Search results for "biodegradation"

Occurrence of antibiotics in the aquatic environment

1999

The recent monitoring of drug residues in the aquatic environment has gained much interest as many pharmaceutical compounds can frequently be found in sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents and river water at concentrations up to several microgram/l. This article describes the analysis of various water samples for 18 antibiotic substances, from the classes of macrolid antibiotics, sulfonamides, penicillins and tetracyclines. Samples were preconcentrated via lyophilization and quantified using HPLC-electrospray-tandem-mass spectrometry. The investigated STP effluents and surface water samples showed frequent appearance of an erythromycin degradation product, roxithromycin and sulfamethoxazol…

Co-digestion of sewage sludge and sterilized solid slaughterhouse waste: Methane production efficiency and process limitations

2012

The rendering product of Category 2 and 3 Animal By-Products is known as sterilized mass (SM) and it is mainly composed of fat and proteins, making it interesting substrate for anaerobic digestion. Batch and semi-continuous laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of SM addition in co-digestion with sewage sludge on methane production and possible process limitations. Results showed that SM addition in the feed mixture up to 5% (w/w), corresponding to 68.1% of the organic loading, increased methane production 5.7 times, without any indication of process inhibition. Further increase of SM addition at 7.5% (w/w) caused methane production decrease and volatile solids r…

Phytoremediation of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, anilines and phenols

2002

International audience; Phytoremediation technologies based on the combined action of plants and the microbial communities that they support within the rhizosphere hold promise in the remediation of land and waterways contaminated with hydrocarbons but they have not yet been adopted in large-scale remediation strategies. In this review plant and microbial degradative capacities, viewed as a continuum, have been dissected in order to identify where bottle-necks and limitations exist. Phenols, anilines and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were selected as the target classes of molecule for consideration, in part because of their common patterns of distribution, but also because of the urgent …

Methane potential of sterilized solid slaughterhouse wastes.

2012

Abstract The aim of the current study was to determine chemical composition and methane potential of Category 2 and 3 solid slaughterhouse wastes rendering products (SSHWRP) viz. melt, decanter sludge, meat and bone meal (MBM), technical fat and flotation sludge from wastewater treatment. Chemical analyses showed that SSHWRP were high in protein and lipids with total solids (TS) content of 96–99%. Methane yields of the SSHWRP were between 390 and 978 m3 CH4/t volatile solids (VS)added. Based on batch experiments, anaerobic digestion of SSHWRP from the dry rendering process could recover 4.6 times more primary energy than the energy required for the rendering process. Estonia has technologic…

Long-term performance of peat biofilters treating ethyl acetate, toluene, and its mixture in air.

2006

Three laboratory-scale peat biofilters were operated at 90 s empty bed residence time (EBRT) for over a year. Biodegradation of ethyl acetate, toluene, or a 1:1 mixture were investigated. In first stage, inlet concentration was progressively increased from 0.4 to 4.5 g/m3. The maximum elimination capacity (EC) found for ethyl acetate was 190 gC/m3·h, and it was not affected by toluene. The maximum EC found for toluene as a sole contaminant was 150 gC/m3·h, but the presence of ethyl acetate decreased the toluene maximum EC to 80 gC/m3·h. From respirometry monitoring, values of 3.19 g CO2/gC and 3.06 g CO2/gC for pure ethyl acetate and pure toluene, respectively, were found, with overall yiel…

Paving the way for synthetic biology‐based bioremediation in Europe

2010

Assisted phytostabilization of soil from a former military area with mineral amendments.

2019

Abstract Due to the presence of toxic pollutants, soils in former military areas need remedial actions with environmentally friendly methods. Greenhouse experiments were conducted to investigate the aided phytostabilization of multi-heavy metals (HMs), i.e. Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, in post-military soil by Festuca rubra and three mineral amendments (diatomite, dolomite and halloysite). The amendments were applied at 0 and 3.0% to each pot filled with 5 kg of polluted soil. After seven weeks of the phytostabilization, selected soil properties, biomass yield of F. rubra and immobilization of HMs by their accumulation in plant and redistribution among individual fractions in soil were determine…

Comparative study of laboratory-scale thermophilic and mesophilic activated sludge processes.

2005

Laboratory-scale mesophilic (20-35 degrees C) and thermophilic (55 degrees C) activated sludge processes (ASPs) treating diluted molasses wastewater were compared in effluent quality, removal of different COD fractions, sludge yield, floc size, and sludge settleability. The effect of polyaluminium chloride (PAC) with high cationic charge on sludge settleability and effluent quality was also studied. In the ASPs, the hydraulic retention time was 12h in both processes, corresponding to a volumetric loading rate of 3.2+/-1.0 kg COD(filt) m(-3)d(-1). The mesophilic ASP gave 79+/-18% and 90+/-2% and the thermophilic ASP gave 50+/-6% and 67+/-11% total COD (COD(tot)) and GF/A-filtered COD (COD(fi…

Degradation of dimeric lignin model compounds by aerobic bacteria isolated from the hindgut of xylophagous termites.

1997

The capability of the intestinal flora from the gut of xylophagous termites of degrading lignin model compounds was investigated. Different dimeric lignin model compounds-degrading bacteria were obtained from the hindgut flora of Mastotermes darwiniensis FROGGATT, Reticulitermes santonensis FEYTAUD, Nasutitermes nigriceps HALDEMAN and Zootermopsis angusticollis HAGEN. In the presence of oxygen dimeric model compounds were degraded by all isolates. This indicates that the hindgut flora of termites is basically able to produce substrate for their host from aromatic extractives of wood.

The coffee-machine bacteriome: biodiversity and colonisation of the wasted coffee tray leach

2015

AbstractMicrobial communities are ubiquitous in both natural and artificial environments. However, microbial diversity is usually reduced under strong selection pressures, such as those present in habitats rich in recalcitrant or toxic compounds displaying antimicrobial properties. Caffeine is a natural alkaloid present in coffee, tea and soft drinks with well-known antibacterial properties. Here we present the first systematic analysis of coffee machine-associated bacteria. We sampled the coffee waste reservoir of ten different Nespresso machines and conducted a dynamic monitoring of the colonization process in a new machine. Our results reveal the existence of a varied bacterial community…