Assessment of chromium hyper-accumulative behaviour using biochemical analytical techniques of greenhouse cultivated Sonchus asper on tannery waste dump site soils

Bioreduction mechanisms of high-concentration hexavalent chromium using sulfur salts by photosynthetic bacteria

Eliminating "sulfur starvation" caused by competition for sulfate transporters between chromate and sulfate is crucial to enhance the content of sulfur-containing compounds and improve the tolerance and reduction capability of Cr(VI) in bacteria. In this study, the effects of sulfur salts on the Cr(VI) bioremediation and the possible mechanism were investigated in Rhodobacter sphaeroides SC01 by cell imaging, spectroscopy, and biochemical measurements. The results showed that, when the concentration of metabisulfite was 2.0 g L^-1, and the initial OD₆₀₀ was 0.33, the reduction rate of R. sphaeroides SC01 reached up to 91.3% for 500 mg L^-1 Cr(VI) exposure at 96 h. Moreover, thiosulfate and sulfite also markedly increased the concentration of reduced Cr(VI) in R. sphaeroides SC01. Furthermore, the characterization results revealed that -OH, -CONH, -COOH, -SO₃, -PO₃, and -S-S- played a major role in the adsorption of Cr, and Cr(III) reduced by bacteria was bioprecipitated in the production of Cr₂P₃S₉ and CrPS₄. In addition, R. sphaeroids SC01 combined with metabisulfite significantly increased the activity of glutathione peroxidase and the content of glutathione (GSH) and total sulfhydryl while decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and cell death induced by Cr(VI) toxic. Overall, the results of this research revealed a highly efficient and reliable strategy for Cr(VI) removal by photosynthetic bacteria combined with sulfur salts in high-concentration Cr(VI)-contaminated wastewater.

Study on bioleaching of heavy metals and resource potential from tannery yard sludge

Tannery sludge that has accumulated in the natural environment of a tannery industrial zone for a long time contains large amounts of toxic heavy metal elements such as Cr, which has a serious impact on the surrounding environment. This study used indigenous acidophilic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria from local tannery wastewater treatment plants to examine the effects of bioleaching on the removal of heavy metals in local tannery sludge accumulated in the natural environment. The effect of pre-oxygenation on bioleaching was investigated, and trends of sludge dewaterability during bioleaching and changes in the total amount of heavy metals, total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) during bioleaching were determined. Changes in the contents of different bound forms of heavy metals in tannery yard sludge during the bioleaching process were revealed. The experimental results showed that pre-oxygenation treatment of tannery yard sludge can shorten the bioleaching period (by at least 4 days) and improve the removal efficiency of all heavy metals. To ensure sludge dewaterability, the pH of the leaching system at the end of the bioleaching must not be lower than 1.67. The main components of heavy metals were stable in the tannery yard sludge, which critically affected the final removal efficiency of all heavy metals. The dissolution process of heavy metals showed that the morphology of heavy metals changed from stable to unstable forms in the bioleaching process, further dissolving into the liquid phase to be removed. In this experiment, the removal efficiency of all heavy metals in the tannery yard sludge was higher than 88.49%, and these heavy metals had good stability in morphology (the stable forms accounted for more than 87% of the total). In addition, the TN content in the remaining sludge was 27.9 g/kg, which is much higher than fertilizer TN requirements, indicating a high potential for resource utilization. Therefore, the method of bioleaching to remove heavy metals in tannery yard sludge for reuse is worthy of in-depth study and promotion.

Inorganic Element Determination of Romanian Populus nigra L. Buds Extract and In Vitro Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Evaluation on A549 Human Lung Cancer Cell Line

Populus nigra L. is a plant from Salicaceae family, native in Europe. Many parts of this tree can be used as active ingredients, but the most valuable are the buds. In recent years, a growing number of studies reported their activity in the development of a wide range of pharmacological activities including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The aim of this study was to determine the phytochemical composition and to evaluate the inorganic elements’ concentration as well as the in vitro antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic potential of a Populus nigra L. buds extract collected from Timișoara (Romania) against A549 human lung cancer cell line. Populus nigra L. bud extract was found to contain twelve different phenolic compounds. The inorganic elements concentrations were below the limit of detection for Co, Pb, and As, whereas Cu = 6.66 µg/g; Cr = 0.79 µg/g; Ni = 3.28 µg/g; Fe = 39.00 µg/g; Zn = 14.84 µg/g; Mn = 0.59 µg/g; Al = 2109.87 µg/g; and Cd = 0.019 µg/g. The extract was tested for the in vitro antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic potential on A549 human lung cancer cell line using different concentrations, namely 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, and 150 μg/mL. Results have shown that poplar bud extract induced a significant decrease of tumor cell viability in a dose-dependent manner with an IC₅₀ = 72.49 μg/mL and blocked the cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle. Phenomena of early apoptosis (from 1.34 ± 0.33% control cells to 2.68 ± 0.62% at 150 µg/mL) and late apoptosis (from 1.43 ± 0.14% control cells to 5.15 ± 1.02% at 150 µg/mL) were detected by Annexin V-PI double staining. Poplar bud extract can be regarded as a promising candidate for future studies involving lung cancer.

Spent mushroom substrate combined with alkaline amendment passivates cadmium and improves soil property

As an extremely toxic metal, cadmium (Cd) is readily taken up by most plants. In situ Cd passivation is of great importance to reduce Cd availability in soil. In this experiment, two alkaline amendments, lime (L) (at a dosage of 0.02%, 0.04%, or 0.08%) and biochar (B) (at a dosage of 0.5%, 1%, or 2%), were used to improve Cd passivation by spent mushroom substrate (SMS) in a simulating Cd-contaminated soil (0.6 mg kg^-1). Results showed that the application of SMS alone reduced Cd bioavailability by 44.80% and EC by 9.71% and increased soil pH by 0.61 units, CEC by 25.32%, and soil enzymes activities by 17.11% to 21.10% compared with non-amendment Cd-contaminated soil. Biochar combination enhanced the efficiency of SMS on Cd reduction by 48.32-66.58% and pH increased by 0.17 to 0.59 units and enzymes activities elevation by 5.74% to 47.29% in a dose-dependent manner. Lime also facilitated SMS to passivate Cd by decreasing bioavailable Cd by 63.10%-66.47% and increasing soil pH by 0.25-0.72 units and enzymes activities by 3.28% to 37.86% compared to those of SMS. Among six combined amendments, SMSB3 (0.5% SMS + 2% B) performed best in reducing bioavailable Cd (39.46% higher than SMS), increasing organic matter content (28.54% higher than SMS) and soil enzyme activities (25.82%, 47.29%, and 26.23% higher than that of SMS for catalase, urease, and invertase, respectively). Both biochar and lime can assist SMS to passivate Cd and improve soil property, and biochar is more efficient than lime in reducing cadmium content and increasing enzyme activity and organic matter.