1
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Verbeelen T, Fernandez CA, Nguyen TH, Gupta S, Leroy B, Wattiez R, Vlaeminck SE, Leys N, Ganigué R, Mastroleo F. Radiotolerance of N-cycle bacteria and their transcriptomic response to low-dose space-analogue ionizing irradiation. iScience 2024; 27:109596. [PMID: 38638570 PMCID: PMC11024918 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The advancement of regenerative life support systems (RLSS) is crucial to allow long-distance space travel. Within the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA), efficient nitrogen recovery from urine and other waste streams is vital to produce liquid fertilizer to feed food and oxygen production in subsequent photoautotrophic processes. This study explores the effects of ionizing radiation on nitrogen cycle bacteria that transform urea to nitrate. In particular, we assess the radiotolerance of Comamonas testosteroni, Nitrosomonas europaea, and Nitrobacter winogradskyi after exposure to acute γ-irradiation. Moreover, a comprehensive whole transcriptome analysis elucidates the effects of spaceflight-analogue low-dose ionizing radiation on the individual axenic strains and on their synthetic community o. This research sheds light on how the spaceflight environment could affect ureolysis and nitrification processes from a transcriptomic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Verbeelen
- Nuclear Medical Applications (NMA), Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Celia Alvarez Fernandez
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thanh Huy Nguyen
- Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Av. Du Champs de Mars 6, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Surya Gupta
- Nuclear Medical Applications (NMA), Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - Baptiste Leroy
- Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Av. Du Champs de Mars 6, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Ruddy Wattiez
- Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Av. Du Champs de Mars 6, 7000 Mons, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban REsource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Natalie Leys
- Nuclear Medical Applications (NMA), Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - Ramon Ganigué
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban REsource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Felice Mastroleo
- Nuclear Medical Applications (NMA), Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400 Mol, Belgium
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2
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Vingerhoets R, Sigurnjak I, Spiller M, Vlaeminck SE, Meers E. Enhancing swine manure treatment: A full-scale techno-economic assessment of nitrogen recovery, pure oxygen aeration and effluent polishing. J Environ Manage 2024; 356:120646. [PMID: 38531137 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
In regions with intensive livestock production, managing the environmental impact of manure is a critical challenge. This study, set in Flanders (Belgium), evaluates the effectiveness of integrating process intensification measures into the treatment of piggery manure to mitigate nitrogen (N) surplus issues. The research investigates the techno-economic benefits of implementing three key interventions: pure oxygen (PO) aeration, ammonia (NH3) stripping-scrubbing (SS) pretreatment, and tertiary treatment using constructed wetlands (CW), within the conventional nitrification-denitrification (NDN) process. Conducted at a full-scale pig manure treatment facility, our analysis employs steady-state mass balances for N and phosphorus (P) to assess the impact of these process intensification strategies. Findings indicate that the incorporation of advanced treatment steps significantly enhances the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the manure management system. Specifically, the application of PO aeration is shown to reduce overall treatment costs by nearly 4%, while the addition of an NH3 SS unit further decreases expenses by 1-2%, depending on the counter acid utilized. Moreover, the implementation of a CW contributes an additional 4% in cost savings. Collectively, these measures offer substantial improvements in processing capacity, reduction of by-product disposal costs, and generation of additional revenue from high-quality fertilising products. The study highlights the potential of advanced treatment technologies to provide economically viable and environmentally sustainable solutions for manure management in livestock-dense regions, emphasizing the cumulative economic benefit of a holistic approach to process intensification (10%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Vingerhoets
- Ghent University, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, RE-SOURCE - Laboratory for biobased resource recovery, 9000 Gent, Belgium; University of Antwerp, Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Ivona Sigurnjak
- Ghent University, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, RE-SOURCE - Laboratory for biobased resource recovery, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Marc Spiller
- University of Antwerp, Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052 Gent, Belgium; VITO WaterClimateHub, Wetenschapspark 1, 8400 Oostende, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- University of Antwerp, Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Erik Meers
- Ghent University, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, RE-SOURCE - Laboratory for biobased resource recovery, 9000 Gent, Belgium
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3
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Javourez U, Matassa S, Vlaeminck SE, Verstraete W. Ruminations on sustainable and safe food: Championing for open symbiotic cultures ensuring resource efficiency, eco-sustainability and affordability. Microb Biotechnol 2024; 17:e14436. [PMID: 38465733 PMCID: PMC10926176 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.14436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Microbes are powerful upgraders, able to convert simple substrates to nutritional metabolites at rates and yields surpassing those of higher organisms by a factor of 2 to 10. A summary table highlights the superior efficiencies of a whole array of microbes compared to conventionally farmed animals and insects, converting nitrogen and organics to food and feed. Aiming at the most resource-efficient class of microbial proteins, deploying the power of open microbial communities, coined here as 'symbiotic microbiomes' is promising. For instance, a production train of interest is to develop rumen-inspired technologies to upgrade fibre-rich substrates, increasingly available as residues from emerging bioeconomy initiatives. Such advancements offer promising perspectives, as currently only 5%-25% of the available cellulose is recovered by ruminant livestock systems. While safely producing food and feed with open cultures has a long-standing tradition, novel symbiotic fermentation routes are currently facing much higher market entrance barriers compared to axenic fermentation. Our global society is at a pivotal juncture, requiring a shift towards food production systems that not only embrace the environmental and economic sustainability but also uphold ethical standards. In this context, we propose to re-examine the place of spontaneous or natural microbial consortia for safe future food and feed biotech developments, and advocate for intelligent regulatory practices. We stress that reconsidering symbiotic microbiomes is key to achieve sustainable development goals and defend the need for microbial biotechnology literacy education.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ugo Javourez
- TBI, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INRAE, INSAToulouseFrance
| | - Silvio Matassa
- Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental EngineeringUniversity of Naples Federico IINaplesItaly
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpenBelgium
| | - Willy Verstraete
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Faculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityGentBelgium
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4
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Van Tendeloo M, Baptista MC, Van Winckel T, Vlaeminck SE. Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments with sulphide and free ammonia enabled mainstream partial nitritation/anammox. Sci Total Environ 2024; 912:169449. [PMID: 38123077 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Selective suppression of nitrite-oxidising bacteria (NOB) over aerobic and anoxic ammonium-oxidising bacteria (AerAOB and AnAOB) remains a major challenge for mainstream partial nitritation/anammox implementation, a resource-efficient nitrogen removal pathway. A unique multi-stressor floc treatment was therefore designed and validated for the first time under lab-scale conditions while staying true to full-scale design principles. Two hybrid (suspended + biofilm growth) reactors were operated continuously at 20.2 ± 0.6 °C. Recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments were applied, consisting of a sulphide-spiked deoxygenated starvation followed by a free ammonia shock. A good microbial activity balance with high AnAOB (71 ± 21 mg N L-1 d-1) and low NOB (4 ± 17 % of AerAOB) activity was achieved by combining multiple operational strategies: recurrent multi-stressor floc treatments, hybrid sludge (flocs & biofilm), short floc age control, intermittent aeration, and residual ammonium control. The multi-stressor treatment was shown to be the most important control tool and should be continuously applied to maintain this balance. Excessive NOB growth on the biofilm was avoided despite only treating the flocs to safeguard the AnAOB activity on the biofilm. Additionally, no signs of NOB adaptation were observed over 142 days. Elevated effluent ammonium concentrations (25 ± 6 mg N L-1) limited the TN removal efficiency to 39 ± 9 %, complicating a future full-scale implementation. Operating at higher sludge concentrations or reducing the volumetric loading rate could overcome this issue. The obtained results ease the implementation of mainstream PN/A by providing and additional control tool to steer the microbial activity with the multi-stressor treatment, thus advancing the concept of energy neutrality in sewage treatment plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Maria Catarina Baptista
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Tim Van Winckel
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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5
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Verbeelen T, Fernandez CA, Nguyen TH, Gupta S, Aarts R, Tabury K, Leroy B, Wattiez R, Vlaeminck SE, Leys N, Ganigué R, Mastroleo F. Whole transcriptome analysis highlights nutrient limitation of nitrogen cycle bacteria in simulated microgravity. NPJ Microgravity 2024; 10:3. [PMID: 38200027 PMCID: PMC10781756 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-024-00345-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/01/2024] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Regenerative life support systems (RLSS) will play a vital role in achieving self-sufficiency during long-distance space travel. Urine conversion into a liquid nitrate-based fertilizer is a key process in most RLSS. This study describes the effects of simulated microgravity (SMG) on Comamonas testosteroni, Nitrosomonas europaea, Nitrobacter winogradskyi and a tripartite culture of the three, in the context of nitrogen recovery for the Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative (MELiSSA). Rotary cell culture systems (RCCS) and random positioning machines (RPM) were used as SMG analogues. The transcriptional responses of the cultures were elucidated. For CO2-producing C. testosteroni and the tripartite culture, a PermaLifeTM PL-70 cell culture bag mounted on an in-house 3D-printed holder was applied to eliminate air bubble formation during SMG cultivation. Gene expression changes indicated that the fluid dynamics in SMG caused nutrient and O2 limitation. Genes involved in urea hydrolysis and nitrification were minimally affected, while denitrification-related gene expression was increased. The findings highlight potential challenges for nitrogen recovery in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Verbeelen
- Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Celia Alvarez Fernandez
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Thanh Huy Nguyen
- Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Av. Du Champs de Mars 6, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Surya Gupta
- Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Raf Aarts
- Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Kevin Tabury
- Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Baptiste Leroy
- Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Av. Du Champs de Mars 6, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Ruddy Wattiez
- Department of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Av. Du Champs de Mars 6, 7000, Mons, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban REsource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Natalie Leys
- Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Ramon Ganigué
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban REsource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Felice Mastroleo
- Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium.
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6
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Alloul A, Moradvandi A, Puyol D, Molina R, Gardella G, Vlaeminck SE, De Schutter B, Abraham E, Lindeboom REF, Weissbrodt DG. A novel mechanistic modelling approach for microbial selection dynamics: Towards improved design and control of raceway reactors for purple bacteria. Bioresour Technol 2023; 390:129844. [PMID: 37827201 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) show an underexplored potential for resource recovery from wastewater. Raceway reactors offer a more affordable full-scale solution on wastewater and enable useful additional aerobic processes. Current mathematical models of PPB systems provide useful mechanistic insights, but do not represent the full metabolic versatility of PPB and thus require further advancement to simulate the process for technology development and control. In this study, a new modelling approach for PPB that integrates the photoheterotrophic, and both anaerobic and aerobic chemoheterotrophic metabolic pathways through an empirical parallel metabolic growth constant was proposed. It aimed the modelling of microbial selection dynamics in competition with aerobic and anaerobic microbial community under different operational scenarios. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to identify the most influential parameters within the model and calibrate them based on experimental data. Process perturbation scenarios were simulated, which showed a good performance of the model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Alloul
- Research GroEnergy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium; Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Maasweg 9, Delft 2629 HZ, The Netherlands
| | - Ali Moradvandi
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 5, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands; Delft Center for Systems and Control, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
| | - Daniel Puyol
- Group of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Raúl Molina
- Group of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University Rey Juan Carlos, 28933 Madrid, Spain
| | - Giorgio Gardella
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 5, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research GroEnergy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Bart De Schutter
- Delft Center for Systems and Control, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 2, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Edo Abraham
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 5, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
| | - Ralph E F Lindeboom
- Department of Water Management, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 5, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
| | - David G Weissbrodt
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Maasweg 9, Delft 2629 HZ, The Netherlands; Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7034 Trondheim, Norway
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7
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Calogiuri T, Hagens M, Van Groenigen JW, Corbett T, Hartmann J, Hendriksen R, Janssens I, Janssens IA, Ledesma Dominguez G, Loescher G, Mortier S, Neubeck A, Niron H, Poetra RP, Rieder L, Struyf E, Van Tendeloo M, De Schepper T, Verdonck T, Vlaeminck SE, Vicca S, Vidal A. Design and Construction of an Experimental Setup to Enhance Mineral Weathering through the Activity of Soil Organisms. J Vis Exp 2023. [PMID: 38009719 DOI: 10.3791/65563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Enhanced weathering (EW) is an emerging carbon dioxide (CO2) removal technology that can contribute to climate change mitigation. This technology relies on accelerating the natural process of mineral weathering in soils by manipulating the abiotic variables that govern this process, in particular mineral grain size and exposure to acids dissolved in water. EW mainly aims at reducing atmospheric CO2 concentrations by enhancing inorganic carbon sequestration. Until now, knowledge of EW has been mainly gained through experiments that focused on the abiotic variables known for stimulating mineral weathering, thereby neglecting the potential influence of biotic components. While bacteria, fungi, and earthworms are known to increase mineral weathering rates, the use of soil organisms in the context of EW remains underexplored. This protocol describes the design and construction of an experimental setup developed to enhance mineral weathering rates through soil organisms while concurrently controlling abiotic conditions. The setup is designed to maximize weathering rates while maintaining soil organisms' activity. It consists of a large number of columns filled with rock powder and organic material, located in a climate chamber and with water applied via a downflow irrigation system. Columns are placed above a fridge containing jerrycans to collect the leachate. Representative results demonstrate that this setup is suitable to ensure the activity of soil organisms and quantify their effect on inorganic carbon sequestration. Challenges remain in minimizing leachate losses, ensuring homogeneous ventilation through the climate chamber, and avoiding flooding of the columns. With this setup, an innovative and promising approach is proposed to enhance mineral weathering rates through the activity of soil biota and disentangle the effect of biotic and abiotic factors as drivers of EW.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tullia Calogiuri
- Soil Biology Group, Wageningen University & Research; Soil Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality, Wageningen University & Research;
| | - Mathilde Hagens
- Soil Chemistry and Chemical Soil Quality, Wageningen University & Research
| | | | | | - Jens Hartmann
- Institute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg
| | | | - Iris Janssens
- IDLab - Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp - imec
| | - Ivan A Janssens
- Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Biology Department, University of Antwerp
| | | | - Grant Loescher
- Institute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg
| | - Steven Mortier
- IDLab - Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp - imec
| | - Anna Neubeck
- Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University
| | - Harun Niron
- Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Biology Department, University of Antwerp
| | - Reinaldy P Poetra
- Institute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg
| | - Lukas Rieder
- Institute for Geology, Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability, University of Hamburg
| | - Eric Struyf
- Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Biology Department, University of Antwerp
| | - Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp
| | - Tom De Schepper
- IDLab - Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp - imec
| | - Tim Verdonck
- Department of Mathematics, University of Antwerp - imec
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp
| | - Sara Vicca
- Plants and Ecosystems (PLECO), Biology Department, University of Antwerp
| | - Alix Vidal
- Soil Biology Group, Wageningen University & Research
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8
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De Paepe J, Garcia Gragera D, Arnau Jimenez C, Rabaey K, Vlaeminck SE, Gòdia F. Continuous cultivation of microalgae yields high nutrient recovery from nitrified urine with limited supplementation. J Environ Manage 2023; 345:118500. [PMID: 37542810 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Microalgae can play a key role in the bioeconomy, particularly in combination with the valorisation of waste streams as cultivation media. Urine is an example of a widely available nutrient-rich waste stream, and alkaline stabilization and subsequent full nitrification in a bioreactor yields a stable nitrate-rich solution. In this study, such nitrified urine served as a culture medium for the edible microalga Limnospira indica. In batch cultivation, nitrified urine without additional supplements yielded a lower biomass concentration, nutrient uptake and protein content compared to modified Zarrouk medium, as standard medium. To enhance the nitrogen uptake efficiency and biomass production, nitrified urine was supplemented with potentially limiting elements. Limited amounts of phosphorus (36 mg L-1), magnesium (7.9 mg L-1), calcium (12.2 mg L-1), iron (2.0 mg L-1) and EDTA (88.5 mg Na2-EDTA.2H2O L-1) rendered the nitrified urine matrix as effective as modified Zarrouk medium in terms of biomass production (OD750 of 1.2), nutrient uptake (130 mg N L-1) and protein yield (47%) in batch culture. Urine precipitates formed by alkalinisation could in principle supply enough phosphorus, calcium and magnesium, requiring only external addition of iron, EDTA and inorganic carbon. Subsequently, the suitability of supplemented nitrified urine as a culture medium was confirmed in continuous Limnospira cultivation in a CSTR photobioreactor. This qualifies nitrified urine as a valuable and sustainable microalgae growth medium, thereby creating novel nutrient loops on Earth and in Space, i.e., in regenerative life support systems for human deep-space missions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien De Paepe
- MELiSSA Pilot Plant - Laboratory Claude Chipaux, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain; Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Belgium; Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - David Garcia Gragera
- MELiSSA Pilot Plant - Laboratory Claude Chipaux, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Carolina Arnau Jimenez
- MELiSSA Pilot Plant - Laboratory Claude Chipaux, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Korneel Rabaey
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Belgium; Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Francesc Gòdia
- MELiSSA Pilot Plant - Laboratory Claude Chipaux, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Zhu W, Van Tendeloo M, De Paepe J, Vlaeminck SE. Comparison of typical nitrite oxidizing bacteria suppression strategies and the effect on nitrous oxide emissions in a biofilm reactor. Bioresour Technol 2023; 387:129607. [PMID: 37544532 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
In mainstream partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A), suppression of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and mitigation of N2O emissions are two essential operational goals. The N2O emissions linked to three typical NOB suppression strategies were tested in a covered rotating biological contactor (RBC) biofilm system at 21 °C: (i) low dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations, and treatments with (ii) free ammonia (FA), and (iii) free nitrous acids (FNA). Low emerged DO levels effectively minimized NOB activity and decreased N2O emissions, but NOB adaptation appeared after 200 days of operation. Further NOB suppression was successfully achieved by periodic (3 h per week) treatments with FA (29.3 ± 2.6 mg NH3-N L-1) or FNA (3.1 ± 0.3 mg HNO2-N L-1). FA treatment, however, promoted N2O emissions, while FNA did not affect these. Hence, biofilm PN/A should be operated at relatively low DO levels with periodic FNA treatment to maximize nitrogen removal efficiency while avoiding high greenhouse gas emissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Zhu
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium; School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Jolien De Paepe
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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10
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De Micco V, Amitrano C, Mastroleo F, Aronne G, Battistelli A, Carnero-Diaz E, De Pascale S, Detrell G, Dussap CG, Ganigué R, Jakobsen ØM, Poulet L, Van Houdt R, Verseux C, Vlaeminck SE, Willaert R, Leys N. Plant and microbial science and technology as cornerstones to Bioregenerative Life Support Systems in space. NPJ Microgravity 2023; 9:69. [PMID: 37620398 PMCID: PMC10449850 DOI: 10.1038/s41526-023-00317-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Long-term human space exploration missions require environmental control and closed Life Support Systems (LSS) capable of producing and recycling resources, thus fulfilling all the essential metabolic needs for human survival in harsh space environments, both during travel and on orbital/planetary stations. This will become increasingly necessary as missions reach farther away from Earth, thereby limiting the technical and economic feasibility of resupplying resources from Earth. Further incorporation of biological elements into state-of-the-art (mostly abiotic) LSS, leading to bioregenerative LSS (BLSS), is needed for additional resource recovery, food production, and waste treatment solutions, and to enable more self-sustainable missions to the Moon and Mars. There is a whole suite of functions crucial to sustain human presence in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and successful settlement on Moon or Mars such as environmental control, air regeneration, waste management, water supply, food production, cabin/habitat pressurization, radiation protection, energy supply, and means for transportation, communication, and recreation. In this paper, we focus on air, water and food production, and waste management, and address some aspects of radiation protection and recreation. We briefly discuss existing knowledge, highlight open gaps, and propose possible future experiments in the short-, medium-, and long-term to achieve the targets of crewed space exploration also leading to possible benefits on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica De Micco
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Università 100, 80055, Portici (NA), Italy.
| | - Chiara Amitrano
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Università 100, 80055, Portici (NA), Italy
| | - Felice Mastroleo
- Microbiology Unit, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Giovanna Aronne
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Università 100, 80055, Portici (NA), Italy
| | - Alberto Battistelli
- Istituto di Ricerca sugli Ecosistemi Terrestri Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Viale Marconi 2, 05010, Porano (TR), Italy
| | - Eugenie Carnero-Diaz
- Institute of Systematic, Evolution, Biodiversity, Sorbonne University, National Museum of Natural History, CNRS, EPHE, UA, 45, rue Buffon CP50, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Stefania De Pascale
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, via Università 100, 80055, Portici (NA), Italy
| | - Gisela Detrell
- Institute of Space Systems, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 29, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Claude-Gilles Dussap
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut Pascal, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Ramon Ganigué
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Øyvind Mejdell Jakobsen
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Space (CIRiS), NTNU Social Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Lucie Poulet
- Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont Auvergne INP, CNRS, Institut Pascal, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Rob Van Houdt
- Microbiology Unit, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Cyprien Verseux
- Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity (ZARM), University of Bremen, 28359, Bremen, Germany
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Ronnie Willaert
- Research Groups NAMI and NANO, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Natalie Leys
- Microbiology Unit, Nuclear Medical Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), 2400, Mol, Belgium
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11
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Zhu W, Van Tendeloo M, Alloul A, Vlaeminck SE. Feasibility of a return-sludge nursery concept for mainstream anammox biostimulation: creating optimal conditions for anammox to recover and grow in a parallel tank. Bioresour Technol 2023:129359. [PMID: 37343792 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.129359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
To overcome limiting anammox activity, a return-sludge nursery concept is proposed. This concept blends reject water treated with partial nitritation with mainstream effluent to increase the temperature, N levels, and EC of the anammox nursery reactor, which sludge periodically passes through the return sludge line of the mainstream system. Various nursery frequencies were tested in two 2.5 L reactors, including 0.5-2 days of nursery treatment per 3.5-14 days of the total operation. Bioreactor experiments showed that nursery increased nitrogen removal rates during mainstream operation by 33-38%. The increased anammox activity can be partly (35-60%) explained by higher temperatures. Elevated EC, higher nitrogen concentrations, and a putative synergy and/or unknown factor were responsible for 15-16%, 12-14%, and 10-36%, respectively. A relatively stable microbial community dominated by "Candidatus Brocadia" was observed. This new concept boosted activity and sludge growth, which may facilitate mainstream anammox implementations based on partial nitritation/anammox or partial nitrification/denitratation/anammox.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Zhu
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium; School of Water Conservancy and Environment, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, PR China
| | - Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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12
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Wittner N, Gergely S, Slezsák J, Broos W, Vlaeminck SE, Cornet I. Follow-up of solid-state fungal wood pretreatment by a novel near-infrared spectroscopy-based lignin calibration model. J Microbiol Methods 2023; 208:106725. [PMID: 37060948 DOI: 10.1016/j.mimet.2023.106725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
Lignin removal plays a crucial role in the efficient bioconversion of lignocellulose to fermentable sugars. As a delignification process, fungal pretreatment has gained great interest due to its environmental friendliness and low energy consumption. In our previous study, a positive linear correlation between acid-insoluble lignin degradation and the achievable enzymatic saccharification yield has been found, hereby highlighting the importance of the close follow-up of lignin degradation during the solid-state fungal pretreatment process. However, the standard quantification of lignin, which relies on the two-step acid hydrolysis of the biomass, is highly laborious and time-consuming. Vibrational spectroscopy has been proven as a fast and easy alternative; however, it has not been extensively researched on lignocellulose subjected to solid-state fungal pretreatment. Therefore, the present study examined the suitability of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) for the rapid and easy assessment of lignin content in poplar wood pretreated with Phanerochaete chrysosporium. Furthermore, the predictive power of the obtained calibration model and the recently published ATR-FTIR spectroscopy-based model were compared for the first time using the same fungus-treated wood data set. PLSR was used to correlate the NIR spectra to the acid-insoluble lignin contents (19.9%-27.1%) of pretreated wood. After normalization and second derivation, a PLSR model with a good coefficient of determination (RCV2 = 0.89) and a low root mean square error (RMSECV = 0.55%) were obtained despite the heterogeneous nature of the fungal solid-state fermentation. The performance of this PLSR model was comparably good to the one obtained by ATR-FTIR (RCV2 = 0.87) while it required more extensive spectral pre-processing. In conclusion, both methods will be highly useful for the high-throughput and user-friendly monitoring of lignin degradation in a solid-state fungal pretreatment-based biorefinery concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolett Wittner
- Research group of Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Szilveszter Gergely
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
| | - János Slezsák
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Műegyetem rkp. 3., H-1111 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Waut Broos
- Research group of Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Iris Cornet
- Research group of Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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13
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Xie Y, Jia M, De Wilde F, Daeninck K, De Clippeleir H, Verstraete W, Vlaeminck SE. Feasibility of packed-bed trickling filters for partial nitritation/anammox: Effects of carrier material, bottom ventilation openings, hydraulic loading rate and free ammonia. Bioresour Technol 2023; 373:128713. [PMID: 36758644 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2023.128713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This study pioneers the feasibility of cost-effective partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) in packed-bed trickling filters (TFs). Three parallel TFs tested different carrier materials, the presence or absence of bottom ventilation openings, hydraulic loading rates (HLR, 0.4-2.2 m3 m-2 h-1), and free ammonia (FA) levels on synthetic medium. The inexpensive Argex expanded clay was recommended due to the similar nitrogen removal rates as commercially used plastics. Top-only ventilation at an optimum HLR of 1.8 m3 m-2 h-1 could remove approximately 60% of the total nitrogen load (i.e., 300 mg N L-1 d-1, 30 °C) and achieve relatively low NO3--N accumulation (13%). Likely FA levels of around 1.3-3.2 mg N L-1 suppressed nitratation. Most of the total nitrogen removal took place in the upper third of the reactor, where anammox activity was highest. Provided further optimizations, the results demonstrated TFs are suitable for low-energy shortcut nitrogen removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yankai Xie
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium; State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Mingsheng Jia
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Fabian De Wilde
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Katrien Daeninck
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Haydée De Clippeleir
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Willy Verstraete
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, Gent 9000, Belgium; Avecom NV, Industrieweg 122P, Wondelgem 9032, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium.
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14
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Muys M, González Cámara SJ, Derese S, Spiller M, Verliefde A, Vlaeminck SE. Dissolution rate and growth performance reveal struvite as a sustainable nutrient source to produce a diverse set of microbial protein. Sci Total Environ 2023; 866:161172. [PMID: 36572313 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.161172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
To provide for the globally increasing demand for proteinaceous food, microbial protein (MP) has the potential to become an alternative food or feed source. Phosphorus (P), on the other hand, is a critical raw material whose global reserves are declining. Growing MP on recovered phosphorus, for instance, struvite obtained from wastewater treatment, is a promising MP production route that could supply protein-rich products while handling P scarcity. The aim of this study was to explore struvite dissolution kinetics in different MP media and characterize MP production with struvite as sole P-source. Different operational parameters, including pH, temperature, contact surface area, and ion concentrations were tested, and struvite dissolution rates were observed between 0.32 and 4.7 g P/L/d and a solubility between 0.23 and 2.22 g P-based struvite/L. Growth rates and protein production of the microalgae Chlorella vulgaris and Limnospira sp. (previously known as Arthrospira sp.), and the purple non‑sulfur bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris on struvite were equal to or higher than growth on conventional potassium phosphate. For aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, two slow-growing communities showed decreased growth on struvite, while the growth was increased for a third fast-growing one. Furthermore, MP protein content on struvite was always comparable to the one obtained when grown on standard media. Together with the low content in metals and micropollutants, these results demonstrate that struvite can be directly applied as an effective nutrient source to produce fast-growing MP, without any previous dissolution step. Combining a high purity recovered product with an efficient way of producing protein results in a strong environmental win-win.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten Muys
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sergio J González Cámara
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sebastiaan Derese
- Research Group of Particle and Interfacial Technology, Department of Applied Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marc Spiller
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Arne Verliefde
- Research Group of Particle and Interfacial Technology, Department of Applied Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium; Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Frieda Saeysstraat 1, 9052 Ghent, Belgium.
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15
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Wittner N, Slezsák J, Broos W, Geerts J, Gergely S, Vlaeminck SE, Cornet I. Rapid lignin quantification for fungal wood pretreatment by ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2023; 285:121912. [PMID: 36174400 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.121912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Lignin determination in lignocellulose with the conventional two-step acid hydrolysis method is highly laborious and time-consuming. However, its quantification is crucial to monitor fungal pretreatment of wood, as the increase of acid-insoluble lignin (AIL) degradation linearly correlates with the achievable enzymatic saccharification yield. Therefore, in this study, a new attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy method was developed to track fungal delignification in an easy and rapid manner. Partial least square regression (PLSR) with cross-validation (CV) was applied to correlate the ATR-FTIR spectra with the AIL content (19.9 %-27.1 %). After variable selection and normalization, a PLSR model with a high coefficient of determination (RCV2 = 0.87) and a low root mean square (RMSECV = 0.60 %) were obtained despite the heterogeneous nature of the fungal solid-state fermentation. These results show that ATR-FTIR can reliably predict the AIL content in fungus-treated wood while being a high-throughput method. This novel method can facilitate the transition to the wood-based economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolett Wittner
- Research Group of Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - János Slezsák
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Szent Gellért tér 4, 1111 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Waut Broos
- Research Group of Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Jordi Geerts
- Research Group of Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Szilveszter Gergely
- Department of Applied Biotechnology and Food Science, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Szent Gellért tér 4, 1111 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Iris Cornet
- Research Group of Biochemical Wastewater Valorization and Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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16
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Papini G, Muys M, Van Winckel T, Meerburg FA, Van Beeck W, Vermeir P, Vlaeminck SE. Boosting aerobic microbial protein productivity and quality on brewery wastewater: Impact of anaerobic acidification, high-rate process and biomass age. Bioresour Technol 2023; 368:128285. [PMID: 36368491 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.128285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Consortia of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (AHB) are appealing as sustainable alternative protein ingredient for aquaculture given their high nutritional qualities, and their production potential on feed-grade industrial wastewater. Today, the impacts of pre-treatment, bioprocess choice and key parameter settings on AHB productivity and nutritional properties are unknown. This study investigated for the first time AHB microbial protein production effects based on (i) raw vs anaerobically fermented brewery wastewater, (ii) high-rate activated sludge (HRAS) without vs with feast-famine conditions, and (iii) three short solid retention time (SRT): 0.25, 0.50 and 1.00 d. High biomass (4.4-8.0 g TSS/L/d) and protein productivities (1.9-3.2 g protein/L/d) were obtained while achieving COD removal efficiencies up to 98 % at SRT 0.50 d. The AHB essential amino acid (EAA) profiles were above rainbow trout requirements, excluding the S-containing EAA, highlighting the AHB biomass replacement potential for unsustainable fishmeal in salmonid diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Papini
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Maarten Muys
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Tim Van Winckel
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | | | - Wannes Van Beeck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Pieter Vermeir
- Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Valentin Vaerwyckweg 1, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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17
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Alloul A, Blansaer N, Cabecas Segura P, Wattiez R, Vlaeminck SE, Leroy B. Dehazing redox homeostasis to foster purple bacteria biotechnology. Trends Biotechnol 2023; 41:106-119. [PMID: 35843758 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) show great potential for environmental and industrial biotechnology, producing microbial protein, biohydrogen, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), pigments, etc. When grown photoheterotrophically, the carbon source is typically more reduced than the PNSB biomass, which leads to a redox imbalance. To mitigate the excess of electrons, PNSB can exhibit several 'electron sinking' strategies, such as CO2 fixation, N2 fixation, and H2 and PHA production. The lack of a comprehensive (over)view of these redox strategies is hindering the implementation of PNSB for biotechnology applications. This review aims to present the state of the art of redox homeostasis in phototrophically grown PNSB, presenting known and theoretically expected strategies, and discussing them from stoichiometric, thermodynamic, metabolic, and economic points of view.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Naïm Blansaer
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | | | - Ruddy Wattiez
- Laboratory of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Baptiste Leroy
- Laboratory of Proteomics and Microbiology, University of Mons, Mons, Belgium
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18
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Faust V, van Alen TA, Op den Camp HJ, Vlaeminck SE, Ganigué R, Boon N, Udert KM. Ammonia oxidation by novel " Candidatus Nitrosacidococcus urinae" is sensitive to process disturbances at low pH and to iron limitation at neutral pH. Water Res X 2022; 17:100157. [PMID: 36262799 PMCID: PMC9574496 DOI: 10.1016/j.wroa.2022.100157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Acid-tolerant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) can open the door to new applications, such as partial nitritation at low pH. However, they can also be problematic because chemical nitrite oxidation occurs at low pH, leading to the release of harmful nitrogen oxide gases. In this publication, the role of acid-tolerant AOB in urine treatment was explored. On the one hand, the technical feasibility of ammonia oxidation under acidic conditions for source-separated urine with total nitrogen concentrations up to 3.5 g-N L-1 was investigated. On the other hand, the abundance and growth of acid-tolerant AOB at more neutral pH was explored. Under acidic conditions (pH of 5), ammonia oxidation rates of 500 mg-N L-1 d-1 and 10 g-N g-VSS-1 d-1 were observed, despite high concentrations of 15 mg-N L-1 of the AOB-inhibiting compound nitrous acid and low concentration of 0.04 mg-N L-1 of the substrate ammonia. However, ammonia oxidation under acidic conditions was very sensitive to process disturbances. Even short periods of less than 12 h without oxygen or without influent resulted in a complete cessation of ammonia oxidation with a recovery time of up to two months, which is a problem for low maintenance applications such as decentralized treatment. Furthermore, undesirable nitrogen losses of about 10% were observed. Under acidic conditions, a novel AOB strain was enriched with a relative abundance of up to 80%, for which the name "Candidatus (Ca.) Nitrosacidococcus urinae" is proposed. While Nitrosacidococcus members were present only to a small extent (0.004%) in urine nitrification reactors operated at pH values between 5.8 and 7, acid-tolerant AOB were always enriched during long periods without influent, resulting in an uncontrolled drop in pH to as low as 2.5. Long-term experiments at different pH values showed that the activity of "Ca. Nitrosacidococcus urinae" decreased strongly at a pH of 7, where they were also outcompeted by the acid-sensitive AOB Nitrosomonas halophila. The experiment results showed that the decreased activity of "Ca. Nitrosacidococcus urinae" correlated with the limited availability of dissolved iron at neutral pH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Faust
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Theo A. van Alen
- Department of Microbiology, RIBES, Radboud University Nijmegen, 0268 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Huub J.M. Op den Camp
- Department of Microbiology, RIBES, Radboud University Nijmegen, 0268 Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), 9052 Gent, Belgium
| | - Ramon Ganigué
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), 9052 Gent, Belgium
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Nico Boon
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), 9052 Gent, Belgium
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Kai M. Udert
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
- ETH Zürich, Institute of Environmental Engineering, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
- Corresponding author at: Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland.
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19
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Van Winckel T, Ngo N, Sturm B, Al-Omari A, Wett B, Bott C, Vlaeminck SE, De Clippeleir H. Enhancing bioflocculation in high-rate activated sludge improves effluent quality yet increases sensitivity to surface overflow rate. Chemosphere 2022; 308:136294. [PMID: 36084824 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
High-rate activated sludge (HRAS) relies on good bioflocculation and subsequent solid-liquid separation to maximize the capture of organics. However, full-scale applications often suffer from poor and unpredictable effluent suspended solids (ESS). While the biological aspects of bioflocculation are thoroughly investigated, the effects of fines (settling velocity < 0.6 m3/m2/h), shear and surface overflow rate (SOR) are unclear. This work tackled the impact of fines, shear, and SOR on the ESS in absence of settleable influent solids. This was assessed on a full-scale HRAS step-feed (SF) and pilot-scale HRAS contact-stabilization (CS) configuration using batch settling tests, controlled clarifier experiments, and continuous operation of reactors. Fines contributed up to 25% of the ESS in the full-scale SF configuration. ESS decreased up to 30 mg TSS/L when bioflocculation was enhanced with the CS configuration. The feast-famine regime applied in CS promoted the production of high-quality extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). However, this resulted in a narrow and unfavorable settling velocity distribution, with 50% ± 5% of the sludge mass settling between 0.6 and 1.5 m3/m2/h, thus increasing sensitivity towards SOR changes. A low shear environment (20 s-1) before the clarifier for at least one min was enough to ensure the best possible settling velocity distribution, regardless of prior shear conditions. Overall, this paper provides a more complete view on the drivers of ESS in HRAS systems, creating the foundation for the design of effective HRAS clarifiers. Tangible recommendations are given on how to manage fines and establish the optimal settling velocity of the sludge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Van Winckel
- Center of Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, 9000, Gent, Belgium; District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5000 Overlook Ave, SW, Washington DC, 20032, USA; Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, The University of Kansas, KS, USA
| | - Nam Ngo
- District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5000 Overlook Ave, SW, Washington DC, 20032, USA; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington DC, USA
| | - Belinda Sturm
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, The University of Kansas, KS, USA
| | - Ahmed Al-Omari
- District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5000 Overlook Ave, SW, Washington DC, 20032, USA
| | | | | | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Haydée De Clippeleir
- District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, 5000 Overlook Ave, SW, Washington DC, 20032, USA
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20
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Cabecas Segura P, De Meur Q, Alloul A, Tanghe A, Onderwater R, Vlaeminck SE, Wouwer AV, Wattiez R, Dewasme L, Leroy B. Preferential photoassimilation of volatile fatty acids by purple non-sulfur bacteria: Experimental kinetics and dynamic modelling. Biochem Eng J 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bej.2022.108547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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21
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Ngo KN, Tampon P, Van Winckel T, Massoudieh A, Sturm B, Bott C, Wett B, Murthy S, Vlaeminck SE, DeBarbadillo C, De Clippeleir H. Introducing bioflocculation boundaries in process control to enhance effluent quality of high-rate contact-stabilization systems. Water Environ Res 2022; 94:e10772. [PMID: 35965329 DOI: 10.1002/wer.10772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2022] [Revised: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
High-rate activated sludge (HRAS) systems suffer from high variability of effluent quality, clarifier performance, and carbon capture. This study proposed a novel control approach using bioflocculation boundaries for wasting control strategy to enhance effluent quality and stability while still meeting carbon capture goals. The bioflocculation boundaries were developed based on the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) ratio between contactor and stabilizer (feast/famine) in a high-rate contact stabilization (CS) system and this OUR ratio was used to manipulate the wasting setpoint. Increased oxidation of carbon or decreased wasting was applied when OUR ratio was <0.52 or >0.95 to overcome bioflocculation limitation and maintain effluent quality. When no bioflocculation limitations (OUR ratio within 0.52-0.95) were detected, carbon capture was maximized. The proposed control concept was shown for a fully automated OUR-based control system as well as for a simplified version based on direct waste flow control. For both cases, significant improvements in effluent suspended solids level and stability (<50-mg TSS/L), solids capture over the clarifier (>90%), and COD capture (median of 32%) were achieved. This study shows how one can overcome the process instability of current HRAS systems and provide a path to achieve more reliable outcomes. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Online bioflocculation boundaries (upper and lower limit) were defined by the OUR ratio between contactor and stabilizer (feast/famine). To maintain effluent quality, carbon oxidation was minimized when bioflocculation was not limited (0.52-0.95 OUR ratio) and increased otherwise. A fully automated control concept was piloted, also a more simplified semiautomated option was proposed. Wasting control strategies with bioflocculation boundaries improved effluent quality while meeting carbon capture goals. Bioflocculation boundaries are easily applied to current wasting control schemes applied to HRAS systems (i.e., MLSS, SRT, and OUR controls).
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Affiliation(s)
- Khoa Nam Ngo
- Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Patrexia Tampon
- Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Tim Van Winckel
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Arash Massoudieh
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Belinda Sturm
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural engineering, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Charles Bott
- Hampton Roads Sanitation District, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA
| | | | | | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Christine DeBarbadillo
- Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Haydée De Clippeleir
- Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority, Washington, DC, USA
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22
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Spacova I, Ahannach S, Breynaert A, Erreygers I, Wittouck S, Bron PA, Van Beeck W, Eilers T, Alloul A, Blansaer N, Vlaeminck SE, Hermans N, Lebeer S. Spontaneous Riboflavin-Overproducing Limosilactobacillus reuteri for Biofortification of Fermented Foods. Front Nutr 2022; 9:916607. [PMID: 35757245 PMCID: PMC9218631 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.916607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Riboflavin-producing lactic acid bacteria represent a promising and cost-effective strategy for food biofortification, but production levels are typically insufficient to support daily human requirements. In this study, we describe the novel human isolate Limosilactobacillus reuteri AMBV339 as a strong food biofortification candidate. This strain shows a high natural riboflavin (vitamin B2) overproduction of 18.36 μg/ml, biomass production up to 6 × 1010 colony-forming units/ml (in the typical range of model lactobacilli), and pH-lowering capacities to a pH as low as 4.03 in common plant-based (coconut, soy, and oat) and cow milk beverages when cultured up to 72 h at 37°C. These properties were especially pronounced in coconut beverage and butter milk fermentations, and were sustained in co-culture with the model starter Streptococcus thermophilus. Furthermore, L. reuteri AMBV339 grown in laboratory media or in a coconut beverage survived in gastric juice and in a simulated gastrointestinal dialysis model with colon phase (GIDM-colon system) inoculated with fecal material from a healthy volunteer. Passive transport of L. reuteri AMBV339-produced riboflavin occurred in the small intestinal and colon stage of the GIDM system, and active transport via intestinal epithelial Caco-2 monolayers was also demonstrated. L. reuteri AMBV339 did not cause fecal microbiome perturbations in the GIDM-colon system and inhibited enteric bacterial pathogens in vitro. Taken together, our data suggests that L. reuteri AMBV339 represents a promising candidate to provide riboflavin fortification of plant-based and dairy foods, and has a high application potential in the human gastrointestinal tract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina Spacova
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sarah Ahannach
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Annelies Breynaert
- Natural Products and Food Research and Analysis (NatuRA), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Isabel Erreygers
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Stijn Wittouck
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Peter A Bron
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Wannes Van Beeck
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Tom Eilers
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Naïm Blansaer
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Nina Hermans
- Natural Products and Food Research and Analysis (NatuRA), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Sarah Lebeer
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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23
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Peng L, Lou W, Xu Y, Yu S, Liang C, Alloul A, Song K, Vlaeminck SE. Regulating light, oxygen and volatile fatty acids to boost the productivity of purple bacteria biomass, protein and co-enzyme Q10. Sci Total Environ 2022; 822:153489. [PMID: 35122839 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Purple non‑sulfur bacteria (PNSB) possess significant potential for bioresource recovery from wastewater. Effective operational tools are needed to boost productivity and direct the PNSB biomass towards abundant value-added substances (e.g., protein and co-enzyme Q10, CoQ10). This study aimed to investigate the impact of light, oxygen and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) on PNSB growth (i.e., Rhodobacter sphaeroides) and productivity of protein and CoQ10. Overall, the biomass yields and specific growth rates of PNSB were in the ranges of 0.57-1.08 g biomass g-1 CODremoved and 0.48-0.71 d-1, respectively. VFAs did not influence the biomass yield, yet acetate and VFA mixtures enhanced the specific growth rate with a factor of 1.2-1.5 compared to propionate and butyrate. The most PNSB biomass (1.08 g biomass g-1 CODremoved and 0.71 d-1) and the highest biomass quality (protein content of 609 mg g-1 dry cell weight (DCW) and CoQ10 content of 13.21 mg g-1 DCW) were obtained in the presence of VFA mixtures under natural light and microaerobic (low light alternated with darkness; dissolved oxygen (DO) between 0.5 and 1 mg L-1) conditions (vs. light anaerobic and dark aerobic cultivations). Further investigation on VFAs dynamics revealed that acetate was most rapidly consumed by PNSB in the individual VFA feeding (specific uptake rate of 0.76 g COD g-1 DCW d-1), while acetate as a co-substrate in the mixed VFAs feeding might accelerate the consumption of propionate and butyrate through providing additional cell metabolism precursor. Enzymes activities of succinate dehydrogenase and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase as well as the concentration of photo pigments confirmed that light, oxygen and VFAs regulated the key enzymes in the energy metabolism and biomass synthesis to boost PNSB growth. These results provide a promising prospect for utilization of fermented waste stream for the harvest of PNSB biomass, protein and CoQ10.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lai Peng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China.
| | - Wenjing Lou
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Yifeng Xu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Siwei Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Chuanzhou Liang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China; School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Kang Song
- State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430072, China
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
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24
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Wambacq E, Alloul A, Grunert O, Carrette J, Vermeir P, Spanoghe J, Sakarika M, Vlaeminck SE, Haesaert G. Aerobes and phototrophs as microbial organic fertilizers: Exploring mineralization, fertilization and plant protection features. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262497. [PMID: 35108295 PMCID: PMC8809616 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Organic fertilizers and especially microbial biomass, also known as microbial fertilizer, can enable a paradigm shift to the conventional fertilizer-to-food chain, particularly when produced on secondary resources. Microbial fertilizers are already common practice (e.g. Bloom® and Synagro); yet microbial fertilizer blends to align the nutrient release profile to the plant’s needs are, thus far, unexplored. Moreover, most research only focuses on direct fertilization effects without considering added value properties, such as disease prevention. This study has explored three promising types of microbial fertilizers, namely dried biomass from a consortium of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria, a microalga (Arthrospira platensis) and a purple non-sulfur bacterium (Rhodobacter sphaeroides). Mineralization and nitrification experiments showed that the nitrogen mineralization profile can be tuned to the plant’s needs by blending microbial fertilizers, without having toxic ammonium peaks. In a pot trial with perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), the performance of microbial fertilizers was similar to the reference organic fertilizer, with cumulative dry matter yields of 5.6–6.7 g per pot. This was confirmed in a pot trial with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), showing an average total plant length of 90–99 cm after a growing period of 62 days for the reference organic fertilizer and the microbial fertilizers. Moreover, tomato plants artificially infected with powdery mildew (Oidium neolycopersici), a devastating disease for the horticultural industry, showed reduced disease symptoms when A. platensis was present in the growing medium. These findings strengthen the application potential of this novel class of organic fertilizers in the bioeconomy, with a promising match between nutrient mineralization and plant requirements as well as added value in crop protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Wambacq
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Research Centre AgroFoodNature, School of Bioscience and Industrial Technology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Gent, Belgium
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | | | - Jasper Carrette
- Research Centre AgroFoodNature, School of Bioscience and Industrial Technology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Gent, Belgium
| | - Pieter Vermeir
- Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Janne Spanoghe
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Myrsini Sakarika
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Faculty of Science, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Geert Haesaert
- Department of Plants and Crops, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Research Centre AgroFoodNature, School of Bioscience and Industrial Technology, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Gent, Belgium
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25
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Zhu W, Van Tendeloo M, Alloul A, Vlaeminck SE. Towards mainstream partial nitritation/anammox in four seasons: Feasibility of bioaugmentation with stored summer sludge for winter anammox assistance. Bioresour Technol 2022; 347:126619. [PMID: 34958904 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.126619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The strong effect of low temperatures on anammox challenges its mainstream application over the winter in temperate climates. Winter bioaugmentation with stored summer surplus sludge is a potential solution to guarantee sufficient nitrogen removal in winter. Firstly, the systems for which nitrogen removal deteriorated by the temperature decrease (25 °C → 20 °C) could be fully restored bioaugmenting with granules resp. flocs stored for 6 months at 118 resp. 220% of the initial biomass levels. Secondly, the reactivation of these stored sludges was tested in lower temperature systems (15.3 ± 0.4/10.4 ± 0.4 °C). Compared to the activity before storage, between 56% and 41% of the activity of granules was restored within one month, and 41%-32% for flocs. Additionally, 85-87% of granules and 50-53% of flocs were retained in the systems. After reactivation (15.3 ± 0.4/10.4 ± 0.4 °C), a more specialized community was formed (diversity decreased) with Candidatus Brocadia still dominant in terms of relative abundance. Capital and operating expenditures (CAPEX, OPEX) were negligible, representing only 0.19-0.36% of sewage treatment costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Zhu
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium
| | - Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium.
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26
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Blansaer N, Alloul A, Verstraete W, Vlaeminck SE, Smets BF. Aggregation of purple bacteria in an upflow photobioreactor to facilitate solid/liquid separation: Impact of organic loading rate, hydraulic retention time and water composition. Bioresour Technol 2022; 348:126806. [PMID: 35131464 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2022.126806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) form an interesting group of microbes for resource recovery from wastewater. Solid/liquid separation is key for biomass and value-added products recovery, yet insights into PNSB aggregation are thus far limited. This study explored the effects of organic loading rate (OLR), hydraulic retention time (HRT) and water composition on the aggregation of Rhodobacter capsulatus in an anaerobic upflow photobioreactor. Between 2.0 and 14.6 gCOD/(L.d), the optimal OLR for aggregation was 6.1 gCOD/(L.d), resulting in a sedimentation flux of 5.9 kgTSS/(m2.h). With HRT tested between 0.04 and 1.00 d, disaggregation occurred at the relatively long HRT (1 d), possibly due to accumulation of thus far unidentified heat-labile metabolites. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) to nitrogen ratios (6-35 gCOD/gN) and the nitrogen source (ammonium vs. glutamate) also impacted aggregation, highlighting the importance of the type of wastewater and its pre-treatment. These novel insights to improve purple biomass separation pave the way for cost-efficient PNSB applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naïm Blansaer
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Willy Verstraete
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Barth F Smets
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby 28000, Denmark.
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27
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Xie Y, Spiller M, Vlaeminck SE. A bioreactor and nutrient balancing approach for the conversion of solid organic fertilizers to liquid nitrate-rich fertilizers: Mineralization and nitrification performance complemented with economic aspects. Sci Total Environ 2022; 806:150415. [PMID: 34852428 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Due to the high water- and nutrient-use efficiency, hydroponic cultivation is increasingly vital in progressing to environment-friendly food production. To further alleviate the environmental impacts of synthetic fertilizer production, the use of recovered nutrients should be encouraged in horticulture and agriculture at large. Solid organic fertilizers can largely contribute to this, yet their physical and chemical nature impedes application in hydroponics. This study proposes a bioreactor for mineralization and nitrification followed by a supplementation step for limiting macronutrients to produce nitrate-based solutions from solid fertilizers, here based on a novel microbial fertilizer. Batch tests showed that aerobic conversions at 35 °C could realize a nitrate (NO₃--N) production efficiency above 90% and a maximum rate of 59 mg N L-1 d-1. In the subsequent bioreactor test, nitrate production efficiencies were lower (44-51%), yet rates were higher (175-212 mg N L-1 d-1). Calcium and magnesium hydroxide were compared to control the bioreactor pH at 6.0 ± 0.2, while also providing macronutrients for plant production. A mass balance estimation to mimic the Hoagland nutrient solution showed that 92.7% of the NO₃--N in the Ca(OH)₂ scenario could be organically sourced, while this was only 37.4% in the Mg(OH)₂ scenario. Besides, carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated in the bioreactor can be used for greenhouse carbon fertilization to save operational expenditure (OPEX). An estimation of the total OPEX showed that the production of a nutrient solution from solid organic fertilizers can be cost competitive compared to using commercially available liquid inorganic fertilizer solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yankai Xie
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Marc Spiller
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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28
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Zhu W, Van Tendeloo M, Xie Y, Timmer MJ, Peng L, Vlaeminck SE. Storage without nitrite or nitrate enables the long-term preservation of full-scale partial nitritation/anammox sludge. Sci Total Environ 2022; 806:151330. [PMID: 34717986 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Bioaugmentation with summer harvested sludge during winter could compensate for bacterial activity loss but requires that sludge activity can be restored after storage. This study assesses the effect of temperature and redox adjustment during the storage over 180 days of partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) granular resp. floccular sludge from potato processing resp. sludge reject water treatment. Anoxic storage conditions (in the presence of nitrite or nitrate and the absence of oxygen) resulted in a loss of 80-100% of the anammox bacteria (AnAOB) activity capacity at 20 °C and 4 °C, while anaerobic conditions (without oxygen, nitrite, and nitrate) lost only 45-63%. Storage at 20 °C was more cost-effective compared to 4 °C, and this was confirmed in the sludge reactivation experiment (20 °C). Furthermore, AnAOB activity correlated negatively with the electrical conductivity level (R2 > 0.85, p < 0.05), so strong salinity increases should be avoided. No significant differences were found in the activity capacity of aerobic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AerAOB) under different storage conditions (p > 0.1). The relative abundance of dominant AnAOB (Candidatus Brocadia) and AerAOB genera (Nitrosomonas) remained constant in both sludges. In conclusion, preserving PN/A biomass without cooling and nitrite or nitrate addition proved to be a cost-effective strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqiang Zhu
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Yankai Xie
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Marijn Juliaan Timmer
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Lai Peng
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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Alloul A, Spanoghe J, Machado D, Vlaeminck SE. Unlocking the genomic potential of aerobes and phototrophs for the production of nutritious and palatable microbial food without arable land or fossil fuels. Microb Biotechnol 2022; 15:6-12. [PMID: 33529492 PMCID: PMC8719805 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The increasing world population and living standards urgently necessitate the transition towards a sustainable food system. One solution is microbial protein, i.e. using microbial biomass as alternative protein source for human nutrition, particularly based on renewable electron and carbon sources that do not require arable land. Upcoming green electrification and carbon capture initiatives enable this, yielding new routes to H2, CO2 and CO2-derived compounds like methane, methanol, formic- and acetic acid. Aerobic hydrogenotrophs, methylotrophs, acetotrophs and microalgae are the usual suspects for nutritious and palatable biomass production on these compounds. Interestingly, these compounds are largely un(der)explored for purple non-sulfur bacteria, even though these microbes may be suitable for growing aerobically and phototrophically on these substrates. Currently, selecting the best strains, metabolisms and cultivation conditions for nutritious and palatable microbial food mainly starts from empirical growth experiments, and mostly does not stretch beyond bulk protein. We propose a more target-driven and efficient approach starting from the genome-embedded potential to tuning towards, for instance, essential amino- and fatty acids, vitamins, taste,... Genome-scale metabolic models combined with flux balance analysis will facilitate this, narrowing down experimental variations and enabling to get the most out of the 'best' combinations of strain and electron and carbon sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 171Antwerpen2020Belgium
| | - Janne Spanoghe
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 171Antwerpen2020Belgium
| | - Daniel Machado
- Department of Biotechnology and Food ScienceNorwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheim7491Norway
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 171Antwerpen2020Belgium
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Van Tendeloo M, Xie Y, Van Beeck W, Zhu W, Lebeer S, Vlaeminck SE. Oxygen control and stressor treatments for complete and long-term suppression of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in biofilm-based partial nitritation/anammox. Bioresour Technol 2021; 342:125996. [PMID: 34598074 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mainstream nitrogen removal by partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) can realize energy and cost savings for sewage treatment. Selective suppression of nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) remains a key bottleneck for PN/A implementation. A rotating biological contactor was studied with an overhead cover and controlled air/N2 inflow to regulate oxygen availability at 20 °C. Biofilm exposure to dissolved oxygen concentrations < 0.51 ± 0.04 mg O2 L-1 when submerged in the water and < 1.41 ± 0.31 mg O2 L-1 when emerged in the headspace (estimated), resulted in complete and long-term NOB suppression with a low relative nitrate production ratio of 10 ± 4%. Additionally, weekly biofilm stressor treatments with free ammonia (FA) (29 ± 1 mg NH3-N L-1 for 3 h) could improve the NOB suppression while free nitrous acid treatments had insufficient effect. This study demonstrated the potential of managing NOB suppression in biofilm-based systems by oxygen control and recurrent FA exposure, opening opportunities for resource efficient nitrogen removal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Yankai Xie
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Wannes Van Beeck
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Weiqiang Zhu
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Sarah Lebeer
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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Van Winckel T, Cools J, Vlaeminck SE, Joos P, Van Meenen E, Borregán-Ochando E, Van Den Steen K, Geerts R, Vandermoere F, Blust R. Towards harmonization of water quality management: A comparison of chemical drinking water and surface water quality standards around the globe. J Environ Manage 2021; 298:113447. [PMID: 34426213 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.113447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Water quality standards (WQS) set the legal definition for safe and desirable water. WQS impose regulatory concentration limits to act as a jurisdiction-specific legislative risk-management tool. Despite its importance in shaping a universal definition of safe, clean water, little information exists with respect to (dis)similarity of chemical WQS worldwide. Therefore, this paper compares chemical WQS for drinking and surface water matrices in eight jurisdictions representing a global geographic distribution: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, the region of Flanders in Belgium, the United States of America, and South Africa. The World Health Organization's list is used as a reference for drinking water standards. Sørensen-Dice indices (SDI) showed little qualitative similarity in the compounds that are regulated in drinking water (median SDI = 40%) and surface water (median SDI = 33%), indicating that the heterogeneity within a matrix is substantial at the level of the standard. Quantitative similarity for matching standards was higher than the qualitative per Kendall correlation (median = 0.73 and 0.58 for drinking water and surface water respectively), yet variance observed within standards remained inexplicably high for organic compounds. Variations in WQS were more pronounced for organic compounds. Most differences cannot be easily explained from a toxicological or risk-based point-of-view. Historical development, ease of measurement, and (toxicological) knowledge gaps on the risk of a vast number of organic compounds are theorized to be the drivers. Therefore, this study argues for a more tailored, risk-based approach in which standards incorporated into water safety plans are dynamically set for compounds that are persistent and could pose a risk for human health and/or aquatic ecosystems. Global variations in WQS should therefore not necessarily be avoided but rather globally harmonized with enough flexibility to ensure a global, up-to-date definition of safe and desirable water everywhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tim Van Winckel
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium; Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Jan Cools
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Pieter Joos
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium; Water-Link, Mechelsesteenweg 111, 2840, Rumst, Belgium
| | | | - Elena Borregán-Ochando
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | | | - Robbe Geerts
- Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Sint-Jacobstraat 2, 2000, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Frédéric Vandermoere
- Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Sint-Jacobstraat 2, 2000, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Ronny Blust
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
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Spanoghe J, Vermeir P, Vlaeminck SE. Microbial food from light, carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas: Kinetic, stoichiometric and nutritional potential of three purple bacteria. Bioresour Technol 2021; 337:125364. [PMID: 34120062 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The urgency for a protein transition towards more sustainable solutions is one of the major societal challenges. Microbial protein is one of the alternative routes, in which land- and fossil-free production should be targeted. The photohydrogenotrophic growth of purple bacteria, which builds on the H2- and CO2-economy, is unexplored for its microbial protein potential. The three tested species (Rhodobacter capsulatus, Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas palustris) obtained promising growth rates (2.3-2.7 d-1 at 28°C) and protein productivities (0.09-0.12 g protein L-1 d-1), rendering them likely faster and more productive than microalgae. The achieved protein yields (2.6-2.9 g protein g-1 H2) transcended the ones of aerobic hydrogen oxidizing bacteria. Furthermore, all species provided full dietary protein matches for humans and their fatty acid content was dominated by vaccenic acid (82-86%). Given its kinetic and nutritional performance we recommend to consider Rhodobacter capsulatus as a high-potential sustainable source of microbial food.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janne Spanoghe
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium
| | - Pieter Vermeir
- Laboratory for Chemical Analysis, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Valentin Vaerwyckweg 1, Gent 9000, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerpen 2020, Belgium.
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Kerckhof FM, Sakarika M, Van Giel M, Muys M, Vermeir P, De Vrieze J, Vlaeminck SE, Rabaey K, Boon N. From Biogas and Hydrogen to Microbial Protein Through Co-Cultivation of Methane and Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 9:733753. [PMID: 34527661 PMCID: PMC8435580 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.733753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasing efforts are directed towards the development of sustainable alternative protein sources among which microbial protein (MP) is one of the most promising. Especially when waste streams are used as substrates, the case for MP could become environmentally favorable. The risks of using organic waste streams for MP production-the presence of pathogens or toxicants-can be mitigated by their anaerobic digestion and subsequent aerobic assimilation of the (filter-sterilized) biogas. Even though methane and hydrogen oxidizing bacteria (MOB and HOB) have been intensively studied for MP production, the potential benefits of their co-cultivation remain elusive. Here, we isolated a diverse group of novel HOB (that were capable of autotrophic metabolism), and co-cultured them with a defined set of MOB, which could be grown on a mixture of biogas and H2/O2. The combination of MOB and HOB, apart from the CH4 and CO2 contained in biogas, can also enable the valorization of the CO2 that results from the oxidation of methane by the MOB. Different MOB and HOB combinations were grown in serum vials to identify the best-performing ones. We observed synergistic effects on growth for several combinations, and in all combinations a co-culture consisting out of both HOB and MOB could be maintained during five days of cultivation. Relative to the axenic growth, five out of the ten co-cultures exhibited 1.1-3.8 times higher protein concentration and two combinations presented 2.4-6.1 times higher essential amino acid content. The MP produced in this study generally contained lower amounts of the essential amino acids histidine, lysine and threonine, compared to tofu and fishmeal. The most promising combination in terms of protein concentration and essential amino acid profile was Methyloparacoccus murrelli LMG 27482 with Cupriavidus necator LMG 1201. Microbial protein from M. murrelli and C. necator requires 27-67% less quantity than chicken, whole egg and tofu, while it only requires 15% more quantity than the amino acid-dense soybean to cover the needs of an average adult. In conclusion, while limitations still exist, the co-cultivation of MOB and HOB creates an alternative route for MP production leveraging safe and sustainably-produced gaseous substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederiek-Maarten Kerckhof
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
- Center for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Gent, Belgium
| | - Myrsini Sakarika
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
- Center for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Gent, Belgium
| | - Marie Van Giel
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Maarten Muys
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Pieter Vermeir
- Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jo De Vrieze
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Center for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Gent, Belgium
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Korneel Rabaey
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
- Center for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Gent, Belgium
| | - Nico Boon
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
- Center for Advanced Process Technology for Urban Resource Recovery (CAPTURE), Gent, Belgium
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Alloul A, Cerruti M, Adamczyk D, Weissbrodt DG, Vlaeminck SE. Operational Strategies to Selectively Produce Purple Bacteria for Microbial Protein in Raceway Reactors. Environ Sci Technol 2021; 55:8278-8286. [PMID: 34085818 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.0c08204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) show potential for microbial protein production on wastewater as animal feed. They offer good selectivity (i.e., low microbial diversity and high abundance of one species) when grown anaerobically in the light. However, the cost of closed anaerobic photobioreactors is prohibitive for protein production. Although open raceway reactors are cheaper, their feasibility to selectively grow PNSB is thus far unexplored. This study developed operational strategies to boost PNSB abundance in the biomass of a raceway reactor fed with volatile fatty acids. For a flask reactor run at a 2 day sludge retention time (SRT), matching the chemical oxygen demand (COD) loading rate to the removal rate in the light period prevented substrate availability during the dark period and increased the PNSB abundance from 50-67 to 88-94%. A raceway reactor run at a 2 day SRT showed an increased PNSB abundance from 14 to 56% when oxygen supply was reduced (no stirring at night). The best performance was achieved at the highest surface-to-volume ratio (10 m2 m-3 increased light availability) showing productivities up to 0.2 g protein L-1 day-1 and a PNSB abundance of 78%. This study pioneered in PNSB-based microbial protein production in raceway reactors, yielding high selectivity while avoiding the combined availability of oxygen, COD, and darkness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Marta Cerruti
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Damian Adamczyk
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - David G Weissbrodt
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
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De Paepe J, Clauwaert P, Gritti MC, Ganigué R, Sas B, Vlaeminck SE, Rabaey K. Electrochemical In Situ pH Control Enables Chemical-Free Full Urine Nitrification with Concomitant Nitrate Extraction. Environ Sci Technol 2021; 55:8287-8298. [PMID: 34086451 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Urine is a valuable resource for nutrient recovery. Stabilization is, however, recommended to prevent urea hydrolysis and the associated risk for ammonia volatilization, uncontrolled precipitation, and malodor. This can be achieved by alkalinization and subsequent biological conversion of urea and ammonia into nitrate (nitrification) and organics into CO2. Yet, without pH control, the extent of nitrification is limited as a result of insufficient alkalinity. This study explored the feasibility of an integrated electrochemical cell to obtain on-demand hydroxide production through water reduction at the cathode, compensating for the acidification caused by nitritation, thereby enabling full nitrification. To deal with the inherent variability of the urine influent composition and bioprocess, the electrochemical cell was steered via a controller, modulating the current based on the pH in the bioreactor. This provided a reliable and innovative alternative to base addition, enabling full nitrification while avoiding the use of chemicals, the logistics associated with base storage and dosing, and the associated increase in salinity. Moreover, the electrochemical cell could be used as an in situ extraction and concentration technology, yielding an acidic concentrated nitrate-rich stream. The make-up of the end product could be tailored by tweaking the process configuration, offering versatility for applications on Earth and in space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien De Paepe
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica I Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193 Barcelona, Spain
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Peter Clauwaert
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Maria Celeste Gritti
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Ramon Ganigué
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Benedikt Sas
- Department of Food Quality and Food Safety, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Korneel Rabaey
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
- Centre for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, Belgium
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Muys M, Phukan R, Brader G, Samad A, Moretti M, Haiden B, Pluchon S, Roest K, Vlaeminck SE, Spiller M. A systematic comparison of commercially produced struvite: Quantities, qualities and soil-maize phosphorus availability. Sci Total Environ 2021; 756:143726. [PMID: 33307495 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Production of struvite (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) from waste streams is increasingly implemented to recover phosphorus (P), which is listed as a critical raw material in the European Union (EU). To facilitate EU-wide trade of P-containing secondary raw materials such as struvite, the EU issued a revised fertilizer regulation in 2019. A comprehensive overview of the supply of struvite and its quality is presently missing. This study aimed: i) to determine the current EU struvite production volumes, ii) to evaluate all legislated physicochemical characteristics and pathogen content of European struvite against newly set regulatory limits, and iii) to compare not-regulated struvite characteristics. It is estimated that in 2020, between 990 and 1250 ton P are recovered as struvite in the EU. Struvite from 24 European production plants, accounting for 30% of the 80 struvite installations worldwide was sampled. Three samples failed the physicochemical legal limits; one had a P content of <7% and three exceeded the organic carbon content of 3% dry weight (DW). Mineralogical analysis revealed that six samples had a struvite content of 80-90% DW, and 13 samples a content of >90% DW. All samples showed a heavy metal content below the legal limits. Microbiological analyses indicated that struvite may exceed certain legal limits. Differences in morphology and particle size distribution were observed for struvite sourced from digestate (rod shaped; transparent; 82 mass% < 1 mm), dewatering liquor (spherical; opaque; 65 mass% 1-2 mm) and effluent from upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor processing potato wastewater (spherical; opaque; 51 mass% < 1 mm and 34 mass% > 2 mm). A uniform soil-plant P-availability pattern of 3.5-6.5 mg P/L soil/d over a 28 days sampling period was observed. No differences for plant biomass yield were observed. In conclusion, the results highlight the suitability of most struvite to enter the EU fertilizer market.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten Muys
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Rishav Phukan
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Günter Brader
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Bioresources Unit, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Abdul Samad
- AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, Bioresources Unit, Konrad-Lorenz-Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria
| | - Michele Moretti
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Barbara Haiden
- Timac AGRO Düngemittelproduktions- und Handels Gmbh, Industriegelände Pischelsdorf, 3435 Zwentendorf, Austria
| | - Sylvain Pluchon
- Centre Mondial de l'Innovation Roullier - Laboratoire de Nutrition Végétale, 18 avenue Franklin Roosevelt, 35400 Saint-Malo, France
| | - Kees Roest
- KWR Water Research Institute, Groningenhaven 7, 3433 PE Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Marc Spiller
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
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Agrawal S, Weissbrodt DG, Annavajhala M, Jensen MM, Arroyo JMC, Wells G, Chandran K, Vlaeminck SE, Terada A, Smets BF, Lackner S. Time to act-assessing variations in qPCR analyses in biological nitrogen removal with examples from partial nitritation/anammox systems. Water Res 2021; 190:116604. [PMID: 33279744 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative PCR (qPCR) is broadly used as the gold standard to quantify microbial community fractions in environmental microbiology and biotechnology. Benchmarking efforts to ensure the comparability of qPCR data for environmental bioprocesses are still scarce. Also, for partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) systems systematic investigations are still missing, rendering meta-analysis of reported trends and generic insights potentially precarious. We report a baseline investigation of the variability of qPCR-based analyses for microbial communities applied to PN/A systems. Round-robin testing was performed for three PN/A biomass samples in six laboratories, using the respective in-house DNA extraction and qPCR protocols. The concentration of extracted DNA was significantly different between labs, ranged between 2.7 and 328 ng mg-1 wet biomass. The variability among the qPCR abundance data of different labs was very high (1-7 log fold) but differed for different target microbial guilds. DNA extraction caused maximum variation (3-7 log fold), followed by the primers (1-3 log fold). These insights will guide environmental scientists and engineers as well as treatment plant operators in the interpretation of qPCR data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelesh Agrawal
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences, Institute IWAR, Chair of Wastewater Engineering, Technical University of Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany.
| | - David G Weissbrodt
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, the Netherlands
| | - Medini Annavajhala
- Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Marlene Mark Jensen
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Microbial Ecology & Technology Laboratory, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningtorvet, Bldg 115, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - George Wells
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Kartik Chandran
- Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Akihiko Terada
- Institute of Global Innovation Research and Department of Chemical Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, 2-24-16 Naka, Koganei, Tokyo 184-8588, Japan
| | - Barth F Smets
- Department of Environmental Engineering, Microbial Ecology & Technology Laboratory, Technical University of Denmark, Bygningtorvet, Bldg 115, DK-2800, Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Susanne Lackner
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Sciences, Institute IWAR, Chair of Wastewater Engineering, Technical University of Darmstadt, Franziska-Braun-Straße 7, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
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Cerruti M, Stevens B, Ebrahimi S, Alloul A, Vlaeminck SE, Weissbrodt DG. Enrichment and Aggregation of Purple Non-sulfur Bacteria in a Mixed-Culture Sequencing-Batch Photobioreactor for Biological Nutrient Removal From Wastewater. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2021; 8:557234. [PMID: 33392158 PMCID: PMC7773948 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2020.557234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mixed-culture biotechnologies are widely used to capture nutrients from wastewater. Purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB), a guild of anoxygenic photomixotrophic organisms, rise interest for their ability to directly assimilate nutrients in the biomass. One challenge targets the aggregation and accumulation of PNSB biomass to separate it from the treated water. Our aim was to enrich and produce a concentrated, fast-settling PNSB biomass with high nutrient removal capacity in a 1.5-L, stirred-tank, anaerobic sequencing-batch photobioreactor (SBR). PNSB were rapidly enriched after inoculation with activated sludge at 0.1 gVSS L-1 in a first batch of 24 h under continuous irradiance of infrared (IR) light (>700 nm) at 375 W m-2, with Rhodobacter reaching 54% of amplicon sequencing read counts. SBR operations with decreasing hydraulic retention times (48 to 16 h, i.e., 1-3 cycles d-1) and increasing volumetric organic loading rates (0.2-1.3 kg COD d-1 m-3) stimulated biomass aggregation, settling, and accumulation in the system, reaching as high as 3.8 g VSS L-1. The sludge retention time (SRT) increased freely from 2.5 to 11 days. Acetate, ammonium, and orthophosphate were removed up to 96% at a rate of 1.1 kg COD d-1 m-3, 77% at 113 g N d-1 m-3, and 73% at 15 g P d-1 m-3, respectively, with COD:N:P assimilation ratio of 100:6.7:0.9 m/m/m. SBR regime shifts sequentially selected for Rhodobacter (90%) under shorter SRT and non-limiting concentration of acetate during reaction phases, for Rhodopseudomonas (70%) under longer SRT and acetate limitation during reaction, and Blastochloris (10%) under higher biomass concentrations, underlying competition for substrate and photons in the PNSB guild. With SBR operations we produced a fast-settling biomass, highly (>90%) enriched in PNSB. A high nutrient removal was achieved by biomass assimilation, reaching the European nutrient discharge limits. We opened further insights on the microbial ecology of PNSB-based processes for water resource recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Cerruti
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Berber Stevens
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Sirous Ebrahimi
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - David G Weissbrodt
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
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Alloul A, Muys M, Hertoghs N, Kerckhof FM, Vlaeminck SE. Cocultivating aerobic heterotrophs and purple bacteria for microbial protein in sequential photo- and chemotrophic reactors. Bioresour Technol 2021; 319:124192. [PMID: 33039841 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.124192] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2020] [Revised: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (AHB) and purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) are typically explored as two separate types of microbial protein, yet their properties as respectively a bulk and added-value feed ingredient make them appealing for combined use. The feasibility of cocultivation in a sequential photo- and chemotrophic approach was investigated. First, mapping the chemotrophic growth kinetics for four Rhodobacter, Rhodopseudomonas and Rhodospirillum species on different carbon sources showed a preference for fructose (µmax 2.4-3.9 d-1 28 °C; protein 36-59%DW). Secondly, a continuous photobioreactor inoculated with Rhodobacter capsulatus (VFA as C-source) delivered the starter culture for an aerobic batch reactor (fructose as C-source). This two-stage system showed an improved nutritional quality compared to AHB production: higher protein content (45-71%DW), more attractive amino/fatty acid profile and contained up to 10% PNSB. The findings strengthen protein production with cocultures and might enable the implementation of the technology for resource recovery on streams such as wastewater.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Maarten Muys
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Nick Hertoghs
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Frederiek-Maarten Kerckhof
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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De Paepe J, De Paepe K, Gòdia F, Rabaey K, Vlaeminck SE, Clauwaert P. Bio-electrochemical COD removal for energy-efficient, maximum and robust nitrogen recovery from urine through membrane aerated nitrification. Water Res 2020; 185:116223. [PMID: 32739699 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.116223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Revised: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Resource recovery from source-separated urine can shorten nutrient cycles on Earth and is essential in regenerative life support systems for deep-space exploration. In this study, a robust two-stage, energy-efficient, gravity-independent urine treatment system was developed to transform fresh real human urine into a stable nutrient solution. In the first stage, up to 85% of the COD was removed in a microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), converting part of the energy in organic compounds (27-46%) into hydrogen gas and enabling full nitrogen recovery by preventing nitrogen losses through denitrification in the second stage. Besides COD removal, all urea was hydrolysed in the MEC, resulting in a stream rich in ammoniacal nitrogen and alkalinity, and low in COD. This stream was fed into a membrane-aerated biofilm reactor (MABR) in order to convert the volatile and toxic ammoniacal nitrogen to non-volatile nitrate by nitrification. Bio-electrochemical pre-treatment allowed to recover all nitrogen as nitrate in the MABR at a bulk-phase dissolved oxygen level below 0.1 mg O2 L-1. In contrast, feeding the MABR directly with raw urine (omitting the first stage), at the same nitrogen loading rate, resulted in nitrogen loss (18%) due to denitrification. The MEC and MABR were characterised by very distinct and diverse microbial communities. While (strictly) anaerobic genera, such as Geobacter (electroactive bacteria), Thiopseudomonas, a Lentimicrobiaceae member, Alcaligenes and Proteiniphilum prevailed in the MEC, the MABR was dominated by aerobic genera, including Nitrosomonas (a known ammonium oxidiser), Moheibacter and Gordonia. The two-stage approach yielded a stable nitrate-rich, COD-low nutrient solution, suitable for plant and microalgae cultivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolien De Paepe
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica I Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193 Barcelona, Spain; Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium
| | - Kim De Paepe
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Francesc Gòdia
- Departament d'Enginyeria Química, Biològica I Ambiental, Escola d'Enginyeria, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra 08193 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Korneel Rabaey
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium.
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium; Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Peter Clauwaert
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Center for Advanced Process Technology and Urban Resource Efficiency (CAPTURE), Belgium
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41
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Seuntjens D, Carvajal Arroyo JM, Van Tendeloo M, Chatzigiannidou I, Molina J, Nop S, Boon N, Vlaeminck SE. Mainstream partial nitritation/anammox with integrated fixed-film activated sludge: Combined aeration and floc retention time control strategies limit nitrate production. Bioresour Technol 2020; 314:123711. [PMID: 32622275 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Revised: 06/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Implementation of mainstream partial nitritation/anammox (PN/A) can lead to more sustainable and cost-effective sewage treatment. For mainstream PN/A reactor, an integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) was operated (26 °C). The effects of floccular aerobic sludge retention time (AerSRTfloc), a novel aeration strategy, and N-loading rate were tested to optimize the operational strategy. The best performance was observed with a low, but sufficient AerSRTfloc (~7d) and continuous aeration with two alternating dissolved oxygen setpoints: 10 min at 0.07-0.13 mg O2 L-1 and 5 min at 0.27-0.43 mg O2 L-1. Nitrogen removal rates were 122 ± 23 mg N L-1 d-1, and removal efficiencies 73 ± 13%. These conditions enabled flocs to act as nitrite sources while the carriers were nitrite sinks, with low abundance of nitrite oxidizing bacteria. The operational strategies in the source-sink framework can serve as a guideline for successful operation of mainstream PN/A reactors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dries Seuntjens
- CMET - Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Jose M Carvajal Arroyo
- CMET - Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Ioanna Chatzigiannidou
- CMET - Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Janet Molina
- CMET - Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Samnang Nop
- Imec, ELIS - IDLab, Ghent University, Belgium
| | - Nico Boon
- CMET - Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
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42
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Spanoghe J, Grunert O, Wambacq E, Sakarika M, Papini G, Alloul A, Spiller M, Derycke V, Stragier L, Verstraete H, Fauconnier K, Verstraete W, Haesaert G, Vlaeminck SE. Storage, fertilization and cost properties highlight the potential of dried microbial biomass as organic fertilizer. Microb Biotechnol 2020; 13:1377-1389. [PMID: 32180337 PMCID: PMC7415357 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The transition to sustainable agriculture and horticulture is a societal challenge of global importance. Fertilization with a minimum impact on the environment can facilitate this. Organic fertilizers can play an important role, given their typical release pattern and production through resource recovery. Microbial fertilizers (MFs) constitute an emerging class of organic fertilizers and consist of dried microbial biomass, for instance produced on effluents from the food and beverage industry. In this study, three groups of organisms were tested as MFs: a high-rate consortium aerobic bacteria (CAB), the microalga Arthrospira platensis ('Spirulina') and a purple non-sulfur bacterium (PNSB) Rhodobacter sp. During storage as dry products, the MFs showed light hygroscopic activity, but the mineral and organic fractions remained stable over a storage period of 91 days. For biological tests, a reference organic fertilizer (ROF) was used as positive control, and a commercial organic growing medium (GM) as substrate. The mineralization patterns without and with plants were similar for all MFs and ROF, with more than 70% of the organic nitrogen mineralized in 77 days. In a first fertilization trial with parsley, all MFs showed equal performance compared to ROF, and the plant fresh weight was even higher with CAB fertilization. CAB was subsequently used in a follow-up trial with petunia and resulted in elevated plant height, comparable chlorophyll content and a higher amount of flowers compared to ROF. Finally, a cost estimation for packed GM with supplemented fertilizer indicated that CAB and a blend of CAB/PNSB (85%/15%) were most cost competitive, with an increase of 6% and 7% in cost compared to ROF. In conclusion, as bio-based fertilizers, MFs have the potential to contribute to sustainable plant nutrition, performing as good as a commercially available organic fertilizer, and to a circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janne Spanoghe
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)Department of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Oliver Grunert
- Greenyard Horticulture Belgium NVSkaldenstraat 7a9042GentBelgium
| | - Eva Wambacq
- Department of Plants and CropsFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityV. Vaerwyckweg 19000GentBelgium
| | - Myrsini Sakarika
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)Department of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Gustavo Papini
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)Department of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Abbas Alloul
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)Department of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Marc Spiller
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)Department of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Veerle Derycke
- Department of Plants and CropsFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityV. Vaerwyckweg 19000GentBelgium
| | | | | | | | - Willy Verstraete
- Avecom NVIndustrieweg 122P9032WondelgemBelgium
- Center for Microbial Ecology and TechnologyFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityCoupure Links 6539000GentBelgium
| | - Geert Haesaert
- Department of Plants and CropsFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityV. Vaerwyckweg 19000GentBelgium
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology (DuEL)Department of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
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Sakarika M, Spanoghe J, Sui Y, Wambacq E, Grunert O, Haesaert G, Spiller M, Vlaeminck SE. Purple non-sulphur bacteria and plant production: benefits for fertilization, stress resistance and the environment. Microb Biotechnol 2020; 13:1336-1365. [PMID: 31432629 PMCID: PMC7415370 DOI: 10.1111/1751-7915.13474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Purple non-sulphur bacteria (PNSB) are phototrophic microorganisms, which increasingly gain attention in plant production due to their ability to produce and accumulate high-value compounds that are beneficial for plant growth. Remarkable features of PNSB include the accumulation of polyphosphate, the production of pigments and vitamins and the production of plant growth-promoting substances (PGPSs). Scattered case studies on the application of PNSB for plant cultivation have been reported for decades, yet a comprehensive overview is lacking. This review highlights the potential of using PNSB in plant production, with emphasis on three key performance indicators (KPIs): fertilization, resistance to stress (biotic and abiotic) and environmental benefits. PNSB have the potential to enhance plant growth performance, increase the yield and quality of edible plant biomass, boost the resistance to environmental stresses, bioremediate heavy metals and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Here, the mechanisms responsible for these attributes are discussed. A distinction is made between the use of living and dead PNSB cells, where critical interpretation of existing literature revealed the better performance of living cells. Finally, this review presents research gaps that remain yet to be elucidated and proposes a roadmap for future research and implementation paving the way for a more sustainable crop production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrsini Sakarika
- Research Group of Sustainable Air, Energy and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Janne Spanoghe
- Research Group of Sustainable Air, Energy and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Yixing Sui
- Research Group of Sustainable Air, Energy and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Eva Wambacq
- Department of Plants and CropsFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityV. Vaerwyckweg 19000GhentBelgium
| | - Oliver Grunert
- Greenyard Horticulture Belgium NVSkaldenstraat 7a9042GentBelgium
| | - Geert Haesaert
- Department of Plants and CropsFaculty of Bioscience EngineeringGhent UniversityV. Vaerwyckweg 19000GhentBelgium
| | - Marc Spiller
- Research Group of Sustainable Air, Energy and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
| | - Siegfried E. Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Air, Energy and Water TechnologyDepartment of Bioscience EngineeringUniversity of AntwerpGroenenborgerlaan 1712020AntwerpenBelgium
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Vandekerckhove TGL, Boon N, Vlaeminck SE. Pioneering on single-sludge nitrification/denitrification at 50 °C. Chemosphere 2020; 252:126527. [PMID: 32213375 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Revised: 02/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Thermophilic nitrification has been proven in lab-scale bioreactors at 50 °C. The challenge is now to develop a solution for thermophilic nitrogen removal, integrating nitrification with denitrification and aerobic carbon removal. This pioneering study aimed at a single-sludge nitrification/denitrification process at 50 °C, through exposing nitrification in a step by step approach to anoxia and/or organics. Firstly, recurrent anoxia was tolerated by a nitrifying community during long-term membrane bioreactor (MBR) operation (85 days), with high ammonium oxidation efficiencies (>98%). Secondly, five organic carbon sources did not affect thermophilic ammonium and nitrite oxidation rates in three-day aerobic batch flask incubations. Moving to long-term tests with sequencing batch reactors (SBR) and MBR (>250 days), good nitrification performance was obtained at increasing COD/Ninfluent ratios (0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3). Thirdly, combining nitrification, recurrent anoxia and presence of organic carbon resulted in a nitrogen removal efficiency of 92-100%, with a COD/Nremoved of 4.8 ± 0.6 and a nitrogen removal rate of 50 ± 14 mg N g-1 VSS d-1. Overall, this is the first proof of principle thermophilic nitrifiers can cope with redox fluctuations (aerobic/anoxic) and the aerobic or anoxic presence of organic carbon, can functionally co-exist with heterotrophs and that single-sludge nitrification/denitrification can be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom G L Vandekerckhove
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Nico Boon
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium; Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium.
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45
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Muys M, Papini G, Spiller M, Sakarika M, Schwaiger B, Lesueur C, Vermeir P, Vlaeminck SE. Dried aerobic heterotrophic bacteria from treatment of food and beverage effluents: Screening of correlations between operation parameters and microbial protein quality. Bioresour Technol 2020; 307:123242. [PMID: 32248065 DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2020.123242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Consortia of aerobic heterotrophic bacteria (AHB) have potential as sustainable microbial protein (MP) source in animal feed. A systematic screening of the nutritional value and safety of AHB biomass from full-scale activated sludge plants from 25 companies in the food sector was performed. The variable protein content (21-49%) was positively correlated with biomass-specific nitrogen loading rate and negatively with sludge retention time (SRT). Compared to the essential amino acid profile of soybean meal protein, AHB displayed an overall surplus of threonine and valine, and deficits in cysteine, histidine, lysine and phenylalanine. Histidine was positively correlated with bCOD/PO43- in the influent and valine, isoleucine and threonine with SRT. Most AHB samples were safe apropos heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and antibiotics. Some pesticides exceeded regulatory limits, necessitating mitigation. This work highlighted that the food sector can provide high-quality MP, while retrofitting existing activated sludge plants towards high-rate processes can increase AHB quality and productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten Muys
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, België, Belgium
| | - Gustavo Papini
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, België, Belgium
| | - Marc Spiller
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, België, Belgium
| | - Myrsini Sakarika
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, België, Belgium
| | - Barbara Schwaiger
- Lebensmittel Vertrauen Analysen LVA GmbH, Magdeburggasse 10, 3400 Klosterneuburg 236286 f, HG Wien, Oostenrijk, Austria
| | - Céline Lesueur
- Lebensmittel Vertrauen Analysen LVA GmbH, Magdeburggasse 10, 3400 Klosterneuburg 236286 f, HG Wien, Oostenrijk, Austria
| | - Pieter Vermeir
- Laboratory for Chemical Analysis, Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University, Valentin Vaerwyckweg 1, 9000 Gent, België, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, België, Belgium.
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Capson-Tojo G, Batstone DJ, Grassino M, Vlaeminck SE, Puyol D, Verstraete W, Kleerebezem R, Oehmen A, Ghimire A, Pikaar I, Lema JM, Hülsen T. Purple phototrophic bacteria for resource recovery: Challenges and opportunities. Biotechnol Adv 2020; 43:107567. [PMID: 32470594 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2020.107567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Sustainable development is driving a rapid focus shift in the wastewater and organic waste treatment sectors, from a "removal and disposal" approach towards the recovery and reuse of water, energy and materials (e.g. carbon or nutrients). Purple phototrophic bacteria (PPB) are receiving increasing attention due to their capability of growing photoheterotrophically under anaerobic conditions. Using light as energy source, PPB can simultaneously assimilate carbon and nutrients at high efficiencies (with biomass yields close to unity (1 g CODbiomass·g CODremoved-1)), facilitating the maximum recovery of these resources as different value-added products. The effective use of infrared light enables selective PPB enrichment in non-sterile conditions, without competition with other phototrophs such as microalgae if ultraviolet-visible wavelengths are filtered. This review reunites results systematically gathered from over 177 scientific articles, aiming at producing generalized conclusions. The most critical aspects of PPB-based production and valorisation processes are addressed, including: (i) the identification of the main challenges and potentials of different growth strategies, (ii) a critical analysis of the production of value-added compounds, (iii) a comparison of the different value-added products, (iv) insights into the general challenges and opportunities and (v) recommendations for future research and development towards practical implementation. To date, most of the work has not been executed under real-life conditions, relevant for full-scale application. With the savings in wastewater discharge due to removal of organics, nitrogen and phosphorus as an important economic driver, priorities must go to using PPB-enriched cultures and real waste matrices. The costs associated with artificial illumination, followed by centrifugal harvesting/dewatering and drying, are estimated to be 1.9, 0.3-2.2 and 0.1-0.3 $·kgdry biomass-1. At present, these costs are likely to exceed revenues. Future research efforts must be carried out outdoors, using sunlight as energy source. The growth of bulk biomass on relatively clean wastewater streams (e.g. from food processing) and its utilization as a protein-rich feed (e.g. to replace fishmeal, 1.5-2.0 $·kg-1) appears as a promising valorisation route.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Capson-Tojo
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; CRETUS Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - Damien J Batstone
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - María Grassino
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Daniel Puyol
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Technology, ESCET, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Spain.
| | - Willy Verstraete
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium; Avecom NV, Industrieweg 122P, 9032 Wondelgem, Belgium.
| | - Robbert Kleerebezem
- Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Julianalaan 67, 2628 BC Delft, the Netherlands.
| | - Adrian Oehmen
- School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Anish Ghimire
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Kathmandu University, Dhulikhel, Nepal.
| | - Ilje Pikaar
- School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - Juan M Lema
- CRETUS Institute, Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
| | - Tim Hülsen
- Advanced Water Management Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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Peng L, Xie Y, Van Beeck W, Zhu W, Van Tendeloo M, Tytgat T, Lebeer S, Vlaeminck SE. Return-Sludge Treatment with Endogenous Free Nitrous Acid Limits Nitrate Production and N 2O Emission for Mainstream Partial Nitritation/Anammox. Environ Sci Technol 2020; 54:5822-5831. [PMID: 32216296 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b06404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and nitrous oxide (N2O) hinder the development of mainstream partial nitritation/anammox. To overcome these, endogenous free ammonia (FA) and free nitrous acid (FNA), which can be produced in the sidestream, were used for return-sludge treatment for two integrated-film activated sludge reactors containing biomass in flocs and on carriers. The repeated exposure of biomass from one reactor to FA shocks had a limited impact on NOB suppression but inhibited anammox bacteria (AnAOB). In the other reactor, repeated FNA shocks to the separated flocs failed to limit the system's nitrate production since NOB activity was still high on the biofilms attached to the unexposed carriers. In contrast, the repeated FNA treatment of flocs and carriers favored aerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AerAOB) over NOB activity with AnAOB negligibly affected. It was further revealed that return-sludge treatment with higher FNA levels led to lower N2O emissions under similar effluent nitrite concentrations. On this basis, weekly 4 h FNA shocks of 2.0 mg of HNO2-N/L were identified as an optimal and realistic treatment, which not only enabled nitrogen removal efficiencies of ∼65% at nitrogen removal rates of ∼130 mg of N/L/d (20 °C) but also yielded the lowest cost and carbon footprint.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lai Peng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Mineral Resources Processing and Environment, Wuhan University of Technology, Luoshi Road 122, Wuhan, Hubei 430070, China
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Yankai Xie
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Wannes Van Beeck
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Weiqiang Zhu
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Michiel Van Tendeloo
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Tom Tytgat
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Sarah Lebeer
- Research Group Environmental Ecology and Applied Microbiology (ENdEMIC), Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium
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Geerts R, Vandermoere F, Van Winckel T, Halet D, Joos P, Van Den Steen K, Van Meenen E, Blust R, Borregán-Ochando E, Vlaeminck SE. Bottle or tap? Toward an integrated approach to water type consumption. Water Res 2020; 173:115578. [PMID: 32058152 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2020.115578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
While in many countries, people have access to cheap and safe potable tap water, the global consumption of bottled water is rising. Flanders, Belgium, where this study is located, has an exceptionally high consumption of bottled water per capita. However, in the interest of resource efficiency and global environmental challenges, the consumption of tap water is preferable. To our knowledge, an integrated analysis of the main reasons why people consume tap and bottled water is absent in Flanders, Belgium. Using Flemish survey data (N = 2309), we first compared tap and bottled water consumers through bivariate correlation analysis. Subsequently, path modelling techniques were used to further investigate these correlations. Our results show that bottled water consumption in Flanders is widespread despite environmental and financial considerations. For a large part, this is caused by negative perceptions about tap water. Many consumers consider it unhealthy, unsafe and prefer the taste of bottled water. Furthermore, we found that the broader social context often inhibits the consumption of tap water. On the one hand, improper infrastructures (e.g. lead piping) can limit access to potable tap water. On the other hand, social norms exist that promote bottled water. Lastly, results suggest that the consumption of bottled water is most common among men, older people and less educated groups. We conclude that future research and policy measures will benefit from an approach that integrates all behavioural aspects associated with water type consumption. This will enable both governments and tap water companies to devise more effective policies to manage and support tap water supply networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbe Geerts
- Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Sint-Jacobstraat 2, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Frédéric Vandermoere
- Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Sint-Jacobstraat 2, 2000, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Tim Van Winckel
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Dirk Halet
- Flanders Knowledge Center Water (VLAKWA), Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Graaf Karel de Goedelaan 34, 8500, Kortrijk, Belgium.
| | - Pieter Joos
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, Belgium; Water-link, Mechelsesteenweg 111, 2840, Rumst, Belgium.
| | | | | | - Ronny Blust
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Middelheimlaan 1, 2020, Antwerp, Belgium.
| | | | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, Antwerp, Belgium.
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Vandekerckhove TGL, Props R, Carvajal-Arroyo JM, Boon N, Vlaeminck SE. Adaptation and characterization of thermophilic anammox in bioreactors. Water Res 2020; 172:115462. [PMID: 31958594 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.115462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Revised: 11/29/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Anammox, the oxidation of ammonium with nitrite, is a key microbial process in the nitrogen cycle. Under mesophilic conditions (below 40 °C), it is widely implemented to remove nitrogen from wastewaters lacking organic carbon. Despite evidence of the presence of anammox bacteria in high-temperature environments, reports on the cultivation of thermophilic anammox bacteria are limited to a short-term experiment of 2 weeks. This study showcases the adaptation of a mesophilic inoculum to thermophilic conditions, and its characterization. First, an attached growth technology was chosen to obtain the process. In an anoxic fixed-bed biofilm bioreactor (FBBR), a slow linear temperature increase from 38 to over 48 °C (0.05-0.07 °C d-1) was imposed to the community over 220 days, after which the reactor was operated at 48 °C for over 200 days. Maximum total nitrogen removal rates reached up to 0.62 g N L-1 d-1. Given this promising performance, a suspended growth system was tested. The obtained enrichment culture served as inoculum for membrane bioreactors (MBR) operated at 50 °C, reaching a maximum total nitrogen removal rate of 1.7 g N L-1 d-1 after 35 days. The biomass in the MBR had a maximum specific anammox activity of 1.1 ± 0.1 g NH4+-N g-1 VSS d-1, and the growth rate was estimated at 0.075-0.19 d-1. The thermophilic cultures displayed nitrogen stoichiometry ratios typical for mesophilic anammox: 0.93-1.42 g NO2--Nremoved g-1 NH4+-Nremoved and 0.16-0.35 g NO3--Nproduced g-1 NH4+-Nremoved. Amplicon and Sanger sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes revealed a disappearance of the original "Ca. Brocadia" and "Ca. Jettenia" taxa, yielding Planctomycetes members with only 94-95% similarity to "Ca. Brocadia anammoxidans" and "Ca. B. caroliniensis", accounting for 45% of the bacterial FBBR community. The long-term operation of thermophilic anammox reactors and snapshot views on the nitrogen stoichiometry, kinetics and microbial community open up the development path of thermophilic partial nitritation/anammox. A first economic assessment highlighted that treatment of sludge reject water from thermophilic anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge may become attractive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom G L Vandekerckhove
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Ruben Props
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - José M Carvajal-Arroyo
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Nico Boon
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Center for Microbial Ecology and Technology (CMET), Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000, Gent, Belgium; Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium.
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50
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Spiller M, Muys M, Papini G, Sakarika M, Buyle M, Vlaeminck SE. Environmental impact of microbial protein from potato wastewater as feed ingredient: Comparative consequential life cycle assessment of three production systems and soybean meal. Water Res 2020; 171:115406. [PMID: 31881500 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2019.115406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Livestock production is utilizing large amounts of protein-rich feed ingredients such as soybean meal. The proven negative environmental impacts of soybean meal production incentivize the search for alternative protein sources. One promising alternative is Microbial Protein (MP), i.e. dried microbial biomass. To date, only few life cycle assessments (LCAs) for MP have been carried out, none of which has used a consequential modelling approach nor has been investigating the production of MP on food and beverage wastewater. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the environmental impact of MP production on a food and beverage effluent as a substitute for soybean meal using a consequential modelling approach. Three different types of MP production were analysed, namely consortia containing Aerobic Heterotrophic Bacteria (AHB), Microalgae and AHB (MaB), and Purple Non-Sulfur Bacteria (PNSB). The production of MP was modelled for high-strength potato wastewater (COD = 10 kg/m3) at a flow rate of 1,000 m3/day. LCA results were compared against soybean meal production for the endpoint impact categories human health, ecosystems, and resources. Soybean meal showed up to 52% higher impact on human health and up to 87% higher impact on ecosystems than MP. However, energy-related aspects resulted in an 8-88% higher resource exploitation for MP. A comparison between the MP production systems showed that MaB performed best when considering ecosystems (between 13 and 14% better) and resource (between 71 and 80% better) impact categories, while AHB and PNSB had lower values for the impact category human health (8-12%). The sensitivity analysis suggests that the conclusions drawn are robust as in the majority of 1,000 Monte Carlo runs the initial results are confirmed. In conclusion, it is suggested that MP is an alternative protein source of comparatively low environmental impact that should play a role in the future protein transition, in particular when further process improvements can be implemented and more renewable or waste energy sources will be used.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Spiller
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium.
| | - Maarten Muys
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Gustavo Papini
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Myrsini Sakarika
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
| | - Matthias Buyle
- Energy and Materials in Infrastructure and Buildings EMIB, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium; Sustainable Materials Management, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Siegfried E Vlaeminck
- Research Group of Sustainable Energy, Air and Water Technology, Department of Bioscience Engineering, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020, Antwerpen, Belgium
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