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Mitchell ME, Newcomer-Johnson T, Christensen J, Crumpton W, Dyson B, Canfield TJ, Helmers M, Forshay KJ. A review of ecosystem services from edge-of-field practices in tile-drained agricultural systems in the United States Corn Belt Region. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2023; 348:119220. [PMID: 37866183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.119220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
Edge-of-field management practices that reduce nutrient pollution from tile drainage while contributing habitat and other ecosystem services are needed to enhance agricultural systems in the US Corn Belt Region. In this review, we identified edge-of-field and catchment scale agricultural conservation practices for intercepting and treating tile drainage. The reviewed conservation practices were (1) controlled drainage, also known as drainage water management (USDA-NRCS Code 554); (2) drainage water recycling (USDA-NRCS Code 447); (3) denitrifying bioreactors (USDA-NRCS Code 605); (4) saturated buffers (USDA-NRCS Code 604); and (5) constructed or restored wetlands designed for water quality improvement (USDA-NRCS Code 656) herein referred to as water quality wetlands. We examined 119 studies that had information on one or more of the following ecosystem services: water retention, water quality improvement (e.g., nitrate, phosphate, sediment, or pesticide retention), wetland habitat (for birds, aquatic organisms, and pollinators), crop yield improvement, and other benefits (e.g., recreation, education, aesthetic appreciation, greenhouse gas retention). We found the five edge-of-field practices were all effective at removing nitrate with varying degrees of other potential benefits and disservices (e.g., greenhouse gas production). Drainage water recycling and water quality wetlands have the potential to provide the most co-benefits as they provide surface water systems for capturing surface flows in addition to tile drainage while also potentially providing habitat and recreation opportunities. However, the following research needs are identified: 1) the disservices and benefits associated with drainage water recycling have not been adequately evaluated; 2) surface flow dynamics are understudied across all reviewed management practices; 3) a complete accounting of phosphorus species and flow pathways for all management practices is needed; 4) field evaluations of the habitat benefit of all management practices are needed; and 5) greenhouse gas dynamics are understudied across all management practices. While all management practices are expected to reduce nitrate loads, addressing these knowledge gaps will help inform holistic management decisions for diverse stakeholders across the US Corn Belt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark E Mitchell
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) Research Participation Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA.
| | - Tammy Newcomer-Johnson
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Jay Christensen
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - William Crumpton
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Iowa State University, 251 Bessey Hall, 2200 Osborn Dr., Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Brian Dyson
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 26 W. Martin Luther King Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45268, USA
| | - Timothy J Canfield
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 919 Kerr Research Drive, Ada, OK 74820, USA
| | - Matthew Helmers
- Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State University, 4354 Elings, 605 Bissell Rd., Ames, IA 50011, USA
| | - Kenneth J Forshay
- Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 919 Kerr Research Drive, Ada, OK 74820, USA
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Jéglot A, Miranda-Velez JF, Plauborg F, Elsgaard L. Nitrate removal and environmental side-effects controlled by hydraulic residence time in woodchip bioreactors treating cold agricultural drainage water. ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY 2023; 44:4324-4333. [PMID: 35722770 DOI: 10.1080/09593330.2022.2091482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors (WBRs) remove nitrate (NO 3 - ) from agricultural drainage water at field-scale, but their efficacy at cold temperatures remains uncertain. This study shows how hydraulic residence time (HRT) controls NO 3 - removal and environmental side-effects of WBRs at low water temperature under pilot-scale conditions with controlled operation of nine WBRs (94 dm3). Hydraulic properties were assessed by a bromide tracer test, and NO 3 - removal, emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4), and losses of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) were measured at HRTs of 5-30 h. Inlet NO 3 - concentrations were increasingly reduced at higher HRTs. The relationship between HRT and the efficiency (%) of NO 3 - removal was linear (R a d j 2 = 0.94), while the relationship between HRT and NO 3 - reduction rates (NRR) was logistic (R a d j 2 = 0.88). Gaseous emissions of N2O were equally low at HRTs of 10-30 h, but higher at 5 h (P < 0.05). Methane fluxes were small, but with consistent emissions at HRTs of 20-30 h and uptake at 5-15 h. HRT had limited effect on effluent DOC concentrations, but strong effect on mass losses that were five-fold higher (320 mg L-1) at the HRT of 5 h than at 30 h. In summary, at cold temperatures HRTs of ≤ 20 h resulted in suboptimal NRR, accelerating DOC losses, and increased risk of N2O losses at least below a threshold HRT of 5-10 h. HRTs of 20-30 h gave maximal NRR, smallest losses of DOC and N2O, but an increased risk of CH4 emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnaud Jéglot
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- WATEC, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
| | | | - Finn Plauborg
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
- WATEC, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
| | - Lars Elsgaard
- Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark
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Wang H, Feyereisen GW, Wang P, Rosen C, Sadowsky MJ, Ishii S. Impacts of biostimulation and bioaugmentation on woodchip bioreactor microbiomes. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0405322. [PMID: 37747182 PMCID: PMC10581000 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04053-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Woodchip bioreactors (WBRs) are used to remove nutrients, especially nitrate, from subsurface drainage. The nitrogen removal efficiency of WBRs, however, is limited by low temperatures and the availability of labile carbon. Bioaugmentation and biostimulation are potential approaches to enhance nitrate removal of WBRs under cold conditions, but their effectiveness is still unclear. Here, we clarified the effects of bioaugmentation and biostimulation on the microbiomes and nitrate removal rates of WBRs. As a bioaugmentation treatment, we inoculated WBR-borne cold-adapted denitrifying bacteria Cellulomonas cellasea strain WB94 and Microvirgula aerodenitrificans strain BE2.4 into the WBRs located at Willmar, MN, USA. As a biostimulation treatment, acetate was added to the WBRs to promote denitrification. Woodchip samples were collected from multiple locations in each WBR before and after the treatments and used for the microbiome analysis. The 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that the microbiomes changed by the treatments and season. The high-throughput quantitative PCR for nitrogen cycle genes revealed a higher abundance of denitrification genes at locations closer to the WBR inlet, suggesting that denitrifiers are unevenly present in WBRs. In addition, a positive relationship was identified between the abundance of M. aerodenitrificans strain BE2.4 and those of norB and nosZ in the WBRs. Based on generalized linear modeling, the abundance of norB and nosZ was shown to be useful in predicting the nitrate removal rate of WBRs. Taken together, these results suggest that the bioaugmentation and biostimulation treatments can influence denitrifier populations, thereby influencing the nitrate removal of WBRs. IMPORTANCE Nitrate pollution is a serious problem in agricultural areas in the U.S. Midwest and other parts of the world. Woodchip bioreactor is a promising technology that uses microbial denitrification to remove nitrate from agricultural subsurface drainage, although the reactor's nitrate removal performance is limited under cold conditions. This study showed that the inoculation of cold-adapted denitrifiers (i.e., bioaugmentation) and the addition of labile carbon (i.e., biostimulation) can influence the microbial populations and enhance the reactor's performance under cold conditions. This finding will help establish a strategy to mitigate nitrate pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Wang
- Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Gary W. Feyereisen
- USDA-ARS Soil and Water Management Research Unit, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ping Wang
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Carl Rosen
- Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Michael J. Sadowsky
- Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Satoshi Ishii
- Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
- BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
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McGuire PM, Butkevich N, Saksena AV, Walter MT, Shapleigh JP, Reid MC. Oxic-anoxic cycling promotes coupling between complex carbon metabolism and denitrification in woodchip bioreactors. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:1696-1712. [PMID: 37105180 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Denitrifying woodchip bioreactors (WBRs) are increasingly used to manage the release of non-point source nitrogen (N) by stimulating microbial denitrification. Woodchips serve as a renewable organic carbon (C) source, yet the recalcitrance of organic C in lignocellulosic biomass causes many WBRs to be C-limited. Prior studies have observed that oxic-anoxic cycling increased the mobilization of organic C, increased nitrate (NO3 - ) removal rates, and attenuated production of nitrous oxide (N2 O). Here, we use multi-omics approaches and amplicon sequencing of fungal 5.8S-ITS2 and prokaryotic 16S rRNA genes to elucidate the microbial drivers for enhanced NO3 - removal and attenuated N2 O production under redox-dynamic conditions. Transient oxic periods stimulated the expression of fungal ligninolytic enzymes, increasing the bioavailability of woodchip-derived C and stimulating the expression of denitrification genes. Nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) genes were primarily clade II, and the ratio of clade II/clade I nosZ transcripts during the oxic-anoxic transition was strongly correlated with the N2 O yield. Analysis of metagenome-assembled genomes revealed that many of the denitrifying microorganisms also have a genotypic ability to degrade complex polysaccharides like cellulose and hemicellulose, highlighting the adaptation of the WBR microbiome to the ecophysiological niche of the woodchip matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip M McGuire
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Natalie Butkevich
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Aryaman V Saksena
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - M Todd Walter
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - James P Shapleigh
- Department of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
| | - Matthew C Reid
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
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Lee S, Cho M, Sadowsky MJ, Jang J. Denitrifying Woodchip Bioreactors: A Microbial Solution for Nitrate in Agricultural Wastewater-A Review. J Microbiol 2023; 61:791-805. [PMID: 37594681 DOI: 10.1007/s12275-023-00067-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Nitrate (NO3-) is highly water-soluble and considered to be the main nitrogen pollutants leached from agricultural soils. Its presence in aquatic ecosystems is reported to cause various environmental and public health problems. Bioreactors containing microbes capable of transforming NO3- have been proposed as a means to remediate contaminated waters. Woodchip bioreactors (WBRs) are continuous flow, reactor systems located below or above ground. Below ground systems are comprised of a trench filled with woodchips, or other support matrices. The nitrate present in agricultural drainage wastewater passing through the bioreactor is converted to harmless dinitrogen gas (N2) via the action of several bacteria species. The WBR has been suggested as one of the most cost-effective NO3--removing strategy among several edge-of-field practices, and has been shown to successfully remove NO3- in several field studies. NO3- removal in the WBR primarily occurs via the activity of denitrifying microorganisms via enzymatic reactions sequentially reducing NO3- to N2. While previous woodchip bioreactor studies have focused extensively on its engineering and hydrological aspects, relatively fewer studies have dealt with the microorganisms playing key roles in the technology. This review discusses NO3- pollution cases originating from intensive farming practices and N-cycling microbial metabolisms which is one biological solution to remove NO3- from agricultural wastewater. Moreover, here we review the current knowledge on the physicochemical and operational factors affecting microbial metabolisms resulting in removal of NO3- in WBR, and perspectives to enhance WBR performance in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sua Lee
- Division of Biotechnology and Advanced Institute of Environment and Bioscience, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Cho
- Division of Biotechnology and Advanced Institute of Environment and Bioscience, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk, 54596, Republic of Korea
| | - Michael J Sadowsky
- BioTechnology Institute, Department of Soil, Water and Climate, and Department of Microbial and Plant Biology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Jeonghwan Jang
- Division of Biotechnology and Advanced Institute of Environment and Bioscience, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, Jeonbuk, 54596, Republic of Korea.
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Schaefer A, Lee J, Soupir ML, Moorman TB, Howe A. Comparison of microbial communities in replicated woodchip bioreactors. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2022; 51:205-215. [PMID: 34965312 DOI: 10.1002/jeq2.20320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Denitrification in woodchip bioreactors is a microbial process, but the effects of variations in bioreactors operation on microbial community structure are not well understood. Here, our goals were to understand hydraulic retention time (HRT) as a factor that influences woodchip bioreactor microbial community variation and structure in replicated field bioreactors and to evaluate relationships between microbial community membership and marker genes for denitrification. We used a combination of quantitative polymerase chain reaction of nirS, nirK, nosZI, and nosZII and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to characterize the microbial communities of nine pilot-scale woodchip bioreactors located at Iowa State University. Our results showed dynamic microbial communities but with persistent taxa between two sampling years and three HRTs. Similarities between functional gene copy numbers across sampling year and HRT indicate that the potential for denitrification is conserved despite differences in the microbial communities. These results are evidence that there are specific and persistent taxa within replicated bioreactors. Woodchip bioreactor microbial community membership is recommended to be the focus of future studies to better understand the relationship between microbial community functions and bioreactor management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abby Schaefer
- Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Jaejin Lee
- Genomics and Environmental Research in Microbial Systems Laboratory, Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 3346 Elings Hall, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Michelle L Soupir
- Water Quality Research Laboratory, Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 3358 Elings Hall, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Thomas B Moorman
- USDA-ARS, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, 2110 University Blvd., Ames, IA, 50011, USA
| | - Adina Howe
- Genomics and Environmental Research in Microbial Systems Laboratory, Dep. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Iowa State Univ., 3346 Elings Hall, Ames, IA, 50011, USA
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