AZ slightly inhibited the growth of Monoraphidium sp. but stimulated Pseudanabaena sp. growth. Meanwhile, AZ treatment effectively increased the sec...     

Analysis of culturable and unculturable microbial community in bensulfuron-methyl contaminated paddy soils

To investigate the influence of bensulfuron-methyl(BSM)on culturable microbial quantities and unculturable microbial community structures,conventional and molecular biological methods were employed in five BSM treated soils with three replications,respectively. The results obtained with traditional culture-dependent methods showed that a low-level of BSM had slight and transient effects on culturable microorganisms;nevertheless,high concentration of BSM resulted in a dramatic decrease in bacterial colony fo...     

酸性冲击对微生物电解产氢阳极菌群影响及功能基因变化解析

微生物电解产氢工艺是借助能够直接与电极传递电子的功能菌在阳极降解有机质并将产生的电子在阴极与质子结合回收氢气能源的新技术.采用市政废水在固定外加电压相同条件下直接启动15个反应器,以葡萄糖为碳源驯化获得电极功能菌群,稳定运行1个月获得反应器稳定产氢和伴随产甲烷效能.初始稳定时采用pH为7的磷酸盐缓冲液可以获得稳定的产气量,平行反应器表现出不同的氢气和甲烷产量.最高产氢反应器的氢气转化率为32.2%,氢气产率为(3.9±0.6)mol·mol-1(以每mol葡萄糖产生的H2量(mol)计,下同);相同条件下最低产氢效率反应器的甲烷转化率则可达到48.4%.通过48 h阳极生物膜的酸性冲击试验对阳极菌群功能恢复效果进行分析,发现消除冲击10~15 d反应器的电子传递效率得到恢复,但功能菌群多样性增加,氢气与甲烷比例发生变化.最高产氢反应器氢气产率降低1.8 mol·mol-1,而甲烷增量为0.4 mol·mol-1(以每mol葡萄糖产生的CH4量(mol)计,下同).通过关键功能基因分析发现,初始产氢效能高的反应器功能菌群中电子传递功能菌优势较大;阳极功能菌群受到短暂酸性冲击后,基于细胞色素C基因的相关菌群能够较快恢复,其电子传递能力恢复更快;与碳源降解和产甲烷相关基因群落受酸性冲击后变化较为显著,甲烷增量与氢气减少量基本符合反应计量关系.     

Assessing microbial and chemical exposure risks of Giardia in indoor swimming pool water disinfected by chlorine

Swimming pools adopt chlorination to ensure microbial safety. Giardia has attracted attention in swimming pool water because of its occurrence, pathogenicity, and chlorine resistance. To control Giardia concentrations in pool water and reduce the microbial risk, higher chlorine doses are required during disinfection. Unfortunately, this process produces carcinogenic disinfection byproducts that increase the risk of chemical exposure. Therefore, quantitatively evaluating the comparative microbial...     

Metagenomic insights into responses of microbial population and key functional genes to fulvic acid during partial nitritation

The long-term impact of fulvic acid (FA) on partial nitritation (PN) system was initially examined in this study. The obtained results revealed that the FA lower than 50 mg/L had negligible effect on the nitrite accumulation rate (NAR nearly 100%) and ammonium removal rate (ARR 56.85%), while FA over 50 mg/L decreased ARR from 56.85% to 0.7%. Sludge characteristics analysis found that appropriate FA (<50 mg/L) exposure promoted the settling performance and granulation of PN sludge by removing Bacteroidetes and accumulating Chloroflexi. The analysis of metagenomics suggested that the presence of limited FA (0-50 mg/L) stimulated the generation of NADH, which favors the denitrification and nitrite reduction. The negative impact of FA on the PN system could be divided into two stages. Initially, limited FA (50-120 mg/L) was decomposed by Anaerolineae to stimulate the growth and propagation of heterotrophic bacteria (Thauera). Increasing heterotrophs competed with AOB (Nitrosomonas) for dissolved oxygen, causing AOB to be eliminated and ARR to declined. Subsequently, when FA dosage was over 120 mg/L, Anaerolineae were inhibited and heterotrophic bacteria reduced, resulting in the abundance of AOB recovered. Nevertheless, the ammonium transformation pathway was suppressed because genes amoABC and hao were obviously reduced, leading to the deterioration of reactor performance. Overall, these results provide theoretical guidance for the practical application of PN for the treatment of FA-containing sewage.     

酸性矿山废水对稻田土壤微生物菌群结构的影响

为探究酸性矿山废水(AMD)对稻田土壤微生物群落结构的影响,通过取自矿区受AMD污染和未受污染的稻田土壤进行微宇宙灌溉模拟实验,研究了AMD污染过程中土壤理化性质和微生物群落的变化,同时建立环境条件变化引起土壤微生物群落结构改变的相关性关系.结果表明,受AMD污染的土壤中SO_4~(2-)、Cd、Zn含量显著上升,土壤酸化且土壤中细菌群落的多样性下降;而恢复清洁水灌溉可提高土壤细菌群落的多样性,有利于修复AMD的污染.采用高通量测序技术分析了不同处理稻田土壤中微生物群落在门和属分类水平上的相对丰度分布变化,冗余分析(RDA)表明,土壤pH和重金属(Pb、Cu)含量是影响稻田土壤微生物群落结构的主要环境因子.研究结果不仅有助于进一步揭示AMD污染、土壤因子与土壤微生物群落的相互关系,同时可为恢复AMD污染农业土壤提供理论依据.     

Biodegradation of 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate in river sediments and its impact on microbial communities

Numerous studies have evaluated the toxicity and endocrine disrupting properties of organic UV filters for aquatic organisms, but little is known about their biodegradation in river sediments and their impact on microorganisms. We have set up the sterile and microbiological systems in the laboratory, adding 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate (EHMC), one of organic UV filters included in the list of high yield chemicals, at concentrations of 2, 20 and 200 μg/L, and characterized the microbial community composition and diversity in sediments. Monitoring of EHMC degradation within 30 days revealed that the half-life in the microbial system (3.49 days) was much shorter than that in the sterile system (7.55 days). Two potential degradation products, 4-mercaptobenzoic acid and 3-methoxyphenol were identified in the microbial system. Furthermore, high-throughput 16s and 18s rRNA gene sequencing showed that Proteobacteria dominated the sediment bacterial assemblages followed by Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Nitrospirae; Eukaryota_uncultured fungus dominated the sediment fungal assemblages. Correlation analysis demonstrated that two bacterium genera (Anaerolineaceae_uncultured and Burkholderiaceae_uncultured) were significantly correlated with the biodegradation of EHMC. These results illustrate the biodegradability of EHMC in river sediments and its potential impact on microbial communities, which can provide useful information for eliminating the pollution of organic UV filters in natural river systems and assessing their potential ecological risks.