Publications by authors named "Maria Luisa Alvarado-Gutierrez"
Dynamic and structural response of a multispecies biofilm to environmental perturbations induced by the continuous increase of benzimidazole fungicides in a permeable reactive biobarrier.
J Environ Health Sci Eng
June 2024
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how the structure of microbial communities in biofilms changes over time when exposed to different concentrations of three specific fungicides (carbendazim, methyl thiophanate, and benomyl) in a bioreactor designed to mimic a barrier against pesticide contamination.
- A gradient system was used to increase the fungicide levels, allowing researchers to monitor how quickly and effectively the microbial community adapts in terms of removing these pollutants.
- Results showed that while the community's taxonomic structure significantly changed and did not revert to its original state after exposure to varying fungicide levels, the functional capabilities remained adaptable, showing that the community can still effectively degrade the contaminants even with these shifts.
The fungicide carbendazim is an ecotoxic pollutant frequently found in water reservoirs. The ability of microorganisms to remove pollutants found in diverse environments, soil, water, or air is well documented. Although microbial communities have many advantages in bioremediation processes, in many cases, those with the desired capabilities may be slow-growing or have low pollutant degradation rates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe fungicide carbendazim is an ecotoxic agent affecting aquatic biota. Due to its suspected hormone-disrupting effects, it is considered a "priority hazard substance" by the Water Framework Directive of the European Commission, and its degradation is of major concern. In this work, a horizontal tubular biofilm reactor (HTBR) operating in plug-flow regime was used to study the kinetics of carbendazim removal by an acclimated microbial consortium.
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