Petrochemical and municipal wastewater treatment plants activated sludge each own distinct core bacteria driven by their specific incoming wastewater

Decoding the effect of antibiotics on biofilm formation in biofilters

Biofilms have extensive applications and important roles in biological processes. This study aimed to investigate the effect and mechanism of low-concentration sulfamethoxazole (SMX) on biofilm development in biofilters. The effects of various SMX concentrations (0, 100 ng/L, 1000 ng/L) on microbial development were compared. Compared with the control group without SMX, the start-up period of R2 and R3 filters with SMX added was decreased by 9 % and 21 %, respectively. Under antibiotic stimulation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and bis-(3'-5')-cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) concentrations increased, aligning with changes in extracellular polymer content and biofilm formation. Microbial community results showed that the presence of SMX promoted the growth of some manganese-oxidizing bacteria (MnOB), such as Massilia, Pedomicrobium, Sphingopyxis, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus. Functional gene analysis further revealed higher expression levels of genes related to c-di-GMP transformation in the presence of SMX. These findings suggest that microbial communities can adapt to their environment by accelerating biofilm formation at lower antibiotic concentrations. The results of this study provide new insights into the impact of low-concentration antibiotics on biofilm development and offer a crucial reference for biofilter design and optimization.

New insight to the enriched microorganisms driven by pollutant concentrations and types for industrial and domestic wastewater via distinguishing the municipal wastewater treatment plants

Enriched microbial communities and their metabolic function were investigated from the three wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), which were CWWTP (coking wastewater), MWWTP1 (domestic wastewater), and MWWTP2 (mixed wastewater with domestic wastewater and effluent from various industrial WWTPs that contained the mentioned CWWTP). Pollutant types and concentrations differed among the three WWTPs and the reaction units in each WWTP. CWWTP had a higher TCN and phenol concentrations than the MWWTPs, however, in MWWTP2 no phenol was discovered but 0.72 mg/L TCN was found in its anaerobic unit. RDA results revealed that COD, TN, TP, TCN, NO3--N, and phenol were the main factors influencing the microbial communities (P < 0.05). CPCoA confirmed the microbial community difference driven by pollutant types and concentrations (65.1% of variance, P = 0.006). They provided diverse growth environments and ecological niches for microorganisms, shaping unique bacterial community in each WWTP, as: Thiobacillus, Tepidiphilus, Soehngenia, Diaphorobacter in CWWTP; Saccharibacteria, Acidovorax, Flavobacterium, Gp4 in MWWTP1; and Mesorhizobium, Terrimicrobium, Shinella, Oscillochloris in MWWTP2. Group comparative was analyzed and indicated that these unique bacteria exhibited statistically significant difference (P < 0.01) among the WWTPs, and they were the biomarkers in each WWTP respectively. Co-occurrence and coexclusion patterns of bacteria revealed that the most of dominant bacteria in each WWTP were assigned to different modules respectively, and these microorganisms had a closer positive relationship in each module. Consistent with the functional profile prediction, xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism were higher in CWWTP (3.86%) than other WWTPs. The distinct functional bacteria metabolized particular xenobiotics via oxidoreductases, isomerases, lyases, transferases, decarboxylase, hydroxylase, and hydrolase in each unit or WWTP. These results provided the evidences to support the idea that the pollutant types and concentration put selection stress on microorganisms in the activated sludge, shaping the distinct microbial community structure and function.

Unlocking the potential of environmentally friendly adsorbent derived from industrial wastes: A review

With increasing urbanization and industrialization, growing amounts of industrial waste, such as red mud (RM), fly ash (FA), blast furnace slag (BFS), steel slag (SS), and sludge, are being produced, exposing substantial threats to the environment and human health. Given that numerous researchers associate with conventional adsorbents, developing and utilizing industrial wastes derived from adsorption technology still has received limited attention. Utilizing this waste contributes to developing alternative materials with superior performance and significantly reduces the volume of solid waste. The excellent physical and chemical characteristics of these wastes are also investigated in this paper. This review attempts to demonstrate a comprehensive overview of the application of industrial waste-based adsorbent in the adsorption process for removing organic pollutants, dyes, metallic ions, non-metallic ions, and radioactive substances. In addition, industrial waste-based adsorbents are among the most promising and applicable techniques for pollutant removal, offering remarkable adsorption efficiency, rich surface chemistries, reasonable cost, simple operation, and low energy consumption. This review summarizes state-of-the-art advancements in engineered adsorbents (including physical and chemical modifications). It provides a holistic view regarding a comprehensive understanding of the mechanism involved in adsorption for water remediation. The challenges and the prospects for future research in applying these adsorbents are also elucidated, contributing to sustainable waste management and environmental sustainability.

Role of endogenous soil microorganisms in controlling antimicrobial resistance after the exposure to treated wastewater

The reuse of treated wastewater (TWW) for irrigation appears to be a relevant solution to the challenges of growing water demand and scarcity. However, TWW contains not only micro-pollutants including pharmaceutical residues but also antibiotic resistant bacteria. The reuse of TWW could contribute to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in the environment. The purpose of this study was to assess if exogenous bacteria from irrigation waters (TWW or tap water-TP) affect endogenous soil microbial communities (from 2 soils with distinct irrigation history) and key antibiotic resistance gene sul1 and mobile genetic elements intl1 and IS613. Experiments were conducted in microcosms, irrigated in one-shot, and monitored for three months. Results showed that TP or TWW exposure induced a dynamic response of soil microbial communities but with no significant increase of resistance and mobile gene abundances. However, no significant differences were observed between the two water types in the current experimental design. Despite this, the 16S rDNA analysis of the two soils irrigated for two years either with tap water or TWW resulted in soil microbial community differentiation and the identification of biomarkers from Xanthomonadaceae and Planctomycetes families for soils irrigated with TWW. Low-diversity soils were more sensitive to the addition of TWW. Indeed, TWW exposure stimulated the growth of bacterial genera known to be pathogenic, correlating with a sharp increase in the copy number of selected resistance genes (up to 3 logs). These low-diversity soils could thus enable the establishment of exogenous bacteria from TWW which was not observed with native soils. In particular, the emergence of Planctomyces, previously suggested as a biomarker of soil irrigated by TWW, was here demonstrated. Finally, this study showed that water input frequency, initial soil microbial diversity and soil history drive changes within soil endogenous communities and the antibiotic resistance gene pool.

Revealing the characteristics of biofilms on different polypropylene plastic products: Comparison between disposable masks and takeaway boxes

The increasingly severe plastic pollution issue was intensified by the enormous plastic emissions into ecosystems during the Covid-19 pandemic. Plastic wastes entering the environment were swiftly exposed to microorganisms and colonized by biofilms, and the plastic-biofilm combined effects further influenced the ecosystem. However, the non-woven structure of disposable masks discarded carelessly during the COVID-19 pandemic was different from those of plastics with flat surface. To reveal the potential effects of plastic structure on colonized biofilms, white disposable surgical masks (DM) and transparent takeaway boxes (TB), both made of polyethylene, were selected for the incubation of organic conditioning films and biofilms. The results indicated that the non-woven structure of disposable mask was destroyed by the influence of water infiltration and biofilm colonization. The influence of surface structure on conditioning films led to a relatively higher proportion of tryptophan-like substances on DM than those on TB samples. Therefore, biofilms with significantly higher microbial biomass and carbon metabolic capacity were formed on DM than those on TB samples owing to the combined effects of their differences in surface structure and conditioning films. Moreover, abundant functional microorganisms associated with stress tolerance, carbon metabolism and biofilm formation were observed in biofilms on disposable mask. Combining with the results of partial least squares regression analysis, the selective colonization of functional microorganisms on disposable masks with uneven surface longitudinal fluctuation was revealed. Although the predicted functions of biofilms on disposable masks and takeaway boxes showed more similarity to each other than to those of free-living aquatic microorganisms owing to the existence of the plastisphere, biofilms on disposable masks may potentially trigger environmental risks different from those of takeaway boxes by unique carbon metabolism and abundant biomass.

Selective stepwise adsorption for enhanced removal of multi-component dissolved organic chemicals from petrochemical wastewater

The coexistence of multi-component dissolved organic chemicals causes tremendous challenge in purifying petrochemical wastewater, and stepwise selective adsorption holds the most promise for enhanced treatments. This study is designed to enhance the removal of multiple dissolved organic chemicals by stepwise adsorption. Special attention is given to the selective removal mechanisms for the major pollutant N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), the sensitive pollutant fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) and other components. The results indicated that the combination of coal activated carbon and aluminum silica gel produced a synergistic effect and broke the limitation of removing only certain pollutants. Combined removal rates of 80.5 % for the dissolved organic carbon and 86.7 % for the biotoxicity in petrochemical wastewater were obtained with the enhanced two-step adsorption. The adsorption performance of both adsorbents remained stable even after five cycles. The selective adsorption mechanism revealed that hydrophobic organics such as DMF was adsorbed by the macropores of coal activated carbon, while the FDOM was eliminated by π-π stacking, electrostatic interaction and hydrophobic interaction. The hydrophilic organics were removed by the mesopores of aluminum silica gel, the silica hydroxyl groups and hydrophilic interaction. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of the selective adsorption mechanism and enhanced stepwise removal of multiple pollutants in petrochemical wastewater, which will guide the deep treatment of complex wastewater.

Performance and microbial community analysis of combined bioreactors in treating high-salinity hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water

The anoxic/oxic systems are a widely used biological strategy for wastewater treatment. However, little is known about the performance and microbial community correlation of different combined bioreactors in the treatment of high-COD and high-salinity hydraulic fracturing flowback and produced water (HF-FPW). In this study, the performance of Up-flow anaerobic sludge bed-bio-contact oxidation reactor (UASB-BCOR) and Fixed-bed baffled reactor (FBR-BCOR) in treating HF-FPW was investigated and compared. The results suggested the FBR-BCOR could efficiently remove COD, SS, NH4+-N, and oil pollutants, and it exhibited better resistance to the negative interference of hydraulic shock load on it. Besides, the correlation analysis first disclosed the key functional genera during the degradation process, including Ignavibacterium, Ellin6067, and Zixibacteria. Moreover, network analysis revealed that the difference of microbial co-occurrence network structure is the main driving factor for the difference of bioreactor processing capacity. This work demonstrates the feasibility and potential of FBR-BCOR in treating HF-FPW.

Mechanism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degradation in the rhizosphere of Phragmites australis: Organic acid co-metabolism, iron-driven, and microbial response

Microbial co-metabolism is crucial for the efficient biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); however, their intrinsic mechanisms remain unclear. To explore the co-metabolic degradation of PAHs, root organic acids (ROAs) (phenolic ROAs: caffeic acid [CA] and ferulic acid [FA]; non-phenolic ROAs: oxalic acid [OA]) were exogenously added as co-metabolic substrates under high (HFe) and low (LFe) iron levels in this study. The results demonstrated that more than 90% of PAHs were eliminated from the rhizosphere of Phragmites australis. OA can promote the enrichment of unrelated degrading bacteria and non-specific dioxygenases. FA with a monohydroxy structure can activate hydroxylase; however, it relies on phytosiderophores released by plants (such as OA) to adapt to stress. Therefore, non-specific co-metabolism occurred in these units. The best performance for PAH removal was observed in the HFe-CA unit because: (a) HFe concentrations enriched the Fe-reducing and denitrifying bacteria and promoted the rate-limiting degradation for PAHs as the enzyme cofactor; (b) CA with a dihydroxyl structure enriched the related degrading bacteria, stimulated specific dioxygenase, and activated Fe to concentrate around the rhizosphere simultaneously to perform the specific co-metabolism. Understanding the co-metabolic degradation of PAHs will help improve the efficacy of rhizosphere-mediated remediation.

Phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity attributes of immobilized Bacillus cereus treated and untreated textile effluents on Vigna mungo seeds and Artemia franciscana larvae

The physicochemical attributes of textile effluents collected from secondary treatment stage was investigated in this study and also assess the biosorption potential of membrane immobilized Bacillus cereus and free form of Bacillus cereus on textile effluent through bioreactor model study to find a sustainable solution to manage the textile effluent as vital need. Furthermore, the phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity nature of treated and untreated textile effluents on Vigna mungo and Artemia franciscana larvae under laboratory conditions as a novel approach. The textile effluent physicochemical parameter analysis results showed that the properties such as colour (Hazen unit), pH, turbidity, As, Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Cd, Cl, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, SO₄^2-, and Zn were beyond the acceptable limits. Bacillus cereus immobilized on a polyethylene membrane eliminated greater amounts of dye (25.0 ± 1.3, 56.5 ± 1.8, 57.18 ± 1.5, and 54.34 ± 1.7 Hazen unit from An1, Ae2, Ve3, and So4 respectively) and pollutants (As: 0.9-2.0, Cd: 6-8, Cr: 300-450, Cu: 5-7, Hg: 0.1-0.7, Ni: 8-14, Pb: 4-5, and Zn: 4-8 mg L^-1) from textile effluent in a week of biosorption investigation using a bioreactor model (batch type) compared to a free form of B. cereus on textile effluent. The phytotoxicity and cytotoxicity study results revealed that the membrane immobilized B. cereus treated textile effluent exposure showed reduced phytotoxicity and minimal cytotoxicity (including mortality) percentage compared with free form B. cereus treated and untreated textile effluents. These entire results conclude that the membrane immobilized B. cereus may considerably minimize/detoxify the harmful pollutants from the textile effluents. A large scale level biosorption approach need to be performed to validate the maximum pollutants removing potential of this membrane immobilized bacteria species and optimal conditions for effective remediation.

Efficient Removal of Cr(VI) Ions in Petrochemical Wastewater Using Fe3O4@Saccharomyces cerevisiae Magnetic Nanocomposite

Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) is a widely available biobased source for function material. In this work, a kind of new efficient magnetic composite adsorbent containing Fe₃O₄ and SC was prepared successfully and used for the removal of Cr(VI) ions in petrochemical wastewater. The morphology and structure of this magnetic adsorbent were characterized with FT-IR, TG, XRD, VSM, SEM and XPS. The effect of the different factors such as pH, adsorption time, initial Cr(VI) ions concentration and adsorption temperature on the adsorption behavior were investigated. The results showed that 10%-Fe₃O₄@SC exhibited high removal rate, reutilization and large removal capacity. The corresponding removal capacity and removal rate could reach 128.03 mg/g and 96.02% when the pH value was 2, adsorption time was 180 min, and initial Cr(VI) ions concentration were 80 mg/L at 298 K. The kinetics followed the pseudo-first-order, which indicated that the adsorption behavior of 10%-Fe₃O₄@SC for Cr(VI) ions belonged to the physical adsorption and chemical adsorption co-existence. The thermodynamic study showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. It still showed better adsorption performance and reutilization after the fifth adsorption-desorption experiment. The possible mechanism of Cr(VI) ions adsorption onto the 10%-Fe₃O₄@SC magnetic adsorbent has been discussed. Hence, this new adsorbent will be a candidate for industry-level applications in petrochemical wastewater containing Cr(VI) ions.

Heterogeneous Activation of Peroxymonosulfate by a Spinel CoAl2O4 Catalyst for the Degradation of Organic Pollutants

Bimetallic catalysts have significantly contributed to the chemical community, especially in environmental science. In this work, a CoAl2O4 spinel bimetal oxide was synthesized by a facile co-precipitation method and used for the degradation of organic pollutants through peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. Compared with Co3O4, the as-prepared CoAl2O4 possesses a higher specific surface area and a larger pore volume, which contributes to its becoming increasingly conducive to the degradation of organic pollutants. Under optimal conditions (calcination temperature: 500 °C, catalyst: 0.1 g/L, and PMS: 0.1 g/L), the as-prepared CoAl2O4 catalyst could degrade over 99% of rhodamine B (RhB) at a degradation rate of 0.048 min−1, which is 2.18 times faster than Co3O4 (0.022 min−1). The presence of Cl− could enhance RhB degradation in the CoAl2O4/PMS system, while HCO3− and CO32− inhibit RhB degradation. Furthermore, the considerable reusability and universality of CoAl2O4 were testified. Through quenching tests, 1O2 and SO4•− were identified as the primary reactive species in RhB degradation. The toxicity evaluation verified that the degraded solution exhibited lower biological toxicity than the initial RhB solution. This study provides new prospects in the design of cost-effective and stable cobalt-based catalysts and promotes the application of PMS-based advanced oxidation processes for refractory wastewater treatment.

Characterization of Microbial Communities in Wastewater Treatment Plants Containing Heavy Metals Located in Chemical Industrial Zones

Water pollution caused by heavy metals (HMs) poses a serious risk to human health and the environment and can increase the risk of diabetes, cancer, and hypertension in particular. In this study, two full-scale wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in industrial zones in southern China were selected to analyze the microbial community structure, diversity, similarity, and differentiation in the anoxic/oxic (AO) and anoxic/oxic membrane bioreactor (AO-MBR) units under the stress of HMs. High-throughput sequencing showed that microbial diversity and abundance were higher in the AO process than in the AO-MBR process. In the two WWTPs, the common dominant phyla were Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, while the common dominant genera were Gemmatimonadaceae, Anaerolineaceae, Saprospiraceae, and Terrimonas. Manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) positively correlated with Saccharimonadales, Nakamurella, Micrococcales, and Microtrichales, whereas copper (Cu) and iron (Fe) positively correlated with Longilinea and Ferruginibacter. Additionally, the relative abundances of Chloroflexi, Patescibacteria, and Firmicutes differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the two processes. These results may provide comprehensive outlooks on the characterization of microbial communities in WWTPs, which could also help to reduce the potential environmental risks of the effluent from WWTPs located in industrial zones.