Article
Environmental Sciences
Iremsu Kayan, Nilgun Ayman Oz, Cetin Kantar
Summary: The aerobic biodegradation combined with pyrite-Fenton process was found effective in treating wastewater containing various chlorophenols by reducing toxicity and improving COD removal efficiency. The type of chlorophenol treated greatly influenced the biodegradation process, with highly chlorinated CPs such as 2,4,6-TCP showing the highest toxicity. Sludge acclimation and pyrite-Fenton pre-treatment enhanced the biomass tolerance to CP toxicity and improved sCOD removal efficiencies, showcasing the potential of this combined system for effective treatment of chlorophenol-containing wastewater.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yingying Yang, Xueyang Hu, Xinyu Zhang, Xiurong Chen, Xiao Wei, Zhichong Chen, Hao Gu, Shanshan Linghu, Yuqing Gao
Summary: This study investigates the degradation of resorcinol in domestic coal gas wastewater by aerobic activated sludge. The results show that the effluent resorcinol concentration and chemical oxygen demand concentration tend to increase and then decrease with increasing influent resorcinol concentration. The study also identifies the dominant bacterial population involved in the degradation process.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah AlDhafiri, Yin-Ru Chiang, Ashraf M. El Nayal, Raeid M. M. Abed, Nasser Abotalib, Wael Ismail
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the estrone degradation pathway and identify key degrading bacteria in the activated sludge of a major wastewater treatment plant in Bahrain. It was found that estrone degradation proceeds via the 4,5-seco pathway and is most likely mediated by alphaproteobacterial taxa.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ana Kovacic, Celine Gys, Martin Rafael Gulin, Tjasa Gornik, Tina Kosjek, David Heath, Adrian Covaci, Ester Heath
Summary: The study found that BPF and BPS degrade readily during biological wastewater treatment, with BPF degrading faster than BPS. The absence of any additional organic carbon source significantly slowed down the degradation rate, particularly for BPS. Machine learning algorithm identified new biotransformation products for both BPF and BPS, supporting possible new biodegradation pathways.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ana Kovacic, Martin Rafael Gulin, Christina Nannou, Lelouda-Athanasia Koronaiou, Tina Kosjek, David Heath, Mark S. Maier, Dimitra Lambropoulou, Ester Heath
Summary: This study investigated the bio-degradation kinetics of tetramethyl bisphenol F (TMBPF), a non-estrogenic alternative to bisphenol A (BPA). Batch biotransformation experiments were performed using activated sludge and liquid chromatography-Orbitrap-MS for BTP identification. Results showed that TMBPF degradation followed first-order reaction kinetics and depended on the initial concentration. Twelve BTPs were identified, and a proposed biodegradation pathway for TMBPF was suggested.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Chee Xiang Chen, Azmi Aris, Ee Ling Yong, Zainura Zainon Noor
Summary: Advanced technologies have shown promising results in removing antibiotics from domestic wastewater, but improving the efficiency of activated sludge treatment would be more desirable. Understanding the mechanisms, kinetics, and factors affecting antibiotic removal in the activated sludge process is crucial for enhancing treatment performance. This review paper categorizes, discusses, and analyzes the removal of antibiotics in sewage through the activated sludge process, highlighting the different classes of antibiotics and factors affecting system performance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Roman Moscoviz, Mathieu Haddad, Maxime Rouez, Delphine Conteau
Summary: This study demonstrates that sludge digesters can be safely operated at high sludge concentration and total ammonia concentration up to 3.5 gN.L-1 without any sludge pretreatment. It is possible to achieve organic loading rates of 4 kgVS.m-3.d-1 by feeding concentrated sludge. Based on these findings, a new mechanistic digester sizing strategy is proposed, which considers microbial growth and ammonia-related inhibition instead of historical empirical methods. Applying this method could lead to significant volume reduction (25-55%) in sludge digester sizing, resulting in reduced process footprint and building costs.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Suat Peng Sam, Hua Tiang Tan, Kumar Sudesh, Rohana Adnan, Adeline Su Yien Ting, Si Ling Ng
Summary: This study evaluated the influence of operational factors and microbial communities of activated sludge on the aerobic biodegradation of phenol and PNP, finding that the degradation kinetics were affected by operational factors and PNP exhibited higher toxicity and inhibitory effects compared to phenol. The study also identified critical PNP concentration and attenuation of inhibitory effects on PNP-acclimated activated sludge. Additionally, potential degrading strains were isolated and phenol degradation mechanism was identified.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yiguang Qian, Xiaofan Jia, Tengda Ding, Mengting Yang, Bo Yang, Juying Li
Summary: The study investigated the occurrence and removal of ten bisphenol analogues in municipal wastewater treatment plants and laboratory-scale activated sludge bioreactor. Results showed that the BPA substitutes were widely used in daily life and discrepancies existed in the removal efficiencies of BPs by different wastewater treatment processes. Factors such as protonation, hydrophobicity, and molecular features were critical for the elimination of BPs in wastewater.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Robert Frankowski, Julia Platkiewicz, Ewa Stanisz, Tomasz Grzeskowiak, Agnieszka Zgola-Grzeskowiak
Summary: The study found that photo-Fenton degradation is more effective in removing bisphenol A, bisphenol S, and fluconazole compared to biodegradation. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to assess the levels of biodegradation and chemical degradation.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Junhua Shao, Kejian Tian, Fanxing Meng, Shuaiguo Li, Han Li, Yue Yu, Qing Qiu, Menghan Chang, Hongliang Huo
Summary: This study assessed the toxic effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on the microbial community and the function of activated sludge, and found that BPA reduced sludge biomass and the proportion of viable bacteria, and deteriorated the sedimentation performance of sludge. BPA also decreased the abundances of functional bacteria involved in water purification, resulting in a decrease in the water purification capacity of the reactor. However, adding Rhodococcus Req-001 improved the removal efficiency of BPA and increased the removal of ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2022)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Grazielly Maria Didier de Vasconcelos, Jessica Mulinari, Selene Maria de Arruda Guelli Ulson de Souza, Antonio Augusto Ulson de Souza, Debora de Oliveira, Cristiano Jose de Andrade
Summary: Effluent from the textile industry contains complex mixtures of recalcitrant molecules that can harm the environment, and the activated sludge microbiome is rarely well-known, affecting treatment yield.
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xiuli Chen, Ying Zhu, Jianfei Chen, Shuang Yan, Shuguang Xie
Summary: In this study, a novel TC-degrading bacterium, Sphingobacterium sp. WM1, was successfully isolated from activated sludge. The strain exhibited a remarkable performance in degrading TC and genomic analysis uncovered the presence of three functional tetX genes. Transcriptome and proteomics analysis revealed the molecular mechanisms involved in TC degradation, with the upregulation of transmembrane transport and accelerated electron transport playing key roles. The potent TC degradation capacity of strain WM1 shows promise for enhancing TC clean-up strategies.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Xingfeng Yang, Deling Fan, Wen Gu, Jining Liu, Lili Shi, Zhi Zhang, Linjun Zhou, Guixiang Ji
Summary: The study found that adding FeCl3 and Fe powder to activated sludge can increase the degradation rate of OPEs, while adding an electron donor and rhamnolipid can accelerate the removal of chlorinated OPEs. However, not all additives can increase the degradation of different kinds of OPEs, which is related to the structure of the OPEs. Alkyl OPEs have low removal rates, and under aerobic conditions, the degradation of different types of OPEs is influenced by their structure.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joanna Klein, Justyna Luczak, Anna Brillowska-Dabrowska
Summary: Ionic liquids (ILs) can be persistently present in water and fungi have the potential to biodegrade ILs. However, previous studies have mainly focused on bacterial species rather than fungi. This research aimed to determine the significance of fungi in ILs' biodegradation and found that a consortium of microorganisms enriched with a selected fungal strain was able to decompose the IL, resulting in a 64.93% biodegradation rate for 2 mM [OMIM][Cl] within 28 days, while an individual fungal strain (Candida tropicalis) only reached a maximum biodegradation rate of 4.89% in 10 days.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
A. M. Ferro Orozco, E. M. Contreras, N. E. Zaritzky
Article
Engineering, Chemical
C. C. Lobo, N. C. Bertola, E. M. Contreras
BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2016)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Cintia C. Lobo, Nora C. Bertola, Edgardo M. Contreras, Noemi E. Zaritzky
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Diego Alberto Morales Urrea, Patricia Monica Haure, Fernando Sebastian Garcia Einschlag, Edgardo Martin Contreras
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2018)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
A. M. Ferro Orozco, E. M. Contreras, N. E. Zaritzky
Article
Engineering, Chemical
D. A. Morales Urrea, P. M. Haure, E. M. Contreras
INDUSTRIAL & ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY RESEARCH
(2018)
Article
Environmental Sciences
A. M. Ferro Orozco, E. M. Contreras, N. E. Zaritzky
Summary: Hexavalent chromium is a top environmental concern internationally due to its wide usage in industrial activities. There are two stable oxidation states of chromium in the environment, Cr(III) having lower toxicity compared to Cr(VI). Most technologies focus on reducing Cr(VI) to Cr(III), with microorganisms playing a key role in this process. The study found that the activated sludge community could acclimate to the presence of Cr(VI), with CrAAS showing higher tolerance and metabolic activity than NAS.
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Ivana S. Friedman, Leonel A. Behrens, Nair de los Angeles Pereira, Edgardo M. Contreras, Analia Fernandez-Gimenez
Summary: Fish processing waste can be transformed into high-value bioproducts with potential applications. This study characterized and compared the specific activities of digestive proteinases from different fish species under various pH values and temperature conditions. The enzyme stability under specific pH and temperature conditions makes them potentially useful for industrial processes.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
C. Rodriguez, P. M. Haure, E. M. Contreras
Summary: This work focuses on reducing the operating costs of Fenton-like oxidation of the azo dye Orange II (OH) by using volcanic ash leachate as a catalyst. The effect of volcanic ash concentration and temperature on the total iron concentration of the leachate was investigated. The study found that Fe(II) accounted for 83 +/- 6% of the total iron in the leachate. By using the obtained leachate as a catalyst, different temperatures and oxidant feed strategies were studied, with varying TOC conversions and H2O2 efficiencies observed.
WASTE AND BIOMASS VALORIZATION
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Tatiana S. Arturi, Noemi E. Zaritzky, Edgardo M. Contreras
Summary: In this study, the aerobic depolymerization of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEOs) in activated sludge reactors was investigated. It was found that only phenol-acclimated sludge had the ability to degrade NPEOs. HPLC analysis indicated that biodegradation occurred through the non-oxidative depolymerization of NPEOs, and the released ethoxylate units served as the actual substrate for biomass growth and oxygen consumption. A lumped kinetic model was developed to predict the depolymerization process of NPEOs and the growth of biomass in aerobic activated sludge reactors.
BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Gabriela Montiel-Jarillo, Diego A. Morales-Urrea, Edgardo M. Contreras, Alex Lopez-Cordoba, Edwin Yesid Gomez-Pachon, Julian Carrera, Maria Eugenia Suarez-Ojeda
Summary: The use of mixed microbial cultures and organic wastes and wastewaters as feed sources can reduce the production costs of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), but poses challenges to downstream processing. This study evaluated the effect of sodium hypochlorite pre-treatment combined with dimethyl carbonate or chloroform extraction solvents on PHAs recovery efficiency from mixed microbial cultures. The results showed that the combination of NaClO pre-treatment and DMC extraction solvent achieved higher recovery efficiency.
Article
Environmental Sciences
T. S. Arturi, N. E. Zaritzky, E. M. Contreras
Summary: This study evaluated the use of raw lignite coal as a low-cost adsorbent for removing nonylphenol polyethoxylates (NPEOs) from wastewater and compared it with commercial activated carbon. The results showed that activated carbon had a higher surface area and a more irregular surface compared to lignite coal, which had abundant surface functional groups. By developing a mathematical model, the researchers were able to predict the distribution of oligomers during the adsorption process, which is crucial for evaluating the endocrine-disrupting potential of the treated wastewater.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
A. M. Ferro Orozco, D. A. Morales Urrea, E. M. Contreras, N. E. Zaritzky
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2020)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Shaofeng Zhou, Wenwen An, Cuifen Gan, Meiying Xu
Summary: Bacteria generate and release extracellular reactive oxygen species (eROS), which significantly contribute to the natural ROS pool and play a crucial role in metabolic interactions of bacteria with their environment. Understanding the behavior of eROS-generating bacteria and its environmental implications is of great importance in the cycling of biogeochemical elements, transformation of organic matter, and regulation of antibiotic resistance genes.
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ji-Dong Gu, Tim Ford, Bryce Mitton, Ralph Mitchell
Summary: Plastics and microplastics are widely present and accumulating in the environment, leading to increasing public attention. In addition to packaging plastics, materials from industries such as electronics, space and aviation are also accumulating, but receiving less attention. The production of degradable and biodegradable plastics is seen as a way to reduce environmental impacts, but enhancing the non-degradability of functional polymers is also a feasible option. Microbial colonization and deterioration pose significant challenges to these materials.
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Justyna Bohacz, Michal Mozejko
Summary: This study evaluated the keratinolytic activity of 37 strains of Trichophyton ajelloi and found that pigmented strains isolated from loamy soil were more efficient in degrading native feather keratin, while non-pigmented strains isolated from chernozem showed better abilities. The keratinolytic activity increased over time, as evidenced by the increase in extracellular keratinase activity and release of soluble proteins and peptides. Protease activity peaked in the first 7 days and again on day 28 of culture. The release of ammonium and sulfate ions, associated with an increase in pH, reached its maximum on day 21. Three pigment-producing strains were among the most active in releasing large amounts of ammonium and sulfate ions. The biodegradation of feather waste by Trichophyton ajelloi strains can be used to produce fertilizers suitable for plants with high sulfur requirements.
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Joseph M. Suflita, Brenda J. Little
Summary: This article reviews the major achievements of the International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation Society (IBBS) on its 50th anniversary and provides recommendations for addressing new challenges and developments based on personal experiences.
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zhenyan Lin, Tuo Jin, Xin Xu, Xiao Yin, Dan Zhang, Mengjiao Geng, Chunyu Pang, Gongwen Luo, Lizhi Xiong, Jianwei Peng, Jiangchi Fei
Summary: The incomplete recycle of residual mulch film (RMF) in recent years has led to an increase in plastic fragments in soil, posing a serious threat to the soil ecological environment. In this study, seven potential plastic-degrading microorganisms were screened and identified from film-mulched vegetable fields. The degradation ability experiments showed that both single strains and mixed strains demonstrated varying levels of degradation of RMF.
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Tiina Belt, Michael Altgen, Muhammad Awais, Martin Nopens, Lauri Rautkari
Summary: This study investigated the degradation of heat-treated wood by brown rot fungi and found that the decay increased the hygroscopicity of wood in the decaying state. Furthermore, it was observed that heat-treated samples were more susceptible to fungal decay compared to untreated samples, which may be related to the increase in moisture content.
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
(2024)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Marta Cicardi, Davide Bernasconi, Luca Martire, Linda Pastero, Giulia Caneva, Sergio E. Favero-Longo
Summary: This study investigated the phenomenon of Centimetric circular areas Uncolonized by Microbial Biofilms (CUMBs) on natural and heritage stone surfaces. The analysis revealed a compatibility in distribution and size between CUMBs and lichen thalli, suggesting a lichen origin for some CUMBs. Microscopic analysis also showed similar modifications in marble layers beneath CUMBs and lichens, indicating a possible alteration of stone properties by lichens.
INTERNATIONAL BIODETERIORATION & BIODEGRADATION
(2024)