He-Long Jiang

Aggregation of immobilized activated sludge cells into aerobically grown microbial granules for the aerobic biodegradation of phenol

Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the utility of aerobically grown microbial granules for the biological treatment of phenol‐containing wastewater.

Bacterial Diversity and Function of Aerobic Granules Engineered in a Sequencing Batch Reactor for Phenol Degradation

ABSTRACT Aerobic granules are self-immobilized aggregates of microorganisms and represent a relatively new form of cell immobilization developed for biological wastewater treatment. In this study, both culture-based and culture-independent techniques were used to investigate the bacterial diversity and function in aerobic phenol- degrading granules cultivated in a sequencing batch reactor. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA genes demonstrated a major shift in the microbial community as the seed sludge developed into granules. Culture isolation and DGGE assays confirmed the dominance of β-Proteobacteria and high-G+C gram-positive bacteria in the phenol-degrading aerobic granules. Of the 10 phenol-degrading bacterial strains isolated from the granules, strains PG-01, PG-02, and PG-08 possessed 16S rRNA gene sequences that matched the partial sequences of dominant bands in the DGGE fingerprint belonging to the aerobic granules. The numerical dominance of strain PG-01 was confirmed by isolation, DGGE, and in situ hybridization with a strain-specific probe, and key physiological traits possessed by PG-01 that allowed it to outcompete and dominate other microorganisms within the granules were then identified. This strain could be regarded as a functionally dominant strain and may have contributed significantly to phenol degradation in the granules. On the other hand, strain PG-08 had low specific growth rate and low phenol degradation ability but showed a high propensity to autoaggregate. By analyzing the roles played by these two isolates within the aerobic granules, a functional model of the microbial community within the aerobic granules was proposed. This model has important implications for rationalizing the engineering of ecological systems.

Insights into extracellular polymeric substances of cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa using fractionation procedure and parallel factor analysis

Investigations on the extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are crucial for better understanding the growth and proliferation of cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. In this study, a combined approach of fractionation procedure and parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis were applied to characterize the EPS of M. aeruginosa. Physicochemical analysis showed that the contents of polysaccharides in EPS matrix were higher than those of proteins, regardless of the differences in growth phases and nutritional levels in medium. Organic matters were mainly distributed in the tightly bound EPS (TB-EPS) fraction during the exponential growth phase, whereas they sharply released to the soluble EPS (SL-EPS) and loosely bound EPS (LB-EPS) fractions at the decay period. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) was applied to characterize the specific compositions in EPS matrix, and all the fluorescence EEM spectra collected could be successfully decomposed into a four-component model by PARAFAC analysis. Component 1 [excitation/emission (Ex/Em) = 220/340], component 2 (Ex/Em = 280/340) and component 3 [Ex/Em = (200, 220, 270)/296] were attributed to protein-like substances, while component 4 [Ex/Em = (250, 340)/438] belonged to humic-like substances. Pearson correlation analysis demonstrated that tryptophan-like substances in the LB-EPS and TB-EPS fractions were positively correlated with Microcystis growth, whereas in the SL-EPS fraction, tryptophan-like as well as humic-like substances were associated with the growth of M. aeruginosa. The scientific implication for Microcystis growth and proliferation, based on the results of fractionation procedure and EEM-PARAFAC analysis, was also presented.

Enhanced degradation of phenanthrene and pyrene in freshwater sediments by combined employment of sediment microbial fuel cell and amorphous ferric hydroxide

The degradation of phenanthrene and pyrene in freshwater sediment was investigated under three kinds of treatments (addition of amorphous ferric hydroxide to sediments, employment of sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC), and the combination of ferric addition and SMFC employment). After 240 days of experiments, it was found that the combined treatment led to the highest removal efficiencies of phenanthrene (99.47 ± 0.15%) and pyrene (94.79 ± 0.63%), while the employment of SMFC could obtain higher removal efficiencies than Fe(III) addition. The combined approach improved potentials of phenanthrene and pyrene biodegradation in sediments under anaerobic pathways except methanogenic condition, and also stimulated humification of organic matters in sediments. At the end of experiments, ratios of humic acid to fulvic acid in sedimentary organic matters reached to 2.967 ± 0.240 in the combined treatment, and were only around 1.404-1.506 in the other treatments. Thus, organic matters in sediments in the combined treatment could adsorb tightly residual PAHs with less bioavailability. Considering both enhanced biodegradation and final sequestration of PAHs in sediments, the combined application of Fe(III) addition and SMFC employment offered a new promising remediation technology for contaminated sediments.

Combination of two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis to characterize the binding of heavy metals with DOM in lake sediments

Enhanced knowledge on the binding of heavy metal (HM) with dissolved organic matter (DOM) is essential for understanding the toxicity and migration of HMs. In this study, two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS) and parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis were combined to characterize the metal binding properties of DOMs, which were respectively extracted from macrophyte- and algal-dominant sediments (named MDOM and ADOM) in a eutrophic shallow lake. 2D absorption COS revealed that MDOM exhibited more HM binding sites (193, 195, 196, 199, 201, 203, 205, 207, 208, 212, 217 nm) than ADOM (201, 205 nm). PARAFAC analysis identified one protein- and two humic-like components from all titrated samples, with each component exhibiting different binding behaviors. The modified Stern-Volmer model showed that PARAFAC-derived components in MDOM had higher conditional stability constants (logKM) than in ADOM, suggesting that macrophyte-dominant sediments might play a more important role in the detoxification of HMs. Meanwhile, low binding abilities of Zn(II)-DOM complexes indicated that the toxicity of zinc in eutrophic lakes should not be overlooked. More aromatic functional groups and binding sites were suggested to be responsible for the high binding ability. 2D-COS was a better approach than PARAFAC analysis for exploring HM-DOM interaction.

Biomass and porosity profiles in microbial granules used for aerobic wastewater treatment.

Aims: To obtain biomass and porosity profiles for aerobically grown granules of different diameters and to determine a suitable range of granule diameters for application in wastewater treatment.

Bacterial Community Composition of Size-Fractioned Aggregates within the Phycosphere of Cyanobacterial Blooms in a Eutrophic Freshwater Lake

Bacterial community composition of different sized aggregates within the Microcystis cyanobacterial phycosphere were determined during summer and fall in Lake Taihu, a eutrophic lake in eastern China. Bloom samples taken in August and September represent healthy bloom biomass, whereas samples from October represent decomposing bloom biomass. To improve our understanding of the complex interior structure in the phycosphere, bloom samples were separated into large (>100 µm), medium (10–100 µm) and small (0.2–10 µm) size aggregates. Species richness and library coverage indicated that pyrosequencing recovered a large bacterial diversity. The community of each size aggregate was highly organized, indicating highly specific conditions within the Microcystis phycosphere. While the communities of medium and small-size aggregates clustered together in August and September samples, large- and medium-size aggregate communities in the October sample were grouped together and distinct from small-size aggregate community. Pronounced changes in the absolute and relative percentages of the dominant genus from the two most important phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were observed among the various size aggregates. Bacterial species on large and small-size aggregates likely have the ability to degrade high and low molecular weight compounds, respectively. Thus, there exists a spatial differentiation of bacterial taxa within the phycosphere, possibly operating in sequence and synergy to catalyze the turnover of complex organic matters.

UV-induced photochemical heterogeneity of dissolved and attached organic matter associated with cyanobacterial blooms in a eutrophic freshwater lake

Cyanobacterial blooms represent a significant ecological and human health problem worldwide. In aquatic environments, cyanobacterial blooms are actually surrounded by dissolved organic matter (DOM) and attached organic matter (AOM) that bind with algal cells. In this study, DOM and AOM fractionated from blooming cyanobacteria in a eutrophic freshwater lake (Lake Taihu, China) were irradiated with a polychromatic UV lamp, and the photochemical heterogeneity was investigated using fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM)-parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis and synchronous fluorescence (SF)-two dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS). It was shown that a 6-day UV irradiation caused more pronounced mineralization for DOM than AOM (59.7% vs. 41.9%). The EEM-PARAFAC analysis identified one tyrosine-, one humic-, and two tryptophan-like components in both DOM and AOM, and high component photodegradation rates were observed for DOM versus AOM (k > 0.554 vs. <0.519). Moreover, SF-2DCOS found that the photodegradation of organic matters followed the sequence of tyrosine-like > humic-like > tryptophan-like substances. Humic-like substances promoted the indirect photochemical reactions, and were responsible for the higher photochemical rate for DOM. The lower photodegradation of AOM benefited the integrality of cells in cyanobacterial blooms against the negative impact of UV irradiation. Therefore, the photochemical behavior of organic matter was related to the adaptation of enhanced-duration cyanobacterial blooms in aquatic environments.

Analysis of the attached microbial community on mucilaginous cyanobacterial aggregates in the eutrophic Lake Taihu reveals the importance of Planctomycetes.

The phylogenetic diversity of the microbial community assemblage of the carpet-like mucilaginous cyanobacterial blooms in the eutrophic Lake Taihu was investigated. 16S ribosomal DNA clone libraries produced from the DNA of cyanobacterial assemblages that had been washed to remove unattached bacteria contained only cyanobacteria. However, a further treatment which included grinding the freeze-dried material to physically detach cells followed by the removal of larger cells by filtration allowed us to detect a large variety of bacteria within the cyanobacterial bloom community. Interestingly, the dominant members of the microbial community were Planctomycetes followed by Cytophaga–Flavobacterium–Bacteroides (CFB), Betaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. The analysis of the 16S ribosomal DNA clone libraries made from enrichment culture revealed much higher phylogenetic diversity of bacteria. Dominant bacterial groups in the enrichment system were identified as members of the Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, and Deltaproteobacteria subdivisions, CFB group, and Planctomycetes. In addition, the clone libraries constructed from Planctomycetes-specific 16S ribosomal RNA primers also verified that the enrichment allowed a diversity of Planctomycetes to proliferate, although the community composition was altered after enrichment.

To improve the performance of sediment microbial fuel cell through amending colloidal iron oxyhydroxide into freshwater sediments.

Effects of iron oxide amendment into freshwater sediments on performance of sediment microbial fuel cell (SMFC) were investigated. It was found that amending amorphous bulk ferric oxyhydroxide, and crystalline goethite and magnetite did not affect SMFC operation. However, amendment of the mixed solution including soluble ferric citrate and colloidal iron oxyhydroxide, stably improved SMFC performance with voltage outputs up to threefolds higher than those without amendment. The enhanced voltage production corresponded to lower anode potential, but was not related to organic matter removal in sediments. Further experiments demonstrated that colloidal iron oxyhydroxide instead of soluble ferric iron played an important role in voltage production through maintaining high-concentration ferrous iron in pore water of sediments as electron shuttle and for chemical oxidation on the anode. Thus, colloidal iron oxyhydroxide amendment was a promising strategy to improve power production from SMFC employed in sediments especially with low content of organic matters.