Article
Chemistry, Organic
Erik S. Goebel, Matthew J. Turcotte, Madeleine J. Henley, Victor G. Young Jr, George Barany
Summary: Two new compounds, 1,1,1-tri(thioacetyl)ethane and 1,1di(thioacetyl)ethene, were synthesized by reacting acetyl methoxy(thiocarbonyl) sulfide with potassium methyl xanthate. The mechanisms involved in these reactions were elucidated, which suggested novel synthetic routes to these compounds. The further transformations of these compounds demonstrated their potential synthetic utility.
JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kai-Hung Lo, Che-Wei Lu, Chih-Ching Chien, Yi-Tern Sheu, Wei-Han Lin, Ssu-Ching Chen, Chih-Ming Kao
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an immobilized Clostridium butyricum (ICB) column scheme in cleaning up chlorinated-ethene polluted groundwater containing cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE). The results showed that the introduction of ICB and SPRS significantly reduced the concentration of cis-DCE and enhanced the dechlorination process. Furthermore, the introduction of ICB and SPRS had a significant impact on the microbial communities.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jennifer Hellal, Catherine Joulian, Charlotte Urien, Stephanie Ferreira, Jeremie Denonfoux, Louis Hermon, Stephane Vuilleumier, Gwenael Imfeld
Summary: The study found that bacterial diversity and OHRB are mainly correlated with hydrogeochemical conditions, influencing the degradation of organochlorine compounds at multi-polluted sites. It emphasizes the benefits of combining multiple approaches to evaluate the dynamics of bacterial diversity and in situ degradation of CEs for a more robust assessment of natural attenuation.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jingjing Wang, Xiuying Li, Jun Yan, Yi Yang
Summary: The study found that heavy metal ions have inhibitory effects on microbial reductive dechlorination of organohalides, with Zn2+ showing the strongest inhibitory effect. The structure of microbial communities is influenced by the concentration and type of contaminants, and certain organohalide-respiring bacteria exhibit tolerance to heavy metal ions.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Ondrej Lhotsky, Jan Kukacka, Jan Slunsky, Kristyna Markova, Jan Nemecek, Vladislav Knytl, Tomas Cajthaml
Summary: A pilot-scale treatment of a low-permeability locality contaminated primarily by PCE with a complex microbial consortium capable of effective dechlorination processes was conducted via direct push pneumatic fracturing combined with the hydraulic delivery of a remediation suspension. Long-term monitoring revealed efficient abiotic reduction of PCE and trichloroethene, leading to a significant decrease in average chlorine number in the groundwater and an increase in ClE concentration due to accelerated mass-transfer caused by the treatment, which remained fully active for 2.5 years.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2021)
Correction
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Stephen Nayfach, Simon Roux, Rekha Seshadri, Daniel Udwary, Neha Varghese, Frederik Schulz, Dongying Wu, David Paez-Espino, I-Min Chen, Marcel Huntemann, Krishna Palaniappan, Joshua Ladau, Supratim Mukherjee, T. B. K. Reddy, Torben Nielsen, Edward Kirton, Jose P. Faria, Janaka N. Edirisinghe, Christopher S. Henry, Sean P. Jungbluth, Dylan Chivian, Paramvir Dehal, Elisha M. Wood-Charlson, Adam P. Arkin, Susannah G. Tringe, Axel Visel, Tanja Woyke, Nigel J. Mouncey, Natalia N. Ivanova, Nikos C. Kyrpides, Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh
Summary: An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Kirsten Hart, Sung An, Aled M. Edwards, Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, Emma R. Master, Elizabeth A. Edwards
Summary: Open science involves sharing research information early and providing research results without restrictions. In the field of biomedicine, open science has attracted pharmaceutical companies to partner with universities. Applying the open science framework to engineering will also encourage collaboration between industry and academic researchers to address major issues.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Luz A. Puentes Jacome, Line Lomheim, Sarra Gaspard, Elizabeth A. Edwards
Summary: This study demonstrates that complete biodegradation of lindane to nontoxic end products is attainable using a sequential treatment approach with three mixed anaerobic microbial cultures. It highlights the key roles of Dehalobacter as chlorobenzene- and HCH-respiring bacteria, and shows that sequential treatment with specialized anaerobic cultures may be explored at field sites in order to address legacy soil and groundwater contamination with HCH.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Correction
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Stephen Nayfach, Simon Roux, Rekha Seshadri, Daniel Udwary, Neha Varghese, Frederik Schulz, Dongying Wu, David Paez-Espino, I- Min Chen, Marcel Huntemann, Krishna Palaniappan, Joshua Ladau, Supratim Mukherjee, T. B. K. Reddy, Torben Nielsen, Edward Kirton, Jose P. Faria, Janaka N. Edirisinghe, Christopher S. Henry, Sean P. Jungbluth, Dylan Chivian, Paramvir Dehal, Elisha M. Wood-Charlson, Adam P. Arkin, Susannah G. Tringe, Axel Visel, Tanja Woyke, Nigel J. Mouncey, Natalia N. Ivanova, Nikos C. Kyrpides, Emiley A. Eloe-Fadrosh
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Courtney R. A. Toth, Fei Luo, Nancy Bawa, Jennifer Webb, Shen Guo, Sandra Dworatzek, Elizabeth A. Edwards
Summary: Reliance on bioremediation to remove benzene from anoxic environments has been proven risky due to unknown reasons. Research has shown a strong link between anaerobic benzene biodegradation and the enrichment of specific microbes, which can facilitate benzene degradation. Different bioremediation approaches have varying effects on benzene degradation, with nitrate-amended microcosms promoting benzene biodegradation. Additionally, the presence of other hydrocarbon co-contaminants can decrease the rate of benzene degradation.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Katherine J. Picott, Robert Flick, Elizabeth A. Edwards
Summary: Researchers have developed a novel respiratory RDase expression system using Escherichia coli, successfully validating its effectiveness on multiple enzymes and paving the way for further exploration of the activity and structure of these enzymes. This platform will facilitate the study of RDases by allowing for their reliable production and isolation, with potential implications for improving expression in RDases from other organisms.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Peter W. Y. Chan, Nilmadhab Chakrabarti, Chris Ing, Ondrej Halgas, Terence K. W. To, Marielle Walti, Alain-Pierre Petit, Christopher Tran, Alexei Savchenko, Alexander F. Yakunin, Elizabeth A. Edwards, Regis Pomes, Emil F. Pai
Summary: l-2-Haloacid dehalogenases are important enzymes that catalyze cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond. Four novel dehalogenases capable of defluorination have been discovered, with crystal structures revealing similarities in active sites. Molecular dynamics calculations show that defluorinating enzymes adopt more compact conformations for effective interactions with fluorine atoms.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shujun Yi, Nadia Morson, Elizabeth A. Edwards, Diwen Yang, Runzeng Liu, Lingyan Zhu, Scott A. Mabury
Summary: This study revealed the microbial transformation potential of 6:2 chlorinated polyfluorooctane ether sulfonate (6:2 Cl-PFESA) in anaerobic microbial systems. The compound was reductively dechlorinated to 6:2 hydrogen-substituted polyfluorooctane ether sulfonate (6:2 H-PFESA) as the sole metabolite. The results suggest that the mechanism for reductive dechlorination of 6:2 Cl-PFESA is likely co-metabolism rather than organohalide respiration. Additionally, the product 6:2 H-PFESA showed lower sorption affinity, indicating increased mobility in the environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Correction
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Katherine J. Picott, Robert Flick, Elizabeth A. Edwards
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wenjing Qiao, Guiping Liu, Mengya Li, Xiaojing Su, Lianghua Lu, Shujun Ye, Jichun Wu, Elizabeth A. Edwards, Jiandong Jiang
Summary: This study found that 4-hydroxy-chlorothalonil (4-OH-TPN) can undergo microbial reductive dehalogenation to form 4-hydroxy-isophthalonitrile via 4-hydroxy-dichloroisophthalonitrile and 4-hydroxy-monochloroisophthaloni-trile. The Dehalogenimonas species was identified as the dominant microbial strain responsible for this reaction, with 4-OH-TPN serving as the terminal electron acceptor for organohalide respiration. Other non-dechlorinating populations such as Syntrophobacter, Acetobacterium, and Methanosarcina spp. were also found to play important roles in the microbial community.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Jiaxi Peng, Jianxian Sun, Minqing Ivy Yang, Richard M. Gibson, Eric J. Arts, Abayomi S. Olabode, Art F. Y. Poon, Xianyao Wang, Aaron R. Wheeler, Elizabeth A. Edwards, Hui Peng
Summary: This article reports a rapid analytical strategy for quantitative measurement of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) in wastewater. The method showed high selectivity and detection accuracy, making it significant for wastewater surveillance.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Shen Guo, Courtney R. A. Toth, Fei Luo, Xu Chen, Johnny Xiao, Elizabeth A. Edwards
Summary: The impact of oxygen on a strictly anaerobic, methanogenic benzene-degrading enrichment culture was investigated. The study found that oxygen had no measurable impact on benzene degradation rates, but caused drastic perturbation of the microbial community. It was also discovered that the anaerobic biotransformation of benzene is independent of oxygen and carried out by distinct microbial communities.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Patrick M. D'Aoust, Xin Tian, Syeda Tasneem Towhid, Amy Xiao, Elisabeth Mercier, Nada Hegazy, Jian-Jun Jia, Shen Wan, Md Pervez Kabir, Wanting Fang, Meghan Fuzzen, Maria Hasing, Minqing Ivy Yang, Jianxian Sun, Julio Plaza-Diaz, Zhihao Zhang, Aaron Cowan, Walaa Eid, Sean Stephenson, Mark R. Servos, Matthew J. Wade, Alex E. MacKenzie, Hui Peng, Elizabeth A. Edwards, Xiao-Li Pang, Eric J. Alm, Tyson E. Graber, Robert Delatolla
Summary: Clinical testing has been crucial in monitoring and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the disease transitions into an endemic state, wastewater surveillance (WWS) becomes an important diagnostic tool. This study explores the ratio of SARS-CoV-2 wastewater signal to clinical cases (WC) across seven Canadian cities. The findings show that inadequate clinical testing led to an increase in the WC ratio despite an increase in wastewater signal. Additionally, significant decreases in the WC ratio may indicate the emergence of different variants of concern (VOC) and their impact on community immunity.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Elizabeth Phillips, Olivia Bulka, Katherine Picott, Steffen Kummel, Elizabeth A. Edwards, Ivonne Nijenhuis, Matthias Gehre, Sandra Dworatzek, Jennifer Webb, Barbara Sherwood Lollar
Summary: This study investigates the relationship between active site amino acid sequences and carbon and chlorine isotope fractionation during the biotransformation of chlorinated alkanes by reductive dehalogenases. The results show that the isotope fractionation effects are influenced by the amino acid differences in RDases and suggest possible factors that affect the reaction mechanisms and substrate binding efficiency.
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Alexander C. Hayes, Camilla Nesbo, Elizabeth A. Edwards, Earl Jenson
Summary: This study compared the performance and microbiology of anaerobic digesters treating foul condensate under thermophilic and mesophilic conditions. The results showed similar performance, but microbial community analysis revealed a preference for hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis pathway under thermophilic conditions.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE
(2022)