strain OV14 seed application enhances L. and L. development.

Given the challenges imposed by climate change and societal challenges, the European Union established ambitious goals as part of its Farm to Fork (F2F) strategy. Focussed on accelerating the transition to systems of sustainable food production, processing and consumption, a key element of F2F is to reduce the use of fertilisers by at least 20% and plant protection products by up to 50% by 2030. In recent years, a substantial body of research has highlighted the potential impact of microbial-based applications to support crop production practices through both biotic/abiotic stresses via maintaining or even improving yields and reducing reliance on intensive chemical inputs.

Enzymatic response to cadmium by : A preliminary investigation.

This paper aims to develop our understanding of the effect of cadmium (Cd) on , a recently identified potential Cd hyperaccumulator. plants were exposed to three concentrations of Cd (20, 60 and 90 mg/kg) and were sampled at two timepoints (one and seven days) to investigate the stress response of to Cd. Cd can induce oxidative stress in plants, triggering overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS).

Low-cost physicochemical treatment for removal of ammonia, phosphate and nitrate contaminants from landfill leachate.

Four low-cost materials, oyster shells, pumice stone, sand and zeolite were employed as adsorbents in an adsorption batch assays investigating the removal of ammonia, phosphate and nitrate from an aqueous solution. These compounds were chosen as they represent typical compounds found in landfill leachate (LFL). Assay performance was evaluated by the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms.

Microbes a Tool for the Remediation of Organotin Pollution Determined by Static Headspace Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

Tributyltin (TBT) is one of the most toxic anthropogenic compounds introduced into the marine environment. Despite its global ban in 2008, TBT is still a problem of great concern due to its high affinity for particulate matter, providing a direct and potentially persistent route of entry into benthic sediments. Bioremediation strategies may constitute an alternative approach to conventional physicochemical methods, benefiting from the microorganism's potential to metabolize anthropogenic compounds.

Impact of trichloroethylene exposure on the microbial diversity and protein expression in anaerobic granular biomass at 37°C and 15°C.

Granular biomass from a laboratory-scale anaerobic bioreactor trial was analysed to identify changes in microbial community structure and function in response to temperature and trichloroethylene (TCE). Two bioreactors were operated at 37°C, while two were operated at 15°C. At the time of sampling, one of each temperature pair of bioreactors was exposed to process failure-inducing concentrations of TCE (60 mg L(-1)) while the other served as a TCE-free control.

Temperature dependent (37-15°C) anaerobic digestion of a trichloroethylene-contaminated wastewater.

The impact of a trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated wastewater on the microbial community structure of an anaerobic granular biomass at 15°C compared to 37°C was investigated. Four expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) bioreactors (R1-R4) were employed in pairs at 37 and 15°C. The influents of one of each pair were supplemented with increasing concentrations of TCE (max.

Low-temperature (7 °C) anaerobic treatment of a trichloroethylene-contaminated wastewater: microbial community development.

The feasibility of low-temperature (7 °C) anaerobic digestion for the treatment of a trichloroethylene (TCE) contaminated wastewater was investigated. Two expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) bioreactors (R1 and R2) were employed for the mineralisation of a synthetic volatile fatty acid based wastewater at an initial organic loading rate (OLR) of 3 kg COD m(-3) d(-1), and an operating temperature of 15 °C. Successive reductions in OLR to 0.

Methanogenic community development in anaerobic granular bioreactors treating trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated wastewater at 37 °C and 15 °C.

Four expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) bioreactors were seeded with a mesophilically-grown granular sludge and operated in duplicate for mesophilic (37 °C; R1 & R2) and low- (15°; R3 & R4) temperature treatment of a synthetic volatile fatty acid (VFA) based wastewater (3 kg COD m(-3) d(-1)) with one of each pair (R1 & R3) supplemented with increasing concentrations of trichloroethylene (TCE; 10, 20, 40, 60 mg l(-1)) and one acting as a control. Bioreactor performance was evaluated by % COD removal efficiency and % biogas methane (CH(4)) content. Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR) was used to investigate the methanogenic community composition and dynamics in the bioreactors during the trial, while specific methanogenic activity (SMA) and toxicity assays were utilized to investigate the activity and TCE/dichloroethylene (DCE) toxicity thresholds of key trophic groups, respectively.

Perturbation-independent community development in low-temperature anaerobic biological wastewater treatment bioreactors.

The reproducibility and stability of low- temperature anaerobic wastewater treatment systems undergoing transient perturbations was investigated. Three identical anaerobic expanded granular sludge bed-based bioreactors were used to degrade a volatile fatty acid and glucose-based wastewater under sub-ambient (15 degrees C) conditions. The effect of a variety of environmental perturbations on bioreactor performance was assessed by chemical oxygen demand removal.

Psychrophilic methanogenic community development during long-term cultivation of anaerobic granular biofilms.

Granular biomass was temporally sampled from a cold (4-15 degrees C) anaerobic bioreactor, which was inoculated with mesophilic biomass and used to treat industrial wastewater in a long-term (3.4 year) study. Data from 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, quantitative PCR and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analyses indicated that microbial community structure was dynamic, with shifts in the archaeal and bacterial communities' structures observed following start-up and during temperature decreases from 15 to 9.

Bioaugmentation of UASB reactors with immobilized Sulfurospirillum barnesii for simultaneous selenate and nitrate removal.

Whole-cell immobilization of selenate-respiring Sulfurospirillum barnesii in polyacrylamide gels was investigated to allow the treatment of selenate contaminated (790 microg Se x L(-1)) synthetic wastewater with a high molar excess of nitrate (1,500 times) and sulfate (200 times). Gel-immobilized S. barnesii cells were used to inoculate a mesophilic (30 degrees C) bioreactor fed with lactate as electron donor at an organic loading rate of 5 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) x L(-1) day(-1).

Effect of seed sludge and operation conditions on performance and archaeal community structure of low-temperature anaerobic solvent-degrading bioreactors.

Two laboratory-scale expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) anaerobic bioreactors (R1 and R2) were inoculated with biomass from different mesophilic (37 degrees C) treatment plants, and used for the treatment of an organic solvent-based wastewater at 9-14 degrees C at applied organic loading rates (OLRs) of 1.2-3.6kg chemical oxygen demand (COD)m(-3)d(-1).

Temporal microbial diversity changes in solvent-degrading anaerobic granular sludge from low-temperature (15 degrees C) wastewater treatment bioreactors.

Anaerobic sludge granules were obtained from laboratory-scale anaerobic bioreactors used to treat pharmaceutical-like (methanol-, acetone- and propanol-contaminated) wastewater under low-temperature conditions (15 degrees C). The microbial diversity and diversity changes of the sludge samples were ascertained by applying 16S rRNA gene cloning and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analyses, respectively, and using sludge samples from the inoculum, throughout and at the conclusion of the bioreactor trial. Data from genetic fingerprinting correlated well with those from physiological activity assays of the reactor biomass.

Low-temperature anaerobic biological treatment of toluene-containing wastewater.

Two expanded granular sludge bed-anaerobic filter (EGSB-AF) bioreactors, R1 and R2, were operated at 15 degrees C for the treatment of toluene-contaminated volatile fatty acid-based wastewater. The seed inoculum and the R1 reactor were unexposed to toluene, prior to and during the trial, respectively. Both reactors were operated at a hydraulic retention time of 24h at applied organic loading rates of 0.

Accessing the black box of microbial diversity and ecophysiology: recent advances through polyphasic experiments.

The microbial ecology of a range of anaerobic biological assemblages (granular sludge) from full- and laboratory-scale wastewater treatment bioreactors, and of crop-growing and peat soils, was determined using a variety of 16S rRNA gene-based techniques, including clone library, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using 16S rRNA gene-targeted probes was employed to complete a "full-cycle rRNA approach" with selected biomass. Genetic fingerprinting (TRFLP and DGGE) was effectively used to elucidate community structure-crop relationships, and to detect and monitor trends in bioreactor sludge and specific enrichment cultures of peat soil.

New low-temperature applications of anaerobic wastewater treatment.

Low-temperature or psychrophilic (<20 degrees C) anaerobic biological treatment of simple industrial wastewaters has recently been proven feasible as an alternative to more expensive mesophilic (ca. 37 degrees C) technology. We implemented novel expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB)-based bioreactor designs for 27 psychrophilic anaerobic digestion (PAD) trials for the treatment of a broad range of simple and complex synthetic wastewaters representing dairy, food-processing and pharmaceutical sector effluents.

Low-temperature anaerobic biological treatment of solvent-containing pharmaceutical wastewater.

Low-temperature or psychrophilic (<20 degrees C) anaerobic digestion (PAD) has recently been demonstrated as a cost-effective option for the treatment of a range of wastewater categories. The aim of this work was 2-fold: (1) to screen three anaerobic sludges, obtained from full-scale reactors, with respect to suitability for PAD of pharmaceutical-like, solvent-contaminated wastewater; (2) to assess the feasibility of PAD of this wastewater category. Toxicity thresholds of key trophic groups within three candidate biomass samples were assessed against solvents prevalent in pharmaceutical wastewaters (propanol, methanol and acetone).