Mussie Y. Habteselassie

Degradation of multiwall carbon nanotubes by bacteria.

Understanding the environmental transformation of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) is important to their life cycle assessment and potential environmental impacts. We report that a bacterial community is capable of degrading (14)C-labeled MWCNTs into (14)CO2 in the presence of an external carbon source via co-metabolism. Multiple intermediate products were detected, and genotypic characterization revealed three possible microbial degraders: Burkholderia kururiensis, Delftia acidovorans, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. This result suggests that microbe/MWCNTs interaction may impact the long-term fate of MWCNTs.

Ligninase-mediated removal of natural and synthetic estrogens from water: II. Reactions of 17β-estradiol.

We have demonstrated in our earlier work that a few natural and synthetic estrogens can be effectively transformed through reactions mediated by lignin peroxidase (LiP). The behaviors of such reactions are variously influenced by the presence of natural organic matter (NOM) and/or veratryl alcohol (VA). Certain white rot fungi, e.g. Phanerochaete chrysosporium, produce VA as a secondary metabolite along with LiP in nature where NOM is ubiquitously present. Herein, we report a study on the products resulting from LiP-mediated oxidative coupling reactions of a representative estrogen, 17beta-estradiol (E2), and how the presence of NOM and/or VA impacts the formation and distribution of the products. A total of six products were found, and the major products appeared to be oligomers resulting from E2 coupling. Our experiments revealed that these products likely formed colloidal solids in water that can be removed via ultrafiltration or settled during ultracentrifugation. Such a colloidal nature of the products could have important implications in their treatability and environmental transport. In the presence of VA, the products tended to shift toward higher-degree of oligomers. When NOM was included in the reaction system, cross-coupling between E2 and NOM appeared to occur. Data obtained from E-SCREEN test confirmed that the estrogenicity of E2 can be effectively eliminated following sequential reactions mediated by LiP.

FUNGAL PRETREATMENT OF SWITCHGRASS FOR IMPROVED SACCHARIFICATION AND SIMULTANEOUS ENZYME PRODUCTION

This study investigates fungal pretreatment of switchgrass involving solid state fermentation (SSF) to improve saccharification and simultaneously produce enzymes as co-products. The results revealed that the fungus Pycnoporus sp. SYBC-L3 can significantly degrade lignin and enhance enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency. After a 36-d cultivation period, nearly 30% reduction in lignin content was obtained without significant loss of cellulose and hemicellulose, while a considerable amount of laccase, as high as 6.3 U/g, was produced. After pretreatment, pores on switchgrass surface were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency for the switchgrass with 36-d pretreatment was about 50% greater than the untreated one. Our results suggest that solid state fungal cultivation may be a good method for switchgrass pretreatment, which can simultaneously achieve high efficiency of enzymatic hydrolysis and production of some useful enzymes for other industrial utilization.

Nitrification exhibits Haldane kinetics in an agricultural soil treated with ammonium sulfate or dairy-waste compost

An agricultural soil was treated with dairy-waste compost, ammonium-sulfate fertilizer or no added nitrogen (control) and planted to silage corn for 6 years. The kinetics of nitrification were determined in laboratory-shaken slurry assays with a range of substrate concentrations (0-20 mM NH(4)(+)) over a 24-h period for soils from the three treatments. Determined concentrations of substrate and product were fit to Michaelis-Menten and Haldane models. For all the treatments, the Haldane model was a better fit, suggesting that significant nitrification inhibition may occur in soils under high ammonium conditions similar to those found immediately after fertilization or waste applications. The maximum rate of nitrification (V(max)) was significantly higher for the fertilized and compost-treated soils (1.74 and 1.50 mmol N kg(-1) soil day(-1)) vs. control soil (0.98 mmol kg(-1) soil day(-1)). The K(m) and K(i) values were not significantly different, with average values of 0.02 and 27 mM NH(4)(+), respectively. Our results suggest that both N sources increased nitrifier community size, but did not shift the nitrifier community structure in ways that influenced enzyme affinity or sensitivity to ammonium. The K(m) values are comparable to those determined directly in other soils, but are substantially lower than those from most pure cultures of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

Ammonia-oxidizer communities in an agricultural soil treated with contrasting nitrogen sources.

The community of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes was examined in an agricultural soil treated for six seasons with contrasting nitrogen (N) sources. Molecular tools based on the genes encoding ammonia monooxygenase were used to characterize the ammonia oxidizer (AO) communities and their abundance. Soil DNA was extracted from soils sampled from silage corn plots that received no additional N (control), dairy waste compost, liquid dairy waste (LW), and ammonium sulfate (AS) treatments at approximately 100 and 200 kg available N ha-1 over 6 years. The N treatment affected the quantity of AO based on estimates of amoA by real-time PCR. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were higher in soils from the AS200, AS100, and LW200 treatments (2.5 × 107, 2.5 × 107, and 2.1 × 107copies g-1 soil, respectively) than in the control (8.1 × 106 copies g-1 soil) while the abundance of amoA encoding archaea [ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA)] was not significantly affected by treatment (3.8 × 107 copies g-1 soil, average). The ratio of AOA/AOB was higher in the control and compost treated soils, both treatments have the majority of their ammonium supplied through mineralization of organic nitrogen. Clone libraries of partial amoA sequences indicated AOB related to Nitrosospira multiformis and AOA related to uncultured Nitrososphaera similar to those described by soil fosmid 54d9 were prevalent. Profiles of the amoC-amoA intergenic region indicated that both Nitrosospira- and Nitrosomonas-type AOB were present in all soils examined. In contrast to the intergenic amoC-amoA profile results, Nitrosomonas-like clones were recovered only in the LW200 treated soil-DNA. The impact of 6 years of contrasting nitrogen sources applications caused changes in AO abundance while the community composition remained relatively stable for both AOB and AOA.

Understanding the role of agricultural practices in the potential colonization and contamination by Escherichia coli in the rhizospheres of fresh produce.

To better protect consumers from exposure to produce contaminated with Escherichia coli, the potential transfer of E. coli from manure or irrigation water to plants must be better understood. We used E. coli strains expressing bioluminescence (E. coli O157:H7 lux) or multiantibiotic resistance (E. coli²(+)) in this study. These marked strains enabled us to visualize in situ rhizosphere colonization and metabolic activity and to track the occurrence and survival of E. coli in soil, rhizosphere, and phyllosphere. When radish and lettuce seeds were treated with E. coli O157:H7 lux and grown in an agar-based growth system, rapid bacterial colonization of the germinating seedlings and high levels of microbial activity were seen. Introduction of E. coli²(+) to soil via manure or via manure in irrigation water showed that E. coli could establish itself in the lettuce rhizosphere. Regardless of introduction method, 15 days subsequent to its establishment in the rhizosphere, E. coli²(+) was detected on the phyllosphere of lettuce at an average number of 2.5 log CFU/g. When E. coli²(+) was introduced 17 and 32 days postseeding to untreated soil (rather than the plant surface) via irrigation, it was detected at low levels (1.4 log CFU/g) on the lettuce phyllosphere 10 days later. While E. coli²(+) persisted in the bulk and rhizosphere soil throughout the study period (day 41), it was not detected on the external portions of the phyllosphere after 27 days. Overall, we find that E. coli is mobile in the plant system and responds to the rhizosphere like other bacteria.

Tracking microbial transport through four onsite wastewater treatment systems to receiving waters in eastern North Carolina

Aims:  To examine microbial transport through properly functioning and failing onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) and its implication in surrounding water quality.

Quantifying the Contribution of On-Site Wastewater Treatment Systems to Stream Discharge Using the SWAT Model.

In the southeastern United States, on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs) are widely used for domestic wastewater treatment. The degree to which OWTSs represent consumptive water use has been questioned in Georgia. The goal of this study was to estimate the effect of OWTSs on streamflow in a gauged watershed in Gwinnett County, Georgia using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) watershed-scale model, which includes a new OWTS algorithm. Streamflow was modeled with and without the presence of OWTSs. The model was calibrated using data from 1 Jan. 2003 to 31 Dec. 2006 and validated from 1 Jan. 2007 to 31 Dec. 2010 using the auto-calibration tool SWAT-CUP 4. The daily and monthly streamflow Nash-Sutcliffe coefficients were 0.49 and 0.71, respectively, for the calibration period and 0.37 and 0.68, respectively, for the validation period, indicating a satisfactory fit. Analysis of water balance output variables between simulations showed a 3.1% increase in total water yield at the watershed scale and a 5.9% increase at the subbasin scale for a high-density OWTS area. The percent change in water yield between simulations was the greatest in dry years, implying that the influence of OWTSs on the water yield is greatest under drought conditions. Mean OWTS water use was approximately 5.7% consumptive, contrary to common assumptions by water planning agencies in Georgia. Results from this study may be used by OWTS users and by watershed planners to understand the influence of OWTSs on water quantity within watersheds in this region.

Evaluating the influence of septic systems and watershed characteristics on stream faecal pollution in suburban watersheds in Georgia, USA.

To determine the impact of septic systems on water quality and in so doing identify watershed level characteristics that influence septic system impact.

Prevalence and concentration of Salmonella and Campylobacter in the processing environment of small-scale pastured broiler farms

A growing niche in the locally grown food movement is the small-scale production of broiler chickens using the pasture-raised poultry production model. Limited research exists that focuses on Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination in the environment associated with on-farm processing of pasture-raised broilers. The objective of this study was to establish data relative to Salmonella and Campylobacter prevalence and concentration in soil and mortality compost resulting from prior processing waste disposal in the small-scale, on-farm broiler processing environment. Salmonella and Campylobacter concentrations were determined in soil (n = 42), compost (n = 39), and processing wastewater (PWW; n = 46) samples from 4 small broiler farms using a 3-tube most probable number (MPN) method for Salmonella and direct plating method for Campylobacter. Salmonella prevalence and concentration (mean log10 MPN per sample weight or volume) in soil [60%, 0.97 (95% CI: 0.66 to 1.27)], compost [64%, 0.95 (95% CI: 0.66 to 1.24)], and wastewater [48%, 1.29 (95% CI: 0.87 to 1.71)] were not significantly different (P > 0.05). Although Campylobacter prevalence was not significantly different by sample type (64.3, 64.3, and 45.7% in soil, compost, and PWW, respectively), the concentration (mean log10 cfu) of this pathogen was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in wastewater [2.19 (95% CI: 0.36 to 3.03)] samples compared with soil [3.08 (95% CI: 2.23 to 3.94)], and compost [3.83 (95% CI: 2.71 to 4.95)]. These data provide insight into small-scale poultry production waste disposal practices and provides a record of data that may serve as a guide for future improvement of these practices. Further research is needed regarding the small-scale broiler production environment in relation to improving disposal of processing waste for optimum control of human pathogens.