铁还原菌在水资源再生与能源转化领域的研究进展

铁还原菌是一种典型的异化金属还原菌,广泛分布于海洋沉积物、陆地深地层等自然环境,该类细菌可以将铁氧化物中的Fe(Ⅲ)还原为Fe(Ⅱ),在铁、碳的生物地球化学铁循环中发挥重要作用。铁还原菌的末端电子不局限于Fe(Ⅲ),还可以是其他高价金属、有机污染物,可用于土壤、地下水的污染修复和毒性削减。在微生物电化学系统中,铁还原菌氧化有机物产生的电子直接传递给电极,可以产生电能。基于这种独特的胞外电子传递方式,衍生出了微生物燃料电池、微生物电解池、微生物脱盐电池、微生物燃料电池耦合芬顿反应以及光催化微生物燃料电池,常用于微生物发电、生物传感器、生物制氢、定向发酵、海水淡化、生物脱盐和污染物分解矿化。本文从异化铁还原菌的代谢机制、微生态作用、环境修复、水资源再生与能源转化四个方面,综述了铁还原菌的作用原理及国内外研究现状,分析论述了目前亟需解决的关键问题和未来的研究方向,以期为铁还原菌的基础理论研究和应用技术研发提供参考。     

In situ interactions between the effects of season,current velocity and pollution on a river biofilm

1. The development of periphytic algae and bacteria is controlled by a combination of interacting biotic processes and abiotic factors. Distinguishing between the selection pressure resulting from pollution and that of natural environmental factors is therefore one of the most critical aspects of assessing the impact of pollutants on the diversity and function of benthic microbial communities in natural ecosystems. 2. We studied how current velocity and season affect the ability of river biofilms to cope with complex chemical pollution. We compared the diversity, structure and production of periphytic algae and bacteria from four sampling zones with differing chemical water quality levels and different flow velocities over the course of two seasons (summer and winter). 3. The three factors tested all influenced biofilm development, but this depended on the biological variable being measured. Bacterial and algal densities were highly dependent on season and chemical water quality. Algal density was lower in summer than in winter, but bacterial density and production increased from upstream (reference) to downstream (polluted), and this increase was more marked in winter. The impact of chemical water quality was also dependent on the season. 4. An interaction between current velocity and pollution was also detected. During the summer, there was no difference in bacterial density or production between the upstream and downstream segments in the fast current zones, whereas both variables were higher downstream in the slow current zones. Such interactions between environmental factors and the impact of water quality on biofilms must be taken into account in assessments of the effects of chemicals on biofilm community structure and functioning in rivers.     

改性微生物吸附剂在重金属废水处理中的应用进展

高效、低耗、环境友好的重金属废水处理方法是当前的研究热点之一,微生物吸附法因具有优良的吸附性能、不产生二次污染、环境友好性等优点,在重金属废水处理中有巨大的应用潜力。细菌、真菌、藻类等微生物可通过静电吸附、络合作用等将重金属结合到细胞壁表面。但未经处理的微生物往往吸附效果不佳,通过对微生物进行物理、化学等方法的改性处理,能显著增加微生物与重金属离子结合的活性位点,提高去除效果。本文对国内外微生物的改性方法以及改性微生物吸附剂对废水中重金属的吸附能力和影响因素进行阐述,讨论微生物吸附剂存在的相关问题,并对其未来的研究方向做简要展望。     

Identification and characterization of Rhodopseudomonas spp., a purple, non-sulfur bacterium from microbial mats

A species of facultative photo-organotrophic, purple, non-sulfur bacterium was isolated from mixed-species microbial mats, characterized and examined for metal tolerance and bioremediation potential. Contributing mats were natural consortia of microbes, dominated by cyanobacteria and containing several species of bacteria arranged in a laminar structure, stabilized within a gel matrix. Constructed microbial mats were used for bioremediation of heavy metals and organic chemical pollutants. Purple, non-sulfur bacteria are characteristically found in lower strata of intact mats, but their contributing function in mats survival and function by mediating the chemical environment has not been explored. The gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, reported here, produced a dark red culture under phototrophic conditions, reproduced by budding and formed a lamellar intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) system parallel to cytoplasmic membrane, which contained bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoids. This strain was found to have multiple metal resistances and to be effective in the reductive removal of Cr(VI) and the degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol. Based on the results obtained from morphology, nutrient requirements, major bacteriochlorophyll content, GC content, random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) profile and 16S-rDNA phylogenetic analysis, this member of the microbial mats may be identified as a new strain of the genus Rhodopseudomonas.     

Metabolic networks,microbial ecology and ‘omics’ technologies: towards understanding in situ biodegradation processes

Microbial degradation is the main mechanism responsible for the recovery of contaminated sites, where a huge body of investigations is available in which most concentrate on single isolates from soils capable of mineralizing pollutants. The rapid development of molecular techniques in recent years allows immense insights into the processes in situ, including identification of organisms active in target sites, community member interactions and catabolic gene structures. Only a detailed understanding of the functioning and interactions within microbial communities will allow their rational manipulation for the purpose of optimizing bioremediation efforts. We will present the status of the current capabilities to assess and predict catabolic potential of environmental sites by applying gene fingerprinting, catabolome arrays, metagenomics and complementary ‘omics’ technologies. Collectively, this will allow tracking regulation and evolution within microbial communities ultimately aiming to understand the mechanisms taking place in large scale bioremediation treatments for aromatic decontamination.     

Marine bacteria and omic approaches: A novel and potential repository for bioremediation assessment

Marine environments accommodating diverse assortments of life constitute a great pool of differentiated natural resources. The cumulative need to remedy unpropitious effects of anthropogenic activities on estuaries and coastal marine ecosystems has propelled the development of effective bioremediation strategies. Marine bacteria producing biosurfactants are promising agents for bio-remediating oil pollution in marine environments, making them prospective candidates for enhancing oil recovery. Molecular omics technologies are considered an emerging field of research in ecological and diversity assessment owing to their utility in environmental surveillance and bioremediation of polluted sites. A thorough literature review was undertaken to understand the applicability of different omic techniques used for bioremediation assessment using marine bacteria. This review further establishes that for bioremediation of environmental pollutants (i.e. heavy metals, hydrocarbons, xenobiotic and numerous recalcitrant compounds), organisms isolated from marine environments can be better used for their removal. The literature survey shows that omics approaches can provide exemplary knowledge about microbial communities and their role in the bioremediation of environmental pollutants. This review centres on applications of marine bacteria in enhanced bioremediation, using the omics approaches that can be a vital biological contrivance in environmental monitoring to tackle environmental degradation. The paper aims to identify the gaps in investigations involving marine bacteria to help researchers, ecologists and decision-makers to develop a holistic understanding regarding their utility in bioremediation assessment.     

Microbial Processes of Heavy Metal Removal from Carbon‐Deficient Effluents in Constructed Wetlands

This paper reviews the main microbial processes involved when toxic metals are removed from wastewater in constructed wetlands. Microbial activity is thought to play a key role in the detoxification of these metals. The paper concentrates on the microbial processes which affect the mobility, the toxicity and bioavailability of metals, namely biosorption, metal sulfide precipitation by sulfate reducers, redox transformations, and methylation, as well as microbe‐plant interactions. These reactions result in either the precipitation and accumulation of metals in wetland soils, or their volatilization and emission into the atmosphere. The possibilities of optimizing the microbially mediated reactions for the development of wetland technology are discussed as a long‐term metal retention strategy.     

合成生物学在环境修复中的应用

环境问题是21世纪人类面临的最严重的挑战。随着现代工农业飞速发展,生态环境日益恶化,难降解污染物如新兴污染物逐渐显现,已成为制约社会经济可持续发展的重要因素。微生物具有强大的环境修复能力,但是其进化速度远不及新兴污染物出现的速度,亟需应用合成生物学的技术来解决这一难题。在充分认识难降解有机污染物微生物降解(途径)特性的基础上,利用我国丰富的微生物与基因资源,运用合成生物学的手段,定向设计和改造现有降解菌株,构建能够降解一种或多种污染物的工程菌株;同时针对复合型污染,如废水等,在建立典型有机污染物代谢、调控和抗逆相关基因元件的模块库基础上,引入人工菌群等策略,对生物系统进行理性设计和组装,构建典型环境污染物的高效降解菌群,可有效促进我国新兴污染物微生物分解代谢的研究,为环境修复的工程应用提供技术支持。     

Microbial responses to environmental arsenic

Microorganisms have evolved dynamic mechanisms for facing the toxicity of arsenic in the environment. In this sense, arsenic speciation and mobility is also affected by the microbial metabolism that participates in the biogeochemical cycle of the element. The ars operon constitutes the most ubiquitous and important scheme of arsenic tolerance in bacteria. This system mediates the extrusion of arsenite out of the cells. There are also other microbial activities that alter the chemical characteristics of arsenic: some strains are able to oxidize arsenite or reduce arsenate as part of their respiratory processes. These type of microorganisms require membrane associated proteins that transfer electrons from or to arsenic (AoxAB and ArrAB, respectively). Other enzymatic transformations, such as methylation-demethylation reactions, exchange inorganic arsenic into organic forms contributing to its complex environmental turnover. This short review highlights recent studies in ecology, biochemistry and molecular biology of these processes in bacteria, and also provides some examples of genetic engineering for enhanced arsenic accumulation based on phytochelatins or metallothionein-like proteins.     

Ecology of food microorganisms

The behavior of microorganisms in foods is governed by the constraints applied to the microflora by a variety of environmental and ecological factors. These include water activity, pH, E_h, chemical composition, the presence of natural or added antimicrobial compounds, and storage temperature, as well as processing factors such as the application of heat and physical manipulation. Control of these factors will govern whether the food spoils or not, whether any microbial health hazard arises, and whether desired microbial processes are successful or not. While much is known about the effects of individual environmental factors, the effects due to their interactions are less understood. The two main problems now facing the food microbiologist are optimization of environmental parameters and the selection of strains with specific properties. A better understanding of the mechanisms of action and interactions between the various environmental factors, coupled with the application of modern techniques to produce strains with particular properties, will lead to optimum use of food supplies and improvements in quality. There is also potential for the development of new and novel foods.     

合成生物学改造微生物及生物被膜用于重金属污染检测与修复

随着工业化进程不断加快,重金属污染日益加剧,尤其是水体的重金属污染,已严重威胁人类健康,迫切需要进行有效的污染修复.相比传统物理和化学修复,生物修复具有绿色环保和可持续性的特点.因为微生物生长繁殖迅速、生物被膜具有动态可调节和环境适应性好等特点,使其能更好耐受胁迫环境,在环境修复中有重要作用.合成生物学改造微生物及生物...     

Microbial control of plant-parasitic nematodes: a five-party interaction

Plant-parasitic nematodes cause significant economic losses to a wide variety of crops. Chemical control is a widely used option for plant-parasitic nematode management. However, chemical nematicides are now being reappraised in respect of environmental hazard, high costs, limited availability in many developing countries or their diminished effectiveness following repeated applications. This review presents progress made in the field of microbial antagonists of plant-parasitic nematodes, including nematophagous fungi, endophytic fungi, actinomycetes and bacteria. A wide variety of microorganisms are capable of repelling, inhibiting or killing plant-parasitic nematodes, but the commercialisation of these microorganisms lags far behind their resource investigation. One limiting factor is their inconsistent performance in the field. No matter how well suited a nematode antagonist is to a target nematode in a laboratory test, rational management decision can be made only by analysing the interactions naturally occurring among “host plant–nematode target–soil–microbial control agent (MCA)–environment”. As we begin to develop a better understanding of the complex interactions, microbial control of nematodes will be more fine-tuned. Multidisciplinary collaboration and integration of biological control with other control methods will␣also contribute to more successful control practices.     

Significance of exploiting non-living biomaterials for the biosorption of wastewater pollutants

Industrial effluents from various sectors have become a matter of major environmental concern. The treatment of wastewater in recent year plays a significant role in order to remove the pollutants and to safeguard the water resource. The conventional wastewater treatment is considered costlier and associated with problem of sludge generation. Biosorption methods are considered as the potential solution due to their economical efficiency, good adsorption capacity and eco-friendliness. In this review, an extensive list of biosorbents from algae, bacteria, fungi and agricultural byproducts have been compiled. The suitability of biosorbents towards the eradication of heavy metals, textile dyes and phenolic compounds were highlighted. It is evident from the literature survey of recently published research articles that the biosorbents have demonstrated outstanding removal potential towards the wastewater pollutants. Therefore, biosorbents from the source of dead microbial and agricultural byproduct can be viable alternatives to activated carbon for the wastewater treatment.     

Harnessing plant-bacteria-fungi interactions to improve plant growth and degradation of organic pollutants

Exploiting the potential of bacteria in phytoremediation for the removal of organic and inorganic pollutants from soils and (ground)water holds great promise. Besides bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi and free-living saprotrophs are well known for their strong degradative capacities and plant growth promotion effects, which makes them of high interest for use in different bioremediation strategies. To further increase the efficiency and successes of phytoremediation, interactions between plants and their associated microorganisms, both bacteria and fungi, should be further investigated, in addition to the close interactions between bacteria and fungi. Benefitting from an increased understanding of microbial community structure and assembly allows us to better understand how the holobiont can be modified to improve pollutant degradation and plant growth. In this review, we present an overview of insights in plant-bacteria-fungi interactions and the opportunities of exploiting these tripartite interactions to enhance the effectiveness of phytoremediation of organic pollutants.     

Treatment of metal-contaminated wastes: why select a biological process?

Nature has demonstrated some subtle and intricate mechanisms for selectively controlling the mobility of metal pollutants in the environment. However, the application of this science to technology has been disappointing. A small number of pilot-plant studies have been carried out to investigate the potential of microorganisms (primarily bacteria) to remove metals from liquid wastes but only one system in the past 15 years has been commercialized. In order to explain this lack of application, it is important to understand the effectiveness, robustness and reliability of biological processes involving metals and their ability to compete with proven physicochemical technologies.     

石墨烯的环境行为及其对环境中污染物迁移归趋的影响

石墨烯是当前研究最热的碳纳米材料,具有独特的理化特性,在各领域具有广阔的应用前景.随着其生产和使用量的不断增大,石墨烯不可避免地会进入到环境中,从而给生态环境和人类健康带来风险.深入理解石墨烯在环境中的行为和归趋,探讨石墨烯对污染物环境行为的影响,对于科学客观评价石墨烯的环境风险具有十分重要的意义.本文对石墨烯的环境行为及其对污染物迁移归趋的影响进行了综述,主要介绍了石墨烯在水环境中的胶体特性和稳定性,以及在多孔介质中的迁移,重点探讨了石墨烯与重金属和有机物之间的相互作用,并从吸附机理、石墨烯与土壤组分之间的相互作用、石墨烯对污染物在环境中迁移及生物有效性的影响、石墨烯的定量方法等方面对该研究领域的前景和重点进行了展望,以期为该领域的深入研究提供借鉴并拓展新的思路.     

Response of microbial community structure to the hydrochemical evolution during riverbank filtration: a case study in Shenyang,China

Abstract

Microorganisms are widely involved in the transformation process of physical and chemical properties in the geological and hydrogeological environment. Active participation of microorganisms is important features of the biogeochemical reactions during groundwater exploiting along the riverbank filtration. Hydrodynamic condition has a direct or indirect difference control of the biological effectiveness, chemical activity and mobility of the pollution components, which can affect biogeochemical process. In different biogeochemistry, there will be some exclusive functional bacteria, which is of great significance to understand the biogeochemical mechanism of river water infiltration. This study confirms that there are two main different flow paths from river to the center of the depression cone due to different hydrodynamic conditions and spatial characteristics and scaling effects of redox zonation during riverbank filtration. In different flow paths, the microbial abundance shows obvious spatial heterogeneity. The microbial abundance and species similarity degree of the riverbed and deep flow path sediments has significant correlation. There is a significant correlation between the dominant bacteria and the environmental factors in different hydrodynamic conditions on a spatial scale. This study is the first to reveal the response of microbial community structure to water chemical evolution during riparian filtration. Due to significant positive correlation between the Fe/Mn and As, it brings the potential danger for drinking water.     

Effects of Bioavailable Heavy Metal Species,Arsenic, and Acid Drainage from Mine Tailings on a Microbial Community Sampled Along a Pollution Gradient in a Freshwater Ecosystem

Sediment and water samples representing a pollution gradient in a long, narrow lake polluted at one end by heavy metals, arsenic, and acid drainage from mine tailings, together with samples from an unpolluted reference lake, were analyzed to determine effects of pollutants on the microbial community of the polluted lake. Ribosomal ribonucleic acid, fatty acid, and phospholipid analyses, along with assays of CO₂ production, denitrification, and enzyme activities, were performed to characterize the microflora; and environmental conditions were defined by various physicochemical analyses, including determination of bioavailable metal species. Mine waste pollution fostered the growth of Holophagal Acidobacteria, green sulphur bacteria, and α-Proteobacteria but inhibited numerous other types of microorganisms, reducing the overall productivity, biomass, and biodiversity of the microflora. The beneficial effects imply toleration of pollutants, suppression of competing or antagonistic species, and utilization of biogenic sulphide; and the toxic effects are attributable to bioavailable metals, arsenic, and sulphuric acid produced by oxidation of sulphides. The bioavailability and toxicity of sediment-bound metals were evidently increased by acidification, elevation of sediment Eh, and inhibition of metal-immobilizing bacteria by pollutants but were decreased by metal-scavenging oxyhydroxides, sulphide, and organic matter. Metal toxicity also depended on specific metal properties (e.g., electronegativity), providing a basis for inferring mechanisms of toxicity and oxidation states of metals and explaining differences in relative toxicity. The pollutants harmed the ecosystem as a whole by inhibiting microorganisms that performed crucial ecological functions, notably oxygen-releasing photosynthesis, decomposition and humification of organic matter, nutrient recycling, and control of metal availability.     

The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database: post-genomic data mining

The University of Minnesota Biocatalysis/Biodegradation Database (UM-BBD, http://umbbd.ahc.umn.edu/) provides curated information on microbial catabolism and related biotransformations, primarily for environmental pollutants. Currently, it contains information on over 130 metabolic pathways, 800 reactions, 750 compounds and 500 enzymes. In the past two years, it has increased its breath to include more examples of microbial metabolism of metals and metalloids; and expanded the types of information it includes to contain microbial biotransformations of, and binding interactions with many chemical elements. It has also increased the ways in which this data can be accessed (mined). Structure-based searching was added, for exact matches, similarity, or substructures. Analysis of UM-BBD reactions has lead to a prototype, guided, pathway prediction system. Guided prediction means that the user is shown all possible biotransformations at each step and guides the process to its conclusion. Mining the UM-BBD's data provides a unique view into how the microbial world recycles organic functional groups. UM-BBD users are encouraged to comment on all aspects of the database, including the information it contains and the tools by which it can be mined. The database and prediction system develop under the direction of the scientific community.