Soil contamination assessment for Pb, Zn and Cd in a slag disposal area using the integration of geochemical and microbiological data.

Improper disposal of mining waste is still considered a global problem, and further details on the contamination by potentially toxic metals are required for a proper assessment. In this context, it is important to have a combined view of the chemical and biological changes in the mining dump area. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the Pb, Zn and Cd contamination in a slag disposal area using the integration of geochemical and microbiological data.

Kinetics of methane production and biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate from laundry wastewater.

This study evaluates the kinetics of methane production and degradation of standard linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) (50 ± 3.5 mg/L) and LAS from laundry wastewater (85 ± 2.1 mg/L) in anaerobic batch reactors at 30°C with different sources of inoculum.

Bioconversion of waste office paper to hydrogen using pretreated rumen fluid inoculum.

In this study, a microbial consortium from an acid-treated rumen fluid was used to improve the yields of H production from paper residues in batch reactors. The anaerobic batch reactors, which contained paper and cellulose, were operated under three conditions: (1) 0.5 g paper/L, (2) 2 g paper/L, and (3) 4 g paper/L.

Anaerobic degradation of anionic surfactants by indigenous microorganisms from sediments of a tropical polluted river in Brazil.

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is widely used in the formulation of domestic and industrial cleaning products, the most synthetic surfactants used worldwide. These products can reach water bodies through the discharge of untreated sewage or non-effective treatments. This study evaluates the ability of the microorganisms found in the Tiete river sediment to degrade this synthetic surfactant.

Biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in commercial laundry wastewater by an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor.

The biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) from commercial laundry wastewater was evaluated in an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (FBR) fed with synthetic substrate (598 mg L(-1) to 723 mg L(-1) of organic matter) supplemented with 9.5±3.1 mg L(-1) to 27.

Bacterial communities in thermophilic H2-producing reactors investigated using 16S rRNA 454 pyrosequencing.

In this study, the composition and diversity of the bacterial community in thermophilic H2-producing reactors fed with glucose were investigated using pyrosequencing. The H2-producing experiments in batch were conducted using 0.5 and 2.

Microbial characterization and degradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in an anaerobic reactor treating wastewater containing soap powder.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the removal of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) in an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR) treating wastewater containing soap powder as LAS source. At Stage I, the AFBR was fed with a synthetic substrate containing yeast extract and ethanol as carbon sources, and without LAS; at Stage II, soap powder was added to this synthetic substrate obtaining an LAS concentration of 14 ± 3 mg L(-1). The compounds of soap powder probably inhibited some groups of microorganisms, increasing the concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA) from 91 to 143 mg HAc L(-1).

Hydrogen production from cheese whey with ethanol-type fermentation: effect of hydraulic retention time on the microbial community composition.

The effects of different hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 4, 2, and 1h and varying sources of inoculum (sludge from swine and sludge from poultry) on the hydrogen production in two anaerobic fluidized bed reactors (AFBRs) were evaluated. Cheese whey was used as a substrate, and 5000mgCODL(-1) was applied. The highest hydrogen yield (HY) of 1.

Organic loading rate impact on biohydrogen production and microbial communities at anaerobic fluidized thermophilic bed reactors treating sugarcane stillage.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of high organic loading rates (OLR) (60.0-480.00 kg COD m(-3)d(-1)) on biohydrogen production at 55°C, from sugarcane stillage for 15,000 and 20,000 mg CODL(-1), in two anaerobic fluidized bed reactors (AFBR1 and AFBR2).

Degradation of high concentrations of nonionic surfactant (linear alcohol ethoxylate) in an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor.

The removal and degradation of the nonionic surfactant linear alcohol ethoxylate (LAE)Genapol® C-100 in an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor were evaluated with 4.7 mg LAE/L to 107.4 mg LAE/L added to the synthetic substrate (535 ± 121 mg/L to 882 ± 126 mg/L of organic matter).

Production of H(2) from cellulose by rumen microorganisms: effects of inocula pre-treatment and enzymatic hydrolysis.

H2 production from cellulose, using rumen fluid as the inoculum, has been investigated in batch experiments. Methanogenic archaea were inhibited by acid pre-treatment, which also inhibited cellulolytic microorganisms, and in consequence, the conversion of cellulose to H2. Positive results were observed only with the addition of cellulase.

Influence of volatile fatty acid concentration stability on anaerobic degradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate.

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is an anionic surfactant used in cleaning products, which is usually found in wastewaters. Despite the greater LAS removal rate related to a lower concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA), the influence of different ranges of VFA on LAS degradation is not known. LAS degradation was evaluated in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and expanded granular sludge bed (EGSB) reactors at different ranges of VFA concentrations.

The effect of enzymatic pre-hydrolysis of dairy wastewater on the granular and immobilized microbial community in anaerobic bioreactors.

The effect of a lipase-rich enzyme preparation produced by the fungus Penicillium sp. on solid-state fermentation was evaluated in two anaerobic bioreactors (up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) and horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass (HAIB)) treating dairy wastewater with 1200 mg oil and grease/L. The oil and grease hydrolysis step was carried out with 0.

Optimization of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) degradation in UASB reactors by varying bioavailability of LAS, hydraulic retention time and specific organic load rate.

Degradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) in UASB reactors was optimized by varying the bioavailability of LAS based on the concentration of biomass in the system (1.3-16 g TS/L), the hydraulic retention time (HRT), which was operated at 6, 35 or 80 h, and the concentration of co-substrates as specific organic loading rates (SOLR) ranging from 0.03-0.

Performance evaluation and phylogenetic characterization of anaerobic fluidized bed reactors using ground tire and pet as support materials for biohydrogen production.

This study evaluated two different support materials (ground tire and polyethylene terephthalate [PET]) for biohydrogen production in an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor (AFBR) treating synthetic wastewater containing glucose (4000 mg L(-1)). The AFBR, which contained either ground tire (R1) or PET (R2) as support materials, were inoculated with thermally pretreated anaerobic sludge and operated at a temperature of 30°C. The AFBR were operated with a range of hydraulic retention times (HRT) between 1 and 8h.

Anaerobic degradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) in fluidized bed reactor by microbial consortia in different support materials.

Four anaerobic fluidized bed reactors filled with activated carbon (R1), expanded clay (R2), glass beads (R3) and sand (R4) were tested for anaerobic degradation of LAS. All reactors were inoculated with sludge from a UASB reactor treating swine wastewater and were fed with a synthetic substrate supplemented with approximately 20 mg l(-1) of LAS, on average. To 560 mg l(-1) COD influent, the maximum COD and LAS removal efficiencies were mean values of 97+/-2% and 99+/-2%, respectively, to all reactors demonstrating the potential applicability of this reactor configuration for treating LAS.

Performance and molecular evaluation of an anaerobic system with suspended biomass for treating wastewater with high fat content after enzymatic hydrolysis.

The effect of a lipase-rich fungal enzymatic preparation, produced by a Penicillium sp. during solid-state fermentation, was evaluated in an anaerobic digester treating dairy wastewater with 1200 mg of oil and grease/L. The oil and grease hydrolysis step was carried out with 0.

Application of molecular techniques to evaluate the methanogenic archaea and anaerobic bacteria in the presence of oxygen with different COD:sulfate ratios in a UASB reactor.

In this paper, the microbial characteristics of the granular sludge in the presence of oxygen (3.0+/-0.7 mg O2 l(-1)) were analyzed using molecular biology techniques.

Performance of a reactor containing denitrifying immobilized biomass in removing ethanol and aromatic hydrocarbons (BTEX) in a short operating period.

A horizontal-flow anaerobic immobilized biomass reactor (HAIB) containing denitrifying biomass was evaluated with respect to its ability to remove, separately and in a short operating period (30 days), organic matter, nitrate, and the hydrocarbons benzene (41.4 mg L-1), toluene (27.8 mg L-1), ethylbenzene (31.