A cost-effective microbial slurry technology for rapid composting of municipal solid wastes in waste dump sites in India and its feasibility for use in Australia

This short article reports on commercial composting slurry now available in India. The slurry culture containing active decomposer bacteria and enzymes is spread on the surface of the garbage and inside the heaps in windrows constructed at waste dump sites. The microbes produce hydrolysing enzymes to break down the long chain complexes of the organic substrates. About 1 kg of slurry culture in the colloidal emulsion form mixed with 20 litres of water is sprayed on about 3 m of solid waste. For one tonne of waste 200 litres of slurry water are needed. The waste heaps are turned once in 7 to 10 days for proper aeration and the inoculant slurry is sprayed at each turning to enhance decomposition and to maintain the proper moisture level which is usually 45–55 percent. The process is exothermic and the windrows reach a temperature of 70°–75°C within 24–36 hours, killing many harmful pathogens and repelling all birds, stray animals, flies and mosquitos from the dump site. The entire process is completed within 4–6 weeks and as the decomposition is completed the temperature falls to normal. About 40–45 percent of the undecomposed matter is of recyclable materials, and of the rest about 25–30 percent requires safe disposal in adjacent land-fill sites. The problem of emission from tip gases and of leachate and discharge of effluents is greatly reduced. The foul odor of the tip also disappears within 2–3 days of sanitization. The compost produced is rich in sodium, potassium and phosphorous as well as certain trace elements, and contains active nitrogen fixing and phosphate solubulising bacteria.     

Two Pilot Plant Reactors Designed for the In Situ Bioremediation of Chlorobenzene-contaminated Ground Water: Hydrogeological and Chemical Characteristics and Bacterial Consortia

The SAFIRA in situ pilot plant in Bitterfeld, Saxonia-Anhalt, Germany, currently serves as the test site for eight different in situ approaches to remediate anoxic chlorobenzene (CB)-contaminated ground water. Two reactors, both filled with originallignite-containing aquifer material, are designed for themicrobiological in situ remediation of the ground water bythe indigenous microbial consortia. In this study, thehydrogeological, chemical and microbiological conditions of theinflowing ground water and reactor filling material are presented,in order to establish the scientific basis for the start of thebioremediation process itself. The reactors were put intooperation in June 1999. In the following, inflow CB concentrationsin the ground water varied between 22 and 33 mg L^-1; achemical steady state for CB in both reactors was reachedafter 210 till 260 days operation time. The sediments werecolonized by high numbers of aerobic, iron-reducing anddenitrifying bacteria, as determined after 244 and 285 days ofoperation time. Furthermore, aerobic CB-degrading bacteria weredetected in all reactor zones. Comparative sequence analysis of16S rDNA gene clone libraries suggest the dominance of Proteobacteria (Comamonadaceae, Alcaligenaceae, Gallionella group, Acidithiobacillus) and members of theclass of low G+C gram-positive bacteria in the reactorsediments. In the inflowing ground water, sequences withphylogenetic affiliation to sulfate-reducing bacteria andsequences not affiliated with the known phyla of Bacteria, were found.     

RESPONSES OF HETEROTHROPHIC BACTERIAL POPULATIONS TO pH CHANGES IN COAL ASH EFFLUENT1

ABSTRACT: Total culturable heterotrophic bacteria in a coal ash basin and drainage system were monitored over a period of two years. In the first year heavy (bottom) ash was sluiced to the basin resulting in a pH of 6.5. During the second year fly ash was precipitated and added to the sluice lowering the basin pH to 4.6. Sulfate concentrations during 1975 ranged from 16–73 ppm (mean 33) and in 1976 from 44–88 ppm (mean 72). Mean annual basin temperatures were 28.8 and 26.0 C, respectively. Approximately 1500 m in the receiving swamp below the basin, mean pH and temperature were 6.8 and 22.2 C for the first year, and 5.4 and 22.1 C for the second. Total culturable bacteria and diversity (colony types) were reduced at all sampling stations by 44 and 30 percent, respectively, whereas the percentage of the population comprised of chromagenic bacteria increased by 51 percent at the lower pH; Data indicated the pH had a greater effect than did water temperature when temperature was within the range of 15–25 C. The predominant genera within the system in the first year were Bacillus, Sarcina, Achromobacter, Flavobacterium, and Pseudomonas. In the second year, at the lower pH, predominant genera were Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium, Chromobacterium, Bacillus, and Brevibacterium.     

BACTERIAL POPULATIONS OF AQUATIC SYSTEMS RECEIVING DIFFERENT TYPES OF STRESS1

ABSTRACT: Bacterial populations in a fast flowing stream receiving chemical wastes and in a slower flowing pond receiving a thermal addition 3–5°C above ambient temperature were compared with populations in a nonpolluted converging stream and an adjacent unheated pond. Parameters measured were total aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, bacterial diversity, percent chromagens of the total bacterial populations, and water temperature. Analyses of monthly samples plated on dilute Standard Plate Count Agar indicated that chemical additives to the waste stream significantly decreased the percent of chromagenic bacteria, and that thermal stress significantly altered total counts and bacterial diversity in the flowing pond. The effects of potential pollutants on these aquatic systems were assessed and are discussed on the basis of results obtained over a 16-month period.     

Natural and Artificial Functionalized Biopolyesters. II. Medium-Chain Length Polyhydroxyoctanoates from Pseudomonas Strains

Sixteen Pseudomonas strains have been tested with a view to developing medium-chain length polyhydroxyalkanoates. Four strains were selected and it is shown that their ability for producing three different polyesters with variable properties was dependent on the strains and substrates. Otherwise, Pseudomonas oleovorans was grown on a mixture of sodium octanoate and undecenoate salts at a 90/10 mol/mol ratio. The corresponding copolymer, bearing lateral double bonds, was chemically modified in the carboxy group. Finally, the ability to tailor-make functional bacterial polyesters aimed at temporary therapeutic applications is demonstrated.     

Exploration of the key functional proteins from an efficient cellulolytic microbial consortium using dilution-to-extinction approach

In the present study, the cellulose binding proteins(CBPs) secreted by a putative cellulolytic microbial consortium were isolated and purified by affinity digestion. The purified CBPs were subsequently separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE). Using mass spectrometric analyses, eight CBPs were identified and annotated to be similar to known proteins secreted by Clostridium clariflavum DSM 19732 and Paenibacillus sp. W-61. In addition, in combination with dilution-to-extinction approach and zymogram analysis technique, CBPs 6(97 k Da) and 12(52 k Da) were confirmed to be the key functional proteins that influence cellulolytic activities. Moreover, structural domain analyses and enzymatic activity detection indicated that CBPs 6 and 12 contained glycoside hydrolase families(GH) 9 and 48 catalytic modules, which both revealed endoglucandase and xylanase activities. It was suggested that the coexistence of GH9 and GH48 catalytic domains present in these two proteins could synergistically promote the efficient degradation of cellulose.     

木质纤维素分解菌复合系WSC-6分解稻秆过程中的产物及pH动态

为了探明WSC-6分解稻秆过程中的代谢特性,本试验以稻杆为唯一碳源,50℃静止培养WSC-6,以一次性添加不同量稻秆和多次连续添加的方式,研究了WSC-6分解稻杆的相对分解率、绝对分解量、分解产物及pH变化特性.结果表明,一次性添加1%稻秆时,pH由初始的7.8迅速下降,第3 d降到6.0后逐渐回升,6 d后稳定在8.0左右,在此过程中DO值保持在0.01～0.12 mg·L-1微好氧条件.以GC-MS法在稻杆分解过程中检测到乙醇、乙酸、乳酸、甘油等10种以上有机物,其中乳酸的含量最高,为7.381 g·L-1.在90 d的实验中,一次性添加不同量稻秆时,随着稻秆量的增加,pH下降得快而低,且回升时间拖后,当稻秆量为5%时pH下降到5.0后不再回升.在多次连续添加稻秆的实验中,隔12d和15d添加的处理pH重复下降和回升的规律性变化,分解活性保持旺盛.90 d后隔15 d添加的处理相对分解率最高,为86.7%;绝对分解量以隔6 d添加的处理最高,为32.4 g.pH变化规律能够反映WSC-6对木质纤维素的分解进程及分解活性.     

细菌气溶胶粒径分布特征的检测方法

采用分粒径撞击法监测细菌气溶胶的粒径分布特征,并与沉降法检测结果进行比较.研究结果显示,分粒径撞击法和自然沉降法测得空气细菌总数间存在显著的正相关关系;自然沉降法获得的细菌总数约占撞击法18%,并与撞击法第一级采集的细菌总数基本一致(P＞0.05).约70%的细菌分布在撞击法3-6级,该粒径范围的细菌与人体下呼吸道疾病密切相关.结果表明,计数空气中细菌数量可能能够反映与细菌性疾病流行的关系,而细菌在不同粒径的气溶胶中分布可能对特定疾病如呼吸道细菌感染更为重要.分粒径进行细菌计数可能对监测空气质量更有意义.     

好氧脱氮微生物的混合培养条件

从土壤和水中筛选分离到混合脱氮微生物菌群，能在好氧条件下将NH4^ 一步转化为N2排放，整个过程无NO3^-的积累，混合脱氮微生物菌群培养的最佳碳源为NaHCO3和CH3COONa的混合物，质量浓度均为0.25gL^-1;（NH4）2SO4为氮源的最适质量浓度为0.2gL^-1；最适pH7-10；温度30℃；在混合脱氮微生物菌群的最适培养条件下，30h内氨氮去除率达98%以上，细胞生长质量浓度达2.9gL^-1，采用分批补料策略补加（NH4）2SO4使菌浓提高了31.0%，图6表4参11     

生物菌肥在不同水分条件下对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮的影响

通过玉米盆栽试验，研究了不同水分条件下菌肥对土壤微生物生物量碳、氮的影响．结果表明：土壤含水量范围在9％～20％时，施用生物菌肥对提高土壤微生物量碳、氮有显著效果；不同的水分条件下菌肥发挥的肥效不同，土壤含水量为13％-16％时，菌肥对土壤中微生物量碳、氮的影响最大，且玉米的生长状况良好．图2表6参4