Search

Organic contaminants deposited on glacier snow and ice are subject to partitioning and degradation processes that determine their environmental fate and, consequently, their accumulation in ice bodies. Among these processes, organic compound degradation by supraglacial bacteria has been investigated to a lesser extent than photo- and chemical degradation. We investigated biodegradation of the organophosphorus insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF), a xenobiotic tracer that accumulates on glaciers after atmospheric medium- and long-range transport, by installing in situ microcosms on an Alpine glacier to simulate cryoconite hole systems. We found that biodegradation contributed to the removal of CPF from the glacier surface more than photo- and chemical degradation. The high concentration of CPF (2–3 μg g −1 w.w.) detected in cryoconite holes and the estimated half-life of this compound (35–69 days in glacier environment) indicated that biodegradation can significantly reduce CPF concentrations on glaciers and its runoff to downstream ecosystems. The metabolic versatility of cryoconite bacteria suggests that these habitats might contribute to the degradation of a wide class of pollutants. We therefore propose that cryoconite acts as a “biofilter” by accumulating both pollutants and biodegradative microbial communities. The contribution of cryoconite to the removal of organic pollutants should be included in models predicting the environmental fate of these compounds in cold areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants and their associated bacteria have been suggested to play a role in air pollution mitigation, especially in urban areas. Particularly, epiphytic bacteria might be able to degrade atmospheric hydrocarbons. However, phyllospheric bacterial communities are highly variable depending on several factors, e.g. tree species, leaf age and physiology, environmental conditions. In this work, bacterial communities hosted by urban Platanus x acerifolia leaves were taxonomically characterized using high throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, and their temporal and spatial variability was assessed by comparing samples collected from different locations in the city of Milan (Italy) and in different months. The diversity of alkane hydroxylase ( alk B) phylotypes harboured by phyllospheric bacteria associated to urban Platanus trees was also evaluated. Results revealed that temporal changes, which are related to seasonality, acted as a stronger driver both on Platanus phyllospheric community structure and on alk B phylotype diversity than sampling location. Biodiversity of bacterial communities decreased along the growing season, leading to a strong dominance by the genus Stenotrophomonas . On the contrary, diversity of hydrocarbon-degrading populations increased over the months, although it resulted lower than that reported for other habitats. It was therefore hypothesized that atmospheric hydrocarbons might play a key role in the selection of phyllospheric populations in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Styrene degradation by Pseudomonas fluorescens ST was determined by analysis of recombinant clones generated. Styrene is degraded via the oxidation of the side chain leading to epoxystyrene, which is subsequently isomerized to phenylacetaldehyde and then oxidized to phenylacetic acid. The acid appears to be activated by phenylacetyl-CoA ligase before hydroxylation to form o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and then homogentisic acid. The catabolic genes are organized in two operons: the upper pathway genes responsible for the oxidation of styrene to phenylacetic acid, and the lower pathway genes involved in the conversion of the acid into compounds which are then further metabolised in the Krebs cycle. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The formation of bound residues by naphthalene and its metabolite, cis-naphthalene-1,2-dihydrodiol, in a sediment (1% OC), a silty loam soil (2.9% OC) and a peat (26% OC) was examined. The experiments were carried out under both sterile and nonsterile conditions for up to 35 days. The samples containing bound contaminant were hydrolyzed at an alkaline pH and fractionated using 3000 and 500 Da molecular weight cutoff ultrafiltration membranes in series. The results for all the geosorbents examined showed that bound residue formation is low for naphthalene and between 5 and 20 times higher for the metabolite. The amount of bound residues released by hydrolysis was higher for the metabolite than for the parent compound for all the samples. The molecular weight distribution of bound radioactivity after hydrolysis showed binding to the high molecular weight components of the sediment organic matter and to the low molecular weight components for soil and peat organic matter when incubated with cis-naphthalene-1,2-dihydrodiol. Experiments performed with naphthalene-UL-14C showed larger amounts of bound residue found than in experiments with naphthalene-1-14C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bacteria able to produce surface active compounds (SACs) were isolated from hydrocarbon-contaminated environments. The phylogenetic diversity of the isolates was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene analysis. The production of bioemulsifiers and biosurfactants was determined on strains representative of 18 different bacterial genera. Cupriavidus sp. BSNC28C produced extracellular biosurfactants which reduce the surface tension into the culture medium up to 37.1 mN m−1. Sixteen strains, belonging to 11 different genera, released extracellular emulsifiers able to stabilise oil–water emulsions. Among them, the strains Bradyrhizobium sp. BSNC30A and Bosea sp. BSNC5B showed emulsification activities comparable to those of synthetic surfactants. Overall, the novel SAC-producing strains characterised in this work display promising features for the future development of economically efficient industrial-scale biotechnological processes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The present paper describes a new tool for on-line monitoring of biofilm growth in the soil. The work deals with the application in soil of the same electrochemical techniques already successfully used in water systems to monitor biofilm growth and mainly based on the cathodic polarisation of stainless steel electrodes. Experiments at laboratory level with sterilised and unsterilised soils, different soil humidities, different levels of nutrients have been performed by using a set of soil microcosms containing electrochemical probes. Weekly humidity tests and adjustments, chemical and microbiological analyses of the soils have been regularly carried out. Microbiological analyses and microscopy observation performed on the surface of the stainless steel electrochemical probes at the end of the tests confirmed a direct correlation between the increase of cathodic characteristic and the biofilm development on the working electrodes. The results suggest that simple electrochemical techniques are applicable in soil to monitor the early stage of biofilm growth on stainless steel. It was confirmed, in particular, a key role of soil humidity in the development of a stable and easily detectable biofilm. Soil humidity level resulted as the most critical and limiting factor for biofilm growth, more than the environment temperature, nutrient and carbon content. The best conditions to achieve a quick and full electro-active biofilm on electrodes in a soil microcosms suitable for experiments and studies at laboratory level have been detailed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Annually, thousands of oil spills occur across the globe. As a result, petroleum substances and petrochemical compounds are widespread contaminants causing concern due to their toxicity and recalcitrance. Many remediation strategies have been developed using both physicochemical and biological approaches. Biological strategies are most benign, aiming to enhance microbial metabolic activities by supplying limiting inorganic nutrients, electron acceptors or donors, thus stimulating oxidation or reduction of contaminants. A key issue is controlling the supply of electron donors/acceptors. Bioelectrochemical systems (BES) have emerged, in which an electrical current serves as either electron donor or acceptor for oil spill bioremediation. BES are highly controllable and can possibly also serve as biosensors for real time monitoring of the degradation process. Despite being promising, multiple aspects need to be considered to make BES suitable for field applications including system design, electrode materials, operational parameters, mode of action and radius of influence. The microbiological processes, involved in bioelectrochemical contaminant degradation, are currently not fully understood, particularly in relation to electron transfer mechanisms. Especially in sulfate rich environments, the sulfur cycle appears pivotal during hydrocarbon oxidation. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the research on bioelectrochemical remediation of oil spills and of the key parameters involved in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) and methyl tert -butyl ether (MTBE) are some of the main constituents of gasoline and can be accidentally released in the environment. In this work the effect of bioaugmentation on the microbial communities in a bench scale aerobic biobarrier for gasoline contaminated water treatment was studied by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Catabolic genes ( tmoA and xylM ) were quantified by qPCR, in order to estimate the biodegradation potential, and the abundance of total bacteria was estimated by the quantification of the number of copies of the 16S rRNA gene. Hydrocarbon concentration was monitored over time and no difference in the removal efficiency for the tested conditions was observed, either with or without the microbial inoculum. In the column without the inoculum the most abundant genera were Acidovorax , Bdellovibrio , Hydrogenophaga , Pseudoxanthomonas and Serpens at the beginning of the column, while at the end of the column Thauera became dominant. In the inoculated test the microbial inoculum, composed by Rhodococcus sp. CE461, Rhodococcus sp. CT451 and Methylibium petroleiphilum LMG 22953, was outcompeted. Quantitative PCR results showed an increasing in xylM copy number, indicating that hydrocarbon degrading bacteria were selected during the treatment, although only a low increase of the total biomass was observed. However, the bioaugmentation did not lead to an increase in the degradative potential of the microbial communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Bacteria communities on electrodes of membraneless single chamber microbial fuel cells were sampled and analysed after one and three months of operation, using the fingerprinting molecular technique DGGE (Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis). The materials of the anodes were carbon brush, carbon cloth and stainless steel mesh (AISI 304). The cathodes were made of graphite, with or without Platinum as catalyst. The microbial fuel cells were inoculated with raw wastewater coming from a municipal plant of the city of Milan and fed with sodium acetate 3 g L−1. DGGE profiles enabled to calculate the Jaccard similarity indexes for the bacterial communities. The excision and sequencing of selected bands permitted the characterization of the different communities and bacteria groups. The cluster analysis (based on band presence/absence and similarity data) showed that after one month the microbial populations of anodic biofilms diverged in relation to the material and the geometry of the anode. However, at the end of the three months of experimentation, the anodic communities did not significantly differed from those found at the cathodes. The results suggest a central role of Sulphate-reducing Bacteria (SRB) alone or in synergy with the other microorganisms found (Spirochetes and photosynthetic purple non-sulphur bacteria – PNS), at the cathode as well as at the anode. The mechanism of cathodic reaction activation by bacteria metabolism is put forward. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aims of this work were the characterisation and the evaluation of potential environmental applications of the bioemulsifiers produced by Variovorax paradoxus 7bCT5. V. paradoxus 7bCT5 produces a mixture of high molecular weight polysaccharides. The extracellular bioemulsifiers were able to produce a thick stable oil/water emulsion and maintained the emulsification activity after boiling and at low temperatures. Environmental behavior and impact of bioemulsifiers release were assessed by evaluating biodegradability, toxicity and soil sorption. Respirometric tests showed that moderate biodegradability occurred by soil bacterial inoculum. Furthermore, the produced compounds did not show any toxic properties through different ecotoxicological tests. The K d values ranged from 1.3 to 7.3L/kg indicating a high sorption affinity of the bioemulsifier molecules to soil particles. The soil sorption affinity likely affected the bioemulsifier ability to remove hydrocarbons from contaminated soils. In fact, V. paradoxus 7bCT5 bioemulsifiers significantly increased the removal of crude-oil from sandy soil compared to water. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Background: Particulate matter (PM) has been associated to adverse health effects in exposed population and DNA damage has been extensively reported in in vitro systems exposed to fine PM (PM2.5). The ability to induce gene expression profile modulation, production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and strand breaks to DNA molecules has been investigated in A549 cells exposed to winter and summer Milan PM2.5. Results: A549 cells, exposed to 10μg/cm2 of both winter and summer PM2.5, showed increased cytotoxicity at 24h and a significant increase of ROS at 3h of treatment. Despite these similar effects winter PM induced a higher number of gene modulation in comparison with summer PM. Both PMs modulated genes related to the response to xenobiotic stimuli (CYP1A1, CYP1B1, TIPARP, ALDH1A3, AHRR) and to the cell–cell signalling (GREM1) pathways with winter PM2.5 inducing higher fold increases. Moreover the winter fraction modulated also JUN (cell–cell signalling), GDF15, SIPA1L2 (signal transduction), and HMOX1 (oxidative stress). Two genes, epiregulin (EREG) and FOS-like antigen1 (FOSL1), were significantly up-regulated by summer PM2.5. The results obtained with the microarray approach have been confirmed by qPCR and by the analysis of CYP1B1 expression. Comet assay evidenced that winter PM2.5 induced more DNA strand breaks than the summer one. Conclusion: Winter PM2.5 is able to induce gene expression alteration, ROS production and DNA damage. These effects are likely to be related to the CYP enzyme activation in response to the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) adsorbed on particle surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Bacteria able to produce biological emulsifiers were isolated from different environments using different isolation media with the aim of discovering the widest diversity. The phylogenetic diversity of the isolates was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Among 190 isolated strains, 127 released extracellular emulsifiers able to stabilize oil-water emulsions when grown on low-cost substrates. Among these, the 35 isolates that showed the highest emulsifier production on different substrates were found to belong to 16 different bacterial genera. Overall, this is the first systematic study of the diversity of bioemulsifier-producing bacteria and of their ability to produce bioemulsifiers on low-cost substrates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The influence of a high quality compost amendment on two soils contaminated with diesel oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, PAHs, respectively, was evaluated, with respect to contaminant biodegradation, microbial community composition and soil toxicity and genotoxicity. For each of the two soils, two 20-kg biopiles were set up, one without amendments and one compost-amended. GC/FID analyses revealed that compost was effective in enhancing biodegradation of diesel oil and of four-ring PAHs. It also influenced microbial community composition, as inferred by ARDRA analyses and partial sequencing of 16S rDNA of clones from libraries constructed from each soil sample. Microtox® analyses on soil aqueous saline extracts and Solid Phase Tests showed some toxicity reduction due to compost addition, while the Comet assay, performed on coelomocytes of earthworms exposed to contaminated soils, did not show genotoxicity reduction. In general, the use of compost amendment to hydrocarbon-contaminated soils in a bioremediation process proved to be effective for depletion of contaminants and reduction of toxicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Gordonia sp. BS29 is a hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from a site chronically contaminated by diesel. The strain produces extracellular bioemulsifiers, able to produce stable emulsions, and cell-bound glycolipid biosurfactants, able to reduce surface tension. The aims of this work were to investigate the cultural factors affecting the production of the cell-bound biosurfactants by Gordonia sp. BS29 and to find the optimal composition of growth medium for the production. The cultural factors which have a significant influence on surfactant biosynthesis, identified by a two level 2(8-2) Fractional Factorial Design, were the type and concentration of the carbon source, the concentrations of phosphates and sodium chloride, and the interactions among these factors. On these factors, a flask-scale optimisation of cultural conditions was carried out. Then, a steepest ascent procedure and a Central Composite Design were applied to obtain a second order polynomial function fitting the experimental data near the optimum. In the optimised cultural condition we obtained a 5-fold increase in the biosurfactant concentration compared to the un-optimised medium (26.00), reaching a Critical Micelle Dilution value (129.43) among the highest in literature. The optimisation procedure did not change the number and type of the glycolipid biosurfactants produced by Gordonia sp. BS29. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A wide range of structurally different surface active compounds (SACs) is synthesised by many prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. Due to their properties, microbial SACs have been exploited in environmental remediation techniques. From a diesel-contaminated soil, we isolated the Gordonia sp. strain BS29 which extensively grows on aliphatic hydrocarbons and produces two different types of SACs: extracellular bioemulsans and cell-bound biosurfactants. The aim of this work was to evaluate the potential applications of the strain BS29 and its SACs in the following environmental technologies: bioremediation of soils contaminated by aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and washing of soils contaminated by crude oil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. Microcosm bioremediation experiments were carried out with soils contaminated by aliphatic hydrocarbons or PAHs, while batch soil washing experiments were carried out with soils contaminated by crude oil, PAHs or heavy metals. Bioremediation results showed that the BS29 bioemulsans are able to slightly enhance the biodegradation of recalcitrant branched hydrocarbons. On the other hand, we obtained the best results in soil washing of hydrocarbons. The BS29 bioemulsans effectively remove crude oil and PAHs from soil. Particularly, crude oil removal by BS29 bioemulsans is comparable to the rhamnolipid one in the same experimental conditions showing that the BS29 bioemulsans are promising washing agents for remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: One of the main limitations for a wider application of surfactants in soil remediation is the lack of knowledge about environmental fate and toxicity of surfactant itself especially for in situ application. Sorption behaviour, biodegradability, toxicity of parent compound and its metabolites are important processes that affect environmental fate of surfactants in site remediation applications. Tween 80 (poly(oxyethylene)(20)-sorbitane monooleate) and Aerosol MA+80 (dihexyl sodium sulfosuccinate) are surfactants that have been tested in laboratory and field scale remediation of soil and groundwater. In this work, the sorption and biodegradability of these surfactants were assessed to provide conditions and limitations for their use. The soil used in this experimentation was analysed for organic carbon content, soil bacteria, and size fraction and resulted to be a good model because is characterised by mean values for almost all considered parameters. Tween 80 showed high degree of biodegradability but a high affinity for soil matrix. Results suggest that Tween 80 could find its best application in ex situ solid phase remediation like ex situ bioremediation; its high affinity to soil could limit in situ applications. Biodegradation tests for Aerosol MA+80 show low degree of biodegradability and mineralisation. Biodegradation experiments, coupled with analysis of toxicity, could support the hypothesis that degradation of Aerosol MA+80 is not complete and leads to an accumulation of intermediates with at least the same toxicity of the parental compound. Therefore, aquifer remediation application with Aerosol MA+80 has to be conducted with necessary precautions to avoid product loss and excess surfactant should be flushed from the soil. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]