Advantageous microbial community development and improved performance of pilot-scale field systems treating high-risk acid mine drainage with crab shell.

Microbial communities are crucial to the effectiveness and stability of bioremediation systems treating acid mine drainage (AMD); however, little research has addressed how they correlate to system performance under changing environmental conditions. In this study, 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to characterize microbial communities within different substrate combinations of crab shell (CS) and spent mushroom compost (SMC) and their association with chemical performance in pilot-scale vertical flow ponds (VFPs) treating high risk AMD in central Pennsylvania over 643 days of operation. As compared to a control containing SMC, VFPs containing CS sustained higher alkalinity, higher sulfate-reducing rates, and more thorough metals removal (>90% for Fe and Al, >50% for Mn and Zn).

Crab shell amendments enhance the abundance and diversity of key microbial groups in sulfate-reducing columns treating acid mine drainage.

Substrate amendments composed of crab shell (CS) waste materials have been shown to significantly improve the longevity and performance of acid mine drainage (AMD) treatment systems containing spent mushroom compost (SMC), yet the development of key microbial populations within these systems has not been investigated. To better understand the effects of CS on microbial dynamics in these systems, clone libraries and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were performed on materials from a laboratory-scale AMD treatment system containing SMC and 0 to 100% CS substrate after receiving a continuous flow of AMD for 148 days (428 pore volumes). The proportion of CS in the substrate positively correlated with the diversity of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) and archaeal clones, but negatively correlated with fungal diversity.

Anaerobic bioprocessing of wastewater-derived duckweed: Maximizing product yields in a biorefinery value cascade.

This study integrated the sugar and carboxylate platforms to enhance duckweed processing in biorefineries. Two or three bioprocesses (ethanol fermentation, acidogenic digestion, and methanogenic digestion) were sequentially integrated to maximize the carbon-to-carbon conversion of wastewater-derived duckweed into bioproducts, through a series of laboratory-scale experiments. Reactors were fed either raw (dried), liquid-hot-water-pretreated, or enzymatically-saccharified duckweed.

Duckweed as an Agricultural Amendment: Nitrogen Mineralization, Leaching, and Sorghum Uptake.

Excessive N and P in surface waters can promote eutrophication (algae-dominated, low-O waters), which decreases water quality and aquatic life. Duckweed (Lemnaceae), a floating aquatic plant, rapidly absorbs N and P from water and its composition shows strong potential as a soil amendment. Therefore, it may be used to transfer N and P from eutrophic water bodies to agricultural fields.

Trace organic contaminant removal in six full-scale integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) systems treating municipal wastewater.

Trace organic contaminants (TrOCs) often pass through conventional activated sludge wastewater treatment plants (CAS-WWTPs) and are discharged into surface waters, where they can threaten aquatic ecosystems and human health, largely due to the hormone disrupting effects of certain TrOCs. The integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) process is a cost-effective means of upgrading CAS-WWTPs by adding free-floating carrier media, which promotes biofilm formation in the well-mixed suspended growth reactors, providing a potential niche for slow-growing microorganisms. Although IFAS upgrades are typically aimed at enhancing nutrient removal, limited bench- and pilot-scale data indicate that TrOC removal may also be improved.

Effect of pH and temperature on microbial community structure and carboxylic acid yield during the acidogenic digestion of duckweed.

Background: Duckweeds (Lemnaceae) are efficient aquatic plants for wastewater treatment due to their high nutrient-uptake capabilities and resilience to severe environmental conditions. Combined with their rapid growth rates, high starch, and low lignin contents, duckweeds have also gained popularity as a biofuel feedstock for thermochemical conversion and alcohol fermentation. However, studies on the acidogenic anaerobic digestion of duckweed into carboxylic acids, another group of chemicals which are precursors of higher-value chemicals and biofuels, are lacking.

In situ bioremediation of perchlorate in vadose zone soil using gaseous electron donors: microcosm treatability study.

A series of microcosm experiments were performed to determine the effectiveness of various gaseous electron donors (including hydrogen, 1-hexene, ethyl acetate, and liquefied petroleum gas [LPG]) for supporting biological perchlorate reduction under different electron donor concentrations and soil moistures. Under high soil moisture (16% w/w) conditions, complete or partial perchlorate degradation was achieved with all of the tested electron donors, except for ethyl acetate. Hydrogen was the most promising of the tested electron donors, achieving complete perchlorate degradation with first-order rate constants ranging from 0.

Efficient metal removal and neutralization of acid mine drainage by crab-shell chitin under batch and continuous-flow conditions.

Crab-shell chitin was evaluated as a multifunctional substrate for treating acid mine drainage (AMD) in both batch-microcosms and continuous-flow column tests. In microcosms, crab-shell chitin was able to treat AMD from three different sites with similar results: pH increased from 3.5 to approximately 7.

The use of crab-shell chitin for biological denitrification: batch and column tests.

Crab-shell chitin (SC-20) was evaluated for its ability to enhance biological denitrification in bench-scale tests. In the presence of SC-20, highly reducing conditions were generated, supporting both denitrification and sulfate reduction of aerated water. Rapid degradation of protein in SC-20 was observed to cause an initial high release of ammonium and carbon, while a slower, continuous release of calcium carbonate from the crab shell maintained the pH near 9 throughout the tests.

Substrate-enhanced microbial fuel cells for improved remote power generation from sediment-based systems.

A sediment microbial fuel cell (MFC) produces electricity through the bacterial oxidation of organic matter contained in the sediment. The power density is limited, however, due in part to the low organic matter content of most marine sediments. To increase power generation from these devices, particulate substrates were added to the anode compartment.

Chitin and corncobs as electron donor sources for the reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene.

Chitin, corncobs, and a mixture of chitin and corncobs were tested as potential electron donor sources for stimulating the reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethene (PCE). Semi-batch, sand-packed columns were used to evaluate the donors with aerobic and anaerobic groundwaters containing varying degrees of alkalinity. In all experiments, acetate and butyrate were the dominant fatty acids produced, although propionate, valerate, formate, and succinate were also detected.

Continuous steady-state method using tenax for delivering tetrachloroethene to chloro-respiring bacteria.

Tenax-TA, a solid-phase sorbent, was used as an alternative to hexadecane for continuous delivery of tetrachloroethene (PCE) to Desulfuromonas strain BB1, a chloro-respiring microorganism. In both batch and bioreactor configurations, Tenax not only maintained low, steady-state concentrations of PCE in an active culture for several months but also adsorbed the product of dechlorination, cis-1,2-dichloroethene, before it approached toxic levels.