Autotrophic denitrification using hydrogen oxidizing bacteria in continuous flow biofilm reactor

Autotrophic denitrification was investigated in five bench‐scale upflow attached growth reactors using hydrogen oxidizing bacteria under anoxic conditions. The performance of sand, granular activated carbon (GAC), crushed pumice, crushed volcanic rock, and plastic media were evaluated as the support material. The reactors were inoculated with acclimated cultures obtained from domestic sewage treatment plant. A synthetic solution containing nitrate was used as the influent. The reactor performance was evaluated by measuring influent and effluent nitrate concentration. The design parameters demonstrated that the effectiveness of autotrophic denitrification is comparable to that of the heterotrophic process and may be utilized economically for drinking water treatment either as the main process or as a supplemental process for ion exchange regenerant treatment.     

Effect of some herbicides on activities of microorganisms and enzymes in soil

Abstract

Laboratory tests were conducted with eight herbicides, atrazine, butylate, ethalfluralin, imazethapyr, linuron, metolachlor, metribuzin and trifluralin, applied to a loamy sand at rate of 10 μg/g to determine if these materials caused any serious effects on microbial and enzymatic activities related to soil fertility. Some herbicides showed an effect on bacteria and fungi for the first week of incubation, but, subsequently, the populations returned to levels similar to those obtained in the controls. After several herbicide treatments there appeared to cause a slight depression of nitrification. Sulfur oxidation was better than that obtained with untreated soil in all treatments. Oxygen consumption was increased significantly after 96 hr incubation with atrazine. The soil dehydrogenase and amylase activities were inhibited by ethalfluralin treatment respectively for 1 wk and 1 day, and p‐nitrophenol liberation was inhibited for 2 hrs by all herbicide treatments. Results indicated that the herbicidal treatments at the level tested were not drastic enough to be considered deleterious to soil microbial and enzymatic activities which are important to soil fertility.     

MODELING FECAL COLIFORM CONTAMINATION IN THE RIO GRANDE1

This study examines sources of fecal coliform in Segment 2302 of the Rio Grande, located south of the International Falcon Reservoir in southern Texas. The watershed is unique because the contributing drainage areas lie in Texas and Mexico. Additionally, the watershed is mostly rural, with populated communities known as “colonias.” The colonias lack sewered systems and discharge sanitary water directly to the ground surface, thus posing an increased health hazard from coliform bacteria. Monitoring data confirm that Segment 2302 is not safe for contact recreation due to elevated fecal coliform levels. The goal of the study was to simulate the observed exceedences in Segment 2302 and evaluate potential strategies for their elimination. Fecal coliform contributions from ranching and colonia discharges were modeled using the Hydrologic Simulation Program‐Fortran (HSPF). Model results indicated that the regulatory 30‐day geometric mean fecal coliform concentration of 200 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 milliliters is exceeded approximately three times per year for a total of 30 days. Ongoing initiatives to improve wastewater facilities will reduce this to approximately once per year for 14 days. Best management practices will be necessary to reduce cattle access to streams and eliminate all exceedences. The developed model was limited by the relatively sparse flow and fecal coliform data.     

SBR法处理炼油废水的研究

研究了SBR（程序间歇式活性污泥）法处理炼油废水的最佳工艺条件和除氮效果，以及投菌SBR法处理炼油废水中污染物的效果。确定了SBR法处理炼油废水最佳反应温度为25℃－40℃，pH值为6.0-8.5，反应时间为8－12h，活性污泥浓度为2000－4000mg/L。当反应期内好氧曝气和缺氧搅拌交替进行3－4次，脱氧率可以达到90％以上。将实验室筛选得到的除油菌投加于BR复合生物反应器中处理炼油厂隔油池出水，废水中各种污染物的去除率分别为：COD93．5％，石油类98．6％，总氮89．8％。     

Bioremediation of Chromate by Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria, Cytochromes c3 and hydrogenases

The treatment of soils and ground waters polluted by heavy metals is of economical and environmental interest. Reduction of Cr(VI) to the less toxic Cr(III) associated to its precipitation is a potentially useful process for bioremediation. In order to develop ecological processes using micro-organisms, we have compared various sulfate-reducing bacteria for enzymatic reduction of chromate. The best Cr(VI) reductase activity was obtained with Desulfomicrobium norvegicum. Despite morphological changes induced by the presence of chromate, this strain can grow in the presence of up to 500 M Cr(VI) and can decontaminate waters polluted by Cr(VI) when seeded in bioreactors. We have demonstrated the ability of several metalloenzymes (cytochromes c ₃ and hydrogenases) to reduce chromate. Biophysical investigations of the chromate/protein interaction in order to get further informations on the mechanism of metal reduction by cytochromes c ₃ are under the way.     

METABOLIC RESPONSES OF AQUATIC BACTERIAL POPULATIONS TO SELECTED INSECTICIDES1

ABSTRACT: Indigenous bacterial populations from a fresh water reservoir were treated by adding five mg/1 Sevin or Malathion to the water at 23, 28, and 33 C. The degradation of Sevin was evidenced by the increased uptake of O₂ as measured by Warburg manometry. The principal degradation product of Sevin, 1-naphthol, appeared to stimulate metabolic activity of these populations to the same extent as the parent compound. The addition of Malathion to this system appeared, on the other hand, to suppress metabolic activity to some degree. Warburg manometry was shown to be a useful, rapid method for detecting effects of insecticides on aquatic microbial populations.     

Dynamic of functional microbial groups during mesophilic composting of agro-industrial wastes and free-living (N2)-fixing bacteria application

Although several reports are available concerning the composition and dynamics of the microflora during the composting of municipal solid wastes, little is known about the microbial diversity during the composting of agro-industrial refuse. For this reason, the first parts of this study included the quantification of microbial generic groups and of the main functional groups of C and N cycle during composting of agro-industrial refuse. After a generalized decrease observed during the initial phases, a new bacterial growth was observed in the final phase of the process. Ammonifiers and (N₂)-fixing aerobic groups predominated outside of the piles whereas, nitrate-reducing group increased inside the piles during the first 23 days of composting. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), showed an opposite trend of growth since ammonia oxidation decreased with the increase of the nitrite oxidation activity. Pectinolytics, amylolytics and aerobic cellulolytic were present in greater quantities and showed an upward trend in both the internal and external part of the heaps.Several free-living (N₂)-fixing bacteria were molecularly identify as belonging especially to uncommon genera of nitrogen-fixing bacteria as Stenotrophomonas, Xanthomonas, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Alcaligenes, Achromobacter and Caulobacter. They were investigated for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen to employ as improvers of quality of compost. Some strains of Azotobacter chrococcum and Azotobacter salinestris were also tested. When different diazotrophic bacterial species were added in compost, the increase of total N ranged from 16% to 27% depending on the selected microbial strain being used. Such microorganisms may be used alone or in mixtures to provide an allocation of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria in soil.     

聚乙二醇和海藻酸钠混合固定化硝化细菌研究

采用聚乙二醇(PEG)和海藻酸钠(SA)作为混合固定化载体材料对硝化细菌进行包埋固定化.结果表明,PEG和SA质量分数分别为6％和4％时,其溶液黏稠度、成球效果及机械强度、传质性能等方面都均为最佳.另外,固定化小球扫描电镜显示球体为外密内疏的结构,这满足体内细胞泄漏少、外面细胞难以进入的条件.将所得最佳性能的固定化小球与游离菌体进行模拟废水降解对比试验,经过7d处理后废水中氨氮和亚硝态氮质量浓度都明显下降,且固定化颗粒的降解率要明显高于游离菌株,此时氨氮的去除率为90％,亚硝态氮去除率为80％.     

一株高效降解废水有机质耐冷菌的筛选、鉴定及特性研究

利用生物法进行污水处理已被国内外广泛使用,但由于温度影响微生物的生长和繁殖,使其成为生物污水处理效率的限制因子.本研究从污水处理厂活性污泥中分离出5株在低温4℃条件下生长良好的菌株,其中菌株DW1在4℃条件下,96 h时可将初始COD为800 mg·L-1的生活污水有机物去除率高达67.7%.结合菌落形态特征、生理生化特性以及16S r DNA序列分析,将菌株DW1初步鉴定为假单胞菌(Pseudomonas sp.).菌株DW1对COD负荷较高的污水处理效果较好;接种量为3%(体积分数)、p H为7.0时,菌株对污水COD去除率和DHA活性较高.在4℃和25℃条件下,菌株DW1均在96 h对污水COD去除率和DHA活性最高,分别为71.2%、11.35μg·m L·h-1(以TF计)和78.8%、15.11μg·m L-1·h-1(以TF计).     

稻田土壤反硝化厌氧甲烷氧化菌的时空分布与群落结构分析

由"Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera"主导发生的以甲烷和亚硝酸盐为底物的反硝化厌氧甲烷氧化反应(nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing,n-damo)的发现,将生物地球化学碳循环和氮循环以新的方式结合起来.本研究以夏季和冬季江阴稻田土壤柱状样品为研究对象,对稻田土壤M.oxyfera-like菌的时空分布和群落结构进行了考察.M.oxyfera-like菌16S rRNA基因的定量PCR结果显示M.oxyfera-like菌的丰度随着土壤深度的增加而增加,且无明显季节性差异,60~200 cm深度的稻田土壤是M.oxyfera-like菌的高丰度区域.M.oxyfera-like菌pmo A基因的系统发育分析和生物多样性分析显示M.oxyfera-like菌的群落结构具有一定的时空异质性,且生物多样性随着土壤深度的增加而增加.这些结果都说明江阴稻田深层土壤(60~200 cm)是适宜M.oxyfera-like菌生存的生态环境.