CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Mitigation and Renewable Oil from Photosynthetic Microbes: A New Appraisal

The only major strategy now being seriously considered for biological mitigation of atmospheric CO₂ relies entirely on terrestrial plants. Photosynthetic microbes were the focus of similar consideration in the 1990s. However, two major government-sponsored research programs in Japan and the USA concluded that the requisite technology was not feasible, and those programs were terminated after investing US$117 million and US$25 million, respectively. We report here on the results of a privately funded US$20 million program that has engineered, built, and successfully operated a commercial-scale (2 ha), modular, production system for photosynthetic microbes. The production system couples photobioreactors with open ponds in a two-stage process – a combination that was suggested, but never attempted – and has operated continuously for several years to produce Haematococcus pluvialis. The annually averaged rate of achieved microbial oil production from H. pluvialis is equivalent to <420 GJ ha ^-1 yr^-1, which exceeds the most optimistic estimates of biofuel production from plantations of terrestrial ``energy crops.' The maximum production rate achieved to date is equivalent to 1014 GJ ha^-1 yr^-1. We present evidence to demonstrate that a rate of 3200 GJ ha^-1 yr^-1 is feasible using species with known performance characteristics under conditions that prevail in the existing production system. At this rate, it is possible to replace reliance on current fossil fuel usage equivalent to ∼300 EJ yr^-1 – and eliminate fossil fuel emissions of CO₂ of ∼6.5 GtC yr^-1 – using only 7.3% of the surplus arable land projected to be available by 2050. By comparison, most projections of biofuels production from terrestrial energy crops would require in excess of 80% of surplus arable land. Oil production cost is estimated at $84/bbl, assuming no improvements in current technology. We suggest enhancements that could reduce cost to $50/bbl or less.     

Microbe-mediated sustainable bio-recovery of gold from low-grade precious solid waste: A microbiological overview

In an era of electronics, recovering the precious metal such as gold from ever increasing piles of electronic-wastes and metal-ion infested soil has become one of the prime concerns for researchers worldwide. Biological mining is an attractive, economical and non-hazardous to recover gold from the low-grade auriferous ore containing waste or soil. This review represents the recent major biological gold retrieval methods used to bio-mine gold. The biomining methods discussed in this review include, bioleaching, bio-oxidation, bio-precipitation, bio-flotation, bio-flocculation, bio-sorption, bio-reduction, bio-electrometallurgical technologies and bioaccumulation. The mechanism of gold biorecovery by microbes is explained in detail to explore its intracellular mechanistic, which help it withstand high concentrations of gold without causing any fatal consequences. Major challenges and future opportunities associated with each method and how they will dictate the fate of gold bio-metallurgy from metal wastes or metal infested soil bioremediation in the coming future are also discussed. With the help of concurrent advancements in high-throughput technologies, the gold bio-exploratory methods will speed up our ways to ensure maximum gold retrieval out of such low-grade ores containing sources, while keeping the gold mining clean and more sustainable.     

外源碳氮添加对草地碳循环关键过程的影响

人类活动引起的大量的活性氮从大气沉降到生物圈.当前氮沉降对草地生态系统碳循环过程的影响机制仍然存在较大的不确定性.本文综述草地生态系统碳循环过程（植物光合作用、地上生物量、地下生物量、土壤呼吸、凋落物分解和土壤有机碳含量）对添加不同的氮源水平和不同施氮年限的响应,并分析这些过程变化的可能原因,同时,也阐述草地碳循环关键过程对外源碳输入的响应,并进一步分析了外源碳和氮输入对草地碳循环关键过程影响的微生物学作用机制.通过上述总结旨在强调说明碳源可利用性变化作为氮沉降背景下草地生态系统碳循环关键过程重要调控因素之一,开展相关研究对科学的管理我国草地资源配置和增加土壤碳汇方面理论的重要意义.     

垂直流人工湿地有机质含量分布特征

利用3种复合基质(沸石+泥炭+红壤、河砂+泥炭+红壤、蛭石+泥炭+红壤,体积比均为18∶1∶1)构建模拟垂直流人工湿地处理人工合成污水,分析基质灭菌与接种污水等情况下,不同基质层w(OM)(OM为有机质)的分布特征. 结果表明:3种复合基质初始w(OM)依次为1.011、6.654和15.896 g/kg,存在显著差异(P<0.01). 复合基质2经灭菌后w(OM)下降26.77%,说明河砂微生物活性最高. 基质灭菌和接种3%污水对湿地w(OM)分布的影响均比较显著(P<0.05),主要是改变了表层的w(OM). 湿地运行45 d后,w(OM)沿基质深度增加明显,并且分布差异显著(P<0.01),OM主要分布于表层;其中复合基质3不灭菌+不接种污水湿地表层的w(OM)高达42.008 g/kg,运行90 d后增至44.228 g/kg,说明蛭石的吸附作用最强. 吸附和微生物作用对复合基质3湿地表层OM积累的贡献大小表现为吸附作用>基质微生物作用>接种污水微生物作用.      

微生物作用引起的铁铝氢氧化物吸附砷的还原与释放机制研究

地下水砷污染的形成机制目前尚不清楚,普遍认为,微生物对吸附于铁氧化物表面的As(Ⅴ)以及基质Fe(Ⅲ)的还原是砷释放的主要原因.本研究中以富集的混合菌群为接种微生物,以不同比例（Al∶Fe为1∶0、 1∶1、 0∶1）的铁铝氢氧化物为吸附剂,考察了微生物对吸附于这些载体上的As(Ⅴ)的还原和迁移作用.结果表明,接种微生物后,3种体系表现出不同程度的As释放,溶液中释放的As基本上是As(Ⅲ).在氢氧化铁体系中,溶解态As(Ⅲ)浓度仅为60 μg/L左右,微生物还原产生的As(Ⅲ)几乎全部存在于固相中;在Al∶Fe为1∶1的铁铝氢氧化物中,溶解态As(Ⅲ)大约为1.3 mg/L;氢氧化铝体系中,该值为7.8 mg/L,约占微生物还原总As(Ⅲ)的82%.而未接种的对照组均未检测到As(Ⅲ)以及明显的As释放.本研究还考察了吸附基质铁氧化物的还原对砷迁移的影响,结果表明,砷的还原发生在铁还原之前,铁的还原并没有引起砷的明显释放.因此,根据本实验结果推断,氢氧化铁吸附的As(Ⅴ)的还原及Fe(Ⅲ)的还原很可能不是造成地下水系统中砷释放的主要原因,而吸附于铝氧化物或其它矿物表面的As(Ⅴ)的还原可能引起了砷向水相迁移.     

天水市空气微生物含量分析

用平皿沉降法测定了天水市空气微生物含量,结果证实其空气细菌、真菌及总菌的平均含量分别为5312.3、13．1和5325．4CFU／m3．空气真菌占总菌量的0．2％左右,空气微生物以细菌为主十分明显,所测风景区空气细菌含量与城区的平均水平间差异很大,说明天水市空气已受到较轻的中度污染,闹市区的一些测点空气污染已相当严重。     

肠道微生物受环境污染的影响及其对宿主疾病的调控作用

宿主肠道内存在的大量微生物与其健康状况直接相关,这些微生物是人和动物健康成长不可或缺的。肠道微生物通过多种途径调节人体生理功能的同时也受到人体内外环境的影响。因此,分析建立肠道微生物、相关疾病的产生原因和作用机制以及环境影响因子之间的联系具有重要意义。本文首先针对肠道微生物对人体的物质与能量代谢、先天和获得性免疫、胃肠道功能等方面的影响进行综述。然后重点分析了近年来有关肠道微生物对环境污染所致健康效应的影响及作用机制的研究进展。以期加深肠道微生物与人类健康之间相互作用机理的理解,并为环境毒理学与肠道微生物之间关系的研究提供新的思路。     

添加VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟剂对堆肥的影响

通过在高温好氧堆肥中分别添加VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟剂,研究接种3‰的VT菌剂和有机物料腐熟剂促进堆肥的作用效果。结果表明,接种VT菌剂的处理与空白和接种有机物料腐熟剂的处理相比,堆肥初期升温更快;高温期更长;堆肥结束时,C/N降低的多,NO3-N增加的多,NH4+-N挥发的少,接种VT菌剂和VT有机物料腐熟剂都可促进有机质的充分降解,缩短堆肥时间,加快堆肥腐熟,提高堆肥肥力。     

Fluorescence characteristic changes of dissolved organic matter during municipal solid waste composting

Dissolved organic matter（DOM） of municipal solid waste（MSW） consists of minerals, water, ash and humic substances, and is known to enhance plant growth. In this study, inoculating microbes（Z J, MS） were used in municipal solid wastes composting, and composting implemented a industrialized technology. During composting, dissolved organic matter was extracted from the compost and purified. The spectral characteristics of dissolved organic matter was determined by fluorescence emission, excitation, and synchronous spectroscopy. Fluorescence emission, excitation, and synchronous spectra characterized by different relative fluorescent intensities and peaks over time. Fluorescence spectra were similar to that of fulvic acid in sewage sludge, indicating the presence of dissolved organic matter with aromatic structures and a high degree of molecular polymerization. Compared with the controls with no microbial inoculation, the microbe-inoculated treatments exhibited the increase of aromatic polycondensation, in the following order： MS ＋ ZJ 〉 ZJ 〉 MS 〉 CK.     

免耕水稻土固定CO2自养微生物多样性

使用13CO2为标记物,采用稳定性同位素核酸探针(DNA-SIP)技术和微宇宙模拟的方法,对两种南方免耕水稻土中的固定CO2自养微生物群落结构和多样性进行了研究.实验结果表明,经80d的培养后,从13CO2标记处理的土样提取的DNA经氯化铯密度梯度离心后其浮力密度显著区分于12CO2对照组,表明土壤样品中的固定CO2自养微生物对CO2具有同化利用.RT-PCR结果表明两种标记土样DNA密度梯度离心分层的cbbLR基因的拷贝数最高分别为1.36×105拷贝/g干土和2.21×105拷贝/g干土.克隆文库分析和系统发育分析表明两种土壤中的固定CO2自养微生物群落结构具有一定差异.Bradyrhizobium和Rubrivivax是为FG土壤中的主要类群, 占全部克隆数的60.40%和13.86%.而TF土壤的主要类群是Rhodopseudomonas、Rhodospirillum、Methylibium和Variovorax,分别占全部克隆数的20.90%、11.94%、16.42%和10.45%.两种13CO2标记土样的cbbLR基因文库OTU类型、多样性指数均高于12CO2对照文库,其群落结构也有明显的变化.因此,免耕水稻土存在高度多样性的二氧化碳固定自养微生物,在农田土壤碳素循环方面具有重要作用.