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Sample records for anaerobic ammonia oxidation

  1. The inhibitory effects of free ammonia on ammonia oxidizing bacteria and nitrite oxidizing bacteria under anaerobic condition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Wenting; Peng, Yongzhen; Li, Xiyao; Zhang, Qiong; Ma, Bin

    2017-11-01

    The free ammonia (FA) inhibition on ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) under anaerobic condition was investigated in this study. The results indicated that NOB was more sensitive to the FA anaerobic treatment than AOB. The FA anaerobic inhibition on nitrifier gradually heightened with the increase of FA concentration. Accompanied with FA concentration increase from 0 to 16.82mgNH 3 -N·L -1 (the highest concentration adopted in this study), the activity of AOB reduced by 15.9%, while NOB decreased by 29.2%. After FA anaerobic treatment, nitrite was accumulated during nitrification. However, the nitrite accumulation disappeared on the sixth cycle of activity recovery tests with excessive aeration. Based on this result, a novel strategy for achieving nitritation is proposed, which involves recirculating a portion of the activated sludge through a side-line sludge treatment unit, where the sludge is subjected to treatment with FA under anaerobic condition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Anaerobic ammonia removal in presence of organic matter: A novel route

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sabumon, P.C.

    2007-01-01

    This study describes the feasibility of anaerobic ammonia removal process in presence of organic matter. Different sources of biomass collected from diverse eco-systems containing ammonia and organic matter (OM) were screened for potential anaerobic ammonia removal. Sequential batch studies confirmed the possibility of anaerobic ammonia removal in presence of OM, but ammonia was oxidized anoxically to nitrate (at oxidation reduction potential; ORP -248 ± 25 mV) by an unknown mechanism unlike in the reported anammox process. The oxygen required for oxidation of ammonia might have been generated through catalase enzymatic activity of facultative anaerobes in mixed culture. The oxygen generation possibility by catalase enzyme route was demonstrated. Among the inorganic electron acceptors (NO 2 - , NO 3 - and SO 4 2- ) studied, NO 2 - was found to be most effective in total nitrogen removal. Denitrification by the developed culture was much effective and faster compared to ammonia oxidation. The results of this study show that anaerobic ammonia removal is feasible in presence of OM. The novel nitrogen removal route is hypothesized as enzymatic anoxic oxidation of NH 4 + to NO 3 - , followed by denitrification via autotrophic and/or heterotrophic routes. The results of batch study were confirmed in continuous reactor operation

  3. The Experiment Study of Anaerobic Ammonia Oxidation Start-up by Using the Upflow Double Layer Anaerobic Filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YAO Li

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Anammox is an efficient nitrogen removal process, but it is difficult to start-up and operate, and ananammox reactor is the efficient way to resolve this problem. The start-up of anammox reactor by upflow anaerobic filter was studied. Denitrifying sludge, anaerobic sludge, and mixed sludge was inoculated on the packing materials, respectively and an autotrophic denitrification condition was provided by the simulated wastewater influent. Along with the gradual increase of matrix concentration and hydraulic load, the microflora was converted to the anaerobic ammonium oxidation(anammoxreaction. The results showed that the anammox reaction could be started by all the three sludge, and the time of start-up of denitrifying sludge, anaerobic sludge, mixed sludge was 42, 54 days and 45 days, respectively. The best result was that inoculated with denitrifying sludge with 82.2% of the total nitrogen removal rate, which started-up quickly and nitrogen was removed efficiently. Double packing effectively improved the stability of anammox process in the reactor, in which the suitable influent concentration loading for the anammox bacteria was 270 mg·L-1 and 360 mg·L-1 for ammonia nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen, respectively, and the COD concentration could not be more than 150 mg· L-1. Furthermore, there was a coexist-effect for anaerobic ammonia oxidation and methanation in this reactor system.

  4. Methods of ammonia removal in anaerobic digestion: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krakat, Niclas; Demirel, Burak; Anjum, Reshma; Dietz, Donna

    2017-10-01

    The anaerobic digestion of substrates with high ammonia content has always been a bottleneck in the methanisation process of biomasses. Since microbial communities in anaerobic digesters are sensitive to free ammonia at certain conditions, the digestion of nitrogen-rich substrates such as livestock wastes may result in inhibition/toxicity eventually leading to process failures, unless appropriate engineering precautions are taken. There are many different options reported in literature to remove ammonia from anaerobic digesters to achieve a safe and stable process so that along with high methane yields, a good quality of effluents can also be obtained. Conventional techniques to remove ammonia include physical/chemical methods, immobilization and adaptation of microorganisms, while novel methods include ultrasonication, microwave, hollow fiber membranes and microbial fuel cell applications. This paper discusses conventional and novel methods of ammonia removal from anaerobic digesters using nitrogen-rich substrates, with particular focus on recent literature available about this topic.

  5. Anaerobic ammonia oxidation in a fertilized paddy soil

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhu, Guibing; Wang, Shanyun; Wang, Yu

    2011-01-01

    Evidence for anaerobic ammonium oxidation in a paddy field was obtained in Southern China using an isotope-pairing technique, quantitative PCR assays and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, along with nutrient profiles of soil cores. A paddy field with a high load of slurry manure as fertilizer...... was selected for this study and was shown to contain a high amount of ammonium (6.2–178.8 mg kg−1). The anaerobic oxidation of ammonium (anammox) rates in this paddy soil ranged between 0.5 and 2.9 nmolN per gram of soil per hour in different depths of the soil core, and the specific cellular anammox activity...

  6. Ammonia removal in electrochemical oxidation: Mechanism and pseudo-kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Liang; Liu Yan

    2009-01-01

    This paper investigated the mechanism and pseudo-kinetics for removal of ammonia by electrochemical oxidation with RuO 2 /Ti anode using batch tests. The results show that the ammonia oxidation rates resulted from direct oxidation at electrode-liquid interfaces of the anode by stepwise dehydrogenation, and from indirect oxidation by hydroxyl radicals were so slow that their contribution to ammonia removal was negligible under the condition with Cl - . The oxidation rates of ammonia ranged from 1.0 to 12.3 mg N L -1 h -1 and efficiency reached nearly 100%, primarily due to the indirect oxidation of HOCl, and followed pseudo zero-order kinetics in electrochemical oxidation with Cl - . About 88% ammonia was removed from the solution. The removed one was subsequently found in the form of N 2 in the produced gas. The rate at which Cl - lost electrons at the anode was a major factor in the overall ammonia oxidation. Current density and Cl - concentration affected the constant of the pseudo zero-order kinetics, expressed by k = 0.0024[Cl - ] x j. The ammonia was reduced to less than 0.5 mg N L -1 after 2 h of electrochemical oxidation for the effluent from aerobic or anaerobic reactors which treated municipal wastewater. This result was in line with the strict discharge requirements

  7. Ammonia and nitrite oxidation in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Xuefeng; Fuchsman, Clara A.; Jayakumar, Amal; Oleynik, Sergey; Martens-Habbena, Willm; Devol, Allan H.; Ward, Bess B.

    2015-12-01

    Nitrification plays a key role in the marine nitrogen (N) cycle, including in oceanic oxygen minimum zones (OMZs), which are hot spots for denitrification and anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox). Recent evidence suggests that nitrification links the source (remineralized organic matter) and sink (denitrification and anammox) of fixed N directly in the steep oxycline in the OMZs. We performed shipboard incubations with 15N tracers to characterize the depth distribution of nitrification in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific (ETNP). Additional experiments were conducted to investigate photoinhibition. Allylthiourea (ATU) was used to distinguish the contribution of archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidation. The abundance of archaeal and β-proteobacterial ammonia monooxygenase gene subunit A (amoA) was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The rates of ammonia and nitrite oxidation showed distinct subsurface maxima, with the latter slightly deeper than the former. The ammonia oxidation maximum coincided with the primary nitrite concentration maximum, archaeal amoA gene maximum, and the subsurface nitrous oxide maximum. Negligible rates of ammonia oxidation were found at anoxic depths, where high rates of nitrite oxidation were measured. Archaeal amoA gene abundance was generally 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than bacterial amoA gene abundance, and inhibition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria with 10 μM ATU did not affect ammonia oxidation rates, indicating the dominance of archaea in ammonia oxidation. These results depict highly dynamic activities of ammonia and nitrite oxidation in the oxycline of the ETNP OMZ.

  8. Electrochemical monitoring of ammonia during anaerobic digestion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhao, Nannan; Angelidaki, Irini; Zhang, Yifeng

    Ammonia is known as key inhibitor to methanogens in anaerobic digestion (AD) process. It’s of importance to develop efficient tool for ammonia monitoring. In this study, an electrolysis cell (EC) coupled with a complete nitrification reactor was developed as sensor for real time and online monito...

  9. Speciation modeling of ammonia and other major solutes in anaerobic digesters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anaerobic digestion of high-nitrogen wastes can be inhibited by high concentrations of un-ionized ammonia, NH**3 (aq). Understanding the toxicity of NH**3 (aq) to anaerobic digestion requires an understanding of the mechanisms controlling its concentration. Previous work on ammonia toxicity in an...

  10. Ammonia tolerant enriched methanogenic cultures as bioaugmentation inocula to alleviate ammonia inhibition in continuous anaerobic reactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fotidis, Ioannis; Wang, Han; Angelidaki, Irini

    Ammonia is the most common inhibitor of anaerobic digestion (AD) process, resulting in suboptimal exploitation of the biogas potential of the feedstocks, causing significant economic losses to the biogas plants. Ammonia is mainly inhibiting the aceticlastic methanogens, while the hydrogenotrophic...... methanogens are more robust to ammonia toxicity effect. It has been shown that bioaugmentation of a pure strain of a hydrogenotrophic methanogen (i.e. Methanoculleus bourgensis) in an ammonia inhibited continuous anaerobic reactor can improve methane production more than 30%. Nevertheless, cultivation...... tolerant methanogenic culture as potential bioaugmentation inoculum in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) operating under “inhibited steady-state”, triggered by high ammonia levels (5 g NH4+-N L-1). The results of the current study established for the first time that bioaugmentation of an enriched...

  11. Recovery of ammonia from anaerobically digested manure using gas-permeable membranes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Cruz García-González

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Nitrogen (N can be recovered from different types of wastewaters. Among these wastewaters, anaerobically digested swine manure (digestate has the highest N content in ammonia form (NH3. It is desirable to reduce N in digestate effluents to safely incorporate them in arable soil in N vulnerable zones (NVZ and to mitigate NH3 emissions during N land application. Additional benefit is to minimize inhibition of the anaerobic process by removing NH3 during the anaerobic digestion process. This work aimed to apply the gas-permeable membrane technology to evaluate ammonia (NH3 recovery from high-ammonia digested swine manure. Anaerobically digested swine manure with NH4+ content of 4,293 mg N L−1 was reduced by 91 % (to 381 mg N L−1 during the 32-day experiment. Although the results showed a total N recovery efficiency of 71 %, it is possible to increase this recovery efficiency to > 90 % by adjusting the area of the membrane system to match the high free ammonia concentration (FA in digested swine manure. Moreover, final digestate pH and alkalinity were kept around 8.1 and 8,923 mgCaCO3 L−1, which are convenient for the anaerobic process or incorporation in arable soil when the process is finished.

  12. Microbial monitoring of ammonia removal in a UASB reactor treating pre-digested chicken manure with anaerobic granular inoculum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yangin-Gomec, Cigdem; Pekyavas, Goksen; Sapmaz, Tugba; Aydin, Sevcan; Ince, Bahar; Akyol, Çağrı; Ince, Orhan

    2017-10-01

    Performance and microbial community dynamics in an upflow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (Anammox) treating diluted chicken manure digestate (Total ammonia nitrogen; TAN=123±10mg/L) were investigated for a 120-d operating period in the presence of anaerobic granular inoculum. Maximum TAN removal efficiency reached to above 80% with as low as 20mg/L TAN concentrations in the effluent. Moreover, total COD (tCOD) with 807±215mg/L in the influent was removed by 60-80%. High-throughput sequencing revealed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were dominant phyla followed by Euryarchaeota and Bacteroidetes. The relative abundance of Planctomycetes significantly increased from 4% to 8-9% during the late days of the operation with decreased tCOD concentration, which indicated a more optimum condition to favor ammonia removal through anammox route. There was also significant association between the hzsA gene and ammonia removal in the UASB reactor. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Effect of ammonia on the anaerobic hydrolysis of cellulose and tributyrin

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vasconcelos Fernandes, T.; Keesman, K.J.; Zeeman, G.; Lier, van J.B.

    2012-01-01

    Ammonia nitrogen is one of the most common inhibitors in the anaerobic digestion of complex wastes containing high concentrations of ammonia like animal manures, blackwater and waste oil from gastronomy. The inhibiting effect of ammonia on methanogenesis has been well established. In contrast, the

  14. Ammonia effect on hydrogenotrophic methanogens and syntrophic acetate oxidizing bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Han; Fotidis, Ioannis; Angelidaki, Irini

    Substrates that contain high ammonia levels can cause inhibition on anaerobic digestion process and unstable biogas production. The aim of the current study was to assess the effects of different ammonia levels on pure strains of (syntrophic acetate oxidizing) SAO bacteria and hydrogenotrophic...... methanogens. Two pure strains of hydrogenotrophic methanogens (i.e: Methanoculleus bourgensis and Methanoculleus thermophiles) and two pure strains of SAO bacteria (i.e: Tepidanaerobacter acetatoxydans and Thermacetogenium phaeum) were inoculated under four different ammonia (0.26, 3, 5 and 7g NH4+-N......, the total incubation periods of hydrogenotrophic methanogens were significantly shorter compared to the SAO bacteria incubation periods. Thus, it seems that hydrogenotrophic methanogens could be equally, if not more, tolerant to high ammonia levels compared to SAO bacteria....

  15. Submersible microbial desalination cell for simultaneous ammonia recovery and electricity production from anaerobic reactors containing high levels of ammonia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-01-01

    High ammonia concentration in anaerobic reactors can seriously inhibit the anaerobic digestion process. In this study, a submersible microbial desalination cell (SMDC) was developed as an innovative method to lower the ammonia level in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) by in situ ammonia...... recovery and electricity production. In batch experiment, the ammonia concentration in the CSTR decreased from 6 to 0.7g-N/L during 30days, resulting in an average recovery rate of 80g-N/m2/d. Meanwhile, a maximum power density of 0.71±0.5W/m2 was generated at 2.85A/m2. Both current driven NH4+ migration...... and free NH3 diffusion were identified as the mechanisms responsible for the ammonia transportation. With an increase in initial ammonia concentration and a decrease in external resistance, the SMDC performance was enhanced. In addition, the coexistence of other cations in CSTR or cathode had no negative...

  16. Counteracting ammonia inhibition in anaerobic digestion by removal with a hollow fiber membrane contactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauterböck, B; Ortner, M; Haider, R; Fuchs, W

    2012-10-01

    The aim of the current study was to investigate the feasibility of membrane contactors for continuous ammonia (NH₃-N) removal in an anaerobic digestion process and to counteract ammonia inhibition. Two laboratory anaerobic digesters were fed slaughterhouse wastes with ammonium (NH₄⁺) concentrations ranging from 6 to 7.4 g/L. One reactor was used as reference reactor without any ammonia removal. In the second reactor, a hollow fiber membrane contactor module was used for continuous ammonia removal. The hollow fiber membranes were directly submerged into the digestate of the anaerobic reactor. Sulfuric acid was circulated in the lumen as an adsorbent solution. Using this set up, the NH₄⁺-N concentration in the membrane reactor was significantly reduced. Moreover the extraction of ammonia lowered the pH by 0.2 units. In combination that led to a lowering of the free NH₃-N concentration by about 70%. Ammonia inhibition in the reference reactor was observed when the concentration exceeded 6 g/L NH₄⁺-N or 1-1.2 g/L NH₃-N. In contrast, in the membrane reactor the volatile fatty acid concentration, an indicator for process stability, was much lower and a higher gas yield and better degradation was observed. The chosen approach offers an appealing technology to remove ammonia directly from media having high concentrations of solids and it can help to improve process efficiency in anaerobic digestion of ammonia rich substrates. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Submersible microbial desalination cell for simultaneous ammonia recovery and electricity production from anaerobic reactors containing high levels of ammonia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-02-01

    High ammonia concentration in anaerobic reactors can seriously inhibit the anaerobic digestion process. In this study, a submersible microbial desalination cell (SMDC) was developed as an innovative method to lower the ammonia level in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) by in situ ammonia recovery and electricity production. In batch experiment, the ammonia concentration in the CSTR decreased from 6 to 0.7 g-N/L during 30 days, resulting in an average recovery rate of 80 g-N/m(2)/d. Meanwhile, a maximum power density of 0.71±0.5 W/m(2) was generated at 2.85 A/m(2). Both current driven NH4(+) migration and free NH3 diffusion were identified as the mechanisms responsible for the ammonia transportation. With an increase in initial ammonia concentration and a decrease in external resistance, the SMDC performance was enhanced. In addition, the coexistence of other cations in CSTR or cathode had no negative effect on the ammonia transportation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. A mass transfer model of ammonia volatilisation from anaerobic digestate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Whelan, M.J.; Everitt, T.; Villa, R.

    2010-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion (AD) is becoming increasingly popular for treating organic waste. The methane produced can be burned to generate electricity and the digestate, which is high in mineral nitrogen, can be used as a fertiliser. In this paper we evaluate potential losses of ammonia via volatilisation from food waste anaerobic digestate using a closed chamber system equipped with a sulphuric acid trap. Ammonia losses represent a pollution source and, over long periods could reduce the agronomic value of the digestate. Observed ammonia losses from the experimental system were linear with time. A simple non-steady-state partitioning model was developed to represent the process. After calibration, the model was able to describe the behaviour of ammonia in the digestate and in the trap very well. The average rate of volatilisation was approximately 5.2 g N m -2 week -1 . The model was used to extrapolate the findings of the laboratory study to a number of AD storage scenarios. The simulations highlight that open storage of digestate could result in significant losses of ammonia to the atmosphere. Losses are predicted to be relatively minor from covered facilities, particularly if depth to surface area ratio is high.

  19. Innovative bioelectrochemical-anaerobic-digestion integrated system for ammonia recovery and bioenergy production from ammonia-rich residues

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-01-01

    (SMRC) and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), to prevent ammonia toxicity during anaerobic digestion by in-situ ammonia recovery and electricity production (Figure 1). In batch experiment, the ammonia concentration in the CSTR decreased from 6 to 0.7 g-N/L with an average recovery rate of 0.18 g-N/L(CSTR...... performance was enhanced. In addition, the coexistence of other cations in CSTR or cathode had no negative effect on the ammonia transportation. In continuous reactor operation, 112% extra biogas production was achieved due to ammonia recovery. High-throughput molecular sequencing analysis showed an impact...... of ammonia recovery on the microbial community composition in the integrated system. Results clearly indicate the great potential of the SMRC-CSTR-coupled system for efficient and cost-effective ammonia recovery, energy production and treatment of ammonia-rich residues....

  20. Recovery of ammonia from anaerobically digested manure using gas-permeable membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nitrogen (N) can be recovered from different types of wastewaters. Among these wastewaters, anaerobically digested swine manure (digestate) is one with the highest N content in ammonia form. It is desirable to reduce the high ammonia content in swine manure because it reduces biogas production by in...

  1. The dominant acetate degradation pathway/methanogenic composition in full-scale anaerobic digesters operating under different ammonia levels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fotidis, Ioannis; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov; Angelidaki, Irini

    2014-01-01

    Ammonia is a major environmental factor influencing biomethanation in full-scale anaerobic digesters. In this study, the effect of different ammonia levels on methanogenic pathways and methanogenic community composition of full-scale biogas plants was investigated. Eight full-scale digesters...... operating under different ammonia levels were sampled, and the residual biogas production was followed in fed-batch reactors. Acetate, labelled in the methyl group, was used to determine the methanogenic pathway by following the 14CH4 and 14CO2 production. Fluorescence in situ hybridisation was used...... to determine the methanogenic communities’ composition. Results obtained clearly demonstrated that syntrophic acetate oxidation coupled with hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis was the dominant pathway in all digesters with high ammonia levels (2.8–4.57 g NH4 +-N L−1), while acetoclastic methanogenic pathway...

  2. Bioaugmentation with an acetate-oxidising consortium as a tool to tackle ammonia inhibition of anaerobic digestion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fotidis, Ioannis; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov; Angelidaki, Irini

    2013-01-01

    Ammonia is the major inhibitor of anaerobic digestion (AD) process in biogas plants. In the current study, the bioaugmentation of the ammonia tolerant SAO co-culture (i.e. Clostridium ultunense spp. nov. in association with Methanoculleus spp. strain MAB1) in a mesophilic up-flow anaerobic sludge...

  3. Anaerobic digestion of swine manure: Inhibition by ammonia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Kaare Hvid; Angelidaki, Irini; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    1998-01-01

    A stable anaerobic degradation of swine manure with ammonia concentration of 6 g-N/litre was obtained in continuously stirred tank reactors with a hydraulic retention time of 15 days, at Four different temperatures. Methane yields of 188, 141, 67 and 22 ml-CH4/g-VS were obtained at 37, 45, 55...... and 60 degrees C, respectively. The yields were significantly lower than the potential biogas yield of the swine manure used (300 ml-CH4/g-VS). A free ammonia concentration of 1.1 g-N/litre or more was found to cause inhibition in batch cultures at pH 8.0 (reactor pH), and higher free ammonia...... concentrations resulted in a decreased apparent specific growth rate. Batch experiments with various mixtures of swine and cattle manure showed that the biogas process was inhibited when the swine-to-cattle manure ratio was higher than 25:75, corresponding to a free ammonia concentration of approximately 1.1 g...

  4. Characterizing the Performance of Gas-Permeable Membranes as an Ammonia Recovery Strategy from Anaerobically Digested Dairy Manure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fillingham, Melanie; VanderZaag, Andrew; Singh, Jessica; Burtt, Stephen; Crolla, Anna; Kinsley, Chris; MacDonald, J Douglas

    2017-10-07

    Capturing ammonia from anaerobically digested manure could simultaneously decrease the adverse effects of ammonia inhibition on biogas production, reduce reactive nitrogen (N) loss to the environment, and produce mineral N fertilizer as a by-product. In this study, gas permeable membranes (GPM) were used to capture ammonia from dairy manure and digestate by the diffusion of gaseous ammonia across the membrane where ammonia is captured by diluted acid, forming an aqueous ammonium salt. A lab-scale prototype using tubular expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) GPM was used to (1) characterize the effect of total ammonium nitrogen (TAN) concentration, temperature, and pH on the ammonia capture rate using GPM, and (2) to evaluate the performance of a GPM system in conditions similar to a mesophilic anaerobic digester. The GPM captured ammonia at a rate between 2.2 to 6.3% of gaseous ammonia in the donor solution per day. Capture rate was faster in anaerobic digestate than raw manure. The ammonia capture rate could be predicted using non-linear regression based on the factors of total ammonium nitrogen concentration, temperature, and pH. This use of membranes shows promise in reducing the deleterious impacts of ammonia on both the efficiency of biogas production and the release of reactive N to the environment.

  5. Catalyst for Ammonia Oxidation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2015-01-01

    The present invention relates to a bimetallic catalyst for ammonia oxidation, a method for producing a bimetallic catalyst for ammonia oxidation and a method for tuning the catalytic activity of a transition metal. By depositing an overlayer of less catalytic active metal onto a more catalytic...

  6. Nitrate reduction, nitrous oxide formation, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation to nitrite in the gut of soil-feeding termites (Cubitermes and Ophiotermes spp.)

    KAUST Repository

    Ngugi, David

    2011-11-28

    Soil-feeding termites play important roles in the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in tropical soils. Through the mineralization of nitrogenous humus components, their intestinal tracts accumulate enormous amounts of ammonia, and nitrate and nitrite concentrations are several orders of magnitude above those in the ingested soil. Here, we studied the metabolism of nitrate in the different gut compartments of two Cubitermes and one Ophiotermes species using 15N isotope tracer analysis. Living termites emitted N 2 at rates ranging from 3.8 to 6.8nmolh -1 (g fresh wt.) -1. However, in homogenates of individual gut sections, denitrification was restricted to the posterior hindgut, whereas nitrate ammonification occurred in all gut compartments and was the prevailing process in the anterior gut. Potential rates of nitrate ammonification for the entire intestinal tract were tenfold higher than those of denitrification, implying that ammonification is the major sink for ingested nitrate in the intestinal tract of soil-feeding termites. Because nitrate is efficiently reduced already in the anterior gut, reductive processes in the posterior gut compartments must be fuelled by an endogenous source of oxidized nitrogen species. Quite unexpectedly, we observed an anaerobic oxidation of 15N-labelled ammonia to nitrite, especially in the P4 section, which is presumably driven by ferric iron; nitrification and anammox activities were not detected. Two of the termite species also emitted substantial amounts of N 2O, ranging from 0.4 to 3.9nmolh -1 (g fresh wt.) -1, providing direct evidence that soil-feeding termites are a hitherto unrecognized source of this greenhouse gas in tropical soils. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  7. Quantitative evaluation of inhibitory effect of various substances on anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Tomotaka; Harigaya, Yuhki; Kimura, Yuya; Kuroiwa, Megumi; Kurata, Yuhri; Isaka, Kazuichi; Suwa, Yuichi

    2017-09-01

    The inhibitory effect of 20 substances of various chemical species on the anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) activity of an enrichment culture, predominated by Candidatus Brocadia, was determined systematically by using a 15 N tracer technique. The initial anammox rate was determined during first 25 min with a small-scale anaerobic batch incubation supplemented with possible inhibitors. Although Cu 2+ and Mn 2+ did not inhibit anammox, the remaining 18 substances [Ni 2+ , Zn 2+ , Co 2+ , [Formula: see text] , Fe 2+ , 4 amines, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis (2-hydroxyphenylacetic acid) (EDDHA), citric acid, nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), 1,4-dioxane, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) and tetrahydrofuran (THF)] were inhibitory. Inhibitory effect of NTA, EDDHA, THF, DMF, DMA and amines on anammox was first determined in this study. Inhibitory effects of metals were re-evaluated because chelators, which may interfere inhibitory effect, have been used to dissolve metal salts into assay solution. The relative anammox activities as a function of concentration of each substance were described successfully (R 2  > 0.91) either with a linear inhibition model or with a Michaelis-Menten-based inhibition model. IC 50 values were estimated based on either model, and were compared. The IC 50 values of the 4 chelators (0.06-2.7 mM) and 5 metal ions (0.02-1.09 mM) were significantly lower than those of the 4 amines (10.6-29.1 mM) and 5 organic solvents (3.5-82 mM). Although it did not show any inhibition within 25 min, 0.1 mM Cu 2+ completely inhibited anammox activity in 240 min, suggesting that the inhibitory effect caused by Cu 2+ is time-dependent. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. The role of organic load and ammonia inhibition in anaerobic digestion of tannery fleshing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cecilia Polizzi

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study, batch tests on anaerobic digestion of tannery fleshing (skin-residue waste from hides’ tanning process, as sole substrate, have been performed with the purpose of assessing the effects of high substrate concentration and consequent ammonia inhibition on the process. Co-digestion with tannery primary sludge was also evaluated. According to the results, no inhibition occurred at initial organic load up to 5 gVS/l; an inhibited steady state was observed at 10 gVS/l, and system failure and instability was showed at the highest load of 20 gVS/l. Co-digestion with tannery primary sludge proved feasible, probably due to dilution effect. The observed ammonia and VFA accumulation over the experimental time-lapse is also discussed. Results are intended to increase knowledge on the technological application of anaerobic digestion of sole tannery fleshing, in the perspective of its application as on-site treatment solution for decentralised tanneries. Keywords: Anaerobic digestion, Tannery waste, Ammonia inhibition, Organic load

  9. Simultaneous Fe(III) reduction and ammonia oxidation process in Anammox sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiang; Huang, Yong; Liu, Heng-Wei; Wu, Chuan; Bi, Wei; Yuan, Yi; Liu, Xin

    2018-02-01

    In recent years, there have been a number of reports on the phenomenon in which ferric iron (Fe(III)) is reduced to ferrous iron [Fe(II)] in anaerobic environments, accompanied by simultaneous oxidation of ammonia to NO 2 - , NO 3 - , or N 2. However, studies on the relevant reaction characteristics and mechanisms are rare. Recently, in research on the effect of Fe(III) on the activity of Anammox sludge, excess ammonia oxidization has also been found. Hence, in the present study, Fe(III) was used to serve as the electron acceptor instead of NO 2 - , and the feasibility and characteristics of Anammox coupled to Fe(III) reduction (termed Feammox) were investigated. After 160days of cultivation, the conversion rate of ammonia in the reactor was above 80%, accompanied by the production of a large amount of NO 3 - and a small amount of NO 2 - . The total nitrogen removal rate was up to 71.8%. Furthermore, quantities of Fe(II) were detected in the sludge fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and denaturated gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses further revealed that in the sludge, some Anammox bacteria were retained, and some microbes were enriched during the acclimatization process. We thus deduced that in Anammox sludge, Fe(III) reduction takes place together with ammonia oxidation to NO 2 - and NO 3 - along with the Anammox process. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  10. Ammonia and temperature determine potential clustering in the anaerobic digestion microbiome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Vrieze, Jo; Saunders, Aaron Marc; He, Ying; Fang, Jing; Nielsen, Per Halkjaer; Verstraete, Willy; Boon, Nico

    2015-05-15

    Anaerobic digestion is regarded as a key environmental technology in the present and future bio-based economy. The microbial community completing the anaerobic digestion process is considered complex, and several attempts already have been carried out to determine the key microbial populations. However, the key differences in the anaerobic digestion microbiomes, and the environmental/process parameters that drive these differences, remain poorly understood. In this research, we hypothesized that differences in operational parameters lead to a particular composition and organization of microbial communities in full-scale installations. A total of 38 samples were collected from 29 different full-scale anaerobic digestion installations, showing constant biogas production in function of time. Microbial community analysis was carried out by means of amplicon sequencing and real-time PCR. The bacterial community in all samples was dominated by representatives of the Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria, covering 86.1 ± 10.7% of the total bacterial community. Acetoclastic methanogenesis was dominated by Methanosaetaceae, yet, only the hydrogenotrophic Methanobacteriales correlated with biogas production, confirming their importance in high-rate anaerobic digestion systems. In-depth analysis of operational and environmental parameters and bacterial community structure indicated the presence of three potential clusters in anaerobic digestion. These clusters were determined by total ammonia concentration, free ammonia concentration and temperature, and characterized by an increased relative abundance of Bacteroidales, Clostridiales and Lactobacillales, respectively. None of the methanogenic populations, however, could be significantly attributed to any of the three clusters. Nonetheless, further experimental research will be required to validate the existence of these different clusters, and to which extent the presence of these clusters relates to stable or sub

  11. Nitrate reductase and nitrous oxide production by Fusarium oxysporum 11dn1 under aerobic and anaerobic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurakov, A V; Nosikov, A N; Skrynnikova, E V; L'vov, N P

    2000-08-01

    The fungus Fusarium oxysporum 11dn1 was found to be able to grow and produce nitrous oxide on nitrate-containing medium in anaerobic conditions. The rate of nitrous oxide formation was three to six orders of magnitude lower than the rates of molecular nitrogen production by common denitrifying bacteria. Acetylene and ammonia did not affect the release of nitrous oxide release. It was shown that under anaerobic conditions fast increase of nitrate reductase activity occurred, caused by the synthesis of enzyme de novo and protein dephosphorylation. Reverse transfer of the mycelium to aerobic conditions led to a decline in nitrate reductase activity and stopped nitrous oxide production. The presence of two nitrate reductases was shown, which differed in molecular mass, location, temperature optima, and activity in nitrate- and ammonium-containing media. Two enzymes represent assimilatory and dissimilatory nitrate reductases, which are active in aerobic and anaerobic conditions, respectively.

  12. ADM1-based modeling of anaerobic digestion of swine manure fibers pretreated with aqueous ammonia soaking

    OpenAIRE

    Jurado, Esperanza; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2012-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion of manure fibers present challenges due to their low biodegradability. Aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) and subsequent ammonia removal has been tested as a simple and cheap method to disrupt the lignocellulose and increase the methane potential and the biogas productivity of manure fibers. In the present study, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of AAS pretreated manure fibers was tested in CSTR-type digesters fed with swine manure and/or a mixture of swine manure and AAS pretrea...

  13. Enhanced anaerobic treatment of CSTR-digested effluent from chicken manure: The effect of ammonia inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhan-Guang; Zhou, Xue-Fei; Zhang, Ya-Lei; Zhu, Hong-Guang

    2012-01-01

    The effect of ammonia inhibition was evaluated during the enhanced anaerobic treatment of digested effluent from a 700m(3) chicken-manure continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). A 12.3L internal circulation (IC) reactor inoculated with an anaerobic granular sludge and operated at 35±1°C was employed for the investigation. With a corresponding organic loading rate of 1.5-3.5kg-COD/m(3)d over a hydraulic retention time of 1.5d, a maximum volumetric biogas production rate of 1.2m(3)/m(3)d and TCOD (total COD) removal efficiency ranging from 70% to 80% was achieved. However, the continual increase in the influent TAN content led to ammonia inhibition in the methanogenesis system. The SCOD/TAN (soluble COD/total ammonia nitrogen) ratio was presented to be the key controlling factor for the anaerobic treatment of semi-digested chicken manure, and further validation through shock loading and ammonia inhibition experiments was conducted. The threshold value of the SCOD/TAN ratio was determined to be 2.4 (corresponding to a TAN of 1250mg/L) at an influent pH of 8.5-9. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Evaluating primers for profiling anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria within freshwater environments.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Puntipar Sonthiphand

    Full Text Available Anaerobic ammonia oxidizing (anammox bacteria play an important role in transforming ammonium to nitrogen gas and contribute to fixed nitrogen losses in freshwater environments. Understanding the diversity and abundance of anammox bacteria requires reliable molecular tools, and these are not yet well established for these important Planctomycetes. To help validate PCR primers for the detection of anammox bacteria within freshwater ecosystems, we analyzed representative positive controls and selected samples from Grand River and groundwater sites, both from Ontario, Canada. The objectives of this study were to identify a suitable anammox denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE fingerprint method by using GC-clamp modifications to existing primers, and to verify the specificity of anammox-specific primers used for DGGE, cloning and qPCR methods. Six primer combinations were tested from four published primer sets (i.e. A438f/A684r, Amx368f/Amx820r, An7f/An1388r, and Pla46/1392r for both direct and nested PCR amplifications. All PCR products were run subsequently on DGGE gels to compare the resulting patterns. Two anammox-specific primer combinations were also used to generate clone libraries and quantify anammox bacterial 16S rRNA genes with qPCR. The primer set A438f/A684r was highly specific to anammox bacteria, provided reliable DGGE fingerprints and generated a high proportion of anammox-related clones. A second primer set (Amx368f/Amx820r was anammox specific, based on clone library analysis, but PCR products from different candidate species of anammox bacteria resolved poorly using DGGE analysis. Both DGGE and cloning results revealed that Ca. Brocadia and an uncharacterized anammox bacterial cluster represented the majority of anammox bacteria found in Grand River sediment and groundwater samples, respectively. Together, our results demonstrate that although Amx368f/Amx820r was useful for anammox-specific qPCR and clone library

  15. Transcriptional Response of the Archaeal Ammonia Oxidizer Nitrosopumilus maritimus to Low and Environmentally Relevant Ammonia Concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stahl, David A.

    2013-01-01

    The ability of chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing archaea to compete for ammonia among marine microorganisms at low ambient concentrations has been in part attributed to their extremely high affinity for ammonia, but as yet there is no mechanistic understanding of supporting metabolism. We examined transcription of selected genes for anabolic functions (CO2 fixation, ammonia transport, and cell wall synthesis) and a central catabolic function (ammonia oxidation) in the thaumarchaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM1 growing at two ammonia concentrations, as measured by combined ammonia and ammonium, one well above the Km for ammonia oxidation (∼500 μM) and the other well below the Km (ammonia-replete to ammonia-limiting conditions. Transcript levels for ammonia oxidation, CO2 fixation, and one of the ammonia transport genes were approximately the same at high and low ammonia availability. Transcripts for all analyzed genes decreased with time in the complete absence of ammonia, but with various rates of decay. The new steady-state mRNA levels established are presumably more reflective of the natural physiological state of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and offer a reference for interpreting message abundance patterns in the natural environment. PMID:23995944

  16. ADM1-based modeling of anaerobic digestion of swine manure fibers pretreated with aqueous ammonia soaking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jurado, Esperanza; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2012-01-01

    fibers. In the present study, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of AAS pretreated manure fibers was tested in CSTR-type digesters fed with swine manure and/or a mixture of swine manure and AAS pretreated manure fibers. The Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1 (ADM1) was used for the prediction of the effect......Anaerobic digestion of manure fibers present challenges due to their low biodegradability. Aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) and subsequent ammonia removal has been tested as a simple and cheap method to disrupt the lignocellulose and increase the methane potential and the biogas productivity of manure...... that the AAS had on the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion of manure. Kinetic parameters were estimated by fitting of the model to data from manure fed digesters. The model was able to satisfactorily simulate the behaviour of digesters fed with manure. However, the model predictions were poorer...

  17. Potential coupling effects of ammonia-oxidizing and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria on completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite biofilm formation induced by the second messenger cyclic diguanylate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chao; Liu, Sitong; Xu, Xiaochen; Zhao, Chuanqi; Yang, Fenglin; Wang, Dong

    2017-05-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) on the coupling effects between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria for the completely autotrophic nitrogen removal over nitrite (CANON) biofilm formation in a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR). Analysis of the quantity of EPS and cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) confirmed that the contents of polysaccharides and c-di-GMP were correlated in the AOB sludge, anammox sludge, and CANON biofilm. The anammox sludge secreted more EPS (especially polysaccharides) than AOB with a markedly higher c-di-GMP content, which could be used by the bacteria to regulate the synthesis of exopolysaccharides that are ultimately used as a fixation matrix, for the adhesion of biomass. Indeed, increased intracellular c-di-GMP concentrations in the anammox sludge enhanced the regulation of polysaccharides to promote the adhesion of AOB and formation of the CANON biofilm. Overall, the results of this study provide new comprehensive information regarding the coupling effects of AOB and anammox bacteria for the nitrogen removal process.

  18. Counteracting ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion by recovery using submersible microbial desalination cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-01-01

    Ammonia inhibition is one of the most frequent and serious problems in biogas plants. In this study, a novel hybrid system consisting of a submersible microbial desalination cell (SMDC) and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was developed for counteracting ammonia inhibition during anaerobic...... digestion (AD) with simultaneous in situ ammonia recovery and electricity production. The SMDC was powered by acetate in a buffer solution, while synthetic ammonia-rich wastewater was used as the feeding of the CSTR. Under continuous operation, ammonia recovery rate of 86 g-N/m2 /day and current density...... of 4.33 A/m2 were achieved at steady-state condition. As a result, 112% extra biogas was produced due to ammonia recovery by the SMDC. High-throughput sequencing showed that ammonia recovery had an impact on the microbial community structures in the SMDC and CSTR. Considering the additional economic...

  19. Modeling the effect of heat fluxes on ammonia and nitrous oxide emissions from an anaerobic swine waste treatment lagoon using artificial neural network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Understanding factors that affect ammonia and nitrous emissions from anaerobic swine waste treatment lagoons or any animal waste receptacles is a necessary first step in deploying potential remediation options. In this study, we examined the various meteorological factors (i.e., air temperatures, s...

  20. Anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste with UF-membrane separation and recycling of permeate after free ammonia stripping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegrist, H; Hunziker, W; Hofer, H

    2005-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion can adapt to free ammonia to a certain extent. During the anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse waste, however, an ammonia concentration of up to 15 g Nl(-1) can be reached in the sludge liquid and this will even inhibit adapted sludge. To lower this concentration, a fraction of the digester liquid must therefore be continuously separated from the digested sludge and the free ammonia stripped before the liquid is recycled to the digester. A mesophilic laboratory digester was successfully operated with an ammonium concentration of 4-5g l(-1) and a pH of 8.0-8.4. After free ammonia stripping, the excess liquid was treated in a laboratory SBR for nitrogen and phosphorus removal before being added to the receiving water. The effluent had no toxic effect on daphnia and algae.

  1. Technical and operational feasibility of psychrophilic anaerobic digestion biotechnology for processing ammonia-rich waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Massé, Daniel I.; Rajagopal, Rajinikanth; Singh, Gursharan

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Long-term anaerobic digestion (AD) process at high-ammonia (>5 gN/L) is limited. • PADSBR technology was validated to treat N-rich waste with 8.2 ± 0.3 gNH 3 -N/L. • Excess ammonia (8.2 gN/L) did not affect the digestion process with no inhibition. • VFA, an indicator for process stability, did not accumulate in PADSBR. • Biomass acclimation in PADSBR ensured a high-stabilization of the AD process. - Abstract: Ammonia nitrogen plays a critical role in the performance and stability of anaerobic digestion (AD) of ammonia rich wastes like animal manure. Nevertheless, inhibition due to high ammonia remains an acute limitation in AD process. A successful long-term operation of AD process at high ammonia (>5 gN/L) is limited. This study focused on validating technical feasibility of psychrophilic AD in sequencing batch reactor (PADSBR) to treat swine manure spiked with NH 4 Cl up to 8.2 ± 0.3 gN/L, as a representative of N-rich waste. CODt, CODs, VS removals of 86 ± 3, 82 ± 2 and 73 ± 3% were attained at an OLR of 3 gCOD/L.d, respectively. High-ammonia had no effect on methane yields (0.23 ± 0.04 L CH 4 /gTCOD fed ) and comparable to that of control reactors, which fed with raw swine manure alone (5.5 gN/L). Longer solids/hydraulic retention times in PADSBRs enhanced biomass acclimation even at high-ammonia. Thus VFA, an indicator for process stability, did not accumulate in PADSBR. Further investigation is essential to establish the maximum concentrations of TKN and free ammonia that the PADSBR can sustain

  2. Counteracting ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion by recovery using submersible microbial desalination cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-07-01

    Ammonia inhibition is one of the most frequent and serious problems in biogas plants. In this study, a novel hybrid system consisting of a submersible microbial desalination cell (SMDC) and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) was developed for counteracting ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion (AD) with simultaneous in situ ammonia recovery and electricity production. The SMDC was powered by acetate in a buffer solution, while synthetic ammonia-rich wastewater was used as the feeding of the CSTR. Under continuous operation, ammonia recovery rate of 86 g-N/m(2) /day and current density of 4.33 A/m(2) were achieved at steady-state condition. As a result, 112% extra biogas was produced due to ammonia recovery by the SMDC. High-throughput sequencing showed that ammonia recovery had an impact on the microbial community structures in the SMDC and CSTR. Considering the additional economic benefits of biogas enhancement and possible wastewater treatment, the SMDC may represent a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for waste resources recovery and biomethanation of ammonia-rich residues. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Hydrothermal oxidation of ammonia/organic waste mixtures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luan, Li; Proesmans, P.I.; Buelow, S.J.

    1997-01-01

    Hydrothermal oxidation is a promising new technology for the treatment of radioactive contaminated hazardous organic wastes. Los Alamos National Laboratory is currently evaluating this technology for the U. S. Department of Energy. In this paper, we present experimental results from the study of the hydrothermal oxidation of an ammonia/alcohol/uranium waste mixture. The use of a co-oxidant system consisting of hydrogen peroxide combined with nitrate is discussed. Experiments demonstrate near complete destruction of ammonia and organic compounds at 500 degrees C, 38 MPa, and 50 seconds reaction time. The ammonia and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations in a waste simulant is reduced from 8,500 mg/L of ammonia and 12,500 mg/L TOC to 30 mg/L ammonia and less than 10 mg/L TOC. The major reaction products are CO 2 , N 2 , and a small amount of N 2 O. Comparison experiments with nitrate and hydrogen peroxide used individually show the advantage of the co-oxidant system

  4. Changes in the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria community in response to operational parameters during the treatment of anaerobic sludge digester supernatant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cydzik-Kwiatkowska, Agnieszka; Zielińska, Magdalena; Bernat, Katarzyna; Kulikowska, Dorota; Wojnowska-Baryła, Irena

    2012-07-01

    The understanding of the relationship between ammoniaoxidizing bacteria (AOB) communities in activated sludge and the operational treatment parameters supports the control of the treatment of ammonia-rich wastewater. The modifications of treatment parameters by alteration of the number and length of aerobic and anaerobic stages in the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) working cycle may influence the efficiency of ammonium oxidation and induce changes in the AOB community. Therefore, in the research, the impact of an SBR cycle mode with alternating aeration/ mixing conditions (7 h/1 h vs. 4 h/5.5 h) and volumetric exchange rate (n) on AOB abundance and diversity in activated sludge during the treatment of anaerobic sludge digester supernatant at limited oxygen concentration in the aeration stage (0.7 mg O2/l) was assessed. AOB diversity expressed by the Shannon-Wiener index (H') was determined by the cycle mode. At aeration/mixing stage lengths of 7 h/1 h, H' averaged 2.48 +/- 0.17, while at 4 h/ 5.5 h it was 2.35 +/- 0.16. At the given mode, AOB diversity decreased with increasing n. The cycle mode did not affect AOB abundance; however, a higher AOB abundance in activated sludge was promoted by decreasing the volumetric exchange rate. The sequences clustering with Nitrosospira sp. NpAV revealed the uniqueness of the AOB community and the simultaneously lower ability of adaptation of Nitrosospira sp. to the operational parameters applied in comparison with Nitrosomonas sp.

  5. Nitrogen metabolism and kinetics of ammonia-oxidizing archaea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martens-Habbena, Willm; Stahl, David A

    2011-01-01

    The discovery of ammonia-oxidizing mesophilic and thermophilic Group I archaea changed the century-old paradigm that aerobic ammonia oxidation is solely mediated by two small clades of Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria. Group I archaea are extremely diverse and ubiquitous in marine and terrestrial environments, accounting for 20-30% of the microbial plankton in the global oceans. Recent studies indicated that many of these organisms carry putative ammonia monooxygenase genes and are more abundant than ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in most natural environments suggesting a potentially significant role in the nitrogen cycle. The isolation of Nitrosopumilus maritimus strain SCM1 provided the first direct evidence that Group I archaea indeed gain energy from ammonia oxidation. To characterize the physiology of this archaeal nitrifier, we developed a respirometry setup particularly suited for activity measurements in dilute microbial cultures with extremely low oxygen uptake rates. Here, we describe the setup and review the kinetic experiments conducted with N. maritimus and other nitrifying microorganisms. These experiments demonstrated that N. maritimus is adapted to grow on ammonia concentrations found in oligotrophic open ocean environments, far below the survival threshold of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. The described setup and experimental procedures should facilitate physiological studies on other nitrifying archaea and oligotrophic microorganisms in general. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Transcriptional Response of the Archaeal Ammonia Oxidizer Nitrosopumilus maritimus to Low and Environmentally Relevant Ammonia Concentrations

    OpenAIRE

    Nakagawa, Tatsunori; Stahl, David A.

    2013-01-01

    The ability of chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing archaea to compete for ammonia among marine microorganisms at low ambient concentrations has been in part attributed to their extremely high affinity for ammonia, but as yet there is no mechanistic understanding of supporting metabolism. We examined transcription of selected genes for anabolic functions (CO2 fixation, ammonia transport, and cell wall synthesis) and a central catabolic function (ammonia oxidation) in the thaumarchaeon Nitrosopu...

  7. A pH-based control of ammonia in biogas during anaerobic digestion of artificial pig manure and maize silage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Strik, D.P.B.T.B.; Domnanovich, A.M.; Braun, R.; Holubar, P.

    2006-01-01

    The purposes of this study were to prove that ammonia can be present in biogas from anaerobic digestion and to control this ammonia by reducing the reactor pH. Ammonia containing biogas was produced for a period of more than 100 days, with a maximum of 332 ppm. Especially during periods of high free

  8. Immobilization of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria by polyvinyl alcohol and sodium alginate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Yuwei; Zhang, Yanqiu; Tu, Baojun

    Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria were immobilized by polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium alginate. The immobilization conditions and ammonia oxidation ability of the immobilized bacteria were investigated. The following immobilization conditions were observed to be optimal: PVA, 12%; sodium alginate, 1.1%; calcium chloride, 1.0%; inoculum concentration, 1.3 immobilized balls/mL of immobilized medium; pH, 10; and temperature, 30°C. The immobilized ammonia-oxidizing bacteria exhibited strong ammonia oxidation ability even after being recycled four times. The ammonia nitrogen removal rate of the immobilized ammonia-oxidizing bacteria reached 90.30% under the optimal immobilization conditions. When compared with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria immobilized by sodium alginate alone, the bacteria immobilized by PVA and sodium alginate were superior with respect to pH resistance, the number of reuses, material cost, heat resistance, and ammonia oxidation ability. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

  9. Bioaugmentation of Syntrophic Acetate-Oxidizing Culture in Biogas Reactors Exposed to Increasing Levels of Ammonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westerholm, Maria; Levén, Lotta

    2012-01-01

    The importance of syntrophic acetate oxidation for process stability in methanogenic systems operating at high ammonia concentrations has previously been emphasized. In this study we investigated bioaugmentation of syntrophic acetate-oxidizing (SAO) cultures as a possible method for decreasing the adaptation period of biogas reactors operating at gradually increased ammonia concentrations (1.5 to 11 g NH4+-N/liter). Whole stillage and cattle manure were codigested semicontinuously for about 460 days in four mesophilic anaerobic laboratory-scale reactors, and a fixed volume of SAO culture was added daily to two of the reactors. Reactor performance was evaluated in terms of biogas productivity, methane content, pH, alkalinity, and volatile fatty acid (VFA) content. The decomposition pathway of acetate was analyzed by isotopic tracer experiments, and population dynamics were monitored by quantitative PCR analyses. A shift in dominance from aceticlastic methanogenesis to SAO occurred simultaneously in all reactors, indicating no influence by bioaugmentation on the prevailing pathway. Higher abundances of Clostridium ultunense and Tepidanaerobacter acetatoxydans were associated with bioaugmentation, but no influence on Syntrophaceticus schinkii or the methanogenic population was distinguished. Overloading or accumulation of VFA did not cause notable dynamic effects on the population. Instead, the ammonia concentration had a substantial impact on the abundance level of the microorganisms surveyed. The addition of SAO culture did not affect process performance or stability against ammonia inhibition, and all four reactors deteriorated at high ammonia concentrations. Consequently, these findings further demonstrate the strong influence of ammonia on the methane-producing consortia and on the representative methanization pathway in mesophilic biogas reactors. PMID:22923397

  10. Long-term high-solids anaerobic digestion of food waste: Effects of ammonia on process performance and microbial community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Xuya; Zhang, ShangYi; Li, Lei; Zhao, Xiaofei; Ma, Yao; Shi, Dezhi

    2018-04-22

    A long-term high solids anaerobic digestion of food waste was conducted to identify microbial mechanisms of ammonia inhibition during digestion and to clarify correlations between ammonia accumulation, microbial community dynamics (diversity, composition, and interactions), and process stability. Results show that the effects of ammonia on process performance and microbial community were indirectly caused by volatile fatty acid accumulation. Excess free ammonia blocked acetate metabolism, leading to process instability. Accumulated acetate caused feedback inhibition at the acetogenesis stage, which resulted in considerable accumulation of propionate, valerate, and other long-chain fatty acids. This high concentration of volatile fatty acids reduced the abundance of syntrophic acetogenic bacteria and allowed hydrolytic fermentative bacteria to dominate. The normally interactive and orderly metabolic network was broken, which further exacerbated the process instability. These results improve the understanding of microbial mechanisms which contribute to process instability and provide guidance for the microbial management of anaerobic digesters. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. [Bacterial anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) in the marine nitrogen cycle--a review].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, Yiguo; Li, Meng; Gu, Jidong

    2009-03-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) is a microbial oxidation process of ammonium, with nitrite as the electron acceptor and dinitrogen gas as the main product, and is performed by a clade of deeply branched Planctomycetes, which possess an intracytoplasmic membrane-bounded organelle, the anammoxosome, for the Anammox process. The wide distribution of Anammox bacteria in different natural environments has been greatly modified the traditional view of biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen, in which microbial denitrifier is considered as the only organism to respire nitrate and nitrite to produce nitric and nitrous oxides, and eventually nitrogen gas. More evidences indicate that Anammox is responsible for the production of more than 50% of oceanic N2 and plays an important role in global nitrogen cycling. Moreover, due to the close relationship between nitrogen and carbon cycling, it is anticipated that Anammox process might also affect the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere, and influence the global climate change. In addition, the simultaneous transformation of nitrite and ammonium in wastewater treatment by Anammox would allow a 90% reduction in operational costs and provide a much more effective biotechnological process for wastewater treatment.

  12. Integrated electrochemical-biological process as an alternative mean for ammonia monitoring during anaerobic digestion of organic wastes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhao, Nannan; Li, Xiaohu; Jin, Xiangdan

    2017-01-01

    Ammonia monitoring is important to control anaerobic digestion (AD) process due to inhibition effect. Here, an electrolysis cell (EC) was integrated with a complete nitrification reactor as an alternative approach for online monitoring of ammonia during AD processes. The AD effluent was pumped...... into nitrification reactor to convert ammonia to nitrate, followed by the introduction of nitrate-rich effluent to EC cathode. It was first evaluated with synthetic ammonia-rich digesters and was observed that the current at 5 min were linearly corresponding to the ammonia levels (from 0 to 7.5 mM NH4+-N, R2....... The simple and reliable biosensor showed great promising for online ammonia monitoring of AD processes....

  13. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation mediated by Mn-oxides: from sediment to strain level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javanaud, Cedric; Michotey, Valerie; Guasco, Sophie; Garcia, Nicole; Anschutz, Pierre; Canton, Mathieu; Bonin, Patricia

    2011-11-01

    Nitrite and (29)N(2) productions in slurry incubations of anaerobically sediment after (15)NO(3) or (15)NH(4) labelling in the presence of Mn-oxides suggested that anaerobic Mn-oxides mediated nitrification coupled with denitrification in muddy intertidal sediments of Arcachon Bay (SW Atlantic French coast). From this sediment, bacterial strains were isolated and physiologically characterized in terms of Mn-oxides and nitrate reduction as well as potential anaerobic nitrification. One of the isolated strain, identified as Marinobacter daepoensis strain M4AY14, was a denitrifier. Nitrous oxide production by this strain was demonstrated in the absence of nitrate and with Mn-oxides and NH(4) amendment, giving indirect proof of anaerobic nitrate or nitrite production. Anaerobic Mn-oxide-mediated nitrification was confirmed by (29)N(2) production in the presence of (15)NO(3) and (14)NH(4) under denitrifying conditions. Anaerobic nitrification by M4AY14 seemed to occur only in the absence of nitrate, or at nitrate levels lower than that of Mn-oxides. Most of the other isolates were affiliated with the Shewanella genus and were able to use both nitrate and Mn-oxides as electron acceptors. When both electron acceptors were present, whatever their concentrations, nitrate and Mn-oxide reduction co-occurred. These data indicate that bacterial Mn-oxide reduction could be an important process in marine sediments with low oxygen concentrations, and demonstrate for the first time the role of bacteria in anaerobic Mn-mediated nitrification. Copyright © 2011 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. Removal of ammonia solutions used in catalytic wet oxidation processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Chang Mao; Lou, Jie Chung; Lin, Chia Hua

    2003-08-01

    Ammonia (NH(3)) is an important product used in the chemical industry, and is common place in industrial wastewater. Industrial wastewater containing ammonia is generally either toxic or has concentrations or temperatures such that direct biological treatment is unfeasible. This investigation used aqueous solutions containing more of ammonia for catalytic liquid-phase oxidation in a trickle-bed reactor (TBR) based on Cu/La/Ce composite catalysts, prepared by co-precipitation of Cu(NO(3))(2), La(NO(3))(2), and Ce(NO(3))(3) at 7:2:1 molar concentrations. The experimental results indicated that the ammonia conversion of the wet oxidation in the presence of the Cu/La/Ce composite catalysts was determined by the Cu/La/Ce catalyst. Minimal ammonia was removed from the solution by the wet oxidation in the absence of any catalyst, while approximately 91% ammonia removal was achieved by wet oxidation over the Cu/La/Ce catalyst at 230 degrees C with oxygen partial pressure of 2.0 MPa. Furthermore, the effluent streams were conducted at a liquid hourly space velocity of under 9 h(-1) in the wet catalytic processes, and a reaction pathway was found linking the oxidizing ammonia to nitric oxide, nitrogen and water. The solution contained by-products, including nitrates and nitrites. Nitrite selectivity was minimized and ammonia removal maximized when the feed ammonia solution had a pH of around 12.0.

  15. Anaerobic digestion for methane generation and ammonia reforming for hydrogen production: A thermodynamic energy balance of a model system to demonstrate net energy feasibility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babson, David M.; Bellman, Karen; Prakash, Shaurya; Fennell, Donna E.

    2013-01-01

    During anaerobic digestion, organic matter is converted to carbon dioxide and methane, and organic nitrogen is converted to ammonia. Generally, ammonia is recycled as a fertilizer or removed via nitrification–denitrification in treatment systems; alternatively it could be recovered and catalytically converted to hydrogen, thus supplying additional fuel. To provide a basis for further investigation, a theoretical energy balance for a model system that incorporates anaerobic digestion, ammonia separation and recovery, and conversion of the ammonia to hydrogen is reported. The model Anaerobic Digestion-Bioammonia to Hydrogen (ADBH) system energy demands including heating, pumping, mixing, and ammonia reforming were subtracted from the total energy output from methane and hydrogen to create an overall energy balance. The energy balance was examined for the ADBH system operating with a fixed feedstock loading rate with C:N ratios (gC/gN) ranging from 136 to 3 which imposed corresponding total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) concentrations of 20–10,000 mg/L. Normalizing total energy potential to the methane potential alone indicated that at a C:N ratio of 17, the energy output was greater for the ADBH system than from anaerobic digestion generating only methane. Decreasing the C:N ratio increased the methane content of the biogas comprising primarily methane to >80% and increased the ammonia stripping energy demand. The system required 23–34% of the total energy generated as parasitic losses with no energy integration, but when internally produced heat and pressure differentials were recovered, parasitic losses were reduced to between 8 and 17%. -- Highlights: •Modeled an integrated Anaerobic Digestion-Bioammonia to Hydrogen (ADBH) system. •Demonstrated positive net energy produced over a range of conditions by ADBH. •Demonstrated significant advantages of dual fuel recovery for energy gain by >20%. •Suggested system design considerations for energy recovery with

  16. Stable isotope probing of acetate fed anaerobic batch incubations shows a partial resistance of acetoclastic methanogenesis catalyzed by Methanosarcina to sudden increase of ammonia level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Liping; Lü, Fan; Mazéas, Laurent; Desmond-Le Quéméner, Elie; Madigou, Céline; Guenne, Angéline; Shao, Liming; Bouchez, Théodore; He, Pinjing

    2015-02-01

    Ammonia inhibition represents a major operational issue for anaerobic digestion. In order to refine our understanding of the terminal catabolic steps in thermophilic anaerobic digestion under ammonia stress, we studied batch thermophilic acetate fed experiments at low (0.26 g L(-1)) and high (7.00 g L(-1)) Total Ammonia Nitrogen concentrations (TAN). Although methane production started immediately for all incubations and resulted in methane yields close to stoichiometric expectations, a 62-72% decrease of methanogenic rate was observed throughout the incubation at 7.00 g L(-1) of TAN compared to 0.26 g L(-1). Stable Isotope Probing analysis of active microbial communities in (13)C-acetate fed experiments coupled to automated ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis and 16S rDNA pyrotag sequencing confirmed that microbial communities were similar for both TAN conditions. At both TAN levels, the (13)C-labeled bacterial community was mainly affiliated to Clostridia-relatives, with OPB54 bacteria being the most abundant sequence in the heavy DNA 16S rDNA pyrotag library. Sequences closely related to Methanosarcina thermophila were also abundantly retrieved in the heavy DNA fractions, showing that this methanogen was still actively assimilating labeled carbon from acetate at free ammonia nitrogen concentrations up to 916 mg L(-1). Stable isotopic signature analysis of biogas, measured in unlabeled acetate fed experiments that were conducted in parallel, confirmed that acetoclastic methanogenic pathway was dominant at both ammonia concentrations. Our work demonstrates that, besides the syntrophic acetate oxidation pathway, acetoclastic methanogenesis catalyzed by Methanosarcina can also play a major role in methane production at high ammonia levels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Production of oceanic nitrous oxide by ammonia-oxidizing archaea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. R. Löscher

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The recent finding that microbial ammonia oxidation in the ocean is performed by archaea to a greater extent than by bacteria has drastically changed the view on oceanic nitrification. The numerical dominance of archaeal ammonia-oxidizers (AOA over their bacterial counterparts (AOB in large parts of the ocean leads to the hypothesis that AOA rather than AOB could be the key organisms for the oceanic production of the strong greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O that occurs as a by-product of nitrification. Very recently, enrichment cultures of marine ammonia-oxidizing archaea have been reported to produce N2O.

    Here, we demonstrate that archaeal ammonia monooxygenase genes (amoA were detectable throughout the water column of the eastern tropical North Atlantic (ETNA and eastern tropical South Pacific (ETSP Oceans. Particularly in the ETNA, comparable patterns of abundance and expression of archaeal amoA genes and N2O co-occurred in the oxygen minimum, whereas the abundances of bacterial amoA genes were negligible. Moreover, selective inhibition of archaea in seawater incubations from the ETNA decreased the N2O production significantly. In studies with the only cultivated marine archaeal ammonia-oxidizer Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM1, we provide the first direct evidence for N2O production in a pure culture of AOA, excluding the involvement of other microorganisms as possibly present in enrichments. N. maritimus showed high N2O production rates under low oxygen concentrations comparable to concentrations existing in the oxycline of the ETNA, whereas the N2O production from two AOB cultures was comparably low under similar conditions. Based on our findings, we hypothesize that the production of N2O in tropical ocean areas results mainly from archaeal nitrification and will be affected by the predicted decrease in dissolved

  18. Ammonia oxidation at high pressure and intermediate temperatures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Song, Yu; Hashemi, Hamid; Christensen, Jakob Munkholt

    2016-01-01

    Ammonia oxidation experiments were conducted at high pressure (30 bar and 100 bar) under oxidizing and stoichiometric conditions, respectively, and temperatures ranging from 450 to 925 K. The oxidation of ammonia was slow under stoichiometric conditions in the temperature range investigated. Under...... oxidizing conditions the onset temperature for reaction was 850–875 K at 30 bar, while at 100 bar it was about 800 K, with complete consumption of NH3 at 875 K. The products of reaction were N2 and N2O, while NO and NO2 concentrations were below the detection limit even under oxidizing conditions. The data...... was satisfactory. The main oxidation path for NH3 at high pressure under oxidizing conditions is NH3⟶+OH NH2⟶+HO2,NO2 H2NO⟶+O2 HNO⟶+O2 NO ⟶+NH2 N2. The modeling predictions are most sensitive to the reactions NH2 + NO = NNH + OH and NH2 + HO2 = H2NO + OH, which promote the ammonia consumption by forming OH...

  19. A proposed mechanism for the ammonia-LCFA synergetic co-inhibition effect on anaerobic digestion process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tian, Hailin; Karachalios, Panagiotis; Angelidaki, Irini

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia and long chain fatty acids (LCFA) are two major inhibitors of the anaerobic digestion (AD) process. The individual inhibitory effect of each of these two inhibitors is well established; however, the combined co-inhibition effect has not been thoroughly assessed yet. In the current study...

  20. Anaerobic sulfide-oxidation in marine colorless sulfur-oxidizing bacteria

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    LokaBharathi, P.A.; Nair, S.; Chandramohan, D.

    Colorless sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are ubiquitous in Indian waters and have the ability to oxidize sulfide under anaerobic conditions. These bacteria can not only mediate the sulfur cycle oxidatively but also the nitrogen cycle reductively without...

  1. Nitrification of archaeal ammonia oxidizers in a high- temperature hot spring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shun; Peng, Xiaotong; Xu, Hengchao; Ta, Kaiwen

    2016-04-01

    The oxidation of ammonia by microbes has been shown to occur in diverse natural environments. However, the link of in situ nitrification activity to taxonomic identities of ammonia oxidizers in high-temperature environments remains poorly understood. Here, we studied in situ ammonia oxidation rates and the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) in surface and bottom sediments at 77 °C in the Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The in situ ammonia oxidation rates measured by the 15N-NO3- pool dilution technique in the surface and bottom sediments were 4.80 and 5.30 nmol N g-1 h-1, respectively. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) indicated that the archaeal 16S rRNA genes and amoA genes were present in the range of 0.128 to 1.96 × 108 and 2.75 to 9.80 × 105 gene copies g-1 sediment, respectively, while bacterial amoA was not detected. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed high sequence similarity to thermophilic Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii, which represented the most abundant operational taxonomic units (OTU) in both surface and bottom sediments. The archaeal predominance was further supported by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) visualization. The cell-specific rate of ammonia oxidation was estimated to range from 0.410 to 0.790 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, higher than those in the two US Great Basin hot springs. These results suggest the importance of archaeal rather than bacterial ammonia oxidation in driving the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial geothermal environments.

  2. Ammonia oxidation kinetics and temperature sensitivity of a natural marine community dominated by Archaea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horak, Rachel E A; Qin, Wei; Schauer, Andy J; Armbrust, E Virginia; Ingalls, Anitra E; Moffett, James W; Stahl, David A; Devol, Allan H

    2013-01-01

    Archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOAs) are increasingly recognized as prominent members of natural microbial assemblages. Evidence that links the presence of AOA with in situ ammonia oxidation activity is limited, and the abiotic factors that regulate the distribution of AOA natural assemblages are not well defined. We used quantitative PCR to enumerate amoA (encodes α-subunit of ammonia monooxygenase) abundances; AOA amoA gene copies greatly outnumbered ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and amoA transcripts were derived primarily from AOA throughout the water column of Hood Canal, Puget Sound, WA, USA. We generated a Michaelis–Menten kinetics curve for ammonia oxidation by the natural community and found that the measured Km of 98±14 nmol l−1 was close to that for cultivated AOA representative Nitrosopumilus maritimus SCM1. Temperature did not have a significant effect on ammonia oxidation rates for incubation temperatures ranging from 8 to 20 °C, which is within the temperature range for depths of measurable ammonia oxidation at the site. This study provides substantial evidence, through both amoA gene copies and transcript abundances and the kinetics response, that AOA are the dominant active ammonia oxidizers in this marine environment. We propose that future ammonia oxidation experiments use a Km for the natural community to better constrain ammonia oxidation rates determined with the commonly used 15NH4+ dilution technique. PMID:23657360

  3. An innovative bioelectrochemical-anaerobic digestion-coupled system for in-situ ammonia recovery and biogas enhancement: process performance and microbial ecology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

    (SMRC) and a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), to prevent ammonia toxicity during anaerobic digestion by in-situ ammonia recovery and electricity production. In batch experiment, the ammonia concentration in the CSTR decreased from 6 to 0.7 g-N/L with an average recovery rate of 0.18 g-N/L(CSTR...... performance was enhanced. In addition, the coexistence of other cations in CSTR or cathode had no negative effect on the ammonia transportation. In continuous reactor operation, 112% extra biogas production was achieved due to ammonia recovery. High-throughput molecular sequencing analysis showed an impact...... of ammonia recovery on the microbial community composition in the integrated system. Results clearly indicate the great potential of the SMRC-CSTR-coupled system for efficient and cost-effective ammonia recovery, energy production and treatment of ammonia-rich residues....

  4. SOIL NITROUS OXIDE, NITRIC OXIDE, AND AMMONIA EMISSIONS FROM A RECOVERING RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEM IN SOUTHERN APPALACHIA

    Science.gov (United States)

    The paper presents two years of seasonal nitric oxide, ammonia, and nitrous oxide trace gas fluxes measured in a recovering riparian zone with cattle excluded and in an adjacent riparian zone grazed by cattle. In the recovering riparian zone, average nitric oxide, ammonia, and ni...

  5. Catalytic wet oxidation of ammonia solution: Activity of the nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalyst

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hung, C.-M.

    2009-01-01

    Aqueous solutions of 400-1000 mg/L of ammonia were oxidized in a trickle-bed reactor (TBR) in this study of nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalysts, which were prepared by the co-precipitation of H 2 PtCl 6 , Pd(NO 3 ) 3 and Rh(NO 3 ) 3 . Hardly any of the dissolved ammonia was removed by wet oxidation in the absence of any catalyst, whereas about 99% of the ammonia was reduced during wet oxidation over nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalysts at 503 K in an oxygen partial pressure of 2.0 MPa. A synergistic effect exists in the nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite structure, which is the material with the highest ammonia reduction activity. The nanometer-sized particles were characterized by TEM, XRD and FTIR. The effect of the initial concentration and reaction temperature on the removal of ammonia from the effluent streams was also studied at a liquid hourly space velocity of under 9 h -1 in the wet catalytic processes

  6. Catalytic wet oxidation of ammonia solution: Activity of the nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalyst

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hung, C.-M. [Department of Industry Engineering and Management, Yung-Ta Institute of Technology and Commerce, 316 Chung-shan Road, Linlo, Pingtung 909, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: hungcm1031@gmail.com

    2009-04-15

    Aqueous solutions of 400-1000 mg/L of ammonia were oxidized in a trickle-bed reactor (TBR) in this study of nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalysts, which were prepared by the co-precipitation of H{sub 2}PtCl{sub 6}, Pd(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} and Rh(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}. Hardly any of the dissolved ammonia was removed by wet oxidation in the absence of any catalyst, whereas about 99% of the ammonia was reduced during wet oxidation over nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalysts at 503 K in an oxygen partial pressure of 2.0 MPa. A synergistic effect exists in the nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite structure, which is the material with the highest ammonia reduction activity. The nanometer-sized particles were characterized by TEM, XRD and FTIR. The effect of the initial concentration and reaction temperature on the removal of ammonia from the effluent streams was also studied at a liquid hourly space velocity of under 9 h{sup -1} in the wet catalytic processes.

  7. Catalytic wet oxidation of ammonia solution: activity of the nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalyst.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Chang-Mao

    2009-04-15

    Aqueous solutions of 400-1000 mg/L of ammonia were oxidized in a trickle-bed reactor (TBR) in this study of nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalysts, which were prepared by the co-precipitation of H(2)PtCl(6), Pd(NO(3))(3) and Rh(NO(3))(3). Hardly any of the dissolved ammonia was removed by wet oxidation in the absence of any catalyst, whereas about 99% of the ammonia was reduced during wet oxidation over nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite oxide catalysts at 503 K in an oxygen partial pressure of 2.0 MPa. A synergistic effect exists in the nanoscale platinum-palladium-rhodium composite structure, which is the material with the highest ammonia reduction activity. The nanometer-sized particles were characterized by TEM, XRD and FTIR. The effect of the initial concentration and reaction temperature on the removal of ammonia from the effluent streams was also studied at a liquid hourly space velocity of under 9 h(-1) in the wet catalytic processes.

  8. Growth of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in cattle manure compost under various temperatures and ammonia concentrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oishi, Ryu; Tada, Chika; Asano, Ryoki; Yamamoto, Nozomi; Suyama, Yoshihisa; Nakai, Yutaka

    2012-05-01

    A recent study showed that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) coexist in the process of cattle manure composting. To investigate their physiological characteristics, liquid cultures seeded with fermenting cattle manure compost were incubated at various temperatures (37°C, 46°C, or 60°C) and ammonium concentrations (0.5, 1, 4, or 10 mM NH (4) (+) -N). The growth rates of the AOB and AOA were monitored using real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis targeting the bacterial and archaeal ammonia monooxygenase subunit A genes. AOB grew at 37°C and 4 or 10 mM NH (4) (+) -N, whereas AOA grew at 46°C and 10 mM NH (4) (+) -N. Incubation with allylthiourea indicated that the AOB and AOA grew by oxidizing ammonia. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and subsequent sequencing analyses revealed that a bacterium related to Nitrosomonas halophila and an archaeon related to Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis were the predominant AOB and AOA, respectively, in the seed compost and in cultures after incubation. This is the first report to demonstrate that the predominant AOA in cattle manure compost can grow and can probably oxidize ammonia under moderately thermophilic conditions.

  9. Nitrogen and Oxygen Isotope Effects of Ammonia Oxidation by Thermophilic Thaumarchaeota from a Geothermal Water Stream.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishizawa, Manabu; Sakai, Sanae; Konno, Uta; Nakahara, Nozomi; Takaki, Yoshihiro; Saito, Yumi; Imachi, Hiroyuki; Tasumi, Eiji; Makabe, Akiko; Koba, Keisuke; Takai, Ken

    2016-08-01

    Ammonia oxidation regulates the balance of reduced and oxidized nitrogen pools in nature. Although ammonia-oxidizing archaea have been recently recognized to often outnumber ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in various environments, the contribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea is still uncertain due to difficulties in the in situ quantification of ammonia oxidation activity. Nitrogen and oxygen isotope ratios of nitrite (δ(15)NNO2- and δ(18)ONO2-, respectively) are geochemical tracers for evaluating the sources and the in situ rate of nitrite turnover determined from the activities of nitrification and denitrification; however, the isotope ratios of nitrite from archaeal ammonia oxidation have been characterized only for a few marine species. We first report the isotope effects of ammonia oxidation at 70°C by thermophilic Thaumarchaeota populations composed almost entirely of "Candidatus Nitrosocaldus." The nitrogen isotope effect of ammonia oxidation varied with ambient pH (25‰ to 32‰) and strongly suggests the oxidation of ammonia, not ammonium. The δ(18)O value of nitrite produced from ammonia oxidation varied with the δ(18)O value of water in the medium but was lower than the isotopic equilibrium value in water. Because experiments have shown that the half-life of abiotic oxygen isotope exchange between nitrite and water is longer than 33 h at 70°C and pH ≥6.6, the rate of ammonia oxidation by thermophilic Thaumarchaeota could be estimated using δ(18)ONO2- in geothermal environments, where the biological nitrite turnover is likely faster than 33 h. This study extended the range of application of nitrite isotopes as a geochemical clock of the ammonia oxidation activity to high-temperature environments. Because ammonia oxidation is generally the rate-limiting step in nitrification that regulates the balance of reduced and oxidized nitrogen pools in nature, it is important to understand the biological and environmental factors underlying the regulation of

  10. The history of aerobic ammonia oxidizers: from the first discoveries to today.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Monteiro, Maria; Séneca, Joana; Magalhães, Catarina

    2014-07-01

    Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and nitrate, has long been considered a central biological process in the global nitrogen cycle, with its first description dated 133 years ago. Until 2005, bacteria were considered the only organisms capable of nitrification. However, the recent discovery of a chemoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing archaeon, Nitrosopumilus maritimus, changed our concept of the range of organisms involved in nitrification, highlighting the importance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) as potential players in global biogeochemical nitrogen transformations. The uniqueness of these archaea justified the creation of a novel archaeal phylum, Thaumarchaeota. These recent discoveries increased the global scientific interest within the microbial ecology society and have triggered an analysis of the importance of bacterial vs archaeal ammonia oxidation in a wide range of natural ecosystems. In this mini review we provide a chronological perspective of the current knowledge on the ammonia oxidation pathway of nitrification, based on the main physiological, ecological and genomic discoveries.

  11. Diversity Profile of Microbes Associated with Anaerobic Sulfur Oxidation in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor Treating Municipal Sewage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aida, Azrina A.; Kuroda, Kyohei; Yamamoto, Masamitsu; Nakamura, Akinobu; Hatamoto, Masashi; Yamaguchi, Takashi

    2015-01-01

    We herein analyzed the diversity of microbes involved in anaerobic sulfur oxidation in an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor used for treating municipal sewage under low-temperature conditions. Anaerobic sulfur oxidation occurred in the absence of oxygen, with nitrite and nitrate as electron acceptors; however, reactor performance parameters demonstrated that anaerobic conditions were maintained. In order to gain insights into the underlying basis of anaerobic sulfur oxidation, the microbial diversity that exists in the UASB sludge was analyzed comprehensively to determine their identities and contribution to sulfur oxidation. Sludge samples were collected from the UASB reactor over a period of 2 years and used for bacterial 16S rRNA gene-based terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and next-generation sequencing analyses. T-RFLP and sequencing results both showed that microbial community patterns changed markedly from day 537 onwards. Bacteria belonging to the genus Desulforhabdus within the phylum Proteobacteria and uncultured bacteria within the phylum Fusobacteria were the main groups observed during the period of anaerobic sulfur oxidation. Their abundance correlated with temperature, suggesting that these bacterial groups played roles in anaerobic sulfur oxidation in UASB reactors. PMID:25817585

  12. A bio-electrochemical system for removing inhibitors of anaerobic digestion processes from anaerobic reactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2014-01-01

    Inhibition of anaerobic digestion process by high level of ammonia (NH4 +/I\\IH3) is the most serious problem existing in biogas plants. No viable/applicable method to overcome this problem has been found up to now. This invention proposes an innovative submersible bio-electrochemical membrane...... reactor to recover ammonia from anaerobic digestion reactor, and thereby alleviate or counteract ammonia inhibition and enhance the conversion of ammonia-rich wastes to biogas. The invention may further reduce overall cost, giving synergistic advantages for both ammonia recycling and biogas plants...... by recovering acid (e.g., H2SO4, HCI), that can be used to treat the recovered ammonia....

  13. Quantifying the percentage of methane formation via acetoclastic and syntrophic acetate oxidation pathways in anaerobic digesters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Ying; Banks, Charles; Zhang, Yue; Heaven, Sonia; Longhurst, Philip

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia concentration is one of the key factors influencing the methanogenic community composition and dominant methanogenic pathway in anaerobic digesters. This study adopted a radiolabelling technique using [2- 14 C] acetate to investigate the relationship between total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) and the methanogenic pathway. The radiolabelling experiments determined the ratio of 14 CO 2 and 14 CH 4 in the biogas which was used to quantitatively determine the percentage of CH 4 derived from acetoclastic and syntrophic acetate oxidation routes, respectively. This technique was performed on a selection of mesophilic digesters representing samples of low to high TAN concentrations (0.2-11.1gkg -1 wet weight). In high TAN digesters, the ratio between 14 CO 2 and 14 CH 4 was in the range 2.1-3.0; indicating 68-75% of methane was produced via the hydrogenotrophic route; whereas in low ammonia samples the ratio was 0.1-0.3, indicating 9-23% of methane was produced by the hydrogenotrophic route. These findings have been confirmed further by phylogenetic studies. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Amperometric detection and electrochemical oxidation of aliphatic amines and ammonia on silver-lead oxide thin-film electrodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ge, Jisheng [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    1996-01-08

    This thesis comprises three parts: Electrocatalysis of anodic oxygen-transfer reactions: aliphatic amines at mixed Ag-Pb oxide thin-film electrodes; oxidation of ammonia at anodized Ag-Pb eutectic alloy electrodes; and temperature effects on oxidation of ethylamine, alanine, and aquated ammonia.

  15. Modified ADM1 for modeling free ammonia inhibition in anaerobic acidogenic fermentation with high-solid sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Jie; Liu, He; Yin, Bo; Ma, Huijun; Chen, Xinchun

    2017-02-01

    Anaerobic acidogenic fermentation with high-solid sludge is a promising method for volatile fatty acid (VFA) production to realize resource recovery. In this study, to model inhibition by free ammonia in high-solid sludge fermentation, the anaerobic digestion model No. 1 (ADM1) was modified to simulate the VFA generation in batch, semi-continuous and full scale sludge. The ADM1 was operated on the platform AQUASIM 2.0. Three kinds of inhibition forms, e.g., simple inhibition, Monod and non-inhibition forms, were integrated into the ADM1 and tested with the real experimental data for batch and semi-continuous fermentation, respectively. The improved particle swarm optimization technique was used for kinetic parameter estimation using the software MATLAB 7.0. In the modified ADM1, the K s of acetate is 0.025, the k m,ac is 12.51, and the K I_NH3 is 0.02, respectively. The results showed that the simple inhibition model could simulate the VFA generation accurately while the Monod model was the better inhibition kinetics form in semi-continuous fermentation at pH10.0. Finally, the modified ADM1 could successfully describe the VFA generation and ammonia accumulation in a 30m 3 full-scale sludge fermentation reactor, indicating that the developed model can be applicable in high-solid sludge anaerobic fermentation. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Improving anaerobic digestion of pig manure by adding in the same reactor a stabilizing agent formulated with low-grade magnesium oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romero-Güiza, M.S.; Astals, S.; Chimenos, J.M.; Martínez, M.; Mata-Alvarez, J.

    2014-01-01

    Struvite precipitation and pig manure anaerobic digestion were coupled in the same reactor in order to mitigate the inhibitory effect of free ammonia and avoid precipitator costs. The stabilizing agent used to facilitate struvite precipitation was formulated with low-grade magnesium oxide by-product; an approach that would notably reduce struvite processing costs. The interaction between pig manure and stabilizing agent was analyzed in batch experiments, on a wide range of stabilizing agent additions from 5 to 100 kg m −3 . The monitoring of the pH and ammonia removal during 24 h showed the high capacity of the stabilizing agent to remove ammonia; removal efficiencies above 80% were obtained from 40 kg m −3 . However, a long-term anaerobic digester operation was required to assess the feasibility of the process and to ensure that the stabilizing agent does not introduce any harmful compound for the anaerobic biomass. In this vein, the addition of 5 and 30 kg m −3 of the stabilizing agent in a pig manure continuous digester resulted in a 25% (0.17 m 3  kg −1 ) and a 40% (0.19 m 3  kg −1 ) increase in methane production per mass of volatile solid, respectively, when compared with the reference digester (0.13 m 3  kg −1 ). Moreover, the stability of the process during four hydraulic retention times guarantees that the stabilizing agent did not exert a negative effect on the consortium of microorganisms. Finally, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the presence of struvite as well as two precipitation mechanisms, struvite precipitation on the stabilizing agent surface and in the bulk solution. - Highlights: • Anaerobic digestion and struvite precipitation were satisfactorily coupled. • The stabilizing agent showed high ammonia removals efficiencies. • The stabilizing agent improved the methane production of a pig manure digester. • The stabilizing agent does not introduce harmful compound for the

  17. Bioaugmentation of an acetate-oxidising anaerobic consortium in up-flow sludge blanket reactor subjected to high ammonia loads

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fotidis, Ioannis; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov; Angelidaki, Irini

    Ammonia is the major inhibitor of anaerobic digestion (AD) process leading to suboptimal utilisation of the biogas potential of the feedstocks and causing economical losses to the biogas plants. However, ammonia is mainly inhibiting the aceticlastic methanogens, while the hydrogenotrophic...... was tested. The co-cultivation in fed-batch of a fast-growing hydrogenotrophic methanogen (i.e. Methanoculleus bourgensis) with the SAO culture was also investigated. Results obtained clearly demonstrated that bioaugmentation of SAO culture in a UASB reactor was not possible most probably due to the slow...

  18. Differential contributions of ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers to nitrification in four paddy soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Baozhan; Zhao, Jun; Guo, Zhiying; Ma, Jing; Xu, Hua; Jia, Zhongjun

    2015-01-01

    Rice paddy fields are characterized by regular flooding and nitrogen fertilization, but the functional importance of aerobic ammonia oxidizers and nitrite oxidizers under unique agricultural management is poorly understood. In this study, we report the differential contributions of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) to nitrification in four paddy soils from different geographic regions (Zi-Yang (ZY), Jiang-Du (JD), Lei-Zhou (LZ) and Jia-Xing (JX)) that are representative of the rice ecosystems in China. In urea-amended microcosms, nitrification activity varied greatly with 11.9, 9.46, 3.03 and 1.43 μg NO3−-N g−1 dry weight of soil per day in the ZY, JD, LZ and JX soils, respectively, over the course of a 56-day incubation period. Real-time quantitative PCR of amoA genes and pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed significant increases in the AOA population to various extents, suggesting that their relative contributions to ammonia oxidation activity decreased from ZY to JD to LZ. The opposite trend was observed for AOB, and the JX soil stimulated only the AOB populations. DNA-based stable-isotope probing further demonstrated that active AOA numerically outcompeted their bacterial counterparts by 37.0-, 10.5- and 1.91-fold in 13C-DNA from ZY, JD and LZ soils, respectively, whereas AOB, but not AOA, were labeled in the JX soil during active nitrification. NOB were labeled to a much greater extent than AOA and AOB, and the addition of acetylene completely abolished the assimilation of 13CO2 by nitrifying populations. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that archaeal ammonia oxidation was predominantly catalyzed by soil fosmid 29i4-related AOA within the soil group 1.1b lineage. Nitrosospira cluster 3-like AOB performed most bacterial ammonia oxidation in the ZY, LZ and JX soils, whereas the majority of the 13C-AOB in the JD soil was affiliated with the Nitrosomona communis lineage. The 13C-NOB was overwhelmingly

  19. Revisiting the electrochemical oxidation of ammonia on carbon-supported metal nanoparticle catalysts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Zhe-Fei; Wang, Yuxuan; Botte, Gerardine G.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • A procedure to pretreat electrocatalysts to study the ammonia oxidation is provided. • N ads and O/OH ads were identified as the major deactivation species that prevent ammonia oxidatoin. • The electrocatalytic activity, thermodynamics, and possible deactivation mechanisms for ammonia oxidation were elucidated. • The onset potential for ammonia oxidation is related to the hydrogen binding energy of the catalyst. • Ammonia electro-oxidation involves a complex decoupled electron and proton transfer process. - Abstract: The ammonia electro-oxidation reaction (AOR) has been studied due to its promising applications in ammonia electrolysis, wastewater remediation, direct ammonia fuel cells, and sensors. However, it is difficult to compare and analyze the reported electrocatalytic activity of AOR reliably, likely due to the variation in catalyst synthesis, electrode composition, electrode morphology, and testing protocol. In this paper, the electro-oxidation of ammonia on different carbon-supported precious metal nanoparticle catalysts was revisited. The effect of experimental conditions, electrochemical test parameters, electrocatalytic activity, thermodynamics, and possible deactivation mechanism of the catalysts were investigated. Pt/C catalyst possesses the highest electrocatalytic activity, while Ir/C and Rh/C show lower overpotential. The onset potential of the AOR is related to the hydrogen binding energy of the catalyst. N ads is one major cause of deactivation accompanied with the formation of surface O/OH ads at high potentials. The coulombic efficiency of N ads formation on Pt is about 1% initially and gradually decreases with reaction time. Increase in ammonia concentration leads to increase in current density, while increase in hydroxyl ions concentration can enhance the current density and reduce the overpotential simultaneously. The slopes of AOR onset potential and hydrogen adsorption/desorption potential of Pt/C as a function of p

  20. Controls of nitrite oxidation in ammonia-removing biological air filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Juhler, Susanne; Ottosen, Lars Ditlev Mørck; Nielsen, Lars Peter

    2008-01-01

    in accumulation of nitrate rather than nitrite and a significant decline in pH. As a consequence, ammonia is removed more efficiently, but heterotrophic oxidation of odorous compounds might be inhibited.  To identify the controlling mechanisms of nitrite oxidation, full-scale biological air filters were...... activity resulting in a lowered pH and thus a decreased FA concentration, promoting further growth of NOB. Yet, in some cases a situation with a nitrate-to-nitrite ratio of 1 and moderate pH remained stable even under varying air load and water supply, suggesting that additional mechanisms were involved......In biological air filters ammonia is removed due to the action of Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) resulting in nitrite accumulation exceeding 100 mM. Among filters treating exhaust air from pig facilities successful establishment of Nitrite Oxidizing Bacteria (NOB) sometimes occurs, resulting...

  1. On the effect of aqueous ammonia soaking pretreatment on batch and continuous anaerobic digestion of digested swine manure fibers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mirtsou Xanthopoulou, Chrysoula; Jurado, Esperanza; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2012-01-01

    , their economical profitable operation relies on increasing the methane yield from manure, and especially of its solid fraction which is not so easily degradable. Aqueous Ammonia Soaking (AAS) has been successfully applied on digested fibers separated from the effluent of a manure-fed, full-scale anaerobic digester......-pretreated digested manure fibers on the kinetics of anaerobic digestion process. It was found that AAS treatment had a profound effect mainly on the hydrolysis rate of particulate carbohydrates....

  2. Ammonia oxidation, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium in two US Great Basin hot springs with abundant ammonia-oxidizing archaea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodsworth, Jeremy A; Hungate, Bruce A; Hedlund, Brian P

    2011-08-01

    Many thermophiles catalyse free energy-yielding redox reactions involving nitrogenous compounds; however, little is known about these processes in natural thermal environments. Rates of ammonia oxidation, denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) were measured in source water and sediments of two ≈ 80°C springs in the US Great Basin. Ammonia oxidation and denitrification occurred mainly in sediments. Ammonia oxidation rates measured using (15)N-NO(3)(-) pool dilution ranged from 5.5 ± 0.8 to 8.6 ± 0.9 nmol N g(-1) h(-1) and were unaffected or only mildly stimulated by amendment with NH(4) Cl. Denitrification rates measured using acetylene block ranged from 15.8 ± 0.7 to 51 ± 12 nmol N g(-1) h(-1) and were stimulated by amendment with NO(3)(-) and complex organic compounds. The DNRA rate in one spring sediment measured using an (15)N-NO(3)(-) tracer was 315 ± 48 nmol N g(-1) h(-1). Both springs harboured distinct planktonic and sediment microbial communities. Close relatives of the autotrophic, ammonia-oxidizing archaeon 'Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii' represented the most abundant OTU in both spring sediments by 16S rRNA gene pyrotag analysis. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that 'Ca. N. yellowstonii'amoA and 16S rRNA genes were present at 3.5-3.9 × 10(8) and 6.4-9.0 × 10(8) copies g(-1) sediment. Potential denitrifiers included members of the Aquificales and Thermales. Thermus spp. comprised <1% of 16S rRNA gene pyrotags in both sediments and qPCR for T. thermophilus narG revealed sediment populations of 1.3-1.7 × 10(6) copies g(-1) sediment. These data indicate a highly active nitrogen cycle (N-cycle) in these springs and suggest that ammonia oxidation may be a major source of energy fuelling primary production. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  3. Bioturbation determines the response of benthic ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms to ocean acidification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laverock, B.; Kitidis, V.; Tait, K.; Gilbert, J. A.; Osborn, A. M.; Widdicombe, S.

    2013-01-01

    Ocean acidification (OA), caused by the dissolution of increasing concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in seawater, is projected to cause significant changes to marine ecology and biogeochemistry. Potential impacts on the microbially driven cycling of nitrogen are of particular concern. Specifically, under seawater pH levels approximating future OA scenarios, rates of ammonia oxidation (the rate-limiting first step of the nitrification pathway) have been shown to dramatically decrease in seawater, but not in underlying sediments. However, no prior study has considered the interactive effects of microbial ammonia oxidation and macrofaunal bioturbation activity, which can enhance nitrogen transformation rates. Using experimental mesocosms, we investigated the responses to OA of ammonia oxidizing microorganisms inhabiting surface sediments and sediments within burrow walls of the mud shrimp Upogebia deltaura. Seawater was acidified to one of four target pH values (pHT 7.90, 7.70, 7.35 and 6.80) in comparison with a control (pHT 8.10). At pHT 8.10, ammonia oxidation rates in burrow wall sediments were, on average, fivefold greater than in surface sediments. However, at all acidified pH values (pH ≤ 7.90), ammonia oxidation rates in burrow sediments were significantly inhibited (by 79–97%; p < 0.01), whereas rates in surface sediments were unaffected. Both bacterial and archaeal abundances increased significantly as pHT declined; by contrast, relative abundances of bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidation (amoA) genes did not vary. This research suggests that OA could cause substantial reductions in total benthic ammonia oxidation rates in coastal bioturbated sediments, leading to corresponding changes in coupled nitrogen cycling between the benthic and pelagic realms. PMID:23980243

  4. Acclimation to extremely high ammonia levels in continuous biomethanation process and the associated microbial community dynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tian, Hailin; Fotidis, Ioannis; Mancini, Enrico

    2018-01-01

    Acclimatized anaerobic communities to high ammonia levels can offer a solution to the ammonia toxicity problem in biogas reactors. In the current study, a stepwise acclimation strategy up to 10 g NH4+-N L−1, was performed in mesophilic (37 ± 1 °C) continuously stirred tank reactors. The reactors...... change throughout the ammonia acclimation process. Clostridium ultunense, a syntrophic acetate oxidizing bacteria, increased significantly alongside with hydrogenotrophic methanogen Methanoculleus spp., indicating strong hydrogenotrophic methanogenic activity at extreme ammonia levels (>7 g NH4+-N L−1...

  5. Ammonia release method for depositing metal oxides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silver, G.L.; Martin, F.S.

    1993-12-31

    A method of depositing metal oxides on substrates which is indifferent to the electrochemical properties of the substrates and which comprises forming ammine complexes containing metal ions and thereafter effecting removal of ammonia from the ammine complexes so as to permit slow precipitation and deposition of metal oxide on the substrates.

  6. Methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions from pigs housed on litter and from stockpiling of spent litter

    KAUST Repository

    Phillips, F. A.; Wiedemann, S. G.; Naylor, T. A.; McGahan, E. J.; Warren, B. R.; Murphy, C. M.; Parkes, Stephen; Wilson, J.

    2016-01-01

    Mitigation of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions is a target area for the Australian Government and the pork industry. The present study measured methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ammonia (NH3) from a deep-litter piggery and litter stockpile over two trials in southern New South Wales, to compare emissions from housing pigs on deep litter with those of pigs from conventional housing with uncovered anaerobic effluent-treatment ponds. Emissions were measured using open-path Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, in conjunction with a backward Lagrangian stochastic model. Manure excretion was determined by mass balance and emission factors (EFs) were developed to report emissions relative to volatile solids and nitrogen (N) input. Nitrous oxide emissions per animal unit (1 AU ≤ 500 kg liveweight) from deep-litter sheds were negligible in winter, and 8.4 g/AU.day in summer. Ammonia emissions were 39.1 in winter and 52.2 g/AU.day in summer, while CH4 emissions were 16.1 and 21.6 g/AU.day in winter and summer respectively. Emission factors averaged from summer and winter emissions showed a CH4 conversion factor of 3.6%, an NH3-N EF of 10% and a N2O-N EF of 0.01 kg N2O-N/kg N excreted. For the litter stockpile, the simple average of summer and winter showed an EF for NH3-N of 14%, and a N2O-N EF of 0.02 kg N2O-N/kg-N of spent litter added to the stockpile. We observed a 66% and 80% decrease in emissions from the manure excreted in litter-based housing with litter stockpiling or without litter stockpiling, compared with conventional housing with an uncovered anaerobic effluent-treatment pond. This provides a sound basis for mitigation strategies that utilise litter-based housing as an alternative to conventional housing with uncovered anaerobic effluent-treatment ponds. © CSIRO 2016.

  7. Methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions from pigs housed on litter and from stockpiling of spent litter

    KAUST Repository

    Phillips, F. A.

    2016-05-05

    Mitigation of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions is a target area for the Australian Government and the pork industry. The present study measured methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and ammonia (NH3) from a deep-litter piggery and litter stockpile over two trials in southern New South Wales, to compare emissions from housing pigs on deep litter with those of pigs from conventional housing with uncovered anaerobic effluent-treatment ponds. Emissions were measured using open-path Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, in conjunction with a backward Lagrangian stochastic model. Manure excretion was determined by mass balance and emission factors (EFs) were developed to report emissions relative to volatile solids and nitrogen (N) input. Nitrous oxide emissions per animal unit (1 AU ≤ 500 kg liveweight) from deep-litter sheds were negligible in winter, and 8.4 g/AU.day in summer. Ammonia emissions were 39.1 in winter and 52.2 g/AU.day in summer, while CH4 emissions were 16.1 and 21.6 g/AU.day in winter and summer respectively. Emission factors averaged from summer and winter emissions showed a CH4 conversion factor of 3.6%, an NH3-N EF of 10% and a N2O-N EF of 0.01 kg N2O-N/kg N excreted. For the litter stockpile, the simple average of summer and winter showed an EF for NH3-N of 14%, and a N2O-N EF of 0.02 kg N2O-N/kg-N of spent litter added to the stockpile. We observed a 66% and 80% decrease in emissions from the manure excreted in litter-based housing with litter stockpiling or without litter stockpiling, compared with conventional housing with an uncovered anaerobic effluent-treatment pond. This provides a sound basis for mitigation strategies that utilise litter-based housing as an alternative to conventional housing with uncovered anaerobic effluent-treatment ponds. © CSIRO 2016.

  8. Substrate and nutrient limitation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in temperate forest soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    J.S. Norman; J.E. Barrett

    2014-01-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing microbes control the rate-limiting step of nitrification, a critical ecosystem process, which affects retention and mobility of nitrogen in soil ecosystems. This study investigated substrate (NH4þ) and nutrient (K and P) limitation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in temperate forest soils at Coweeta Hydrologic...

  9. Impact of Anaerobic Digestion of Liquid Dairy Manure on Ammonia Volatilization Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koirala, K.

    2013-12-01

    The goal of this study was to determine the effect of anaerobic digestion (AD) on the mechanism of ammonia volatilization from liquid dairy manure, in storage or treatment lagoon, prior to land application. Physical-chemical properties of liquid dairy manure, which may affect ammonia volatilization process, were determined before and after AD. The properties of interest included: particle size distribution (PSD), total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), viscosity, pH, total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN), and ionic strength (IS). The overall mass transfer coefficient of ammonia (KoL) and the NH3 fraction of TAN (β) for the undigested (UD) and AD manures were then experimentally determined in a laboratory convective emission chamber (CEC) at a constant wind speed of 1.5 m s-1 and fixed air temperature of 25 °C at liquid manure temperatures of 15, 25, and 35 °C. The PSD indicated non-normal left skewed distribution for both AD and UD manures particles, suggestive of heavier concentrations of particles towards the lower particle size range. The volume median diameters (VMD) for solids from UD and AD were not significantly different (p= 0.65), but the geometric standard deviations (GSD) were significantly different (p = 0.001), indicating slightly larger particles but more widely distributed solids in UD than AD manure. Results also indicated significantly higher pH, TAN, ionic strength (IS) and viscosity in AD manure. The KoL and β for AD manure determined under identical conditions (air temperature, liquid temperature, and airflow) were significantly higher (p > 0.05) than for UD manure. Overall, these findings suggest that AD of dairy manure significantly increased initial ammonia volatilization potential from liquid dairy manure; with the largest increase (~62%) emanating from increased ammonium dissociation. The initial flux of ammonia, during the experiment period, was ~84% more from AD than in UD dairy manure. Keywords. Process based models, mass transfer

  10. Inhibition of Direct Electrolytic Ammonia Oxidation Due to a Change in Local pH

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zöllig, Hanspeter; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Udert, Kai M.

    2015-01-01

    Electrochemical ammonia oxidation has gained a lot of attention recently as an efficient method for ammonia removal from wastewater, for the use in ammonia-based fuel cells and the production of high purity hydrogen. Thermally decomposed iridium oxide films (TDIROF) have been shown to be catalytically active for direct ammonia oxidation in aqueous solutions if NH 3 is present. However, the process was reported to be rapidly inhibited on TDIROF. Herein, we show that this fast inhibition of direct ammonia oxidation does not result from surface poisoning by adsorbed elemental nitrogen (N ads ). Instead, we propose that direct ammonia oxidation and oxygen evolution can lead to a drop of the local pH at the electrode resulting in a low availability of the actual reactant, NH 3 . The hypothesis was tested with cyclic voltammetry (CV) experiments on stagnant and rotating disk electrodes (RDE). The CV experiments on the stagnant electrode revealed that the decrease of the ammonia oxidation peaks was considerably reduced by introducing an idle phase at open circuit potential between subsequent scans. Furthermore, the polarization of the TDIROF electrode into the hydrogen evolution region (HER) resulted in increased ammonia oxidation peaks in the following anodic scans which can be explained with an increased local pH after the consumption of protons in the HER. On the RDE, the ammonia oxidation peaks did not decrease in immediately consecutive scans. These findings would not be expected if surface poisoning was responsible for the fast inhibition but they are in good agreement with the proposed mechanism of pH induced limitation by the reactant, NH 3 . The plausibility of the mechanism was also supported by our numerical simulations of the processes in the Nernstian diffusion layer. The knowledge about this inhibition mechanism of direct ammonia oxidation is especially important for the design of electrochemical cells for wastewater treatment. The mechanism is not only

  11. Anodic ammonia oxidation to nitrogen gas catalyzed by mixed biofilms in bioelectrochemical systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhan, Guoqiang; Zhang, Lixia; Tao, Yong; Wang, Yujian; Zhu, Xiaoyu; Li, Daping

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we report ammonia oxidation to nitrogen gas using microbes as biocatalyst on the anode, with polarized electrode (+600 mV vs. Ag/AgCl) as electron acceptor. In batch experiments, the maximal rate of ammonia-N oxidation by the mixed culture was ∼ 60 mg L −1 d −1 , and nitrogen gas was the main products in anode compartment. Cyclic voltammetry for testing the electroactivity of the anodic biofilms revealed that an oxidation peak appeared at +600 mV (vs. Ag/AgCl), whereas the electrode without biofilms didn’t appear oxidation peak, indicating that the bioanode had good electroactivities for ammonia oxidation. Microbial community analysis of 16S rRNA genes based on high throughput sequencing indicated that the combination of the dominant genera of Nitrosomonas, Comamonas and Paracocus could be important for the electron transfer from ammonia oxidation to anode

  12. [Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and their important roles in nitrogen biogeochemical cycling: a review].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jing-Jing; Wu, Wei-Xiang; Ding, Ying; Shi, De-Zhi; Chen, Ying-Xu

    2010-08-01

    As the first step of nitrification, ammonia oxidation is the key process in global nitrogen biogeochemical cycling. So far, the autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in the beta- and gamma-subgroups of proteobacteria have been considered as the most important contributors to ammonia oxidation, but the recent researches indicated that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are widely distributed in various kinds of ecosystems and quantitatively predominant, playing important roles in the global nitrogen biogeochemical cycling. This paper reviewed the morphological, physiological, and ecological characteristics and the molecular phylogenies of AOA, and compared and analyzed the differences and similarities of the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and its encoding genes between AOA and AOB. In addition, the potential significant roles of AOA in nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems were summarized, and the future research directions of AOA in applied ecology and environmental protection were put forward.

  13. Diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cardoso, J.F.M.F.; van Bleijswijk, J.D.L.; Witte, H.; van Duyl, F.C.

    2013-01-01

    We analysed the diversity and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA) and Bacteria (AOB) in the shallow warm-water sponge Halisarca caerulea and the deep cold-water sponges Higginsia thielei and Nodastrella nodastrella. The abundance of AOA and AOB was analysed using catalyzed reporter

  14. Improvement of anaerobic digestion performance by continuous nitrogen removal with a membrane contactor treating a substrate rich in ammonia and sulfide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauterböck, B; Nikolausz, M; Lv, Z; Baumgartner, M; Liebhard, G; Fuchs, W

    2014-04-01

    The effect of reduced ammonia levels on anaerobic digestion was investigated. Two reactors were fed with slaughterhouse waste, one with a hollow fiber membrane contractor for ammonia removal and one without. Different organic loading rates (OLR) and free ammonia and sulfide concentrations were investigated. In the reactor with the membrane contactor, the NH4-N concentration was reduced threefold. At a moderate OLR (3.1 kg chemical oxygen demand - COD/m(3)/d), this reactor performed significantly better than the reference reactor. At high OLR (4.2 kg COD/m(3)/d), the reference reactor almost stopped producing methane (0.01 Nl/gCOD). The membrane reactor also showed a stable process with a methane yield of 0.23 Nl/g COD was achieved. Both reactors had predominantly a hydrogenotrophic microbial consortium, however in the membrane reactor the genus Methanosaeta (acetoclastic) was also detected. In general, all relevant parameters and the methanogenic consortium indicated improved anaerobic digestion of the reactor with the membrane. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Ammonia tolerant inocula provide a good base for anaerobic digestion of microalgae in third generation biogas process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mahdy, Ahmed; Fotidis, Ioannis; Mancini, Enrico

    2017-01-01

    ) of five different algae (Chlorella vulgaris)/manure (cattle) mixtures showed that the mixture of 80/20 (on VS basis) resulted in the highest BMP value (431 mL CH4 g VS-1), while the BMP of microalgae alone (100/0) was 415 mL CH4 g VS-1. Subsequently, anaerobic digestion of those two substrates was tested...... in continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR). Despite of the high ammonium levels (3.7-4.2 g NH4+-N L-1), CSTR reactors using ammonia tolerant inoculum resulted in relatively high methane yields (i.e. 77.5% and 84% of the maximum expected, respectively) These results demonstrated that ammonia tolerant inocula...

  16. Inhibition of bacterial ammonia oxidation by organohydrazines in soil microcosms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yucheng eWu

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Hydroxylamine oxidation by hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO is a key step for energy-yielding in support of the growth of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB. Organohydrazines have been shown to inactivate HAO from Nitrosomonas europaea, and may serve as selective inhibitors to differentiate bacterial from archaeal ammonia oxidation due to the absence of bacterial HAO gene homologue in known ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA. In this study, the effects of three organohydrazines on activity, abundance and composition of AOB and AOA were evaluated in soil microcosms. The results indicate that phenylhydrazine and methylhydrazine at the concentration of 100 mol per gram dry weight soil completely suppressed the activity of soil nitrification. DGGE fingerprinting and sequencing analysis of bacterial ammonia monooxygenase subunit A gene (amoA clearly demonstrated that nitrification activity change is well paralleled with the growth of Nitrosomonas europaea-like AOB in soil microcosms. No significant correlation between AOA community structure and nitrification activity was observed among all treatments during the incubation period, although incomplete inhibition of nitrification activity occurred in 2-hydroxyethylhydrazine-amended soil microcosms. These findings show that the HAO-targeted organohydrazines can effectively inhibit bacterial nitrification in soil, and the mechanism of organohydrazine affecting AOA remains unclear.

  17. Activity of Cu-activated carbon fiber catalyst in wet oxidation of ammonia solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Chang-Mao

    2009-07-30

    Aqueous solutions of 200-1000 mg/L of ammonia were oxidized in a trickle-bed reactor using Cu-activated carbon fiber (ACF) catalysts, which were prepared by incipient wet impregnation with aqueous solutions of copper nitrate that was deposited on ACF substrates. The results reveal that the conversion of ammonia by wet oxidation in the presence of Cu-ACF catalysts was a function of the metal loading weight ratio of the catalyst. The total conversion efficiency of ammonia was 95% during wet oxidation over the catalyst at 463 K at an oxygen partial pressure of 3.0 MPa. Moreover, the effect of the initial concentration of ammonia and the reaction temperature on the removal of ammonia from the effluent streams was also studied at a liquid space velocity of less than 3.0 h(-1).

  18. Activity of Cu-activated carbon fiber catalyst in wet oxidation of ammonia solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hung, Chang-Mao

    2009-01-01

    Aqueous solutions of 200-1000 mg/L of ammonia were oxidized in a trickle-bed reactor using Cu-activated carbon fiber (ACF) catalysts, which were prepared by incipient wet impregnation with aqueous solutions of copper nitrate that was deposited on ACF substrates. The results reveal that the conversion of ammonia by wet oxidation in the presence of Cu-ACF catalysts was a function of the metal loading weight ratio of the catalyst. The total conversion efficiency of ammonia was 95% during wet oxidation over the catalyst at 463 K at an oxygen partial pressure of 3.0 MPa. Moreover, the effect of the initial concentration of ammonia and the reaction temperature on the removal of ammonia from the effluent streams was also studied at a liquid space velocity of less than 3.0 h -1 .

  19. Anaerobic oxidation of methane in grassland soils used for cattle husbandry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. Bannert

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available While the importance of anaerobic methane oxidation has been reported for marine ecosystems, the role of this process in soils is still questionable. Grasslands used as pastures for cattle overwintering show an increase in anaerobic soil micro-sites caused by animal treading and excrement deposition. Therefore, anaerobic potential methane oxidation activity of severely impacted soil from a cattle winter pasture was investigated in an incubation experiment under anaerobic conditions using 13C-labelled methane. We were able to detect a high microbial activity utilizing CH4 as nutrient source shown by the respiration of 13CO2. Measurements of possible terminal electron acceptors for anaerobic oxidation of methane were carried out. Soil sulfate concentrations were too low to explain the oxidation of the amount of methane added, but enough nitrate and iron(III were detected. However, only nitrate was consumed during the experiment. 13C-PLFA analyses clearly showed the utilization of CH4 as nutrient source mainly by organisms harbouring 16:1ω7 PLFAs. These lipids were also found as most 13C-enriched fatty acids by Raghoebarsing et al. (2006 after addition of 13CH4 to an enrichment culture coupling denitrification of nitrate to anaerobic oxidation of methane. This might be an indication for anaerobic oxidation of methane by relatives of "Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera" in the investigated grassland soil under the conditions of the incubation experiment.

  20. Activity of Cu-activated carbon fiber catalyst in wet oxidation of ammonia solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hung, Chang-Mao, E-mail: hungcm1031@gmail.com [Department of Industry Engineering and Management, Yung-Ta Institute of Technology and Commerce, 316 Chung-shan Road, Linlo, Pingtung 909, Taiwan (China)

    2009-07-30

    Aqueous solutions of 200-1000 mg/L of ammonia were oxidized in a trickle-bed reactor using Cu-activated carbon fiber (ACF) catalysts, which were prepared by incipient wet impregnation with aqueous solutions of copper nitrate that was deposited on ACF substrates. The results reveal that the conversion of ammonia by wet oxidation in the presence of Cu-ACF catalysts was a function of the metal loading weight ratio of the catalyst. The total conversion efficiency of ammonia was 95% during wet oxidation over the catalyst at 463 K at an oxygen partial pressure of 3.0 MPa. Moreover, the effect of the initial concentration of ammonia and the reaction temperature on the removal of ammonia from the effluent streams was also studied at a liquid space velocity of less than 3.0 h{sup -1}.

  1. Determination of Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria and Nitrate Oxidizing Bacteria in Wastewater and Bioreactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francis, Somilez Asya

    2014-01-01

    The process of water purification has many different physical, chemical, and biological processes. One part of the biological process is the task of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). Both play critical roles in the treatment of wastewater by oxidizing toxic compounds. The broad term is nitrification, a naturally occurring process that is carried out by AOB and NOB by using oxidation to convert ammonia to nitrite and nitrite to nitrate. To monitor this biological activity, bacterial staining was performed on wastewater contained in inoculum tanks and biofilm samples from bioreactors. Using microscopy and qPCR, the purpose of this experiment was to determine if the population of AOB and NOB in wastewater and membrane bioreactors changed depending on temperature and hibernation conditions to determine the optimal parameters for AOB/NOB culture to effectively clean wastewater.

  2. Nitrification and the ammonia-oxidizing communities in the central Baltic Sea water column

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jäntti, Helena; Ward, Bess B.; Dippner, Joachim W.; Hietanen, Susanna

    2018-03-01

    The redoxclines that form between the oxic and anoxic water layers in the central Baltic Sea are sites of intensive nitrogen cycling. To gain better understanding of nitrification, we measured the biogeochemical properties along with potential nitrification rates and analyzed the assemblages of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea using functional gene microarrays. To estimate nitrification in the entire water column, we constructed a regression model for the nitrification rates and applied it to the conditions prevailing in the area in 2008-2012. The highest ammonia oxidation rates were found in a thin layer at the top of the redoxcline and the rates quickly decreased below detection limit when oxygen was exhausted. This is probably because extensive suboxic layers, which are known to harbor pelagic nitrification, are formed only for short periods after inflows in the Baltic Sea. The nitrification rates were some of the highest measured in the water columns, but the thickness of the layer where conditions were favorable for nitrification, was very small and it remained fairly stable between years. However, the depth of the nitrification layer varied substantially between years, particularly in the eastern Gotland Basin (EGB) due to turbulence in the water column. The ammonia oxidizer communities clustered differently between the eastern and western Gotland Basin (WGB) and the composition of ammonia-oxidizing assemblages correlated with the environmental variables. The ammonia oxidizer community composition was more even in the EGB, which may be related to physical instability of the redoxcline that does not allow predominance of a single archetype, whereas in the WGB, where the position of the redoxcline is more constant, the ammonia-oxidizing community was less even. Overall the ammonia-oxidizing communities in the Baltic Sea redoxclines were very evenly distributed compared to other marine environments where microarrays have been applied previously.

  3. Community structure analysis of soil ammonia oxidizers during vegetation restoration in southwest China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Yueming; He, Xunyang; Liang, Shichu; Zhang, Wei; Chen, Xiangbi; Feng, Shuzheng; Su, Yirong

    2014-03-01

    Soil ammonia oxidizers play a critical role in nitrogen cycling and ecological restoration. The composition and structure of soil ammonia oxidizers and their impacting factors were studied in four typical ecosystem soils, tussock (T), shrub (S), secondary forest (SF), and primary forest (PF), during vegetation restoration in the Karst region of Southwest China. The composition and structure of the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) communities were characterized by sequencing the amoA and arch-amoA genes, respectively. The diversity of soil ammonia oxidizers (except in S) and plant Shannon diversity index gradually increased with vegetation restoration, and the ammonia oxidizer communities differed significantly (p soils. AOB Nitrosospira cluster 3b only appeared in PF and SF soils, while Nitrosospira cluster 3a species were found in all soils. Changes in AOB paralleled the changes in soil ammonium content that occurred with vegetation restoration. Redundancy analysis showed that the distribution of dominant AOB species was linked to pH, soil urease activity, and soil C/N ratio, whereas the distribution of dominant AOA species was mainly influenced by litter nitrogen content and C/N ratio. These results suggested that the composition and structure of the AOB community were more sensitive to changes in vegetation and soil ammonium content, and may be an important indicator of nitrogen availability in Karst ecosystem soils. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Benthic Ammonia Oxidizers Differ in Community Structure and Biogeochemical Potential Across a Riverine Delta

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julian eDamashek

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Nitrogen pollution in coastal zones is a widespread issue, particularly in ecosystems with urban or agricultural watersheds. California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, at the landward reaches of San Francisco Bay, is highly impacted by both agricultural runoff and sewage effluent, leading to chronically high nutrient loadings. In particular, the massive discharge of ammonium into the Sacramento River has altered this ecosystem by increasing ammonium concentrations and thus changing the stoichiometry of inorganic nitrogen stocks, with potential effects throughout the food web. To date, however, there has been little research examining N biogeochemistry or N-cycling microbial communities in this system. We report the first data on benthic ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities and potential nitrification rates for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, focusing on the functional gene amoA (encoding the α-subunit of ammonia monooxygenase. There were stark regional differences in ammonia-oxidizing communities, with ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB outnumbering ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA only in the ammonium-rich Sacramento River. High potential nitrification rates in the Sacramento River suggested these communities may be capable of oxidizing significant amounts of ammonium, compared to the San Joaquin River and the upper reaches of San Francisco Bay. Gene diversity also showed regional patterns, as well as phylogenetically unique ammonia oxidizers in the Sacramento River. The community structure and biogeochemical function of benthic ammonia oxidizers appears related to nutrient loadings. Unraveling the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of N cycling pathways is a critical step toward understanding how such ecosystems respond to the changing environmental conditions wrought by human development and climate change.

  5. Archaea produce lower yields of N2 O than bacteria during aerobic ammonia oxidation in soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hink, Linda; Nicol, Graeme W; Prosser, James I

    2017-12-01

    Nitrogen fertilisation of agricultural soil contributes significantly to emissions of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O), which is generated during denitrification and, in oxic soils, mainly by ammonia oxidisers. Although laboratory cultures of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) produce N 2 O, their relative activities in soil are unknown. This work tested the hypothesis that AOB dominate ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production under conditions of high inorganic ammonia (NH 3 ) input, but result mainly from the activity of AOA when NH 3 is derived from mineralisation. 1-octyne, a recently discovered inhibitor of AOB, was used to distinguish N 2 O production resulting from archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidation in soil microcosms, and specifically inhibited AOB growth, activity and N 2 O production. In unamended soils, ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production were lower and resulted mainly from ammonia oxidation by AOA. The AOA N 2 O yield relative to nitrite produced was half that of AOB, likely due to additional enzymatic mechanisms in the latter, but ammonia oxidation and N 2 O production were directly linked in all treatments. Relative contributions of AOA and AOB to N 2 O production, therefore, reflect their respective contributions to ammonia oxidation. These results suggest potential mitigation strategies for N 2 O emissions from fertilised agricultural soils. © 2016 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Weakened activity of starved ammonia-oxidizing bacteria by the presence of pre-activated Nitrobacter winogradskyi

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Laanbroek, H.J.; Bär-Gilissen, M.J.

    2002-01-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are able to maintain a high oxidizing potential during starvation. nitrite has a short-lasting stimulatory effect on the oxidation of ammonia after starvation when supplied simultaneously with fresh ammonium. To examine whether nitrite-oxidizing bacteria as partners in

  7. Weakened activity of starved ammonia-oxidizing bacteria by the presence of pre-activated Nitrobacter winogradskyi

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Laanbroek, H.J.; Bär-Gilissen, M.J.

    2002-01-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are able to maintain a high oxidizing potential during starvation. Nitrite has a short-lasting stimulatory effect on the oxidation of ammonia after starvation when supplied simultaneously with fresh ammonium9). To examine whether nitrite-oxidizing bacteria as partners in

  8. Nitrogen fate model for gas-phase ammonia-enhanced in situ bioventing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marshall, T.R.

    1995-01-01

    Subsurface bioremediation of contaminants is sometimes limited by the availability of nitrogen. Introduction of gaseous ammonia to the subsurface is a feasible and economical approach to enhance biodegradation in some environments. A gaseous nutrient source may be a practical option for sites where surface application of liquid nutrients is not possible, such as sites with shallow groundwater or sites with surface operations. A conceptual nitrogen fate model was developed to provide remediation scientists and engineers with some practical guidelines in the use of ammonia-enhanced bioventing. Ammonia supplied to the subsurface dissolves readily in soil moisture and sorbs strongly to soil particles. The ammonium ion is the preferred nutrient form of many microorganisms. Some of the ammonia will be converted to nitrate by ammonia-oxidizing organisms. Field monitoring data from an operating ammonia-enhanced bioventing remediation site for diesel fuel contamination are presented. Conservative additions of ammonia promoted appreciable increases in evolved carbon dioxide and rate of oxygen utilization. An overabundance of added ammonia promoted formation of methane from likely anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation in the presence of nitrate as the electron acceptor

  9. A Zinc Oxide Nanorod Ammonia Microsensor Integrated with a Readout Circuit on-a-Chip

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chyan-Chyi Wu

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available A zinc oxide nanorod ammonia microsensor integrated with a readout circuit on-a-chip fabricated using the commercial 0.35 mm complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS process was investigated. The structure of the ammonia sensor is composed of a sensitive film and polysilicon electrodes. The ammonia sensor requires a post-process to etch the sacrificial layer, and to coat the sensitive film on the polysilicon electrodes. The sensitive film that is prepared by a hydrothermal method is made of zinc oxide. The sensor resistance changes when the sensitive film adsorbs or desorbs ammonia gas. The readout circuit is used to convert the sensor resistance into the voltage output. Experiments show that the ammonia sensor has a sensitivity of about 1.5 mV/ppm at room temperature.

  10. Nitrous oxide production by lithotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and implications for engineered nitrogen-removal systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandran, Kartik; Stein, Lisa Y; Klotz, Martin G; van Loosdrecht, Mark C M

    2011-12-01

    Chemolithoautotrophic AOB (ammonia-oxidizing bacteria) form a crucial component in microbial nitrogen cycling in both natural and engineered systems. Under specific conditions, including transitions from anoxic to oxic conditions and/or excessive ammonia loading, and the presence of high nitrite (NO₂⁻) concentrations, these bacteria are also documented to produce nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) gases. Essentially, ammonia oxidation in the presence of non-limiting substrate concentrations (ammonia and O₂) is associated with N₂O production. An exceptional scenario that leads to such conditions is the periodical switch between anoxic and oxic conditions, which is rather common in engineered nitrogen-removal systems. In particular, the recovery from, rather than imposition of, anoxic conditions has been demonstrated to result in N₂O production. However, applied engineering perspectives, so far, have largely ignored the contribution of nitrification to N₂O emissions in greenhouse gas inventories from wastewater-treatment plants. Recent field-scale measurements have revealed that nitrification-related N₂O emissions are generally far higher than emissions assigned to heterotrophic denitrification. In the present paper, the metabolic pathways, which could potentially contribute to NO and N₂O production by AOB have been conceptually reconstructed under conditions especially relevant to engineered nitrogen-removal systems. Taken together, the reconstructed pathways, field- and laboratory-scale results suggest that engineering designs that achieve low effluent aqueous nitrogen concentrations also minimize gaseous nitrogen emissions.

  11. Influence of leachate recirculation on aerobic and anaerobic decomposition of solid wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bilgili, M. Sinan; Demir, Ahmet; Ozkaya, Bestamin

    2007-01-01

    In this study, the effect of leachate recirculation on aerobic and anaerobic degradation of municipal solid wastes is determined by four laboratory-scale landfill reactors. The options studied and compared with the traditional anaerobic landfill are: leachate recirculation, landfill aeration, and aeration with leachate recirculation. Leachate quality is regularly monitored by the means of pH, alkalinity, total dissolved solids, conductivity, oxidation-reduction potential, chloride, chemical oxygen demand, ammonia, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen, in addition to generated leachate quantity. Aerobic leachate recirculated landfill appears to be the most effective option in the removal of organic matter and ammonia. The main difference between aerobic recirculated and non-recirculated landfill options is determined at leachate quantity. Recirculation is more effective on anaerobic degradation of solid waste than aerobic degradation. Further studies are going on to determine the optimum operational conditions for aeration and leachate recirculation rates, also with the operational costs of aeration and recirculation

  12. Co-existence of Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation Bacteria and Denitrifying Anaerobic Methane Oxidation Bacteria in Sewage Sludge: Community Diversity and Seasonal Dynamics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xu, Sai; Lu, Wenjing; Mustafa, Muhammad Farooq

    2017-01-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) and denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) have been recently discovered as relevant processes in the carbon and nitrogen cycles of wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the seasonal dynamics of ANAMMOX and DAMO bacterial community structures......, and an unknown cluster was primarily detected in autumn and winter. Similar patterns of seasonal variation in the community structure of DAMO bacteria were also observed. Group B was the dominant in spring and summer, whereas in autumn and winter, group A and group B presented almost the same proportion...

  13. A marine microbial consortium apparently mediating anaerobic oxidation of methane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boetius, A.; Ravenschlag, K.; Schubert, CJ

    2000-01-01

    microorganisms mediating this reaction have not yet been isolated, and the pathway of anaerobic oxidation of methane is insufficiently understood. Recent data suggest that certain archaea reverse the process of methanogenesis by interaction with sulphate-reducing bacteria(5-7). Here we provide microscopic...... cells and are surrounded by sulphate-reducing bacteria. These aggregates were abundant in gas-hydrate-rich sediments with extremely high rates of methane-based sulphate reduction, and apparently mediate anaerobic oxidation of methane.......A large fraction of globally produced methane is converted to CO2 by anaerobic oxidation in marine sediments(1). Strong geochemical evidence for net methane consumption in anoxic sediments is based on methane profiles(2), radiotracer experiments(3) and stable carbon isotope data(4). But the elusive...

  14. Integrated structural biology and molecular ecology of N-cycling enzymes from ammonia-oxidizing archaea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tolar, Bradley B; Herrmann, Jonathan; Bargar, John R; van den Bedem, Henry; Wakatsuki, Soichi; Francis, Christopher A

    2017-10-01

    Knowledge of the molecular ecology and environmental determinants of ammonia-oxidizing organisms is critical to understanding and predicting the global nitrogen (N) and carbon cycles, but an incomplete biochemical picture hinders in vitro studies of N-cycling enzymes. Although an integrative structural and dynamic characterization at the atomic scale would advance our understanding of function tremendously, structural knowledge of key N-cycling enzymes from ecologically relevant ammonia oxidizers is unfortunately extremely limited. Here, we discuss the challenges and opportunities for examining the ecology of ammonia-oxidizing organisms, particularly uncultivated Thaumarchaeota, through (meta)genome-driven structural biology of the enzymes ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and nitrite reductase (NirK). © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Emergent macrophytes modify the abundance and community composition of ammonia oxidizers in their rhizosphere sediments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Dayong; He, Xiaowei; Huang, Rui; Yan, Wenming; Yu, Zhongbo

    2017-07-01

    Ammonia oxidation is a crucial process in global nitrogen cycling, which is catalyzed by the ammonia oxidizers. Emergent plants play important roles in the freshwater ecosystem. Therefore, it is meaningful to investigate the effects of emergent macrophytes on the abundance and community composition of ammonia oxidizers. In the present study, two commonly found emergent macrophytes (Zizania caduciflora and Phragmitas communis) were obtained from freshwater lakes and the abundance and community composition of the ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in the rhizosphere sediments of these emergent macrophytes were investigated. The abundance of the bacterial amoA gene was higher in the rhizosphere sediments of the emergent macrophytes than those of bulk sediments. Significant positive correlation was found between the potential nitrification rates (PNRs) and the abundance of bacterial amoA gene, suggesting that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) might play an important role in the nitrification process of the rhizosphere sediments of emergent macrophytes. The Nitrosotalea cluster is the dominant ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) group in all the sediment samples. Analysis of AOB group showed that the N. europaeal cluster dominated the rhizosphere sediments of Z. caduciflora and the bulk sediments, whereas the Nitrosospira cluster was the dominant AOB group in the rhizosphere sediments of P. communis. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Iron biomineralization by anaerobic neutrophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Miot, Jennyfer; Benzerara, Karim; Morin, Guillaume

    2009-01-01

    Minerals formed by bio-oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe(II)) at neutral pH, their association with bacterial ultrastructures as well as their impact on the metabolism of iron-oxidizing bacteria remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated iron biomineralization by the anaerobic nitrate-dependent ......Minerals formed by bio-oxidation of ferrous iron (Fe(II)) at neutral pH, their association with bacterial ultrastructures as well as their impact on the metabolism of iron-oxidizing bacteria remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated iron biomineralization by the anaerobic nitrate...... precipitation in the periplasm (in a few tens of minutes), followed by the formation of surface-bound globules. Moreover, we frequently observed an asymmetric mineral thickening at the cell poles. In parallel, the evolution of iron oxidation was quantified by STXM: iron both contained in the bacteria...... and in the extracellular precipitates reached complete oxidation within 6 days. While a progressive oxidation of Fe in the bacteria and in the medium could be observed, spatial redox (oxido-reduction state) heterogeneities were detected at the cell poles and in the extracellular precipitates after 1 day. All...

  17. Continuous culture enrichments of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at low ammonium concentrations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bollmann, A.; Laanbroek, H.J.

    2001-01-01

    Until now enrichments of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria from natural ammonium-limited environments have been performed mainly in the presence of much higher ammonia concentrations than those present in the natural environment and many have resulted in the enrichment and isolation of environmentally less

  18. Continuous culture enrichments of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria at low ammonium concentrations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bollmann, A.; Laanbroek, H.J.

    2001-01-01

    Until now enrichments of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria from natural ammonium-limited environments have been performed mainly in the presence of much higher ammonia concentrations than those present in the natural environment and many have resulted in the enrichment and isolation of environmentally

  19. Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea Show More Distinct Biogeographic Distribution Patterns than Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria across the Black Soil Zone of Northeast China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Junjie; Yu, Zhenhua; Yao, Qin; Sui, Yueyu; Shi, Yu; Chu, Haiyan; Tang, Caixian; Franks, Ashley E; Jin, Jian; Liu, Xiaobing; Wang, Guanghua

    2018-01-01

    Black soils (Mollisols) of northeast China are highly productive and agriculturally important for food production. Ammonia-oxidizing microbes play an important role in N cycling in the black soils. However, the information related to the composition and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing microbes in the black soils has not yet been addressed. In this study, we used the amoA gene to quantify the abundance and community composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) across the black soil zone. The amoA abundance of AOA was remarkably larger than that of AOB, with ratios of AOA/AOB in the range from 3.1 to 91.0 across all soil samples. The abundance of AOA amoA was positively correlated with total soil C content ( p 0.05). In contrast, the abundance of AOB amoA positively correlated with soil pH ( p = 0.009) but not with total soil C. Alpha diversity of AOA did not correlate with any soil parameter, however, alpha diversity of AOB was affected by multiple soil factors, such as soil pH, total P, N, and C, available K content, and soil water content. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the AOA community was mainly affected by the sampling latitude, followed by soil pH, total P and C; while the AOB community was mainly determined by soil pH, as well as total P, C and N, water content, and sampling latitude, which highlighted that the AOA community was more geographically distributed in the black soil zone of northeast China than AOB community. In addition, the pairwise analyses showed that the potential nitrification rate (PNR) was not correlated with alpha diversity but weakly positively with the abundance of the AOA community ( p = 0.048), whereas PNR significantly correlated positively with the richness ( p = 0.003), diversity ( p = 0.001) and abundance ( p < 0.001) of the AOB community, which suggested that AOB community might make a greater contribution to nitrification than AOA community in the black soils when

  20. Anaerobic digestion of amine-oxide-based surfactants: biodegradation kinetics and inhibitory effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ríos, Francisco; Lechuga, Manuela; Fernández-Arteaga, Alejandro; Jurado, Encarnación; Fernández-Serrano, Mercedes

    2017-08-01

    Recently, anaerobic degradation has become a prevalent alternative for the treatment of wastewater and activated sludge. Consequently, the anaerobic biodegradability of recalcitrant compounds such as some surfactants require a thorough study to avoid their presence in the environment. In this work, the anaerobic biodegradation of amine-oxide-based surfactants, which are toxic to several organisms, was studied by measuring of the biogas production in digested sludge. Three amine-oxide-based surfactants with structural differences in their hydrophobic alkyl chain were tested: Lauramine oxide (AO-R 12 ), Myristamine oxide (AO-R 14 ) and Cocamidopropylamine oxide (AO-cocoamido). Results show that AO-R 12 and AO-R 14 inhibit biogas production, inhibition percentages were around 90%. AO-cocoamido did not cause inhibition and it was biodegraded until reaching a percentage of 60.8%. Otherwise, we fitted the production of biogas to two kinetic models, to a pseudo first-order model and to a logistic model. Production of biogas during the anaerobic biodegradation of AO-cocoamido was pretty good adjusted to the logistics model. Kinetic parameters were also determined. This modelling is useful to predict their behaviour in wastewater treatment plants and under anaerobic conditions in the environment.

  1. Effects of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid accumulation and process performance in the anaerobic digestion of two typical bio-wastes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Xuchuan; Lin, Jia; Zuo, Jiane; Li, Peng; Li, Xiaoxia; Guo, Xianglin

    2017-05-01

    The effect of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation and process instability was studied using a lab-scale anaerobic digester fed by two typical bio-wastes: fruit and vegetable waste (FVW) and food waste (FW) at 35°C with an organic loading rate (OLR) of 3.0kg VS/(m 3 ·day). The inhibitory effects of free ammonia on methanogenesis were observed due to the low C/N ratio of each substrate (15.6 and 17.2, respectively). A high concentration of free ammonia inhibited methanogenesis resulting in the accumulation of VFAs and a low methane yield. In the inhibited state, acetate accumulated more quickly than propionate and was the main type of accumulated VFA. The co-accumulation of ammonia and VFAs led to an "inhibited steady state" and the ammonia was the main inhibitory substance that triggered the process perturbation. By statistical significance test and VFA fluctuation ratio analysis, the free ammonia inhibition threshold was identified as 45mg/L. Moreover, propionate, iso-butyrate and valerate were determined to be the three most sensitive VFA parameters that were subject to ammonia inhibition. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  2. Anaerobic oxidation of methane and ammonium.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Strous, M.; Jetten, M.S.M.

    2004-01-01

    Anaerobic oxidation of methane and ammonium are two different processes catalyzed by completely unrelated microorganisms. Still, the two processes do have many interesting aspects in common. First, both of them were once deemed biochemically impossible and nonexistent in nature, but have now been

  3. Contributions of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria to nitrification in Oregon forest soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xinda Lu; Peter J. Bottomley; David D. Myrold

    2015-01-01

    Ammonia oxidation, the first step of nitrification, is mediated by both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB); however, the relative contributions of AOA and AOB to soil nitrification are not well understood. In this study we used 1-octyne to discriminate between AOA-and AOB-supported nitrifi-cation determined both in soil-water slurries and in unsaturated...

  4. Adaptation of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms to environment shift of paddy field soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ke, Xiubin; Lu, Yahai

    2012-04-01

    Adaptation of microorganisms to the environment is a central theme in microbial ecology. The objective of this study was to investigate the response of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) to a soil medium shift. We employed two rice field soils collected from Beijing and Hangzhou, China. These soils contained distinct AOB communities dominated by Nitrosomonas in Beijing rice soil and Nitrosospira in Hangzhou rice soil. Three mixtures were generated by mixing equal quantities of Beijing soil and Hangzhou soil (BH), Beijing soil with sterilized Hangzhou soil (BSH), and Hangzhou soil with sterilized Beijing soil (HSB). Pure and mixed soils were permanently flooded, and the surface-layer soil where ammonia oxidation occurred was collected to determine the response of AOB and AOA to the soil medium shift. AOB populations increased during the incubation, and the rates were initially faster in Beijing soil than in Hangzhou soil. Nitrosospira (cluster 3a) and Nitrosomonas (communis cluster) increased with time in correspondence with ammonia oxidation in the Hangzhou and Beijing soils, respectively. The 'BH' mixture exhibited a shift from Nitrosomonas at day 0 to Nitrosospira at days 21 and 60 when ammonia oxidation became most active. In 'HSB' and 'BSH' mixtures, Nitrosospira showed greater stimulation than Nitrosomonas, both with and without N amendment. These results suggest that Nitrosospira spp. were better adapted to soil environment shifts than Nitrosomonas. Analysis of the AOA community revealed that the composition of AOA community was not responsive to the soil environment shifts or to nitrogen amendment. © 2011 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Oxidative destruction of ammonia for restoration of uranium solution mining sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Humenick, M.J.; Garwacka, K.

    1984-01-01

    A laboratory experimental research project was conducted to evaluate the use of chlorine for the oxidative destruction of residual ammonia that may remain in ground water after in-situ uranium solution mining operations. The work tested the idea of injecting high strength calcium hypochlorite solution into the mining zone to convert ammonia to nitrogen gas as a final cleanup process for ammonia removal from the ground water system. This paper details ammonia removal efficiency as a function of chlorine dose, reactant, and product material balances, and how the concept may be used as a final ground water restoration process

  6. Oxidative destruction of ammonia for restoration of uranium solution mining sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Humenick, M.J.; Garwacka, K.

    1984-02-01

    A laboratory experimental research project was conducted to evaluate the use of chlorine for the oxidative destruction of residual ammonia that may remain in ground water after in-situ uranium solution mining operations. The work tested the idea of injecting high strength calcium hypochlorite solution into the mining zone to convert ammonia to nitrogen gas as a final cleanup process for ammonia removal from the ground water system. This paper details ammonia removal efficiency as a function of chlorine dose, reactant, and product material balances, and how the concept may be used as a final ground water restoration process.

  7. Oxidative destruction of ammonia for restoration of uranium solution mining sites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Humenick, M.J.; Garwacka, K.

    1984-01-01

    A laboratory experimental research project was conducted to evaluate the use of chlorine for the oxidative destruction of residual ammonia that may remain in ground water after in-situ uranium solution mining operations. The work tested the idea of injecting high strength calcium hypochlorite solution into the mining zone to convert ammonia to nitrogen gas as a final cleanup process for ammonia removal from the ground water system. This paper details ammonia removal efficiency as a function of chlorine dose, reactant, and product material balances, and how the concept may be used as a final ground water restoration process.

  8. Direct electrochemical oxidation of ammonia on graphite as a treatment option for stored source-separated urine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zöllig, Hanspeter; Fritzsche, Cristina; Morgenroth, Eberhard; Udert, Kai M

    2015-02-01

    Electrolysis can be a viable technology for ammonia removal from source-separated urine. Compared to biological nitrogen removal, electrolysis is more robust and is highly amenable to automation, which makes it especially attractive for on-site reactors. In electrolytic wastewater treatment, ammonia is usually removed by indirect oxidation through active chlorine which is produced in-situ at elevated anode potentials. However, the evolution of chlorine can lead to the formation of chlorate, perchlorate, chlorinated organic by-products and chloramines that are toxic. This study focuses on using direct ammonia oxidation on graphite at low anode potentials in order to overcome the formation of toxic by-products. With the aid of cyclic voltammetry, we demonstrated that graphite is active for direct ammonia oxidation without concomitant chlorine formation if the anode potential is between 1.1 and 1.6 V vs. SHE (standard hydrogen electrode). A comparison of potentiostatic bulk electrolysis experiments in synthetic stored urine with and without chloride confirmed that ammonia was removed exclusively by continuous direct oxidation. Direct oxidation required high pH values (pH > 9) because free ammonia was the actual reactant. In real stored urine (pH = 9.0), an ammonia removal rate of 2.9 ± 0.3 gN·m(-2)·d(-1) was achieved and the specific energy demand was 42 Wh·gN(-1) at an anode potential of 1.31 V vs. SHE. The measurements of chlorate and perchlorate as well as selected chlorinated organic by-products confirmed that no chlorinated by-products were formed in real urine. Electrode corrosion through graphite exfoliation was prevented and the surface was not poisoned by intermediate oxidation products. We conclude that direct ammonia oxidation on graphite electrodes is a treatment option for source-separated urine with three major advantages: The formation of chlorinated by-products is prevented, less energy is consumed than in indirect ammonia oxidation and

  9. Interactions between ammonia and nitrite oxidizing bacteria in co-cultures: Is there evidence for mutualism, commensalism, or competition?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sayavedra-Soto, Luis [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States); Arp, Daniel [Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR (United States)

    2017-08-01

    Nitrification is a two-step environmental microbial process in the nitrogen cycle in which ammonia is oxidized to nitrate. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea oxidize ammonia to nitrite and nitrite is oxidized to nitrate by nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. These microorganisms, which likely act in concert in a microbial community, play critical roles in the movement of inorganic N in soils, sediments and waters and are essential to the balance of the nitrogen cycle. Anthropogenic activity has altered the balance of the nitrogen cycle through agriculture practices and organic waste byproducts. Through their influence on available N for plant growth, nitrifying microorganisms influence plant productivity for food and fiber production and the associated carbon sequestration. N Fertilizer production, primarily as ammonia, requires large inputs of natural gas and hydrogen. In croplands fertilized with ammonia-based fertilizers, nitrifiers contribute to the mobilization of this N by producing nitrate (NO3-), wasting the energy used in the production and application of ammonia-based fertilizer. The resulting nitrate is readily leached from these soils, oxidized to gaseous N oxides (greenhouse gases), and denitrified to N2 (which is no longer available as a plant N source). Still, ammonia oxidizers are beneficial in the treatment of wastewater and they also show potential to contribute to microbial bioremediation strategies for clean up of environments contaminated with chlorinated hydrocarbons. Mitigation of the negative effects and exploitation of the beneficial effects of nitrifiers will be facilitated by a systems-level understanding of the interactions of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria with the environment and with each other.

  10. Struvite Precipitation as a Means of Recovering Nutrients and Mitigating Ammonia Toxicity in a Two-Stage Anaerobic Digester Treating Protein-Rich Feedstocks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Shunli; Hawkins, Gary L; Kiepper, Brian H; Das, Keshav C

    2016-08-03

    Accumulation of ammonia, measured as total ammonia nitrogen (TAN), a product of protein decomposition in slaughterhouse wastes, inhibits the anaerobic digestion process, reducing digester productivity and leading to failure. Struvite precipitation (SP) is an effective means to remove TAN and enhance the buffering of substrates. Different Mg and P sources were evaluated as reactants in SP in acidogenic digester effluents to reduce its TAN levels. In order to measure impact of TAN removal, a standard biochemical methane potential (BMP) test was conducted to measure methane yield from treatments that had the highest TAN reductions. SP results showed 6 of 9 reagent combinations resulted in greater than 70% TAN removal. The BMP results indicated that SP treatment by adding Mg(OH)₂ and H₃PO₄ resulted in 57.6% nitrogen recovery and 41.7% increase in methane yield relative to the substrate without SP. SP is an effective technology to improve nutrient recovery and methane production from the anaerobic digestion of protein-rich feedstocks.

  11. Continuous anaerobic digestion of swine manure: ADM1-based modelling and effect of addition of swine manure fibers pretreated with aqueous ammonia soaking

    OpenAIRE

    Jurado, E.; Antonopoulou, G.; Lyberatos, G.; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Skiadas, Ioannis V.

    2016-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion of manure fibers presents challenges due to their low biodegradability. Aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) has been tested as a simple method to disrupt the lignocellulose and increase the methane yield of manure fibers. In the present study, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of AAS pretreated manure fibers was performed in CSTR-type digesters, fed with swine manure and/or a mixtureof swine manure and AAS pretreated manure fibers (at a total solids based ratio of 0.52 manure per0....

  12. Temporal and Spatial Stability of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Bacteria in Aquarium Biofilters

    KAUST Repository

    Bagchi, Samik; Vlaeminck, Siegfried E.; Sauder, Laura A.; Mosquera, Mariela; Neufeld, Josh D.; Boon, Nico; Poulain, Alexandre

    2014-01-01

    Nitrifying biofilters are used in aquaria and aquaculture systems to prevent accumulation of ammonia by promoting rapid conversion to nitrate via nitrite. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), as opposed to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), were recently identified as the dominant ammonia oxidizers in most freshwater aquaria. This study investigated biofilms from fixed-bed aquarium biofilters to assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of AOA and AOB abundance and diversity. Over a period of four months, ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms from six freshwater and one marine aquarium were investigated at 4–5 time points. Nitrogen balances for three freshwater aquaria showed that active nitrification by aquarium biofilters accounted for ≥81–86% of total nitrogen conversion in the aquaria. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) for bacterial and thaumarchaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) genes demonstrated that AOA were numerically dominant over AOB in all six freshwater aquaria tested, and contributed all detectable amoA genes in three aquarium biofilters. In the marine aquarium, however, AOB outnumbered AOA by three to five orders of magnitude based on amoA gene abundances. A comparison of AOA abundance in three carrier materials (fine sponge, rough sponge and sintered glass or ceramic rings) of two three-media freshwater biofilters revealed preferential growth of AOA on fine sponge. Denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes indicated that community composition within a given biofilter was stable across media types. In addition, DGGE of all aquarium biofilters revealed low AOA diversity, with few bands, which were stable over time. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes placed freshwater and marine aquaria communities in separate clusters. These results indicate that AOA are the dominant ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in freshwater aquarium

  13. Temporal and Spatial Stability of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Bacteria in Aquarium Biofilters

    KAUST Repository

    Bagchi, Samik

    2014-12-05

    Nitrifying biofilters are used in aquaria and aquaculture systems to prevent accumulation of ammonia by promoting rapid conversion to nitrate via nitrite. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), as opposed to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), were recently identified as the dominant ammonia oxidizers in most freshwater aquaria. This study investigated biofilms from fixed-bed aquarium biofilters to assess the temporal and spatial dynamics of AOA and AOB abundance and diversity. Over a period of four months, ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms from six freshwater and one marine aquarium were investigated at 4–5 time points. Nitrogen balances for three freshwater aquaria showed that active nitrification by aquarium biofilters accounted for ≥81–86% of total nitrogen conversion in the aquaria. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) for bacterial and thaumarchaeal ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) genes demonstrated that AOA were numerically dominant over AOB in all six freshwater aquaria tested, and contributed all detectable amoA genes in three aquarium biofilters. In the marine aquarium, however, AOB outnumbered AOA by three to five orders of magnitude based on amoA gene abundances. A comparison of AOA abundance in three carrier materials (fine sponge, rough sponge and sintered glass or ceramic rings) of two three-media freshwater biofilters revealed preferential growth of AOA on fine sponge. Denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes indicated that community composition within a given biofilter was stable across media types. In addition, DGGE of all aquarium biofilters revealed low AOA diversity, with few bands, which were stable over time. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) based on denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprints of thaumarchaeal 16S rRNA genes placed freshwater and marine aquaria communities in separate clusters. These results indicate that AOA are the dominant ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms in freshwater aquarium

  14. Effects of inorganic carbon on the nitrous oxide emissions and microbial diversity of an anaerobic ammonia oxidation reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wenjie; Wang, Dunqiu; Jin, Yue

    2018-02-01

    Inorganic carbon (IC) is important for anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox). In this study, the effects of the IC concentration on N 2 O emissions and microbial diversity in an anammox reactor were investigated. N 2 O emissions were positively correlated with IC concentrations, and IC concentrations in the range of 55-130 mg/L were optimal, considering the nitrogen removal rate and N 2 O emissions. High IC concentrations resulted in the formation of CaCO 3 on the surface of anammox granules, which impacted the diffusion conditions of the substrate. Microbial community analysis indicated that high IC concentrations decreased the populations of specific bacteria, such as Achromobacter spanius strain YJART-7, Achromobacter xylosoxidans strain IHB B 6801, and Denitratisoma oestradiolicum clone 20b_15. D. oestradiolicum clone 20b_15 appeared to be the key contributor to N 2 O emissions. High N 2 O emissions may result from changes in organic carbon sources, which lead to denitrification by D. oestradiolicum clone 20b_15. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Shifts in the pelagic ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities along the eutrophic estuary of Yong River in Ningbo City, China

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zhang, Qiufang; Tang, Fang-Yuan; Zhou, Yang-Jing; Xu, Jirong; Chen, Heping; Wang, Ming-Juang; Laanbroek, H.J.

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Aerobic ammonia oxidation plays a key role in the nitrogen cycle, and the diversity of the responsible microorganisms is regulated by environmental factors. Abundance and composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) were investigated in the surface

  16. The effect of antimony-tin and indium-tin oxide supports on the catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles for ammonia electro-oxidation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Silva, Júlio César M. [Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation (CCRI), University of Ottawa, 161 Louis-Pasteur, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 (Canada); Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, IPEN/CNEN-SP, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2242 Cidade Universitária, CEP 05508-900, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Piasentin, Ricardo M.; Spinacé, Estevam V.; Neto, Almir O. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares, IPEN/CNEN-SP, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2242 Cidade Universitária, CEP 05508-900, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Baranova, Elena A., E-mail: elena.baranova@uottawa.ca [Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Centre for Catalysis Research and Innovation (CCRI), University of Ottawa, 161 Louis-Pasteur, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 (Canada)

    2016-09-01

    Platinum nanoparticles supported on carbon (Pt/C) and carbon with addition of ITO (Pt/C-ITO (In{sub 2}O{sub 3}){sub 9}·(SnO{sub 2}){sub 1}) and ATO (Pt/C-ATO (SnO{sub 2}){sub 9}·(Sb{sub 2}O{sub 5}){sub 1}) oxides were prepared by sodium borohydride reduction method and used for ammonia electro-oxidation reaction (AmER) in alkaline media. The effect of the supports on the catalytic activity of Pt for AmER was investigated using electrochemical (cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry) and direct ammonia fuel cell (DAFC) experiments. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed Pt peaks attributed to the face-centered cubic (fcc) structure, as well as peaks characteristic of In{sub 2}O{sub 3} in ITO support and cassiterite SnO{sub 2} phase of ATO support. According to transmission electron micrographs the mean particles sizes of Pt over carbon were 5.4, 4.9 and 4.7 nm for Pt/C, Pt/C-ATO and Pt/C-ITO, respectively. Pt/C-ITO catalysts showed the highest catalytic activity for ammonia electrooxidation in both electrochemical and fuel cell experiments. We attributed this to the presence of In{sub 2}O{sub 3} phase in ITO, which provides oxygenated or hydroxide species at lower potentials resulting in the removal of poisonous intermediate, i.e., atomic nitrogen (N{sub ads}) and promotion of ammonia electro-oxidation. - Highlights: • Oxide support effect on the catalytic activity of Pt towards ammonia electro-oxidation. • Direct ammonia fuel cell (DAFC) performance using Pt over different supports as anode. • Pt/C-ITO shows better catalytic activity for ammonia oxidation than Pt/C and Pt/C-ATO.

  17. Rethinking anaerobic As(III) oxidation in filters: Effect of indigenous nitrate respirers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Jinli; Du, Jingjing; Tian, Haixia; Chan, Tingshan; Jing, Chuanyong

    2018-04-01

    Microorganisms play a key role in the redox transformation of arsenic (As) in aquifers. In this study, the impact of indigenous bacteria, especially the prevailing nitrate respirers, on arsenite (As(III)) oxidation was explored during groundwater filtration using granular TiO 2 and subsequent spent TiO 2 anaerobic landfill. X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy analysis showed As(III) oxidation (46% in 10 days) in the presence of nitrate in the simulated anaerobic landfills. Meanwhile, iron (Fe) species on the spent TiO 2 were dominated by amorphous ferric arsenate, ferrihydrite and goethite. The Fe phase showed no change during the anaerobic landfill incubation. Batch incubation experiments implied that the indigenous bacteria completely oxidized As(III) to arsenate (As(V)) in 10 days using nitrate as the terminal electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions. The bacterial community analysis indicated that various kinds of microbial species exist in groundwater matrix. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum, with Hydrogenophaga (34%), Limnohabitans (16%), and Simplicispira (7%) as the major bacterial genera. The nitrate respirers especially from the Hydrogenophaga genus anaerobically oxidized As(III) using nitrate as an electron acceptor instead of oxygen. Our study implied that microbes can facilitate the groundwater As oxidation using nitrate on the adsorptive media. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. The transformation from anammox granules to deammonification granules in micro-aerobic system by facilitating indigenous ammonia oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiaolong; Gao, Dawen

    2018-02-01

    Granular deammonification process is a good way to retain aerobic and anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB and anammox bacteria) and exhaust flocculent nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). In this study, to facilitate indigenous AOB growth on anammox granules, by stepwise reducing influent nitrite, anammox granules were effectively transformed into deammonification granules in a micro-aerobic EGSB in 100 days. Total nitrogen removal efficiency of 90% and nitrogen removal rate of 2.3 g N/L/d were reached at stable deammonification stage. High influent FA and limited oxygen supply contributed suppression for Nitrospira-like NOB. In transition stages, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi were always dominated. Anammox abundance decreased, while AOB abundance grew fast. Anammox bacteria and AOB were dominated by Brocadia fulgida and Nitrosomonas europaea, respectively. Denitrification activity and bacteria existed although without influent organic. The final AOB abundance was about 4.55-13.8 times more than anammox bacteria abundance, with almost equal potential activities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Molecular characterization of anaerobic sulfur-oxidizing microbial communities in up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor treating municipal sewage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aida, Azrina A; Hatamoto, Masashi; Yamamoto, Masamitsu; Ono, Shinya; Nakamura, Akinobu; Takahashi, Masanobu; Yamaguchi, Takashi

    2014-11-01

    A novel wastewater treatment system consisting of an up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor and a down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor with sulfur-redox reaction was developed for treatment of municipal sewage under low-temperature conditions. In the UASB reactor, a novel phenomenon of anaerobic sulfur oxidation occurred in the absence of oxygen, nitrite and nitrate as electron acceptors. The microorganisms involved in anaerobic sulfur oxidation have not been elucidated. Therefore, in this study, we studied the microbial communities existing in the UASB reactor that probably enhanced anaerobic sulfur oxidation. Sludge samples collected from the UASB reactor before and after sulfur oxidation were used for cloning and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis of the 16S rRNA genes of the bacterial and archaeal domains. The microbial community structures of bacteria and archaea indicated that the genus Smithella and uncultured bacteria within the phylum Caldiserica were the dominant bacteria groups. Methanosaeta spp. was the dominant group of the domain archaea. The T-RFLP analysis, which was consistent with the cloning results, also yielded characteristic fingerprints for bacterial communities, whereas the archaeal community structure yielded stable microbial community. From these results, it can be presumed that these major bacteria groups, genus Smithella and uncultured bacteria within the phylum Caldiserica, probably play an important role in sulfur oxidation in UASB reactors. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Ammonia oxidation driven by archaea rather than bacteria in the hot spring at Tengchong geothermal field, China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shun; Peng, Xiaotong; Xu, Hengchao; Li, Jiwei; Ta, Kaiwen

    2015-04-01

    The occurrence of microbial mediated ammonia oxidation and these organisms are present in large numbers in natural environments indicated a potential biogeochemical role for them in the global nitrogen cycle. However, very little is understood about their role and contribution to nitrification in the high temperature extreme environments. Here we explore the ammonia oxidation rates and abundance of potential ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in upper and bottom sediments from Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The 15N-incorporating AOA cells and cell aggregated were detected with Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and Nano secondary ion mass spectrometry (Nano-SIMS). Ammonia oxidation rates measured using 15N-NO3- pool dilution in upper and bottom sediments (without NH4+ stimulated) were 4.8 and 5.3 nmol N g-1h-1, respectively. Close relatives of the autotrophic, ammonia-oxidizing archaeon 'Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii' represented the most abundant OTU in both of the two spring sediments by 16S rRNA gene analysis. Furthermore, it should be noted that no ammonia-oxidizing bacterial clones detected in this study. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that AOA and 16S rRNA genes were present at 2.75-9.80×105 and 0.128-1.96×108 gene copies g-1 sediment. Based on the reaction rates and AOA abundance, we estimated the cell-specific nitrification rates were 0.41 to 0.79 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, which are comparable to those observed in estuary environment. We suggest that AOA have the responsibility in nitrification in this hot spring, and these archaea rather than bacteria may be considered as a driver in nitrogen cycling in terrestrial hot ecosystems. Key words: ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA); nitrification; ammonia-oxidizing rate; hot spring;

  1. Community Structure of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea and Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Soil Treated with the Insecticide Imidacloprid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mariusz Cycoń

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this experiment was to assess the effect of imidacloprid on the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB in soil using the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE approach. Analysis showed that AOA and AOB community members were affected by the insecticide treatment. However, the calculation of the richness (S and the Shannon-Wiener index (H values for soil treated with the field rate (FR dosage of imidacloprid (1 mg/kg soil showed no changes in measured indices for the AOA and AOB community members. In turn, the 10*FR dosage of insecticide (10 mg/kg soil negatively affected the AOA community, which was confirmed by the decrease of the S and H values in comparison with the values obtained for the control soil. In the case of AOB community, an initial decline followed by the increase of the S and H values was obtained. Imidacloprid decreased the nitrification rate while the ammonification process was stimulated by the addition of imidacloprid. Changes in the community structure of AOA and AOB could be due to an increase in the concentration of N-NH4+, known as the most important factor which determines the contribution of these microorganisms to soil nitrification.

  2. Activity, Microenvironments, and Community Structure of Aerobic and Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidizing Prokaryotes in Estuarine Sediment (Randers Fjord, DK)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schramm, Andreas; Revsbech, Niels Peter; Dalsgaard, Tage

    2006-01-01

    ACTIVITY, MICROENVIRONMENTS, AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC AMMONIUM OXIDIZING PROKARYOTES IN ESTUARINE SEDIMENT (RANDERS FJORD, DK) A. Schramm 1, N.P. Revsbech 1, T. Dalsgaard 2, E. Piña-Ochoa 3, J. de la Torré 4, D.A. Stahl 4, N. Risgaard-Petersen 2 1 Department of Biological...... conversion of ammonium with nitrite to N2, is increasingly recognized as link in the aquatic nitrogen cycle. However, factors regulating the occurrence and activity of anammox bacteria are still poorly understood. Besides the influence of abiotic factors, anammox might be controlled by either aerobic ammonia...... oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA) or nitrate-reducing/denitrifying bacteria via their supply of nitrite. Along the Randers Fjord estuary (Denmark), gradients of salinity, nutrients, and organic loading can be observed, and anammox has been detected previously at some sites. The aim of this study...

  3. Investigation of Pristine Graphite Oxide as Room-Temperature Chemiresistive Ammonia Gas Sensing Material

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander G. Bannov

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Graphite oxide has been investigated as a possible room-temperature chemiresistive sensor of ammonia in a gas phase. Graphite oxide was synthesized from high purity graphite using the modified Hummers method. The graphite oxide sample was investigated using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry. Sensing properties were tested in a wide range of ammonia concentrations in air (10–1000 ppm and under different relative humidity levels (3%–65%. It was concluded that the graphite oxide–based sensor possessed a good response to NH3 in dry synthetic air (ΔR/R0 ranged from 2.5% to 7.4% for concentrations of 100–500 ppm and 3% relative humidity with negligible cross-sensitivity towards H2 and CH4. It was determined that the sensor recovery rate was improved with ammonia concentration growth. Increasing the ambient relative humidity led to an increase of the sensor response. The highest response of 22.2% for 100 ppm of ammonia was achieved at a 65% relative humidity level.

  4. Cell biology of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Niftrik, L.A.M.P. van

    2008-01-01

    Anammox bacteria perform anaerobic ammonium oxidation to dinitrogen gas and belong to the phylum Planctomycetes. Whereas most Prokaryotes consist of one compartment, the cytoplasm bounded by the cytoplasmic membrane and cell wall, the species within this phylum are compartmentalized by intracellular

  5. Co-Mn-Al Mixed Oxides as Catalysts for Ammonia Oxidation to N2O.

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Ludvíková, Jana; Jablońska, M.; Jirátová, Květa; Chmielarz, L.; Balabánová, Jana; Kovanda, F.; Obalová, L.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 42, č. 3 (2016), s. 2669-2690 ISSN 0922-6168 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA14-13750S Institutional support: RVO:67985858 Keywords : Co-Mn-Al mixed oxide s * catalytic ammonia oxidation * N2O production * mechanochemical production Subject RIV: CI - Industrial Chemistry, Chemical Engineering Impact factor: 1.369, year: 2016

  6. Ammonia oxidizing bacteria community dynamics in a pilot-scale wastewater treatment plant.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaohui Wang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Chemoautotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB have the metabolic ability to oxidize ammonia to nitrite aerobically. This metabolic feature has been widely used, in combination with denitrification, to remove nitrogen from wastewater in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs. However, the relative influence of specific deterministic environmental factors to AOB community dynamics in WWTP is uncertain. The ecological principles underlying AOB community dynamics and nitrification stability and how they are related are also poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The community dynamics of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB in a pilot-scale WWTP were monitored over a one-year period by Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (T-RFLP. During the study period, the effluent ammonia concentrations were almost below 2 mg/L, except for the first 60 days, indicting stable nitrification. T-RFLP results showed that, during the test period with stable nitrification, the AOB community structures were not stable, and the average change rate (every 15 days of AOB community structures was 10% ± 8%. The correlations between T-RFLP profiles and 10 operational and environmental parameters were tested by Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA and Mantel test. The results indicated that the dynamics of AOB community correlated most strongly with Dissolved Oxygen (DO, effluent ammonia, effluent Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD and temperature. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that nitrification stability is not necessarily accompanied by a stable AOB community, and provides insight into parameters controlling the AOB community dynamics within bioreactors with stable nitrification.

  7. Low-temperature conversion of ammonia to nitrogen in water with ozone over composite metal oxide catalyst.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yunnen; Wu, Ye; Liu, Chen; Guo, Lin; Nie, Jinxia; Chen, Yu; Qiu, Tingsheng

    2018-04-01

    As one of the most important water pollutants, ammonia nitrogen emissions have increased year by year, which has attracted people's attention. Catalytic ozonation technology, which involves production of ·OH radical with strong oxidation ability, is widely used in the treatment of organic-containing wastewater. In this work, MgO-Co 3 O 4 composite metal oxide catalysts prepared with different fabrication conditions have been systematically evaluated and compared in the catalytic ozonation of ammonia (50mg/L) in water. In terms of high catalytic activity in ammonia decomposition and high selectivity for gaseous nitrogen, the catalyst with MgO-Co 3 O 4 molar ratio 8:2, calcined at 500°C for 3hr, was the best one among the catalysts we tested, with an ammonia nitrogen removal rate of 85.2% and gaseous nitrogen selectivity of 44.8%. In addition, the reaction mechanism of ozonation oxidative decomposition of ammonia nitrogen in water with the metal oxide catalysts was discussed. Moreover, the effect of coexisting anions on the degradation of ammonia was studied, finding that SO 4 2- and HCO 3 - could inhibit the catalytic activity while CO 3 2- and Br - could promote it. The presence of coexisting cations had very little effect on the catalytic ozonation of ammonia nitrogen. After five successive reuses, the catalyst remained stable in the catalytic ozonation of ammonia. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  8. Free ammonia pre-treatment of secondary sludge significantly increases anaerobic methane production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Wei; Zhou, Xu; Wang, Dongbo; Sun, Jing; Wang, Qilin

    2017-07-01

    Energy recovery in the form of methane from sludge/wastewater is restricted by the poor and slow biodegradability of secondary sludge. An innovative pre-treatment technology using free ammonia (FA, i.e. NH 3 ) was proposed in this study to increase anaerobic methane production. The solubilisation of secondary sludge was significantly increased after FA pre-treatment at up to 680 mg NH 3 -N/L for 1 day, under which the solubilisation (i.e. 0.4 mg SCOD/mg VS; SCOD: soluble chemical oxygen demand; VS: volatile solids) was >10 times higher than that without FA pre-treatment (i.e. 0.03 mg SCOD/mg VS). Biochemical methane potential assays showed that FA pre-treatment at above 250 mg NH 3 -N/L is effective in improving anaerobic methane production. The highest improvement in biochemical methane potential (B 0 ) and hydrolysis rate (k) was achieved at FA concentrations of 420-680 mg NH 3 -N/L, and was determined as approximately 22% (from 160 to 195 L CH 4 /kg VS added) and 140% (from 0.22 to 0.53 d -1 ) compared to the secondary sludge without pre-treatment. More analysis revealed that the FA induced improvement in B 0 and k could be attributed to the rapidly biodegradable substances rather than the slowly biodegradable substances. Economic and environmental analyses showed that the FA-based technology is economically favourable and environmentally friendly. Since this FA technology aims to use the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) waste (i.e. anaerobic digestion liquor) to enhance methane production from the WWTPs, it will set an example for the paradigm shift of the WWTPs from 'linear economy' to 'circular economy'. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Phenols in anaerobic digestion processes and inhibition of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) in soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leven, Lotta; Nyberg, Karin; Korkea-aho, Lena; Schnuerer, Anna

    2006-01-01

    This study focuses on the presence of phenols in digestate from seven Swedish large-scale anaerobic digestion processes and their impact on the activity of ammonia oxidising bacteria (AOB) in soil. In addition, the importance of feedstock composition and phenol degradation capacity for the occurrence of phenols in the digestate was investigated in the same processes. The results revealed that the content of phenols in the digestate was related to the inhibition of the activity of AOB in soil (EC 5 = 26 μg phenols g -1 d.w. soil). In addition, five pure phenols (phenol, o-, p-, m-cresol and 4-ethylphenol) inhibited the AOB to a similar extent (EC 5 = 43-110 μg g -1 d.w. soil). The phenol content in the digestate was mainly dependent on the composition of the feedstock, but also to some extent by the degradation capacity in the anaerobic digestion process. Swine manure in the feedstock resulted in digestate containing higher amounts of phenols than digestate from reactors with less or no swine manure in the feedstock. The degradation capacity of phenol and p-cresol was studied in diluted small-scale batch cultures and revealed that anaerobic digestion at mesophilic temperatures generally exhibited a higher degradation capacity compared to digestion at thermophilic temperature. Although phenol, p-cresol and 4-ethylphenol were quickly degraded in soil, the phenols added with the digestate constitute an environmental risk according to the guideline values for contaminated soils set by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency. In conclusion, the management of anaerobic digestion processes is of decisive importance for the production of digestate with low amounts of phenols, and thereby little risks for negative effects of the phenols on the soil ecosystem

  10. Coupling Solid Oxide Electrolyser (SOE) and ammonia production plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cinti, Giovanni; Frattini, Domenico; Jannelli, Elio; Desideri, Umberto; Bidini, Gianni

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • An innovative NH 3 production plant was designed. • CO 2 emissions and energy consumption are studied in three different designs. • High temperature electrolysis allows to achieve high efficiency and heat recovery. • The coupling permits storage of electricity into a liquid carbon free chemical. - Abstract: Ammonia is one of the most produced chemicals worldwide and is currently synthesized using nitrogen separated from air and hydrogen from natural gas reforming with consequent high consumption of fossil fuel and high emission of CO 2 . A renewable path for ammonia production is desirable considering the potential development of ammonia as energy carrier. This study reports design and analysis of an innovative system for the production of green ammonia using electricity from renewable energy sources. This concept couples Solid Oxide Electrolysis (SOE), for the production of hydrogen, with an improved Haber Bosch Reactor (HBR), for ammonia synthesis. An air separator is also introduced to supply pure nitrogen. SOE operates with extremely high efficiency recovering high temperature heat from the Haber-Bosch reactor. Aspen was used to develop a model to study the performance of the plant. Both the SOE and the HBR operate at 650 °C. Ammonia production with zero emission of CO 2 can be obtained with a reduction of 40% of power input compared to equivalent plants.

  11. Liberation of ammonia by cyanobacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Newton, J.W.

    1986-04-01

    Photoheterotrophic nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria release ammonia when treated with methionine sulfoximine (MSX) to inhibit nitrogen incorporation into protein. This released ammonia can be derived from recently fixed nitrogen (nitrogen atmosphere) or endogenous reserves (argon atmosphere). Anaerobic ammonia release requires light and is stimulated by the photosystem II herbicides DCMU and Atrazine, regardless of the source of ammonia. As much as one quarter of the total cellular nitrogen can be released as ammonia by cyanbacteria treated with MSX and DCMU under argon in light. Chromatography of cell extracts indicates that virtually all cellular proteins are degraded. DCMU and Atrazine, at very low concentration, inhibit sustained uptake of the ammonia analog /sup 14/C methylamine. These data indicate that the herbicides interrupt ammonia uptake and retention by the cells, and support a role for photosystem II in ammonia metabolism.

  12. Liberation of ammonia by cyanobacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Newton, J.W.

    1986-01-01

    Photoheterotrophic nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria release ammonia when treated with methionine sulfoximine (MSX) to inhibit nitrogen incorporation into protein. This released ammonia can be derived from recently fixed nitrogen (nitrogen atmosphere) or endogenous reserves (argon atmosphere). Anaerobic ammonia release requires light and is stimulated by the photosystem II herbicides DCMU and Atrazine, regardless of the source of ammonia. As much as one quarter of the total cellular nitrogen can be released as ammonia by cyanbacteria treated with MSX and DCMU under argon in light. Chromatography of cell extracts indicates that virtually all cellular proteins are degraded. DCMU and Atrazine, at very low concentration, inhibit sustained uptake of the ammonia analog 14 C methylamine. These data indicate that the herbicides interrupt ammonia uptake and retention by the cells, and support a role for photosystem II in ammonia metabolism

  13. Cultivation and characterization of Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus exaquare, an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon from a municipal wastewater treatment system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sauder, Laura A; Albertsen, Mads; Engel, Katja; Schwarz, Jasmin; Nielsen, Per H; Wagner, Michael; Neufeld, Josh D

    2017-05-01

    Thaumarchaeota have been detected in several industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), despite the fact that ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are thought to be adapted to low ammonia environments. However, the activity, physiology and metabolism of WWTP-associated AOA remain poorly understood. We report the cultivation and complete genome sequence of Candidatus Nitrosocosmicus exaquare, a novel AOA representative from a municipal WWTP in Guelph, Ontario (Canada). In enrichment culture, Ca. N. exaquare oxidizes ammonia to nitrite stoichiometrically, is mesophilic, and tolerates at least 15 mm of ammonium chloride or sodium nitrite. Microautoradiography (MAR) for enrichment cultures demonstrates that Ca. N. exaquare assimilates bicarbonate in association with ammonia oxidation. However, despite using inorganic carbon, the ammonia-oxidizing activity of Ca. N. exaquare is greatly stimulated in enrichment culture by the addition of organic compounds, especially malate and succinate. Ca. N. exaquare cells are coccoid with a diameter of ~1-2 μm. Phylogenetically, Ca. N. exaquare belongs to the Nitrososphaera sister cluster within the Group I.1b Thaumarchaeota, a lineage which includes most other reported AOA sequences from municipal and industrial WWTPs. The 2.99 Mbp genome of Ca. N. exaquare encodes pathways for ammonia oxidation, bicarbonate fixation, and urea transport and breakdown. In addition, this genome encodes several key genes for dealing with oxidative stress, including peroxidase and catalase. Incubations of WWTP biofilm demonstrate partial inhibition of ammonia-oxidizing activity by 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (PTIO), suggesting that Ca. N. exaquare-like AOA may contribute to nitrification in situ. However, CARD-FISH-MAR showed no incorporation of bicarbonate by detected Thaumarchaeaota, suggesting that detected AOA may incorporate non-bicarbonate carbon sources or rely on an alternative and yet unknown

  14. On the effect of aqueous ammonia soaking pretreatment on batch and continuous anaerobic digestion of digested swine manure fibers

    OpenAIRE

    Mirtsou Xanthopoulou, Chrysoula; Jurado, Esperanza; Skiadas, Ioannis; Gavala, Hariklia N.

    2012-01-01

    The continuously increasing demand for renewable energy sources renders anaerobic digestion to one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy production. Due to the animal production intensification, manure is being used as the primary feedstock for most of the biogas plants. Thus, their economical profitable operation relies on increasing the methane yield from manure, and especially of its solid fraction which is not so easily degradable. Aqueous Ammonia Soaking (AAS) has been ...

  15. Struvite Precipitation as a Means of Recovering Nutrients and Mitigating Ammonia Toxicity in a Two-Stage Anaerobic Digester Treating Protein-Rich Feedstocks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shunli Wang

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Accumulation of ammonia, measured as total ammonia nitrogen (TAN, a product of protein decomposition in slaughterhouse wastes, inhibits the anaerobic digestion process, reducing digester productivity and leading to failure. Struvite precipitation (SP is an effective means to remove TAN and enhance the buffering of substrates. Different Mg and P sources were evaluated as reactants in SP in acidogenic digester effluents to reduce its TAN levels. In order to measure impact of TAN removal, a standard biochemical methane potential (BMP test was conducted to measure methane yield from treatments that had the highest TAN reductions. SP results showed 6 of 9 reagent combinations resulted in greater than 70% TAN removal. The BMP results indicated that SP treatment by adding Mg(OH2 and H3PO4 resulted in 57.6% nitrogen recovery and 41.7% increase in methane yield relative to the substrate without SP. SP is an effective technology to improve nutrient recovery and methane production from the anaerobic digestion of protein-rich feedstocks.

  16. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria: A model for molecular microbial ecology

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kowalchuk, G.A.; Stephen, J.R.

    2001-01-01

    The eutrophication of many ecosystems in recent decades has led to an increased interest in the ecology of nitrogen transformation. Chemolitho-autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria are responsible for the rate-limiting step of nitrification in a wide variety of environments, making them important

  17. Methanogenic population dynamics during startup of a full-scale anaerobic sequencing batch reactor treating swine waste.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Angenent, Largus T; Sung, Shihwu; Raskin, Lutgarde

    2002-11-01

    Changes in methanogenic population levels were followed during startup of a full-scale, farm-based anaerobic sequencing batch reactor (ASBR) and these changes were linked to operational and performance data. The ASBR was inoculated with anaerobic digester sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment facility. During an acclimation period of approximately 3 months, the ASBR content was diluted to maintain a total ammonia-N level of approximately 2000mg l(-1). After this acclimation period, the volatile solids loading rate was increased to its design value of 1.7g l(-1) day(-1) with a 15-day hydraulic retention time, which increased the total ammonia-N level in the ASBR to approximately 3,600 mg l(-1). The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) levels of the acetate-utilizing methanogens of the genus Methanosarcina decreased from 3.8% to 1.2% (expressed as a percentage of the total 16S rRNA levels) during this period, while the 16S rRNA levels of Methanosaeta concilii remained low (below 2.2%). Methane production and reactor performance were not affected as the 16S rRNA levels of the hydrogen-utilizing methanogens of the order Methanomicrobiales increased from 2.3% to 7.0%. Hence, it is likely that during operation with high ammonia levels, the major route of methane production is through a syntrophic relationship between acetate-oxidizing bacteria and hydrogen-utilizing methanogens. Anaerobic digestion at total ammonia-N levels exceeding 3500mg l(-1) was sustainable apparently due to the acclimation of hydrogen-utilizing methanogens to high ammonia levels.

  18. Application of a Chemiluminescence Detector for the Measurement of Total Oxides of Nitrogen and Ammonia in the Atmosphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodgeson, J. A.; Bell, J. P.; Rehme, K. A.; Krost, K. J.; Stevens, R. K.

    1971-01-01

    By means of the thermal conversion of nitrogen dioxide to the nitric oxide, the chemiluminescent nitric oxide monitor, based on the nitric oxide plus ozone reaction, may be used for monitoring nitrogen dioxide plus nitric oxide (NO(x)). Under conditions previously described, ammonia is also converted to nitric oxide and therefore interferes. A metal surface, gold wool or stainless steel, operated at two different temperatures has been used to convert only nitrogen dioxide or nitrogen dioxide plus ammonia. Quantitative conversion of nitrogen dioxide to nitric oxide has been obtained at temperatures as low as 200 C. Conversion of ammonia is effected at temperatures of 300 C or higher. By the addition of a converter the basic nitric oxide monitor may be used for measuring NO(x) or NO(x) plus ammonia. As an alternate mode, for a fixed high temperature, a specific scrubber is described for removing NH3 without affecting NO2 concentrations.

  19. Trace methane oxidation and the methane dependency of sulfate reduction in anaerobic granular sludge

    KAUST Repository

    Meulepas, Roel J.W.; Jagersma, Christian G.; Zhang, Yu; Petrillo, Michele; Cai, Hengzhe; Buisman, Cees J.N.; Stams, Alfons J.M.; Lens, Piet N.L.

    2010-01-01

    This study investigates the oxidation of labeled methane (CH4) and the CH4 dependence of sulfate reduction in three types of anaerobic granular sludge. In all samples, 13C-labeled CH4 was anaerobically oxidized to 13C-labeled CO2, while net

  20. Enrichment of high ammonia tolerant methanogenic culture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fotidis, Ioannis; Karakashev, Dimitar Borisov; Proietti, Nicolas

    Ammonia is the major toxicant in full scale anaerobic digesters of animal wastes which are rich in proteins and/or urea, such as pig or poultry wastes. Ammonia inhibition decreases methane production rates, increases volatile fatty acids concentration and leads to economic losses for the biogas...... was derived from a full scale biogas reactor (Hashøj, Denmark), fed with 75% animal manure and 25% food industries organic waste. Basal anaerobic medium was used for the enrichment along with sodium acetate (1 g HAc L-1) as a carbon source. Fluorescence insitu hybridization (FISH) was used to determine...... exclusively to strict aceticlastic methanogens. Results obtained in this study, demonstrated for the first time that strictly aceticlastic methanogens, derived from an enriched culture, can efficiently produce methane under high ammonia levels....

  1. Effect of freshwater mussels on the vertical distribution of anaerobic ammonia oxidizers and other nitrogen-transforming microorganisms in upper Mississippi river sediment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ellen M. Black

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Targeted qPCR and non-targeted amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA genes within sediment layers identified the anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox niche and characterized microbial community changes attributable to freshwater mussels. Anammox bacteria were normally distributed (Shapiro-Wilk normality test, W-statistic =0.954, p = 0.773 between 1 and 15 cm depth and were increased by a factor of 2.2 (p < 0.001 at 3 cm below the water-sediment interface when mussels were present. Amplicon sequencing of sediment at depths relevant to mussel burrowing (3 and 5 cm showed that mussel presence reduced observed species richness (p = 0.005, Chao1 diversity (p = 0.005, and Shannon diversity (p < 0.001, with more pronounced decreases at 5 cm depth. A non-metric, multidimensional scaling model showed that intersample microbial species diversity varied as a function of mussel presence, indicating that sediment below mussels harbored distinct microbial communities. Mussel presence corresponded with a 4-fold decrease in a majority of operational taxonomic units (OTUs classified in the phyla Gemmatimonadetes, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Plantomycetes, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Crenarcheota, and Verrucomicrobia. 38 OTUs in the phylum Nitrospirae were differentially abundant (p < 0.001 with mussels, resulting in an overall increase from 25% to 35%. Nitrogen (N-cycle OTUs significantly impacted by mussels belonged to anammmox genus Candidatus Brocadia, ammonium oxidizing bacteria family Nitrosomonadaceae, ammonium oxidizing archaea genus Candidatus Nitrososphaera, nitrite oxidizing bacteria in genus Nitrospira, and nitrate- and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidizing organisms in the archaeal family “ANME-2d” and bacterial phylum “NC10”, respectively. Nitrosomonadaceae (0.9-fold (p < 0.001 increased with mussels, while NC10 (2.1-fold (p < 0.001, ANME-2d (1.8-fold (p < 0.001, and Candidatus Nitrososphaera (1.5-fold (p < 0

  2. Spectroscopic and electrical sensing mechanism in oxidant-mediated polypyrrole nanofibers/nanoparticles for ammonia gas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishpal; Kaur, Amarjeet

    2013-01-01

    Ammonia gas sensing mechanism in oxidant-mediated polypyrrole (PPy) nanofibers/nanoparticles has been studied through spectroscopic and electrical investigations. PPy nanofibers/nanoparticles have been synthesized by chemical oxidation method in the presence of various oxidizing agents such as ammonium persulfate (APS), potassium persulfate (PPS), vanadium pentoxide (V 2 O 5 ), and iron chloride (FeCl 3 ). Scanning electron microscopy study revealed that PPy nanofibers of about 63, 71 and 79 nm diameters were formed in the presence of APS, PPS, V 2 O 5 , respectively, while PPy nanoparticles of about 100–110 nm size were obtained in the presence of FeCl 3 as an oxidant. The structural investigations and confirmation of synthesis of PPy were established through Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. The gas sensing behavior of the prepared PPy samples is investigated by measuring the electrical resistance in ammonia environment. The observed gas sensing response (ΔR/Rx100) at 100 ppm level of ammonia is ∼4.5 and 18 % for the samples prepared with oxidizing agents FeCl 3 and APS, respectively, and by changing the ammonia level from 50 to 300 ppm, the sensing response varies from ∼4.5 to 11 % and ∼10 to 39 %, respectively. Out of all four samples, the PPy nanofibers prepared in the presence of APS have shown the best sensing response. The mechanism of gas sensing response of the PPy samples has been investigated through Raman spectroscopy study. The decrease of charge carrier concentration through reduction of polymeric chains has been recognized through Raman spectroscopic measurements recorded in ammonia environment.

  3. Complete genome sequence of Nitrosomonas sp. Is79, an ammonia oxidizing bacterium adapted to low ammonium concentrations

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bollmann, A.; Sedlacek, C.J.; Norton, J.; Laanbroek, H.J.; Suwa, Y.; Stein, L.Y.; Klotz, M.G.; Arp, D.; Sayavedra-Soto, L.; Lu, M.; Bruce, D.; Detter, C.; Tapia, R.; Han, J.; Woyke, T.; Lucas, S.; Pitluck, S.; Pennacchio, L.; Nolan, M.; Land, M.L.; Huntemann, M.; Deshpande, S.; Han, C.; Chen, A.; Kyrpides, N.; Mavromatis, K.; Markowitz, V.; Szeto, E.; Ivanova, N.; Mikhailova, N.; Pagani, I.; Pati, A.; Peters, L.; Ovchinnikova, G.; Goodwin, L.

    2013-01-01

    Nitrosomonas sp. Is79 is a chemolithoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacterium that belongs to the family Nitrosomonadaceae within the phylum Proteobacteria. Ammonia oxidation is the first step of nitrification, an important process in the global nitrogen cycle ultimately resulting in the production

  4. Biological oxidation of dissolved methane in effluents from anaerobic reactors using a down-flow hanging sponge reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatamoto, Masashi; Yamamoto, Hiroki; Kindaichi, Tomonori; Ozaki, Noriatsu; Ohashi, Akiyoshi

    2010-03-01

    Anaerobic wastewater treatment plants discharge dissolved methane, which is usually not recovered. To prevent emission of methane, which is a greenhouse gas, we utilized an encapsulated down-flow hanging sponge reactor as a post-treatment to biologically oxidize dissolved methane. Within 3 weeks after reactor start-up, methane removal efficiency of up to 95% was achieved with a methane removal rate of 0.8 kg COD m(-3) day(-1) at an HRT of 2 h. After increasing the methane-loading rate, the maximum methane removal rate reached 2.2 kg COD m(-3) day(-1) at an HRT of 0.5 h. On the other hand, only about 10% of influent ammonium was oxidized to nitrate during the first period, but as airflow was increased to 2.5 L day(-1), nitrification efficiency increased to approximately 70%. However, the ammonia oxidation rate then decreased with an increase in the methane-loading rate. These results indicate that methane oxidation occurred preferentially over ammonium oxidation in the reactor. Cloning of the 16S rRNA and pmoA genes as well as phylogenetic and T-RFLP analyses revealed that type I methanotrophs were the dominant methane oxidizers, whereas type II methanotrophs were detected only in minor portion of the reactor. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Nitrogen source effects on the denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation culture and anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria enrichment process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Liang; Ding, Jing; Lu, Yong-Ze; Ding, Zhao-Wei; Zeng, Raymond J

    2017-05-01

    The co-culture system of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) has a potential application in wastewater treatment plant. This study explored the effects of permutation and combination of nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium on the culture enrichment from freshwater sediments. The co-existence of NO 3 - , NO 2 - , and NH 4 + shortened the enrichment time from 75 to 30 days and achieved a total nitrogen removal rate of 106.5 mg/L/day on day 132. Even though ammonium addition led to Anammox bacteria increase and a higher nitrogen removal rate, DAMO bacteria still dominated in different reactors with the highest proportion of 64.7% and the maximum abundance was 3.07 ± 0.25 × 10 8 copies/L (increased by five orders of magnitude) in the nitrite reactor. DAMO bacteria showed greater diversity in the nitrate reactor, and one was similar to M. oxyfera; DAMO bacteria in the nitrite reactor were relatively unified and similar to M. sinica. Interestingly, no DAMO archaea were found in the nitrate reactor. This study will improve the understanding of the impact of nitrogen source on DAMO and Anammox co-culture enrichment.

  6. Physiological plasticity of the thermophilic ammonia oxidizing archaeon Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii in response to a changing environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jewell, T.; Johnson, A.; Gelsinger, D.; de la Torre, J. R.

    2012-12-01

    Our understanding of nitrogen biogeochemical cycling in high temperature environments underwent a dramatic revision with the discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA). The importance of AOA to the global nitrogen cycle came to light when recent studies of marine AOA demonstrated the dominance of these organisms in the ocean microbiome and their role as producers of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Understanding how AOA respond to fluctuating environments is crucial to fully comprehending their contribution to global biogeochemical cycling and climate change. In this study we use the thermophilic AOA Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii strain HL72 to explore the physiological plasticity of energy metabolism in these organisms. Previous studies have shown that HL72 grows autotrophically by aerobically oxidizing ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2-). Unlike studies of marine AOA, we find that HL72 can grow over a wide ammonia concentration range (0.25 - 10 mM NH4Cl) with comparable generation times when in the presence of 0.25 to 4 mM NH4Cl. However, preliminary data indicate that amoA, the alpha subunit of ammonia monooxygenase (AMO), is upregulated at low ammonia concentrations (<50 μM) compared to growth at 1 mM. Although the ammonia oxidation pathway has not been fully elucidated, we have shown that nitric oxide (NO) appears to be a key intermediate: exponentially growing HL72 produces significant NO and the removal of NO using a scavenger reversibly inhibits growth. In addition to AMO, the HL72 genome also contains sequences for a urease encoded by subunits ureABC and an active urea transporter. Urea ((NH2)2CO) is an organic compound ubiquitous to aquatic and soil habitats that, when hydrolyzed, forms NH3 and CO2. We examined urea as an alternate source of ammonia for the ammonia oxidation pathway. HL72 grows over a wide range of urea concentrations (0.25 - 10 mM) at rates comparable to growth on ammonia. In a substrate competition experiment HL72 preferentially

  7. Short-and long-term effects of ammonia and nitrite on the anammox process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fernandez, I.; Campos, J. L.; Mosquera-Corral, A.; Mendez, R.

    2009-01-01

    Auto trophic anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) process is a feasible alternative to treat industrial wastewater with high ammonia concentration but low content of organic matter. In this process ammonium and nitrite are used by Planctomycete-type bacteria under anoxic conditions to generate nitrogen gas. Both substrates can exert inhibitory effects on the process, causing the decrease of the specific activity of the biomass and the loss of the performance and stability of reactors. (Author)

  8. Propionate oxidation by and methanol inhibition of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Güven, Didem; Dapena, Ana; Kartal, Boran; Schmid, Markus C; Maas, Bart; van de Pas-Schoonen, Katinka; Sozen, Seval; Mendez, Ramon; Op den Camp, Huub J M; Jetten, Mike S M; Strous, Marc; Schmidt, Ingo

    2005-02-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is a recently discovered microbial pathway and a cost-effective way to remove ammonium from wastewater. Anammox bacteria have been described as obligate chemolithoautotrophs. However, many chemolithoautotrophs (i.e., nitrifiers) can use organic compounds as a supplementary carbon source. In this study, the effect of organic compounds on anammox bacteria was investigated. It was shown that alcohols inhibited anammox bacteria, while organic acids were converted by them. Methanol was the most potent inhibitor, leading to complete and irreversible loss of activity at concentrations as low as 0.5 mM. Of the organic acids acetate and propionate, propionate was consumed at a higher rate (0.8 nmol min(-1) mg of protein(-1)) by Percoll-purified anammox cells. Glucose, formate, and alanine had no effect on the anammox process. It was shown that propionate was oxidized mainly to CO(2), with nitrate and/or nitrite as the electron acceptor. The anammox bacteria carried out propionate oxidation simultaneously with anaerobic ammonium oxidation. In an anammox enrichment culture fed with propionate for 150 days, the relative amounts of anammox cells and denitrifiers did not change significantly over time, indicating that anammox bacteria could compete successfully with heterotrophic denitrifiers for propionate. In conclusion, this study shows that anammox bacteria have a more versatile metabolism than previously assumed.

  9. Complete genome sequence of Nitrosomonas sp. Is79, an ammonia oxidizing bacterium adapted to low ammonium concentrations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bollmann, Annette [Miami University, Oxford, OH; Sedlacek, Christopher J [Miami University, Oxford, OH; Laanbroek, Hendrikus J [Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW); Suwa, Yuichi [Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan; Stein, Lisa Y [University of California, Riverside; Klotz, Martin G [University of Louisville, Louisville; Arp, D J [Oregon State University; Sayavedra-Soto, LA [Oregon State University; Lu, Megan [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Bruce, David [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Detter, J. Chris [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Tapia, Roxanne [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Han, James [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Woyke, Tanja [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Lucas, Susan [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Pitluck, Sam [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Pennacchio, Len [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Nolan, Matt [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Land, Miriam L [ORNL; Huntemann, Marcel [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Deshpande, Shweta [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Han, Cliff [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL); Chen, Amy [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Kyrpides, Nikos C [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Mavromatis, K [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Markowitz, Victor [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Szeto, Ernest [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Ivanova, N [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Mikhailova, Natalia [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Pagani, Ioanna [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Pati, Amrita [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Peters, Lin [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Ovchinnikova, Galina [U.S. Department of Energy, Joint Genome Institute; Goodwin, Lynne A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

    2013-01-01

    Nitrosomonas sp. Is79 is a chemolithoautotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacterium that belongs to the family Nitrosomonadaceae within the phylum Proteobacteria. Ammonia oxidation is the first step of nitrification, an important process in the global nitrogen cycle ultimately resulting in the production of nitrate. Nitrosomonas sp. Is79 is an ammonia oxidizer of high interest because it is adapted to low ammonium and can be found in freshwater environments around the world. The 3,783,444-bp chromosome with a total of 3,553 protein coding genes and 44 RNA genes was sequenced by the DOE-Joint Genome Institute Program CSP 2006.

  10. Estimating Emissions of Ammonia and Methane from an Anaerobic Livestock Lagoon Using Micrometeorological Methods and Inverse Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shonkwiler, K. B.; Ham, J. M.; Williams, C.

    2012-12-01

    Evaluating the impact of increased carbon and nitrogen emissions on local air quality and regional bionetworks due to animal agricultural activity is of great interest to the public, political, economic and ecological welfare of areas within the scope of these practices. Globally, livestock operations account for 64% of annual anthropogenic emissions of ammonia (NH3) [1]. Concerning methane (CH4), anaerobic lagoons from commercial dairy operations contribute the second largest share of CH4 emissions from manure in the United States[1], and additionally are a local source of NH3 as well. Anaerobic lagoons are commonly used in commercial animal agriculture and as significant local sources of greenhouse gases (GHG), there is a strong need to quantify GHG emissions from these systems. In 2012 at a commercial dairy operation in Northern Colorado, USA, measurements of CH4 were made using eddy covariance (EC), while NH3 was estimated using a combination of real-time monitoring (cavity ring-down spectroscopy as well as time-integrated passive samplers). Methane emissions have been measured at this lagoon using EC since 2011, with fluxes ranging from 0.5 mg m-2 s-1 in early summer to >2 mg m-2 s-1 in late summer and early fall. Concentration data of both CH4 and NH3 were used to estimate emissions using a 2-dimensional inverse model based on solving the advection-diffusion equation[2]. In the case of the CH4-EC data, results from the inverse model were compared with the EC-derived flux estimates for enhanced parameterization of surface geometry within the lagoon environment. The model was then applied using measured NH3 concentrations to achieve emissions estimates. While NH3 fluxes from the lagoon tend to be much lower than those of CH4 by comparison, modeling emissions of NH3 from the simple geometry of a lagoon will assist in applying the model to more complex surfaces. [1] FAO, 2006. Livestock's long shadow: Environmental issues and options. Livestock, Environment, and

  11. Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daebeler, Anne; Abell, Guy C. J.; Bodelier, Paul L. E.; Bodrossy, Levente; Frampton, Dion M. F.; Hefting, Mariet M.; Laanbroek, Hendrikus J.

    2012-01-01

    The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively) to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of ammonia oxidation as a function of environmental conditions including the ecophysiology of associated organisms. We examined the discrete and combined effects of mineral nitrogen deposition and geothermal heating on ammonia-oxidizing communities by sampling soils from a long-term fertilization site along a temperature gradient in Icelandic grasslands. Microarray, clone library and quantitative PCR analyses of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene accompanied by physico-chemical measurements of the soil properties were conducted. In contrast to most other terrestrial environments, the ammonia-oxidizing communities consisted almost exclusively of archaea. Their bacterial counterparts proved to be undetectable by quantitative polymerase chain reaction suggesting AOB are only of minor relevance for ammonia oxidation in these soils. Our results show that fertilization and local, geothermal warming affected detectable ammonia-oxidizing communities, but not soil chemistry: only a subset of the detected AOA phylotypes was present in higher temperature soils and AOA abundance was increased in the fertilized soils, while soil physio-chemical properties remained unchanged. Differences in distribution and structure of AOA communities were best explained by soil pH and clay content irrespective of temperature or fertilizer treatment in these grassland soils, suggesting that these factors have a greater potential for ecological niche-differentiation of AOA in soil than temperature and N fertilization. PMID:23060870

  12. Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne eDaebeler

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of ammonia oxidation as a function of environmental conditions including the ecophysiology of the associated organisms. We examined the discrete and combined effects of mineral nitrogen deposition and geothermal heating on ammonia-oxidizing communities by sampling soils from a long-term fertilisation site along a temperature gradient in Icelandic grasslands. Microarray, clone library and quantitative PCR analyses of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA gene accompanied by physico-chemical measurements of the soil properties were conducted. In contrast to most other terrestrial environments, the ammonia-oxidizing communities consisted almost exclusively of archaea. Their bacterial counterparts proved to be undetectable by quantitative PCR suggesting AOB are only of minor relevance for ammonia oxidation in these soils. Our results show that fertilization and local, geothermal warming affected detectable ammonia-oxidizing communities, but not soil chemistry: only a subset of the detected AOA phylotypes was present in higher temperature soils and AOA abundance was increased in the fertilized soils, while the measured soil physico-chemical properties remained unchanged. Differences in distribution and structure of AOA communities were best explained by soil pH and clay content irrespective of temperature or fertilizer treatment in these grassland soils, suggesting that these factors have a greater potential for ecological niche-differentiation of AOA in soil than temperature and N fertilization.

  13. Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daebeler, Anne; Abell, Guy C J; Bodelier, Paul L E; Bodrossy, Levente; Frampton, Dion M F; Hefting, Mariet M; Laanbroek, Hendrikus J

    2012-01-01

    The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively) to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of ammonia oxidation as a function of environmental conditions including the ecophysiology of associated organisms. We examined the discrete and combined effects of mineral nitrogen deposition and geothermal heating on ammonia-oxidizing communities by sampling soils from a long-term fertilization site along a temperature gradient in Icelandic grasslands. Microarray, clone library and quantitative PCR analyses of the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene accompanied by physico-chemical measurements of the soil properties were conducted. In contrast to most other terrestrial environments, the ammonia-oxidizing communities consisted almost exclusively of archaea. Their bacterial counterparts proved to be undetectable by quantitative polymerase chain reaction suggesting AOB are only of minor relevance for ammonia oxidation in these soils. Our results show that fertilization and local, geothermal warming affected detectable ammonia-oxidizing communities, but not soil chemistry: only a subset of the detected AOA phylotypes was present in higher temperature soils and AOA abundance was increased in the fertilized soils, while soil physio-chemical properties remained unchanged. Differences in distribution and structure of AOA communities were best explained by soil pH and clay content irrespective of temperature or fertilizer treatment in these grassland soils, suggesting that these factors have a greater potential for ecological niche-differentiation of AOA in soil than temperature and N fertilization.

  14. Abatement of ammonia emissions from digested manure using gas-permeable membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    A new strategy to avoid ammonia emissions from anaerobically digested swine manure was tested using the gas-permeable membrane process. Evaluation of the efficiency of ammonia recovery from digestate as well as mitigation of ammonia emissions to the atmosphere were carried out. Digestate was colle...

  15. RESULTS OF INITIAL AMMONIA OXIDATION TESTING

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nash, C. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Fowley, M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2016-12-30

    This memo presents an experimental survey of aqueous phase chemical processes to remove aqueous ammonia from waste process streams. Ammonia is generated in both the current Hanford waste flowsheet and in future waste processing. Much ammonia will be generated in the Low Activity Waste (LAW) melters.i Testing with simulants in glass melters at Catholic University has demonstrated the significant ammonia production.ii The primary reaction there is the reducing action of sugar on nitrate in the melter cold cap. Ammonia has been found to be a problem in secondary waste stabilization. Ammonia vapors are noxious and destruction of ammonia could reduce hazards to waste treatment process personnel. It is easily evolved especially when ammonia-bearing solutions are adjusted to high pH.

  16. Novel Syntrophic Populations Dominate an Ammonia-Tolerant Methanogenic Microbiome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, J A; Arntzen, M Ø; Sun, L; Hagen, L H; McHardy, A C; Horn, S J; Eijsink, V G H; Schnürer, A; Pope, P B

    2016-01-01

    Biogas reactors operating with protein-rich substrates have high methane potential and industrial value; however, they are highly susceptible to process failure because of the accumulation of ammonia. High ammonia levels cause a decline in acetate-utilizing methanogens and instead promote the conversion of acetate via a two-step mechanism involving syntrophic acetate oxidation (SAO) to H 2 and CO 2 , followed by hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis. Despite the key role of syntrophic acetate-oxidizing bacteria (SAOB), only a few culturable representatives have been characterized. Here we show that the microbiome of a commercial, ammonia-tolerant biogas reactor harbors a deeply branched, uncultured phylotype (unFirm_1) accounting for approximately 5% of the 16S rRNA gene inventory and sharing 88% 16S rRNA gene identity with its closest characterized relative. Reconstructed genome and quantitative metaproteomic analyses imply unFirm_1's metabolic dominance and SAO capabilities, whereby the key enzymes required for acetate oxidation are among the most highly detected in the reactor microbiome. While culturable SAOB were identified in genomic analyses of the reactor, their limited proteomic representation suggests that unFirm_1 plays an important role in channeling acetate toward methane. Notably, unFirm_1-like populations were found in other high-ammonia biogas installations, conjecturing a broader importance for this novel clade of SAOB in anaerobic fermentations. IMPORTANCE The microbial production of methane or "biogas" is an attractive renewable energy technology that can recycle organic waste into biofuel. Biogas reactors operating with protein-rich substrates such as household municipal or agricultural wastes have significant industrial and societal value; however, they are highly unstable and frequently collapse due to the accumulation of ammonia. We report the discovery of a novel uncultured phylotype (unFirm_1) that is highly detectable in metaproteomic data

  17. Molecular Analysis of Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria of the β Subdivision of the Class Proteobacteria in Compost and Composted Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kowalchuk, George A.; Naoumenko, Zinaida S.; Derikx, Piet J. L.; Felske, Andreas; Stephen, John R.; Arkhipchenko, Irina A.

    1999-01-01

    Although the practice of composting animal wastes for use as biofertilizers has increased in recent years, little is known about the microorganisms responsible for the nitrogen transformations which occur in compost and during the composting process. Ammonia is the principle available nitrogenous compound in composting material, and the conversion of this compound to nitrite in the environment by chemolithotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria is an essential step in nitrogen cycling. Therefore, the distribution of ammonia-oxidizing members of the β subdivision of the class Proteobacteria in a variety of composting materials was assessed by amplifying 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and 16S rRNA by PCR and reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), respectively. The PCR and RT-PCR products were separated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and were identified by hybridization with a hierarchical set of oligonucleotide probes designed to detect ammonia oxidizer-like sequence clusters in the genera Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas. Ammonia oxidizer-like 16S rDNA was detected in almost all of the materials tested, including industrial and experimental composts, manure, and commercial biofertilizers. A comparison of the DGGE and hybridization results after specific PCR and RT-PCR suggested that not all of the different ammonia oxidizer groups detected in compost are equally active. amoA, the gene encoding the active-site-containing subunit of ammonia monooxygenase, was also targeted by PCR, and template concentrations were estimated by competitive PCR. Detection of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the composts tested suggested that such materials may not be biologically inert with respect to nitrification and that the fate of nitrogen during composting and compost storage may be affected by the presence of these organisms. PMID:9925559

  18. Nitrate Reduction to Nitrite, Nitric Oxide and Ammonia by Gut Bacteria under Physiological Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiso, Mauro; Schechter, Alan N.

    2015-01-01

    The biological nitrogen cycle involves step-wise reduction of nitrogen oxides to ammonium salts and oxidation of ammonia back to nitrites and nitrates by plants and bacteria. Neither process has been thought to have relevance to mammalian physiology; however in recent years the salivary bacterial reduction of nitrate to nitrite has been recognized as an important metabolic conversion in humans. Several enteric bacteria have also shown the ability of catalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia via nitrite during dissimilatory respiration; however, the importance of this pathway in bacterial species colonizing the human intestine has been little studied. We measured nitrite, nitric oxide (NO) and ammonia formation in cultures of Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species grown at different sodium nitrate concentrations and oxygen levels. We found that the presence of 5 mM nitrate provided a growth benefit and induced both nitrite and ammonia generation in E.coli and L.plantarum bacteria grown at oxygen concentrations compatible with the content in the gastrointestinal tract. Nitrite and ammonia accumulated in the growth medium when at least 2.5 mM nitrate was present. Time-course curves suggest that nitrate is first converted to nitrite and subsequently to ammonia. Strains of L.rhamnosus, L.acidophilus and B.longum infantis grown with nitrate produced minor changes in nitrite or ammonia levels in the cultures. However, when supplied with exogenous nitrite, NO gas was readily produced independently of added nitrate. Bacterial production of lactic acid causes medium acidification that in turn generates NO by non-enzymatic nitrite reduction. In contrast, nitrite was converted to NO by E.coli cultures even at neutral pH. We suggest that the bacterial nitrate reduction to ammonia, as well as the related NO formation in the gut, could be an important aspect of the overall mammalian nitrate/nitrite/NO metabolism and is yet another way in which the microbiome

  19. Nitrate reduction to nitrite, nitric oxide and ammonia by gut bacteria under physiological conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mauro Tiso

    Full Text Available The biological nitrogen cycle involves step-wise reduction of nitrogen oxides to ammonium salts and oxidation of ammonia back to nitrites and nitrates by plants and bacteria. Neither process has been thought to have relevance to mammalian physiology; however in recent years the salivary bacterial reduction of nitrate to nitrite has been recognized as an important metabolic conversion in humans. Several enteric bacteria have also shown the ability of catalytic reduction of nitrate to ammonia via nitrite during dissimilatory respiration; however, the importance of this pathway in bacterial species colonizing the human intestine has been little studied. We measured nitrite, nitric oxide (NO and ammonia formation in cultures of Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species grown at different sodium nitrate concentrations and oxygen levels. We found that the presence of 5 mM nitrate provided a growth benefit and induced both nitrite and ammonia generation in E.coli and L.plantarum bacteria grown at oxygen concentrations compatible with the content in the gastrointestinal tract. Nitrite and ammonia accumulated in the growth medium when at least 2.5 mM nitrate was present. Time-course curves suggest that nitrate is first converted to nitrite and subsequently to ammonia. Strains of L.rhamnosus, L.acidophilus and B.longum infantis grown with nitrate produced minor changes in nitrite or ammonia levels in the cultures. However, when supplied with exogenous nitrite, NO gas was readily produced independently of added nitrate. Bacterial production of lactic acid causes medium acidification that in turn generates NO by non-enzymatic nitrite reduction. In contrast, nitrite was converted to NO by E.coli cultures even at neutral pH. We suggest that the bacterial nitrate reduction to ammonia, as well as the related NO formation in the gut, could be an important aspect of the overall mammalian nitrate/nitrite/NO metabolism and is yet another way in

  20. In Situ Study of Thermal Stability of Copper Oxide Nanowires at Anaerobic Environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lihui Zhang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Many metal oxides with promising electrochemical properties were developed recently. Before those metal oxides realize the use as an anode in lithium ion batteries, their thermal stability at anaerobic environment inside batteries should be clearly understood for safety. In this study, copper oxide nanowires were investigated as an example. Several kinds of in situ experiment methods including in situ optical microscopy, in situ Raman spectrum, and in situ transmission electron microscopy were adopted to fully investigate their thermal stability at anaerobic environment. Copper oxide nanowires begin to transform as copper(I oxide at about 250°C and finish at about 400°C. The phase transformation proceeds with a homogeneous nucleation.

  1. Ammonium supply rate influences archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidizers in a wetland soil vertical profile.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Höfferle, Špela; Nicol, Graeme W; Pal, Levin; Hacin, Janez; Prosser, James I; Mandić-Mulec, Ines

    2010-11-01

    Oxidation of ammonia, the first step in nitrification, is carried out in soil by bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers and recent studies suggest possible selection for the latter in low-ammonium environments. In this study, we investigated the selection of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in wetland soil vertical profiles at two sites differing in terms of the ammonium supply rate, but not significantly in terms of the groundwater level. One site received ammonium through decomposition of organic matter, while the second, polluted site received a greater supply, through constant leakage of an underground septic tank. Soil nitrification potential was significantly greater at the polluted site. Quantification of amoA genes demonstrated greater abundance of bacterial than archaeal amoA genes throughout the soil profile at the polluted site, whereas bacterial amoA genes at the unpolluted site were below the detection limit. At both sites, archaeal, but not the bacterial community structure was clearly stratified with depth, with regard to the soil redox potential imposed by groundwater level. However, depth-related changes in the archaeal community structure may also be associated with physiological functions other than ammonia oxidation. © 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Diversity of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea in Tropical Compost Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vidya eDe Gannes

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA has changed the paradigm of nitrification being initiated solely by ammonia oxidizing bacteria. In the present study, AOA abundance and diversity was examined in composts produced from combinations of plant waste materials common in tropical agriculture (rice straw, sugar cane bagasse, coffee hulls, which were mixed with either cow- or sheep-manure. The objective was to determine how AOA abundance and diversity varied as a function of compost system and time, the latter being a contrast between the start of the compost process (mesophilic phase and the finished product (mature phase. The results showed that AOA were relatively abundant in composts of tropical agricultural wastes, and significantly more so than were the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Furthermore, while the AOA communities in the composts were predominatly group I.1b, the communities were diverse and exhibited structures that diverged between compost types and phases. These patterns could be taken as indicators of the ecophysiological diversity in the soil AOA (groub I.1b, in that significantly different AOA communties developed when exposed to varying physico-chemical environments. Nitrification patterns and levels differed in the composts which, for the mature material, could have signifcant effects on its performanc as a plant growth medium. Thus, it will also be important to determine the association of AOA (and diversity in their communities with nitrification in these systems.

  3. A novel free ammonia based pretreatment technology to enhance anaerobic methane production from primary sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Wei; Zhou, Xu; Xie, Guo-Jun; Duan, Haoran; Wang, Qilin

    2017-10-01

    This study proposed a novel free ammonia (FA, i.e., NH 3 ) pretreatment technology to enhance anaerobic methane production from primary sludge for the first time. The solubilization of primary sludge was substantially enhanced following 24 h FA pretreatment (250-680 mg NH 3 -N/L), by which the release of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD) (i.e., 0.4 mg SCOD/mg VS added; VS: volatile solids) was approximately 10 times as much as that without pretreatment (i.e., 0.03 mg SCOD/mg VS added). Then, biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests demonstrated that FA pretreatment of 250-680 mg NH 3 -N/L was capable of enhancing anaerobic methane production while the digestion time was more than 7 days. Model based analysis indicated that the improved anaerobic methane production was due to an increased biochemical methane potential (B 0 ) of 8-17% (i.e., from 331 to 357-387 L CH 4 /kg VS added), with the highest B 0 achieved at 420 mg NH 3 -N/L pretreatment. However, FA pretreatment of 250-680 mg NH 3 -N/L decreased hydrolysis rate (k) by 24-38% compared with control (i.e., from 0.29 d -1 to 0.18-0.22 d -1 ), which explained the lower methane production over the first 7 days' digestion period. Economic analysis and environmental evaluation demonstrated that FA pretreatment technology was environmentally friendly and economically favorable. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 2245-2252. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Cultivation and genomic analysis of Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus, a novel obligately thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeon

    OpenAIRE

    De La Torre, Jose; Kirkegaard, Rasmus; Daebeler, Anne; Sedlacek, Christopher; Wagner, Michael; Daims, Holger; Pjevac, Petra; Albersten, Mads; Vierheilig, Julia; Herbold, Craig

    2017-01-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaea are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaea in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50 C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a nov...

  5. Mechanisms of Persistence of the Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria Nitrosomonas to the Biocide Free Nitrous Acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laloo, Andrew E; Wei, Justin; Wang, Dongbo; Narayanasamy, Shaman; Vanwonterghem, Inka; Waite, David; Steen, Jason; Kaysen, Anne; Heintz-Buschart, Anna; Wang, Qilin; Schulz, Benjamin; Nouwens, Amanda; Wilmes, Paul; Hugenholtz, Philip; Yuan, Zhiguo; Bond, Philip L

    2018-05-01

    Free nitrous acid (FNA) exerts a broad range of antimicrobial effects on bacteria, although susceptibility varies considerably among microorganisms. Among nitrifiers found in activated sludge of wastewater treatment processes (WWTPs), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) are more susceptible to FNA compared to ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). This selective inhibition of NOB over AOB in WWTPs bypasses nitrate production and improves the efficiency and costs of the nitrogen removal process in both the activated sludge and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) system. However, the molecular mechanisms governing this atypical tolerance of AOB to FNA have yet to be understood. Herein we investigate the varying effects of the antimicrobial FNA on activated sludge containing AOB and NOB using an integrated metagenomics and label-free quantitative sequential windowed acquisition of all theoretical fragment ion mass spectra (SWATH-MS) metaproteomic approach. The Nitrosomonas genus of AOB, on exposure to FNA, maintains internal homeostasis by upregulating a number of known oxidative stress enzymes, such as pteridine reductase and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase. Denitrifying enzymes were upregulated on exposure to FNA, suggesting the detoxification of nitrite to nitric oxide. Interestingly, proteins involved in stress response mechanisms, such as DNA and protein repair enzymes, phage prevention proteins, and iron transport proteins, were upregulated on exposure to FNA. In addition enzymes involved in energy generation were also upregulated on exposure to FNA. The total proteins specifically derived from the NOB genus Nitrobacter was low and, as such, did not allow for the elucidation of the response mechanism to FNA exposure. These findings give us an understanding of the adaptive mechanisms of tolerance within the AOB Nitrosomonas to the biocidal agent FNA.

  6. Composition of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and their contribution to nitrification in a high-temperature hot spring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, S.; Peng, X.-T.; Xu, H.-C.; Ta, K.-W.

    2015-10-01

    The oxidation of ammonia by microbes and associated organisms has been shown to occur in diverse natural environments. However, the contribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea to nitrification in high-temperature environments remains unclear. Here, we studied in situ ammonia oxidation rates and the abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in surface and bottom sediments at 77 °C in the Gongxiaoshe hot spring, Tengchong, Yunnan, China. The in situ ammonia oxidation rates measured by the 15N-NO3- pool dilution technique in the surface sinter and bottom sediments were 4.8 and 5.3 nmol N g-1 h-1, respectively. Relative abundances of Crenarchaea in both samples were determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed high sequence similarity to thermophilic "Candidatus Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii", which represented the most abundant operation taxonomic units (OTU) in both sediments. Furthermore, bacterial amoA was not detected in this study. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) indicated that AOA and 16S rRNA genes were present in the range of 2.75 to 9.80 × 105 and 0.128 to 1.96 × 108 gene copies g-1 sediment. The cell-specific nitrification rates were estimated to be in the range of 0.41 to 0.79 fmol N archaeal cell-1 h-1, which is consistent with earlier estimates in estuary environments. This study demonstrated that AOA were widely involved in nitrification in this hot spring. It further indicated the importance of archaea rather than bacteria in driving the nitrogen cycle in terrestrial geothermal environments.

  7. Treatment of ammonia by catalytic wet oxidation process over platinum-rhodium bimetallic catalyst in a trickle-bed reactor: effect of pH.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hung, Chang-Mao; Lin, Wei-Bang; Ho, Ching-Lin; Shen, Yun-Hwei; Hsia, Shao-Yi

    2010-08-01

    This work adopted aqueous solutions of ammonia for use in catalytic liquid-phase reduction in a trickle-bed reactor with a platinum-rhodium bimetallic catalyst, prepared by the co-precipitation of chloroplatinic acid (H2PtCl6) and rhodium nitrate [Rh(NO3)3]. The experimental results demonstrated that a minimal amount of ammonia was removed from the solution by wet oxidation in the absence of any catalyst, while approximately 97.0% of the ammonia was removed by wet oxidation over the platinum-rhodium bimetallic catalyst at 230 degrees C with an oxygen partial pressure of 2.0 MPa. The oxidation of ammonia has been studied as a function of pH, and the main reaction products were determined. A synergistic effect is manifest in the platinum-rhodium bimetallic structure, in which the material has the greatest capacity to reduce ammonia. The reaction pathway linked the oxidizing ammonia to nitric oxide, nitrogen, and water.

  8. Potato cultivar type affects the structure of ammonia oxidizer communities in field soil under potato beyond the rhizosphere

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cavalcante Franco Dias, A.; Hoogwout, E.F.; de Cassia Pereira e Silva, M.; Falcão Salles, J.; van Overbeek, L.S.; van Elsas, J.D.

    The effects of plants on the microbiota involved in the oxidation of ammonia in soils have been controversial. Here, we investigated the dynamics in the abundances and community structures of the bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers (AOB and AOA, respectively) in two fields that were cropped

  9. Cultivation, detection, and ecophysiology of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kartal, Boran; Geerts, Wim; Jetten, Mike S M

    2011-01-01

    Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria oxidize ammonium with nitrite under anoxic conditions. The anammox process is currently used to remove ammonium from wastewater and contributes significantly to the loss of fixed nitrogen from the oceans. In this chapter, we focus on the ecophysiology of anammox bacteria and describe new methodologies to grow these microorganisms. Now, it is possible to enrich anammox bacteria up to 95% with a membrane bioreactor that removes forces of selection for fast settling aggregates and facilitates the growth of planktonic cells. The biomass from this system has a high anaerobic ammonium oxidation rate (50 fmol NH(4)(+) · cell(-1) day(-1)) and is suitable for many ecophysiological and molecular experiments. A high throughput Percoll density gradient centrifugation protocol may be applied on this biomass for further enrichment (>99.5%) of anammox bacteria. Furthermore, we provide an up-to-date list of commonly used primers and introduce protocols for quantification and detection of functional genes of anammox bacteria in their natural environment. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Continuous anaerobic digestion of swine manure: ADM1-based modelling and effect of addition of swine manure fibers pretreated with aqueous ammonia soaking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jurado, E.; Antonopoulou, G.; Lyberatos, G.; Gavala, H.N.; Skiadas, I.V.

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) effect on methane yield: verification in continuously fed digesters. • AAS resulted in 98% increase of the methane yield of swine manure fibers in continuously fed digesters. • ADM1 was successfully adapted to simulating anaerobic digestion of swine manure. • Modification of hydrolysis kinetics was necessary for an adequate simulation of the digestion of AAS-treated fibers. - Abstract: Anaerobic digestion of manure fibers presents challenges due to their low biodegradability. Aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) has been tested as a simple method to disrupt the lignocellulose and increase the methane yield of manure fibers. In the present study, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of AAS pretreated manure fibers was performed in CSTR-type digesters, fed with swine manure and/or a mixture of swine manure and AAS pretreated manure fibers (at a total solids based ratio of 0.52 manure per 0.48 fibers). Two different simulations were performed. In the first place, the Anaerobic Digestion Model 1 (ADM1) was fitted to a manure-fed, CSTR-type digester and validated by simulating the performance of a second reactor digesting manure. It was shown that disintegration and hydrolysis of the solid matter of manure was such a slow process that the organic particulate matter did not significantly contribute to the methane production. In the second place, ADM1 was used to describe biogas production from the codigestion of manure and AAS pretreated manure fibers. The model predictions regarding biogas production and methane content were in good agreement with the experimental data. It was shown that, AAS treatment significantly increased the disintegration and hydrolysis rate of the carbohydrate compounds of the fibers. The effect of the addition of AAS treated fibers on the kinetics of the conversion of other key compounds such as volatile fatty acids was negligible.

  11. Relative contributions of archaea and bacteria to microbial ammonia oxidation differ under different conditions during agricultural waste composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Guangming; Zhang, Jiachao; Chen, Yaoning; Yu, Zhen; Yu, Man; Li, Hui; Liu, Zhifeng; Chen, Ming; Lu, Lunhui; Hu, Chunxiao

    2011-10-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the relative contribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) to nitrification during agricultural waste composting. The AOA and AOB amoA gene abundance and composition were determined by quantitative PCR and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), respectively. The results showed that the archaeal amoA gene was abundant throughout the composting process, while the bacterial amoA gene abundance decreased to undetectable level during the thermophilic and cooling stages. DGGE showed more diverse archaeal amoA gene composition when the potential ammonia oxidation (PAO) rate reached peak values. A significant positive relationship was observed between the PAO rate and the archaeal amoA gene abundance (R²=0.554; Parchaea dominated ammonia oxidation during the thermophilic and cooling stages. Bacteria were also related to ammonia oxidation activity (R²=0.503; P=0.03) especially during the mesophilic and maturation stages. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Potential nitrous oxide yield of AOA vs. AOB and utilization of carbon and nitrogen in the ammonia oxidizing process in the Pearl River Estuary

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, L.; Dai, M.; Tan, S.; Xia, X.; Liu, H.

    2016-12-01

    Nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas, is a by-product during ammonia oxidation process, the production of which is often stimulated under low dissolved oxygen (DO) in the estuarine environment. The potential yield of N2O has been considered to be driven by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) of Betaproteobacteria & Gammaproteobacteria and/or ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of Thaumarchaeota. In order to examine the relative importance of AOA and AOB in producing N2O and in modulating the potential N2O yield, arch-amoA, beta-amoA, gamma-amoA encoding for the alpha subunit of the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) are used as biomarkers to identify the distributions and bioactivities of AOA and AOB in the Pearl River Estuary (PRE). Size fractionation experiments were conducted to distinguish AOA and AOB on particles in different size-fractions of > 3 μm, 0.45-3 μm, and 0.22-0.45 μm. Pure culture of N. maritimusSCM1 was studied as a model organism to identify the organic carbon production during ammonia oxidation by SCM1 strains. Our results show that AOA distributes largely in the free-living state and could adapt to very limited ammonia substrate and low saturation of DO; AOB mainly distributes at the particle-attached state under relative richer ammonia and high DO conditions; however, the RNA/DNA ratio of AOB was higher than that of AOA under the same conditions suggesting AOB is relatively more actively expressed. In the upper reach of PRE, the dominant microorganism in the water column was AOB and the in situ N2O/NH3 therein ranged 0.73-3.74 ‰. In the lower PRE, AOA was dominated, and the in situ N2O/NH3 was of 1.17- 7.32‰. At selected sites, we estimated isotope effect (e) of AOA (eDIC/bulk) as -23.94‰ and AOB (eDIC/bulk) as -56.6‰ to -44.8‰, which is consistent with the studies of pure cultures. The coefficient of C sequestration "k", defined as (C biomass / DIC in situ) / (N biomass / ammonia in situ) to differ the utilization of carbon and nitrogen, of

  13. Reverse-transcriptional gene expression of anammox and ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in soybean and rice paddy soils of Northeast China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jing; Dong, Hailiang; Wang, Weidong; Gu, Ji-Dong

    2014-03-01

    The relative gene expression of hydrazine oxidoreductase encoding gene (hzo) for anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria (anammox) and ammonia monooxygenase encoding gene (amoA) for both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in Sanjiang Plain soybean and rice paddy soils of Northeast China was investigated by using real-time reverse-transcriptional quantitative PCR. Metabolically active populations of anammox, AOA, and AOB in rice paddy soils were evident by the presence and successful quantification of hzo mRNA and amoA mRNA genes. The expression ratio of amoA gene for both AOA and AOB varied between soybean soils and different rice paddy soils while the expression of hzo gene for anammox was detectable only in rice paddy soils by showing a diverse relative expression ratio in each soil sample. Gene expression of both archaeal and bacterial amoA genes in rice paddy soils differed among the three sampling depths, but that of hzo was not. Both archaeal and bacterial amoA genes showed an increase trend of expression level with continuation of rice paddy cultivation, but the low expression ratio of hzo gene indicated a relatively small contribution of anammox in overall removal of inorganic nitrogen through N2 even under anoxic and high nitrogen input in agriculture. Bacterial amoA gene from two soybean fields and three rice paddy fields were also analyzed for community composition by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprint. Community shift was observed between soybean and paddy fields and within each of them. The consistent occurrence of three bands 5, 6, and 7 in all samples showed their high adaptability for both arid cultivation and continuous rice paddy cultivation. Our data suggest that AOA and AOB are playing a more important role in nitrogen transformation in agricultural soils in oxic or anoxic environment and anammox bacteria may also contribute but in a less extent to N transformation in these agricultural soils

  14. Continuous anaerobic digestion of swine manure: ADM1-based modelling and effect of addition of swine manure fibers pretreated with aqueous ammonia soaking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jurado, E.; Antonopoulou, G.; Lyberatos, G.

    2016-01-01

    pretreated manure fibers was performed in CSTR-type digesters, fed with swine manure and/or a mixtureof swine manure and AAS pretreated manure fibers (at a total solids based ratio of 0.52 manure per0.48 fibers). Two different simulations were performed. In the first place, the Anaerobic Digestion Model 1......Anaerobic digestion of manure fibers presents challenges due to their low biodegradability. Aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) has been tested as a simple method to disrupt the lignocellulose and increase the methane yield of manure fibers. In the present study, mesophilic anaerobic digestion of AAS...... (ADM1) was fitted to a manure-fed, CSTR-type digester and validated by simulating the performance of a second reactor digesting manure. It was shown that disintegration and hydrolysis of the solid matter of manure was such a slow process that the organic particulate matter did not significantly...

  15. Towards a Mechanistic Understanding of Anaerobic Nitrate Dependent Iron Oxidation: Balancing Electron Uptake and Detoxification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hans Karl Carlson

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available The anaerobic oxidation of Fe(II by subsurface microorganisms is an important part of biogeochemical cycling in the environment, but the biochemical mechanisms used to couple iron oxidation to nitrate respiration are not well understood. Based on our own work and the evidence available in the literature, we propose a mechanistic model for anaerobic nitrate dependent iron oxidation. We suggest that anaerobic iron oxidizing microorganisms likely exist along a continuum including: 1 bacteria that inadvertently oxidize Fe(II by abiotic or biotic reactions with enzymes or chemical intermediates in their metabolic pathways (e.g. denitrification and suffer from toxicity or energetic penalty, 2 Fe(II tolerant bacteria that gain little or no growth benefit from iron oxidation but can manage the toxic reactions, and 3 bacteria that efficiently accept electrons from Fe(II to gain a growth advantage while preventing or mitigating the toxic reactions. Predictions of the proposed model are highlighted and experimental approaches are discussed.

  16. Community Composition and Ultrastructure of a Nitrate-Dependent Anaerobic Methane-Oxidizing Enrichment Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gambelli, Lavinia; Guerrero-Cruz, Simon; Mesman, Rob J; Cremers, Geert; Jetten, Mike S M; Op den Camp, Huub J M; Kartal, Boran; Lueke, Claudia; van Niftrik, Laura

    2018-02-01

    Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas and can be oxidized aerobically or anaerobically through microbe-mediated processes, thus decreasing methane emissions in the atmosphere. Using a complementary array of methods, including phylogenetic analysis, physiological experiments, and light and electron microscopy techniques (including electron tomography), we investigated the community composition and ultrastructure of a continuous bioreactor enrichment culture, in which anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) was coupled to nitrate reduction. A membrane bioreactor was seeded with AOM biomass and continuously fed with excess methane. After 150 days, the bioreactor reached a daily consumption of 10 mmol nitrate · liter -1 · day -1 The biomass consisted of aggregates that were dominated by nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing " Candidatus Methanoperedens"-like archaea (40%) and nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing " Candidatus Methylomirabilis"-like bacteria (50%). The " Ca Methanoperedens" spp. were identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunogold localization of the methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr) enzyme, which was located in the cytoplasm. The " Ca Methanoperedens" sp. aggregates consisted of slightly irregular coccoid cells (∼1.5-μm diameter) which produced extruding tubular structures and putative cell-to-cell contacts among each other. " Ca Methylomirabilis" sp. bacteria exhibited the polygonal cell shape typical of this genus. In AOM archaea and bacteria, cytochrome c proteins were localized in the cytoplasm and periplasm, respectively, by cytochrome staining. Our results indicate that AOM bacteria and archaea might work closely together in the process of anaerobic methane oxidation, as the bacteria depend on the archaea for nitrite. Future studies will be aimed at elucidating the function of the cell-to-cell interactions in nitrate-dependent AOM. IMPORTANCE Microorganisms performing nitrate- and nitrite-dependent anaerobic

  17. Effect of methanogenic substrates on anaerobic oxidation of methane and sulfate reduction by an anaerobic methanotrophic enrichment.

    KAUST Repository

    Meulepas, Roel J W; Jagersma, Christian G; Khadem, Ahmad F; Stams, Alfons J M; Lens, Piet N L

    2010-01-01

    Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction (SR) is assumed to be a syntrophic process, in which methanotrophic archaea produce an interspecies electron carrier (IEC), which is subsequently utilized by sulfate-reducing bacteria

  18. Enrichment and Characterization of an Autotrophic Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaeon of Mesophilic Crenarchaeal Group I.1a from an Agricultural Soil

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jung, M.Y.; Park, S.J.; Min, D.; Kim, J.S.; Rijpstra, W.I.C.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Kim, G.J.; Madsen, E.L.; Rhee, S.K.

    2011-01-01

    Soil nitrification is an important process for agricultural productivity and environmental pollution. Though one cultivated representative of ammonia-oxidizing Archaea from soil has been described, additional representatives warrant characterization. We describe an ammonia-oxidizing archaeon (strain

  19. Optimization of Pt-Ir on carbon fiber paper for the electro-oxidation of ammonia in alkaline media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boggs, Bryan K.; Botte, Gerardine G.

    2010-01-01

    Plating bath concentrations of Pt(IV) and Ir(III) have been optimized as well as the total catalytic loading of bimetallic Pt-Ir alloy for the electro-oxidation of ammonia in alkaline media at standard conditions. This was accomplished using cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and statistical optimization tools. Concentrations of Pt(IV) and Ir(III) of the plating bath strongly influence electrode surface atomic compositions of the Pt-Ir alloy directly affecting the electro-oxidation behavior of ammonia. Several anode materials were studied using cyclic voltammetry, which demonstrated that Pt-Ir was the most active catalyst for the electro-oxidation of ammonia. Criteria for optimization were minimizing the climatic oxidation overpotential for ammonia and maximizing the exchange current density. Optimized bath composition was found to be 8.844 ± 0.001 g L -1 Pt(IV) and 4.112 ± 0.001 g L -1 Ir(III) based on electrochemical techniques. Physical characterization of the electrodes by SEM indicates that the plating bath concentrations of Pt and Ir influence the growth and deposition behavior of the alloy.

  20. Continuous measurements of ammonia, nitrous oxide and methane from air scrubbers at pig housing facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van der Heyden, C; Brusselman, E; Volcke, E I P; Demeyer, P

    2016-10-01

    Ammonia, largely emitted by agriculture, involves a great risk for eutrophication and acidification leading to biodiversity loss. Air scrubbers are widely applied to reduce ammonia emission from pig and poultry housing facilities, but it is not always clear whether their performance meets the requirements. Besides, there is a growing international concern for the livestock related greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide but hardly any data concerning their fate in air scrubbers are available. This contribution presents the results from measurement campaigns conducted at a chemical, a biological and a two-stage biological air scrubber installed at pig housing facilities in Flanders. Ammonia, nitrous oxide and methane at the inlet and outlet of the air scrubbers were monitored on-line during one week using a photoacoustic gas monitor, which allowed to investigate diurnal fluctuations in the removal performance of air scrubbers. Additionally, the homogeneity of the air scrubbers, normally checked by gas detection tubes, was investigated in more detail using the continuous data. The biological air scrubber with extra nitrification tank performed well in terms of ammonia removal (86 ± 6%), while the two-stage air scrubber suffered from nitrifying bacteria inhibition. In the chemical air scrubber the pH was not kept constant, lowering the ammonia removal efficiency. A lower ammonia removal efficiency was found during the day, when the ventilation rate was the highest. Nitrous oxide was produced inside the biological and two-stage scrubber, resulting in an increased outlet concentration of more than 200%. Methane could not be removed in the different air scrubbers because of its low water solubility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Indium oxide thin film based ammonia gas and ethanol vapour sensor

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Unknown

    acetone and dried under an electric lamp (100 W). Thin films of indium oxide ... A λ-19, UV–VIS Spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer, USA) was used for measuring .... tion of ammonia is observed through glowing of LED. LM3914, LED driver is ...

  2. Trace methane oxidation and the methane dependency of sulfate reduction in anaerobic granular sludge

    KAUST Repository

    Meulepas, Roel J.W.

    2010-05-01

    This study investigates the oxidation of labeled methane (CH4) and the CH4 dependence of sulfate reduction in three types of anaerobic granular sludge. In all samples, 13C-labeled CH4 was anaerobically oxidized to 13C-labeled CO2, while net endogenous CH4 production was observed. Labeled-CH4 oxidation rates followed CH4 production rates, and the presence of sulfate hampered both labeled-CH4 oxidation and methanogenesis. Labeled-CH4 oxidation was therefore linked to methanogenesis. This process is referred to as trace CH4 oxidation and has been demonstrated in methanogenic pure cultures. This study shows that the ratio between labeled-CH4 oxidation and methanogenesis is positively affected by the CH4 partial pressure and that this ratio is in methanogenic granular sludge more than 40 times higher than that in pure cultures of methanogens. The CH4 partial pressure also positively affected sulfate reduction and negatively affected methanogenesis: a repression of methanogenesis at elevated CH4 partial pressures confers an advantage to sulfate reducers that compete with methanogens for common substrates, formed from endogenous material. The oxidation of labeled CH 4 and the CH4 dependence of sulfate reduction are thus not necessarily evidence of anaerobic oxidation of CH4 coupled to sulfate reduction. © 2010 Federation of European Microbiological Societies.

  3. Archaeal dominated ammonia-oxidizing communities in Icelandic grassland soils are moderately affected by long-term N fertilization and geothermal heating

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daebeler, A.; Abell, G.C.J.; Bodelier, P.L.E.; Bodrossy, L.; Frampton, D.M.; Hefting, M.M.; Laanbroek, H.J.

    2012-01-01

    The contribution of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea (AOB and AOA, respectively) to the net oxidation of ammonia varies greatly between terrestrial environments. To better understand, predict and possibly manage terrestrial nitrogen turnover, we need to develop a conceptual understanding of

  4. Different Recovery Processes of Soil Ammonia Oxidizers from Flooding Disturbance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Fei; Ma, Mao-Hua; Op den Camp, Huub J M; Chatzinotas, Antonis; Li, Lei; Lv, Ming-Quan; Wu, Sheng-Jun; Wang, Yu

    2018-04-11

    Understanding how microorganisms respond to environmental disturbance is one of the key focuses in microbial ecology. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) are responsible for ammonia oxidation which is a crucial step in the nitrogen cycle. Although the physiology, distribution, and activity of AOA and AOB in soil have been extensively investigated, their recovery from a natural disturbance remains largely unknown. To assess the recovery capacities, including resistance and resilience, of AOA and AOB, soil samples were taken from a reservoir riparian zone which experienced periodically water flooding. The samples were classified into three groups (flooding, recovery, and control) for a high-throughput sequencing and quantitative PCR analysis. We used a relative quantitative index of both the resistance (RS) and resilience (RL) to assess the variation of gene abundance, alpha-diversity, and community composition. The AOA generally demonstrated a better recovery capability after the flooding disturbance compared to AOB. In particular, AOA were more resilient after the flooding disturbance. Taxa within the AOA and AOB showed different RS and RL values, with the most abundant taxa showing in general the highest RS indices. Soil NH 4 + and Fe 2+ /Fe 3+ were the main variables controlling the key taxa of AOA and AOB and probably influenced the resistance and resilience properties of AOA and AOB communities. The distinct mechanisms of AOA and AOB in maintaining community stability against the flooding disturbance might be linked to the different life-history strategies: the AOA community was more likely to represent r-strategists in contrast to the AOB community following a K-life strategy. Our results indicated that the AOA may play a vital role in ammonia oxidation in a fluctuating habitat and contribute to the stability of riparian ecosystem.

  5. SONO-OXIDATIVE PRE-TREATMENT OF WASTE ACTIVATED SLUDGE BEFORE ANAEROBIC BIODEGRADATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Şahinkaya

    Full Text Available Abstract The effects of sonication, potassium ferrate (K2FeO4 oxidation and their simultaneous combination (called "sono-oxidative pre-treatment" on chemical properties and anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS were investigated and compared comprehensively. Based on chemical parameters, the optimum operating conditions were found to be 0.3 g K2FeO4/g total solids (TS dosage for 2-h individual K2FeO4 oxidation, 0.50 W/mL ultrasonic power density for 10-min individual sonication and, lastly, the combination of 2.5-min sonication at 0.75 W/mL ultrasonic power density with 2-h chemical oxidation at 0.3 g K2FeO4/g TS dosage for sono-oxidative pre-treatment. The disintegration efficiencies of these methods under the optimized conditions were in the following descending order: 37.8% for sono-oxidative pre-treatment > 26.3% for sonication > 13.1% for K2FeO4 oxidation. The influences of these methods on anaerobic biodegradability were tested with the biochemical methane potential assay. It was seen that the cumulative methane production increased by 9.2% in the K2FeO4 oxidation reactor, 15.8% in the sonicated reactor and 18.6% in the reactor with sono-oxidative pre-treatment, compared to the control (untreated reactor.

  6. Comparison of the Effects of Phenylhydrazine Hydrochloride and Dicyandiamide on Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria and Archaea in Andosols

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenjie Yang

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Dicyandiamide, a routinely used commercial nitrification inhibitor (NI, inhibits ammonia oxidation catalyzed by ammonia monooxygenase (AMO. Phenylhydrazine hydrochloride has shown considerable potential for the development of next-generation NIs targeting hydroxylamine dehydrogenase (HAO. The effects of the AMO inhibitor and the HAO inhibitor on ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA present in agricultural soils have not been compared thus far. In the present study, the effects of the two inhibitors on soil nitrification and the abundance of AOA and AOB as well as their community structure were investigated in a soil microcosm using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and pyrosequencing. The net nitrification rates and the growth of AOA and AOB in this soil microcosm were inhibited by both NIs. Both NIs had limited effect on the community structure of AOB and no effect on that of AOA in this soil microcosm. The effects of phenylhydrazine hydrochloride were similar to those of dicyandiamide. These results indicated that organohydrazine-based NIs have potential for the development of next-generation NIs targeting HAO in the future.

  7. Effect of communities of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria on degradation of 17-alpha-ethynylestradiol by nitrifying activated sludge

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Limpiyakorn, T.; Sermwaraphan, P.; Kurisu, F.

    2009-07-01

    An endocrine disrupting compound, 17-alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), is a synthetic estrogen used as a key ingredient in oral contraceptives pill. this persistent organic pollutant, no biodegradable by most microorganisms, is discharged via municipal waste streams to natural receiving waters. Recently, it was found that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in nitrifying activated sludge (NAS) enriched with high ammonium loads can degrade EE2 via co-metabolism during ammonia oxidation. (Author)

  8. Ammonia modification of activated carbon to enhance carbon dioxide adsorption: Effect of pre-oxidation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shafeeyan, Mohammad Saleh; Daud, Wan Mohd Ashri Wan; Houshmand, Amirhossein; Arami-Niya, Arash

    2011-02-01

    A commercial granular activated carbon (GAC) was subjected to thermal treatment with ammonia for obtaining an efficient carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorbent. In general, CO2 adsorption capacity of activated carbon can be increased by introduction of basic nitrogen functionalities onto the carbon surface. In this work, the effect of oxygen surface groups before introduction of basic nitrogen functionalities to the carbon surface on CO2 adsorption capacity was investigated. For this purpose two different approaches of ammonia treatment without preliminary oxidation and amination of oxidized samples were studied. Modified carbons were characterized by elemental analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to study the impact of changes in surface chemistry and formation of specific surface groups on adsorption properties. The texture of the samples was characterized by conducting N2 adsorption/desorption at -196 °C. CO2 capture performance of the samples was investigated using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that in both modification techniques, the presence of nitrogen functionalities on carbon surface generally increased the CO2 adsorption capacity. The results indicated that oxidation followed by high temperature ammonia treatment (800 °C) considerably enhanced the CO2 uptake at higher temperatures.

  9. 3,4-Dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) reduces activity of ammonia oxidizers without adverse effects on non-target soil microorganisms and functions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kong, Xianwang; Duan, Yun-Feng (Kevin); Schramm, Andreas

    2016-01-01

    , dehydrogenase activity, phospholipid fatty acid composition and potential ammonia oxidation. DMPP showed no significant nontarget effects (p > 0.05), but a possible stress response in HD was indicated by a factor analysis of phospholipid fatty acid composition. There was a strong DMPP inhibition on potential...... of ammonia oxidation. We investigated effects of DMPP amendment equivalent to 0 (Control), 1 (regular dose, RD) or 10 (high dose, HD) kg ha1 in a sandy loam grassland soil at 50% water-filled pore space. Following incubation for 1, 7 or 14 d, soil was analyzed for fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis...... ammonia oxidation which was still significant (p HD after 14 d. In separate treatments receiving 50 mg NH4 +-N kg1 dry soil in addition to DMPP, the inhibition of nitrate accumulation was similar in RD and HD at around 75%. Abundances of the gene amoA from ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB...

  10. Evidence of syntrophic acetate oxidation by Spirochaetes during anaerobic methane production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sang-Hoon; Park, Jeong-Hoon; Kim, Sang-Hyoun; Yu, Byung Jo; Yoon, Jeong-Jun; Park, Hee-Deung

    2015-08-01

    To search for evidence of syntrophic acetate oxidation by cluster II Spirochaetes with hydrogenotrophic methanogens, batch reactors seeded with five different anaerobic sludge samples supplemented with acetate as the sole carbon source were operated anaerobically. The changes in abundance of the cluster II Spirochaetes, two groups of acetoclastic methanogens (Methanosaetaceae and Methanosarcinaceae), and two groups of hydrogenotrophic methanogens (Methanomicrobiales and Methanobacteriales) in the reactors were assessed using qPCR targeting the 16S rRNA genes of each group. Increase in the cluster II Spirochaetes (9.0±0.4-fold) was positively correlated with increase in hydrogenotrophic methanogens, especially Methanomicrobiales (5.6±1.0-fold), but not with acetoclastic methanogens. In addition, the activity of the cluster II Spirochaetes decreased (4.6±0.1-fold) in response to high hydrogen partial pressure, but their activity was restored after consumption of hydrogen by the hydrogenotrophic methanogens. These results strongly suggest that the cluster II Spirochaetes are involved in syntrophic acetate oxidation in anaerobic digesters. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Diversity of Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea in Tropical Compost Systems

    OpenAIRE

    Vidya eDe Gannes; Gaius eEudoxie; David H Dyer; William James Hickey

    2012-01-01

    Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) has changed the p...

  12. Spatial interaction of archaeal ammonia-oxidizers and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria in an unfertilized grassland soil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara eStempfhuber

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Interrelated successive transformation steps of nitrification are performed by distinct microbial groups – the ammonia-oxidizers, comprising ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB, and nitrite-oxidizers such as Nitrobacter and Nitrospira, which are the dominant genera in the investigated soils. Hence, not only their presence and activity in the investigated habitat is required for nitrification, but also their temporal and spatial interactions. To demonstrate the interdependence of both groups and to address factors promoting putative niche differentiation within each group, temporal and spatial changes in nitrifying organisms were monitored in an unfertilized grassland site over an entire vegetation period at the plot scale of 10 m². Nitrifying organisms were assessed by measuring the abundance of marker genes (amoA for AOA and AOB, nxrA for Nitrobacter, 16S rRNA gene for Nitrospira selected for the respective sub-processes. A positive correlation between numerically dominant AOA and Nitrospira, and their co-occurrence at the same spatial scale in August and October, suggests that the nitrification process is predominantly performed by these groups and is restricted to a limited timeframe. Amongst nitrite-oxidizers, niche differentiation was evident in observed seasonally varying patterns of co-occurrence and spatial separation. While their distributions were most likely driven by substrate concentrations, oxygen availability may also have played a role under substrate-limited conditions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed temporal shifts in Nitrospira community composition with an increasing relative abundance of OTU03 assigned to sublineage V from August onwards, indicating its important role in nitrite oxidation.

  13. Development of a simultaneous partial nitrification and anaerobic ammonia oxidation process in a single reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Sunja; Fujii, Naoki; Lee, Taeho; Okabe, Satoshi

    2011-01-01

    Up-flow oxygen-controlled biofilm reactors equipped with a non-woven fabric support were used as a single reactor system for autotrophic nitrogen removal based on a combined partial nitrification and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) reaction. The up-flow biofilm reactors were initiated as either a partial nitrifying reactor or an anammox reactor, respectively, and simultaneous partial nitrification and anammox was established by careful control of the aeration rate. The combined partial nitrification and anammox reaction was successfully developed in both biofilm reactors without additional biomass inoculation. The reactor initiated as the anammox reactor gave a slightly higher and more stable mean nitrogen removal rate of 0.35 (±0.19) kg-N m(-3) d(-1) than the reactor initiated as the partial nitrifying reactor (0.23 (±0.16) kg-N m(-3) d(-1)). FISH analysis revealed that the biofilm in the reactor started as the anammox reactor were composed of anammox bacteria located in inner anoxic layers that were surrounded by surface aerobic AOB layers, whereas AOB and anammox bacteria were mixed without a distinguishable niche in the biofilm in the reactor started as the partial nitrifying reactor. However, it was difficult to efficiently maintain the stable partial nitrification owing to inefficient aeration in the reactor, which is a key to development of the combined partial nitrification and anammox reaction in a single biofilm reactor. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Hotspots of anaerobic ammonia oxidation in land - freshwater interfaces

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhu, Guibing; Wang, Shanyun; Wang, Weidong

    2013-01-01

    sampled fromlake riparian zones in North China. Laboratory incubations in the presence of ammonium or nitrate—at concentrations equivalent to no more than 10% of those detected in situ—yielded some of the highest potential anammox activities reported for natural environments to date. Potential rates......For decades, the conversion of organic nitrogen to dinitrogen gas by heterotrophic bacteria, termed heterotrophic denitrification, was assumed to be the main pathway of nitrogen loss in natural ecosystems. Recently, however, autotrophic bacteria have been shown to oxidize ammonium in the absence...

  15. Substrate Type and Free Ammonia Determine Bacterial Community Structure in Full-Scale Mesophilic Anaerobic Digesters Treating Cattle or Swine Manure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jiabao; Rui, Junpeng; Yao, Minjie; Zhang, Shiheng; Yan, Xuefeng; Wang, Yuanpeng; Yan, Zhiying; Li, Xiangzhen

    2015-01-01

    The microbial-mediated anaerobic digestion (AD) process represents an efficient biological process for the treatment of organic waste along with biogas harvest. Currently, the key factors structuring bacterial communities and the potential core and unique bacterial populations in manure anaerobic digesters are not completely elucidated yet. In this study, we collected sludge samples from 20 full-scale anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure, and investigated the variations of bacterial community compositions using high-throughput 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Clustering and correlation analysis suggested that substrate type and free ammonia (FA) play key roles in determining the bacterial community structure. The COD: [Formula: see text] (C:N) ratio of substrate and FA were the most important available operational parameters correlating to the bacterial communities in cattle and swine manure digesters, respectively. The bacterial populations in all of the digesters were dominated by phylum Firmicutes, followed by Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi. Increased FA content selected Firmicutes, suggesting that they probably play more important roles under high FA content. Syntrophic metabolism by Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Synergistetes and Planctomycetes are likely inhibited when FA content is high. Despite the different manure substrates, operational conditions and geographical locations of digesters, core bacterial communities were identified. The core communities were best characterized by phylum Firmicutes, wherein Clostridium predominated overwhelmingly. Substrate-unique and abundant communities may reflect the properties of manure substrate and operational conditions. These findings extend our current understanding of the bacterial assembly in full-scale manure anaerobic digesters.

  16. Cultivation and Genomic Analysis of "Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus," an Obligately Thermophilic, Ammonia-Oxidizing Thaumarchaeon from a Hot Spring Biofilm in Graendalur Valley, Iceland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daebeler, Anne; Herbold, Craig W; Vierheilig, Julia; Sedlacek, Christopher J; Pjevac, Petra; Albertsen, Mads; Kirkegaard, Rasmus H; de la Torre, José R; Daims, Holger; Wagner, Michael

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaeota are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaeota in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50°C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a newly discovered thaumarchaeon from the deep-branching Nitrosocaldaceae family of which we have obtained a high (∼85%) enrichment from biofilm of an Icelandic hot spring (73°C). This AOA, which we provisionally refer to as " Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus," is an obligately thermophilic, aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer, which stoichiometrically converts ammonia to nitrite at temperatures between 50 and 70°C. " Ca. N. islandicus" encodes the expected repertoire of enzymes proposed to be required for archaeal ammonia oxidation, but unexpectedly lacks a nirK gene and also possesses no identifiable other enzyme for nitric oxide (NO) generation. Nevertheless, ammonia oxidation by this AOA appears to be NO-dependent as " Ca. N. islandicus" is, like all other tested AOA, inhibited by the addition of an NO scavenger. Furthermore, comparative genomics revealed that " Ca. N. islandicus" has the potential for aromatic amino acid fermentation as its genome encodes an indolepyruvate oxidoreductase ( iorAB ) as well as a type 3b hydrogenase, which are not present in any other sequenced AOA. A further surprising genomic feature of this thermophilic ammonia oxidizer is the absence of DNA polymerase D genes - one of the predominant replicative DNA polymerases in all other ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Collectively, our findings suggest that metabolic versatility and DNA replication might differ substantially between obligately thermophilic and other AOA.

  17. Intensive Ammonia and Methane Oxidation in Organic Liquid Manure Crusts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Daniel Aagren; Nielsen, Lars Peter; Schramm, Andreas

    methane oxidizing bacteria (MOB) and are known to accumulate nitrite and nitrate, indicating the presence of ammonia oxidizers (AOB). We have surveyed six manure tanks with organic covers to investigate the prevalence of MOB and AOB and to link the potential activity with physical and chemical aspects...... characterized with respect to O2 availability by in situ profiling with electrochemical microsensors. Results show that oxygen penetration increased from few micrometers up to several centimetres with crust age. AOB and ammonium oxidation are ubiquitously present in well-developed manure crusts whereas MOB were...... also CH4 emission mitigation, an organic surface crust can be effective if populations of MOB and AOB are allowed to build up....

  18. AMMONIA REMOVAL AND NITROUS OXIDE PRODUCTION IN GAS-PHASE COMPOST BIOFILTERS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biofiltration technology is widely utilized for treating ammonia gas (NH3), with one of its potential detrimental by-products being nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas approximately 300 times more reactive to infrared than CO2. The present work intends to provide the relation between NH3 removal d...

  19. Insights into high-temperature nitrogen cycling from studies of the thermophilic ammonia-oxidizing archaeon Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii. (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    de la Torre, J. R.

    2010-12-01

    Our understanding of the nitrogen cycle has advanced significantly in recent years with the discovery of new metabolic processes and the recognition that key processes such as aerobic ammonia oxidation are more broadly distributed among extant organisms and habitat ranges. Nitrification, the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and nitrate, is a key component of the nitrogen cycle and, until recently, was thought to be mediated exclusively by the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). The discovery that mesophilic marine archaea, some of the most abundant microorganisms on the planet, are capable of oxidizing ammonia to nitrite fundamentally changed our perception of the global nitrogen cycle. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are now thought to be significant drivers of nitrification in many marine and terrestrial environments. Most studies, however, have focused on the contribution of AOA to nitrogen cycling in mesophilic environments. Our recent discovery of a thermophilic AOA, Nitrosocaldus yellowstonii, has expanded the role and habitat range of AOA to include high temperature environments. Numerous studies have shown that AOA are widely distributed in geothermal habitats with a wide range of temperature and pH. The availability of multiple AOA genome sequences, combined with metagenomic studies from mesophilic and thermophilic environments gives us a better understanding of the physiology, ecology and evolution of these organisms. Recent studies have proposed that the AOA represent the most deeply branching lineage within the Archaea, the Thaumarchaeota. Furthermore, genomic comparisons between AOA and AOB reveal significant differences in the proposed pathways for ammonia oxidation. These genetic differences likely explain fundamental physiological differences such as the resistance of N. yellowstonii and other AOA to the classical nitrification inhibitors allylthiourea and acetylene. Physiological studies suggest that the marine AOA are adapted to oligotrophic

  20. Biogeochemical and molecular signatures of anaerobic methane oxidation in a marine sediment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomsen, T R; Finster, K; Ramsing, N B

    2001-04-01

    Anaerobic methane oxidation was investigated in 6-m-long cores of marine sediment from Aarhus Bay, Denmark. Measured concentration profiles for methane and sulfate, as well as in situ rates determined with isotope tracers, indicated that there was a narrow zone of anaerobic methane oxidation about 150 cm below the sediment surface. Methane could account for 52% of the electron donor requirement for the peak sulfate reduction rate detected in the sulfate-methane transition zone. Molecular signatures of organisms present in the transition zone were detected by using selective PCR primers for sulfate-reducing bacteria and for Archaea. One primer pair amplified the dissimilatory sulfite reductase (DSR) gene of sulfate-reducing bacteria, whereas another primer (ANME) was designed to amplify archaeal sequences found in a recent study of sediments from the Eel River Basin, as these bacteria have been suggested to be anaerobic methane oxidizers (K. U. Hinrichs, J. M. Hayes, S. P. Sylva, P. G. Brewer, and E. F. DeLong, Nature 398:802-805, 1999). Amplification with the primer pairs produced more amplificate of both target genes with samples from the sulfate-methane transition zone than with samples from the surrounding sediment. Phylogenetic analysis of the DSR gene sequences retrieved from the transition zone revealed that they all belonged to a novel deeply branching lineage of diverse DSR gene sequences not related to any previously described DSR gene sequence. In contrast, DSR gene sequences found in the top sediment were related to environmental sequences from other estuarine sediments and to sequences of members of the genera Desulfonema, Desulfococcus, and Desulfosarcina. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA sequences obtained with the primers targeting the archaeal group of possible anaerobic methane oxidizers revealed two clusters of ANME sequences, both of which were affiliated with sequences from the Eel River Basin.

  1. Illumina sequencing-based analysis of a microbial community enriched under anaerobic methane oxidation condition coupled to denitrification revealed coexistence of aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siniscalchi, Luciene Alves Batista; Leite, Laura Rabelo; Oliveira, Guilherme; Chernicharo, Carlos Augusto Lemos; de Araújo, Juliana Calabria

    2017-07-01

    Methane is produced in anaerobic environments, such as reactors used to treat wastewaters, and can be consumed by methanotrophs. The composition and structure of a microbial community enriched from anaerobic sewage sludge under methane-oxidation condition coupled to denitrification were investigated. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis retrieved sequences of Methylocaldum and Chloroflexi. Deep sequencing analysis revealed a complex community that changed over time and was affected by methane concentration. Methylocaldum (8.2%), Methylosinus (2.3%), Methylomonas (0.02%), Methylacidiphilales (0.45%), Nitrospirales (0.18%), and Methanosarcinales (0.3%) were detected. Despite denitrifying conditions provided, Nitrospirales and Methanosarcinales, known to perform anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification (DAMO) process, were in very low abundance. Results demonstrated that aerobic and anaerobic methanotrophs coexisted in the reactor together with heterotrophic microorganisms, suggesting that a diverse microbial community was important to sustain methanotrophic activity. The methanogenic sludge was a good inoculum to enrich methanotrophs, and cultivation conditions play a selective role in determining community composition.

  2. Anaerobic oxidation of acetylene by estuarine sediments and enrichment cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Culbertson, C.W.; Zehnder, A.J.B.; Oremland, R.S.

    1981-01-01

    Acetylene disappeared from the gas phase of anaerobically incubated estuarine sediment slurries, and loss was accompanied by increased levels of carbon dioxide. Acetylene loss was inhibited by chloroamphenicol, air, and autoclaving. Addition of 14 C 2 H 2 to slurries resulted in the formation of 14 CO 2 and the transient appearance of 14 C-soluble intermediates, of which acetate was a major component. Acetylene oxidation stimulated sulfate reduction; however, sulfate reduction was not required for the loss of C 2 H 2 to occur. Enrichment cultures were obtained which grew anaerobically at the expense of C 2 H 2

  3. Bacterial domination over Archaea in ammonia oxidation in a monsoon-driven tropical estuary

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Vipindas, P.V.; Anas, A.; Jasmin, C.; Lallu, K.R.; Fausia, K.H.; Balachandran, K.K.; Muraleedharan, K.R.; Nair, S.

    Autotrophic ammonia oxidizing microorganisms,which are responsible for the rate-limiting step of nitrification in most aquatic systems, have not been studied in tropical estuaries. Cochin estuary (CE) is one of the largest, productive, and monsoon...

  4. Influence of additives on selective noncatalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia in circulating fluidized bed boilers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leckner, Bo; Karlsson, Maria; Dam-Johansen, Kim

    1991-01-01

    The application of selective noncatalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia in circulating fluidized bed boilers is investigated. Special attention is directed to the use of additives to the ammonia so that the efficiency of the NO reduction at lower temperatures can be increased. Tests under...

  5. Diversity and abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea in tropical compost systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Gannes, Vidya; Eudoxie, Gaius; Dyer, David H; Hickey, William J

    2012-01-01

    Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) has changed the paradigm of nitrification being initiated solely by ammonia oxidizing bacteria. In the present study, AOA abundance and diversity was examined in composts produced from combinations of plant waste materials common in tropical agriculture (rice straw, sugar cane bagasse, and coffee hulls), which were mixed with either cow- or sheep-manure. The objective was to determine how AOA abundance and diversity varied as a function of compost system and time, the latter being a contrast between the start of the compost process (mesophilic phase) and the finished product (mature phase). The results showed that AOA were relatively abundant in composts of tropical agricultural wastes, and significantly more so than were the ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. Furthermore, while the AOA communities in the composts were predominatly group I.1b, the communities were diverse and exhibited structures that diverged between compost types and phases. These patterns could be taken as indicators of the ecophysiological diversity in the soil AOA (group I.1b), in that significantly different AOA communties developed when exposed to varying physico-chemical environments. Nitrification patterns and levels differed in the composts which, for the mature material, could have significant effects on its performance as a plant growth medium. Thus, it will also be important to determine the association of AOA (and diversity in their communities) with nitrification in these systems.

  6. Recovery of ammonia and phosphate minerals from swine wastewater using gas-permeable membranes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gas-permeable membrane technology is useful to recover ammonia from liquid manures. In this study, phosphorus (P) recovery via magnesium chloride precipitation was enhanced by combining it with ammonia recovery through gas-permeable membranes. Anaerobically digested swine effluent containing approx...

  7. Evaluation of autotrophic growth of ammonia-oxidizers associated with granular activated carbon used for drinking water purification by DNA-stable isotope probing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Jia; Kasuga, Ikuro; Kurisu, Futoshi; Furumai, Hiroaki; Shigeeda, Takaaki

    2013-12-01

    Nitrification is an important biological function of granular activated carbon (GAC) used in advanced drinking water purification processes. Newly discovered ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) have challenged the traditional understanding of ammonia oxidation, which considered ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) as the sole ammonia-oxidizers. Previous studies demonstrated the predominance of AOA on GAC, but the contributions of AOA and AOB to ammonia oxidation remain unclear. In the present study, DNA-stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP) was used to investigate the autotrophic growth of AOA and AOB associated with GAC at two different ammonium concentrations (0.14 mg N/L and 1.4 mg N/L). GAC samples collected from three full-scale drinking water purification plants in Tokyo, Japan, had different abundance of AOA and AOB. These samples were fed continuously with ammonium and (13)C-bicarbonate for 14 days. The DNA-SIP analysis demonstrated that only AOA assimilated (13)C-bicarbonate at low ammonium concentration, whereas AOA and AOB exhibited autotrophic growth at high ammonium concentration. This indicates that a lower ammonium concentration is preferable for AOA growth. Since AOA could not grow without ammonium, their autotrophic growth was coupled with ammonia oxidation. Overall, our results point towards an important role of AOA in nitrification in GAC filters treating low concentration of ammonium. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Inhibitory effects of C2 to C10 1-alkynes on ammonia oxidation in two Nitrososphaera species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taylor, A E; Taylor, K; Tennigkeit, B; Palatinszky, M; Stieglmeier, M; Myrold, D D; Schleper, C; Wagner, M; Bottomley, P J

    2015-03-01

    A previous study showed that ammonia oxidation by the Thaumarchaeota Nitrosopumilus maritimus (group 1.1a) was resistant to concentrations of the C8 1-alkyne, octyne, which completely inhibits activity by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. In this study, the inhibitory effects of octyne and other C2 to C10 1-alkynes were evaluated on the nitrite production activity of two pure culture isolates from Thaumarchaeota group 1.1b, Nitrososphaera viennensis strain EN76 and Nitrososphaera gargensis. Both N. viennensis and N. gargensis were insensitive to concentrations of octyne that cause complete and irreversible inactivation of nitrite production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. However, octyne concentrations (≥20 μM) that did not inhibit N. maritimus partially inhibited nitrite production in N. viennensis and N. gargensis in a manner that did not show the characteristics of irreversible inactivation. In contrast to previous studies with an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosomonas europaea, octyne inhibition of N. viennensis was: (i) fully and immediately reversible, (ii) not competitive with NH4 (+), and (iii) without effect on the competitive interaction between NH4 (+) and acetylene. Both N. viennensis and N. gargensis demonstrated the same overall trend in regard to 1-alkyne inhibition as previously observed for N. maritimus, being highly sensitive to ≤C5 alkynes and more resistant to longer-chain length alkynes. Reproducible differences were observed among N. maritimus, N. viennensis, and N. gargensis in regard to the extent of their resistance/sensitivity to C6 and C7 1-alkynes, which may indicate differences in the ammonia monooxygenase binding and catalytic site(s) among the Thaumarchaeota. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  9. Substrate type and free ammonia determine bacterial community structure in full-scale mesophilic anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiabao eLi

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available The microbial-mediated anaerobic digestion (AD process represents an efficient biological process for the treatment of organic waste along with biogas harvest. Currently, the key factors structuring bacterial communities and the potential core and unique bacterial populations in manure anaerobic digesters are not completely elucidated yet. In this study, we collected sludge samples from 20 full-scale anaerobic digesters treating cattle or swine manure, and investigated the variations of bacterial community compositions using high-throughput 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Clustering and correlation analysis suggested that substrate type and free ammonia (FA play key roles in determining the bacterial community structure. The COD: NH4+-N (C:N ratio of substrate and FA were the most important available operational parameters correlating to the bacterial communities in cattle and swine manure digesters, respectively. The bacterial populations in all of the digesters were dominated by phylum Firmicutes, followed by Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Chloroflexi. Increased FA content selected Firmicutes, suggesting that they probably play more important roles under high FA content. Syntrophic metabolism by Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Synergistetes and Planctomycetes are likely inhibited when FA content is high. Despite the different manure substrates, operational conditions and geographical locations of digesters, core bacterial communities were identified. The core communities were best characterized by phylum Firmicutes, wherein Clostridium predominated overwhelmingly. Substrate-unique and abundant communities may reflect the properties of manure substrate and operational conditions. These findings extend our current understanding of the bacterial assembly in full-scale manure anaerobic digesters.

  10. Mathematical modeling of nitrous oxide production in an anaerobic/oxic/anoxic process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Xiaoqian; Zhao, Jianqiang; Hu, Bo; Chen, Ying; Ge, Guanghuan; Li, Xiaoling; Wang, Sha; Gao, Kun; Tian, Xiaolei

    2016-12-01

    This study incorporates three currently known nitrous oxide (N 2 O) production pathways: ammonium-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) denitrification, incomplete hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH) oxidation, and heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers, into a mathematical model to describe N 2 O production in an anaerobic/oxic/anoxic (AOA) process for the first time. The developed model was calibrated and validated by four experimental cases, then evaluated by two independent anaerobic/aerobic (AO) studies from literature. The modeling results displayed good agreement with the measured data. N 2 O was primarily generated in the aerobic stage by AOB denitrification (67.84-81.64%) in the AOA system. Smaller amounts of N 2 O were produced via incomplete NH 2 OH oxidation (15.61-32.17%) and heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers (0-12.47%). The high nitrite inhibition on N 2 O reductase led to the increased N 2 O accumulation in heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers. The new model was capable of modeling nitrification-denitrification dynamics and heterotrophic denitrification on intracellular polymers in the AOA system. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Bacteria dominate ammonia oxidation in soils used for outdoor cattle overwintering

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Radl, V.; Chroňáková, Alica; Čuhel, Jiří; Šimek, Miloslav; Elhottová, Dana; Welzl, G.; Schloter, M.

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 77, May (2014), s. 68-71 ISSN 0929-1393 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LC06066 Grant - others:Akademie věd ČR(CZ) D-CZ 45:05/06 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : ammonia oxidation * bacteria * archaea * amoA diversity * urea * pasture Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 2.644, year: 2014

  12. Resveratrol prevents ammonia toxicity in astroglial cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larissa Daniele Bobermin

    Full Text Available Ammonia is implicated as a neurotoxin in brain metabolic disorders associated with hyperammonemia. Acute ammonia toxicity can be mediated by an excitotoxic mechanism, oxidative stress and nitric oxide (NO production. Astrocytes interact with neurons, providing metabolic support and protecting against oxidative stress and excitotoxicity. Astrocytes also convert excess ammonia and glutamate into glutamine via glutamine synthetase (GS. Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes and red wines, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and modulates glial functions, such as glutamate metabolism. We investigated the effect of resveratrol on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS, GS activity, S100B secretion, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels in astroglial cells exposed to ammonia. Ammonia induced oxidative stress, decreased GS activity and increased cytokines release, probably by a mechanism dependent on protein kinase A (PKA and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK pathways. Resveratrol prevented ammonia toxicity by modulating oxidative stress, glial and inflammatory responses. The ERK and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB are involved in the protective effect of resveratrol on cytokines proinflammatory release. In contrast, other antioxidants (e.g., ascorbic acid and trolox were not effective against hyperammonemia. Thus, resveratrol could be used to protect against ammonia-induced neurotoxicity.

  13. Resveratrol Prevents Ammonia Toxicity in Astroglial Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guerra, Maria Cristina; Leite, Marina Concli; Souza, Diogo Onofre; Gonçalves, Carlos-Alberto; Gottfried, Carmem

    2012-01-01

    Ammonia is implicated as a neurotoxin in brain metabolic disorders associated with hyperammonemia. Acute ammonia toxicity can be mediated by an excitotoxic mechanism, oxidative stress and nitric oxide (NO) production. Astrocytes interact with neurons, providing metabolic support and protecting against oxidative stress and excitotoxicity. Astrocytes also convert excess ammonia and glutamate into glutamine via glutamine synthetase (GS). Resveratrol, a polyphenol found in grapes and red wines, exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and modulates glial functions, such as glutamate metabolism. We investigated the effect of resveratrol on the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), GS activity, S100B secretion, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 levels in astroglial cells exposed to ammonia. Ammonia induced oxidative stress, decreased GS activity and increased cytokines release, probably by a mechanism dependent on protein kinase A (PKA) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways. Resveratrol prevented ammonia toxicity by modulating oxidative stress, glial and inflammatory responses. The ERK and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) are involved in the protective effect of resveratrol on cytokines proinflammatory release. In contrast, other antioxidants (e.g., ascorbic acid and trolox) were not effective against hyperammonemia. Thus, resveratrol could be used to protect against ammonia-induced neurotoxicity. PMID:23284918

  14. Review of Options for Ammonia/Ammonium Management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nash, C. A. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2016-05-06

    This report is a review of literature supporting practical ammonia/ammonium destruction processes. Melter research supporting Hanford Low Activity Waste (LAW) glass production has shown that significant amounts of ammonia will be in the melter offgas condensate. Further work with secondary waste forms indicates the potential need to remove the ammonia, perhaps by an oxidative process. This review finds likely practical chemical methods to oxidize ammonia in aqueous solution at moderate temperatures and atmospheric pressure, using easily obtained reagents. Leading candidates include nitrite oxidation to produce nitrogen gas, various peroxide oxidative processes, and air stripping. This work reviews many other processes and provides reasoning to not consider those processes further for this application.

  15. Contribution of crenarchaeal autotrophic ammonia oxidizers to the dark primary production in Tyrrhenian deep waters (Central Mediterranean Sea)

    OpenAIRE

    Yakimov, Michail M.; La Cono, Violetta; Smedile, Francesco; DeLuca, Thomas H.; Juarez, Silvia; Ciordia, Sergio; Fernandez, Marisol; Albar, Juan Pablo; Ferrer, Manuel; Golyshin, Peter N.; Giuliano, Laura

    2011-01-01

    Mesophilic Crenarchaeota have recently been thought to be significant contributors to nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) cycling. In this study, we examined the vertical distribution of ammonia-oxidizing Crenarchaeota at offshore site in Southern Tyrrhenian Sea. The median value of the crenachaeal cell to amoA gene ratio was close to one suggesting that virtually all deep-sea Crenarchaeota possess the capacity to oxidize ammonia. Crenarchaea-specific genes, nirK and ureC, for nitrite reductase and u...

  16. THE BIOENERGETICS OF AMMONIA AND HYDROXYLAMINE OXIDATION IN NITROSOMONAS-EUROPAEA AT ACID AND ALKALINE PH

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    FRIJLINK, MJ; ABEE, T; LAANBROEK, HJ; DEBOER, W; KONINGS, WN

    Autotrophic ammonia oxidizers depend on alkaline or neutral conditions for optimal activity. Below pH 7 growth and metabolic activity decrease dramatically. Actively oxidizing cells of Nitrosomonas europaea do not maintain a constant internal pH when the external pH is varied from 5 to 8. Studies of

  17. Enhanced sulfamethoxazole degradation through ammonia oxidizing bacteria co-metabolism and fate of transformation products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kassotaki, Elissavet; Buttiglieri, Gianluigi; Ferrando-Climent, Laura; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi; Pijuan, Maite

    2016-05-01

    The occurrence of the widely-used antibiotic sulfamethoxazole (SFX) in wastewaters and surface waters has been reported in a large number of studies. However, the results obtained up-to-date have pointed out disparities in its removal. This manuscript explores the enhanced biodegradation potential of an enriched culture of Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB) towards SFX. Several sets of batch tests were conducted to establish a link between SFX degradation and specific ammonia oxidation rate. The occurrence, degradation and generation of SFX and some of its transformation products (4-Nitro SFX, Desamino-SFX and N(4)-Acetyl-SFX) was also monitored. A clear link between the degradation of SFX and the nitrification rate was found, resulting in an increased SFX removal at higher specific ammonia oxidation rates. Moreover, experiments conducted under the presence of allylthiourea (ATU) did not present any removal of SFX, suggesting a connection between the AMO enzyme and SFX degradation. Long term experiments (up to 10 weeks) were also conducted adding two different concentrations (10 and 100 μg/L) of SFX in the influent of a partial nitrification sequencing batch reactor, resulting in up to 98% removal. Finally, the formation of transformation products during SFX degradation represented up to 32%, being 4-Nitro-SFX the most abundant. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Oxygen Distribution and Potential Ammonia Oxidation in Floating, Liquid Manure Crusts

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Daniel Aagren; Nielsen, Lars Peter; Schramm, Andreas

    2010-01-01

    Floating, organic crusts on liquid manure, stored as a result of animal production, reduce emission of ammonia (NH3) and other volatile compounds during storage. The occurrence of NO2- and NO3- in the crusts indicate the presence of actively metabolizing NH3 oxidizing bacteria (AOB) which may...... be partly responsible for this mitigation effect. Six manure tanks with organic covers (straw and natural) were surveyed to investigate the prevalence and potential activity of AOB and its dependence on the O2 availability in the crust matrix as studied by electrochemical profiling. Oxygen penetration...... microorganisms, including AOB. The microbial activity may thus contribute to a considerable reduction of ammonia emissions from slurry tanks with well-developed crusts....

  19. Cultivation and Genomic Analysis of “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” an Obligately Thermophilic, Ammonia-Oxidizing Thaumarchaeon from a Hot Spring Biofilm in Graendalur Valley, Iceland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daebeler, Anne; Herbold, Craig W.; Vierheilig, Julia; Sedlacek, Christopher J.; Pjevac, Petra; Albertsen, Mads; Kirkegaard, Rasmus H.; de la Torre, José R.; Daims, Holger; Wagner, Michael

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) within the phylum Thaumarchaeota are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaeota in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one§ enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50°C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a newly discovered thaumarchaeon from the deep-branching Nitrosocaldaceae family of which we have obtained a high (∼85%) enrichment from biofilm of an Icelandic hot spring (73°C). This AOA, which we provisionally refer to as “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” is an obligately thermophilic, aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer, which stoichiometrically converts ammonia to nitrite at temperatures between 50 and 70°C. “Ca. N. islandicus” encodes the expected repertoire of enzymes proposed to be required for archaeal ammonia oxidation, but unexpectedly lacks a nirK gene and also possesses no identifiable other enzyme for nitric oxide (NO) generation§. Nevertheless, ammonia oxidation by this AOA appears to be NO-dependent as “Ca. N. islandicus” is, like all other tested AOA, inhibited by the addition of an NO scavenger. Furthermore, comparative genomics revealed that “Ca. N. islandicus” has the potential for aromatic amino acid fermentation as its genome encodes an indolepyruvate oxidoreductase (iorAB) as well as a type 3b hydrogenase, which are not present in any other sequenced AOA. A further surprising genomic feature of this thermophilic ammonia oxidizer is the absence of DNA polymerase D genes§ – one of the predominant replicative DNA polymerases in all other ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Collectively, our findings suggest that metabolic versatility and DNA replication might differ substantially between obligately thermophilic and

  20. Cultivation and Genomic Analysis of “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” an Obligately Thermophilic, Ammonia-Oxidizing Thaumarchaeon from a Hot Spring Biofilm in Graendalur Valley, Iceland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anne Daebeler

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA within the phylum Thaumarchaeota are the only known aerobic ammonia oxidizers in geothermal environments. Although molecular data indicate the presence of phylogenetically diverse AOA from the Nitrosocaldus clade, group 1.1b and group 1.1a Thaumarchaeota in terrestrial high-temperature habitats, only one§ enrichment culture of an AOA thriving above 50°C has been reported and functionally analyzed. In this study, we physiologically and genomically characterized a newly discovered thaumarchaeon from the deep-branching Nitrosocaldaceae family of which we have obtained a high (∼85% enrichment from biofilm of an Icelandic hot spring (73°C. This AOA, which we provisionally refer to as “Candidatus Nitrosocaldus islandicus,” is an obligately thermophilic, aerobic chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer, which stoichiometrically converts ammonia to nitrite at temperatures between 50 and 70°C. “Ca. N. islandicus” encodes the expected repertoire of enzymes proposed to be required for archaeal ammonia oxidation, but unexpectedly lacks a nirK gene and also possesses no identifiable other enzyme for nitric oxide (NO generation§. Nevertheless, ammonia oxidation by this AOA appears to be NO-dependent as “Ca. N. islandicus” is, like all other tested AOA, inhibited by the addition of an NO scavenger. Furthermore, comparative genomics revealed that “Ca. N. islandicus” has the potential for aromatic amino acid fermentation as its genome encodes an indolepyruvate oxidoreductase (iorAB as well as a type 3b hydrogenase, which are not present in any other sequenced AOA. A further surprising genomic feature of this thermophilic ammonia oxidizer is the absence of DNA polymerase D genes§ – one of the predominant replicative DNA polymerases in all other ammonia-oxidizing Thaumarchaeota. Collectively, our findings suggest that metabolic versatility and DNA replication might differ substantially between obligately

  1. Nitrite as a stimulus for ammonia-starved Nitrosomonas europaea

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Laanbroek, H.J.; Bär-Gilissen, M.J.; Hoogveld, H.L.

    2002-01-01

    Ammonia-starved cells of Nitrosomonas europaea are able to preserve a high level of ammonia-oxidizing activity in the absence of ammonium. However, when the nitrite-oxidizing cells that form part of the natural nitrifying community do not keep pace with the ammonia-oxidizing cells, nitrite

  2. Influence of environmental ammonia on the production of nitric oxide and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the freshwater air-breathing catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choudhury, Mahua G. [Biochemical Adaptation Laboratory, Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022 (India); Saha, Nirmalendu, E-mail: nsaha@nehu.ac.in [Biochemical Adaptation Laboratory, Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong 793022 (India)

    2012-07-15

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High environmental ammonia caused more production and accumulation of NO in air-breathing catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Hyper-ammonia stress caused induction and zonal specific expression of iNOS enzyme protein, mRNA expression in different tissues. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Activation of NF{kappa}B that resulted under hyper-ammonia stress was believed to be the cause of induction of iNOS gene. - Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly versatile and unique ubiquitous signaling molecule, and is known to play diverse physiological functions in mammals including those of adaptation to various stresses. The present study reports on the influence of exposure to high external ammonia (HEA) on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), that produces NO from L-arginine in the freshwater air-breathing catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis), which is reported to tolerate a very HEA. Some levels of NO were found to be present in all the tissues and also in plasma of control fish, which further enhanced significantly in fishes treated with high concentrations of environmental ammonia (25 and 50 mM ammonium chloride) for 7 days, accompanied by more efflux of NO from the perfused liver. This was accomplished by the induction of iNOS activity in different tissues of fish exposed to HEA, which otherwise was not detectable in control fish. Exposure to 25 mM ammonium chloride also led to a significant expression of iNOS protein in different tissues, followed by further increase at 50 mM ammonium chloride. Further, there was an increase in the expression of iNOS mRNA in ammonia-treated fish, thus suggesting that the expression of iNOS gene under hyper-ammonia stress was probably regulated at the transcriptional level. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated that the expression of iNOS in different tissues was zonal specific and not expressed uniformly

  3. Influence of environmental ammonia on the production of nitric oxide and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the freshwater air-breathing catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choudhury, Mahua G.; Saha, Nirmalendu

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► High environmental ammonia caused more production and accumulation of NO in air-breathing catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis). ► Hyper-ammonia stress caused induction and zonal specific expression of iNOS enzyme protein, mRNA expression in different tissues. ► Activation of NFκB that resulted under hyper-ammonia stress was believed to be the cause of induction of iNOS gene. - Abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a highly versatile and unique ubiquitous signaling molecule, and is known to play diverse physiological functions in mammals including those of adaptation to various stresses. The present study reports on the influence of exposure to high external ammonia (HEA) on the production of nitric oxide (NO) and the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), that produces NO from L-arginine in the freshwater air-breathing catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis), which is reported to tolerate a very HEA. Some levels of NO were found to be present in all the tissues and also in plasma of control fish, which further enhanced significantly in fishes treated with high concentrations of environmental ammonia (25 and 50 mM ammonium chloride) for 7 days, accompanied by more efflux of NO from the perfused liver. This was accomplished by the induction of iNOS activity in different tissues of fish exposed to HEA, which otherwise was not detectable in control fish. Exposure to 25 mM ammonium chloride also led to a significant expression of iNOS protein in different tissues, followed by further increase at 50 mM ammonium chloride. Further, there was an increase in the expression of iNOS mRNA in ammonia-treated fish, thus suggesting that the expression of iNOS gene under hyper-ammonia stress was probably regulated at the transcriptional level. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated that the expression of iNOS in different tissues was zonal specific and not expressed uniformly throughout the organ. Hyper-ammonia stress also led to activation and nuclear

  4. Syntrophic acetate oxidation in two-phase (acid-methane) anaerobic digesters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimada, T; Morgenroth, E; Tandukar, M; Pavlostathis, S G; Smith, A; Raskin, L; Kilian, R E

    2011-01-01

    The microbial processes involved in two-phase anaerobic digestion were investigated by operating a laboratory-scale acid-phase (AP) reactor and analyzing two full-scale, two-phase anaerobic digesters operated under mesophilic (35 °C) conditions. The digesters received a blend of primary sludge and waste activated sludge (WAS). Methane levels of 20% in the laboratory-scale reactor indicated the presence of methanogenic activity in the AP. A phylogenetic analysis of an archaeal 16S rRNA gene clone library of one of the full-scale AP digesters showed that 82% and 5% of the clones were affiliated with the orders Methanobacteriales and Methanosarcinales, respectively. These results indicate that substantial levels of aceticlastic methanogens (order Methanosarcinales) were not maintained at the low solids retention times and acidic conditions (pH 5.2-5.5) of the AP, and that methanogenesis was carried out by hydrogen-utilizing methanogens of the order Methanobacteriales. Approximately 43, 31, and 9% of the archaeal clones from the methanogenic phase (MP) digester were affiliated with the orders Methanosarcinales, Methanomicrobiales, and Methanobacteriales, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis of a bacterial 16S rRNA gene clone library suggested the presence of acetate-oxidizing bacteria (close relatives of Thermacetogenium phaeum, 'Syntrophaceticus schinkii,' and Clostridium ultunense). The high abundance of hydrogen consuming methanogens and the presence of known acetate-oxidizing bacteria suggest that acetate utilization by acetate oxidizing bacteria in syntrophic interaction with hydrogen-utilizing methanogens was an important pathway in the second-stage of the two-phase digestion, which was operated at high ammonium-N concentrations (1.0 and 1.4 g/L). A modified version of the IWA Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) with extensions for syntrophic acetate oxidation and weak-acid inhibition adequately described the dynamic profiles of volatile acid production

  5. Development of the kinetic model of platinum catalyzed ammonia oxidation in a microreactor

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Rebrov, E.V.; Croon, de M.H.J.M.; Schouten, J.C.

    2002-01-01

    The ammonia oxidation reaction on supported polycrystalline platinum catalyst was investigated in an aluminum-based microreactor. An extensive set of reactions was included in the chemical reactor modeling to facilitate the construction of a kinetic model capable of satisfactory predictions for a

  6. Site-Specific Reactivity of Copper Chabazite Zeolites with Nitric Oxide, Ammonia, and Oxygen

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Godiksen, Anita; Isaksen, Oliver L.; Rasmussen, Søren B.

    2018-01-01

    In-situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was applied to dilute copper chabazite (CHA) zeolites under gas flows relevant for the selective catalytic reduction of NO with ammonia (NH3-SCR). Under both reducing and oxidizing conditions, we observed differences in reactivity between...

  7. Enhanced and selective ammonia sensing of reduced graphene oxide based chemo resistive sensor at room temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Ramesh; Kaur, Amarjeet

    2016-05-01

    The reduced graphene oxide thin films were fabricated by using the spin coating method. The reduced graphene oxide samples were characterised by Raman studies to obtain corresponding D and G bands at 1360 and 1590 cm-1 respectively. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectra consists of peak corresponds to sp2 hybridisation of carbon atoms at 1560 cm-1. The reduced graphene oxide based chemoresistive sensor exhibited a p-type semiconductor behaviour in ambient conditions and showed good sensitivity to different concentration of ammonia from 25 ppm to 500 ppm and excellent selectivity at room temperature. The sensor displays selectivity to several hazardous vapours such as methanol, ethanol, acetone and hydrazine hydrate. The sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 9.8 at 25 ppm concentration of ammonia with response time of 163 seconds.

  8. Aerobic nitrous oxide production through N-nitrosating hybrid formation in ammonia-oxidizing archaea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stieglmeier, Michaela; Mooshammer, Maria; Kitzler, Barbara; Wanek, Wolfgang; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie; Richter, Andreas; Schleper, Christa

    2014-05-01

    Soil emissions are largely responsible for the increase of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) in the atmosphere and are generally attributed to the activity of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria. However, the contribution of the recently discovered ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) to N2O production from soil is unclear as is the mechanism by which they produce it. Here we investigate the potential of Nitrososphaera viennensis, the first pure culture of AOA from soil, to produce N2O and compare its activity with that of a marine AOA and an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (AOB) from soil. N. viennensis produced N2O at a maximum yield of 0.09% N2O per molecule of nitrite under oxic growth conditions. N2O production rates of 4.6±0.6 amol N2O cell(-1) h(-1) and nitrification rates of 2.6±0.5 fmol NO2(-) cell(-1) h(-1) were in the same range as those of the AOB Nitrosospira multiformis and the marine AOA Nitrosopumilus maritimus grown under comparable conditions. In contrast to AOB, however, N2O production of the two archaeal strains did not increase when the oxygen concentration was reduced, suggesting that they are not capable of denitrification. In (15)N-labeling experiments we provide evidence that both ammonium and nitrite contribute equally via hybrid N2O formation to the N2O produced by N. viennensis under all conditions tested. Our results suggest that archaea may contribute to N2O production in terrestrial ecosystems, however, they are not capable of nitrifier-denitrification and thus do not produce increasing amounts of the greenhouse gas when oxygen becomes limiting.

  9. Biogeochemical evidence that thermophilic Archaea mediate the anaerobic oxidation of methane

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Schouten, S.; Wakeham, S.G.; Hopmans, E.C.

    2003-01-01

    Distributions and isotopic analyses of lipids from sediment cores at a hydrothermally active site in the Guaymas Basin with a steep sedimentary temperature gradient revealed the presence of archaea that oxidize methane anaerobically. The presence of strongly 13C-depleted lipids at greater depths in

  10. Ammonia, nitrous oxide and hydrogen cyanide emissions from five passenger vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karlsson, Hua Lu

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, three unregulated components, ammonia, nitrous oxide and hydrogen cyanide, emitted from five passenger vehicles are investigated. With focus upon emission factors from existing production technology, vehicles produced between 1989 and 1998 with considerable mileage (7000 to 280,000) are chosen. Among the five vehicles, four were sold in the European market, whereas one was sold in the US market. The vehicles are tested on a chassis dynamometer. An EU2000 Driving Cycle (NEDC) and a US Urban Driving Cycle (UDC) of the Federal Test Procedure 75 (FTP-75) are used in the study. The regulated emissions are measured using a Horiba Mexa series. Unregulated emissions, ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) are analysed by mass spectrometer, gas chromatography and CNT-NA, TIM315-74W method, respectively. Both the unregulated emissions and the regulated emissions show driving cycle dependency; and they are also improved with newer vehicle and emission control technology. However, a gasoline direct injection vehicle (relatively new technology in this study) has rather high regulated emissions, whereas the NH 3 , N 2 O and HCN emissions are low

  11. Ammonia, nitrous oxide and hydrogen cyanide emissions from five passenger vehicles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karlsson, Hua Lu

    2004-12-01

    In this paper, three unregulated components, ammonia, nitrous oxide and hydrogen cyanide, emitted from five passenger vehicles are investigated. With focus upon emission factors from existing production technology, vehicles produced between 1989 and 1998 with considerable mileage (7000 to 280,000) are chosen. Among the five vehicles, four were sold in the European market, whereas one was sold in the US market. The vehicles are tested on a chassis dynamometer. An EU2000 Driving Cycle (NEDC) and a US Urban Driving Cycle (UDC) of the Federal Test Procedure 75 (FTP-75) are used in the study. The regulated emissions are measured using a Horiba Mexa series. Unregulated emissions, ammonia (NH(3)), nitrous oxide (N(2)O) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) are analysed by mass spectrometer, gas chromatography and CNT-NA, TIM315-74W method, respectively. Both the unregulated emissions and the regulated emissions show driving cycle dependency; and they are also improved with newer vehicle and emission control technology. However, a gasoline direct injection vehicle (relatively new technology in this study) has rather high regulated emissions, whereas the NH(3), N(2)O and HCN emissions are low.

  12. Effects of phosphate addition on methane fermentation in the batch and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Sho; Shintani, Masaki; Sanchez, Zoe Kuizon; Kimura, Kohei; Numata, Mitsuru; Yamazoe, Atsushi; Kimbara, Kazuhide

    2015-12-01

    Ammonia inhibition of methane fermentation is one of the leading causes of failure of anaerobic digestion reactors. In a batch anaerobic digestion reactor with 429 mM NH3-N/L of ammonia, the addition of 25 mM phosphate resulted in an increase in methane production rate. Similar results were obtained with the addition of disodium phosphate in continuous anaerobic digestion using an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactor. While methane content and production rate decreased in the presence of more than 143 mM NH3-N/L of ammonium chloride in UASB, the addition of 5 mM disodium phosphate suppressed ammonia inhibition at 214 mM NH3-N/L of ammonium chloride. The addition prevented acetate/propionate accumulation, which might be one of the effects of the phosphate on the ammonia inhibition. The effects on the microbial community in the UASB reactor was also assessed, which was composed of Bacteria involved in hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and dehydrogenation, as well as Archaea carrying out methanogenesis. The change in the microbial community was observed by ammonia inhibition and the addition of phosphate. The change indicates that the suppression of ammonia inhibition by disodium phosphate addition could stimulate the activity of methanogens, reduce shift in bacterial community, and enhance hydrogen-producing bacteria. The addition of phosphate will be an important treatment for future studies of methane fermentation.

  13. Environmental evidence for net methane production and oxidation in putative ANaerobic MEthanotrophic (ANME) archaea

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lloyd, Karen; Teske, Andreas; Alperin, Marc J.

    2011-01-01

    . Anaerobic methane oxidation regulates methane emissions in marine sediments and appears to occur through a reversal of a methane-producing metabolism. We tested the assumption that ANME are obligate methanotrophs by detecting and quantifying gene transcription of ANME-1 across zones of methane oxidation...

  14. Nitrate reduction, nitrous oxide formation, and anaerobic ammonia oxidation to nitrite in the gut of soil-feeding termites (Cubitermes and Ophiotermes spp.)

    KAUST Repository

    Ngugi, David; Brune, Andreas

    2011-01-01

    Soil-feeding termites play important roles in the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in tropical soils. Through the mineralization of nitrogenous humus components, their intestinal tracts accumulate enormous amounts of ammonia, and nitrate and nitrite

  15. Quantitative Metaproteomics Highlight the Metabolic Contributions of Uncultured Phylotypes in a Thermophilic Anaerobic Digester.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagen, Live H; Frank, Jeremy A; Zamanzadeh, Mirzaman; Eijsink, Vincent G H; Pope, Phillip B; Horn, Svein J; Arntzen, Magnus Ø

    2017-01-15

    In this study, we used multiple meta-omic approaches to characterize the microbial community and the active metabolic pathways of a stable industrial biogas reactor with food waste as the dominant feedstock, operating at thermophilic temperatures (60°C) and elevated levels of free ammonia (367 mg/liter NH 3 -N). The microbial community was strongly dominated (76% of all 16S rRNA amplicon sequences) by populations closely related to the proteolytic bacterium Coprothermobacter proteolyticus. Multiple Coprothermobacter-affiliated strains were detected, introducing an additional level of complexity seldom explored in biogas studies. Genome reconstructions provided metabolic insight into the microbes that performed biomass deconstruction and fermentation, including the deeply branching phyla Dictyoglomi and Planctomycetes and the candidate phylum "Atribacteria" These biomass degraders were complemented by a synergistic network of microorganisms that convert key fermentation intermediates (fatty acids) via syntrophic interactions with hydrogenotrophic methanogens to ultimately produce methane. Interpretation of the proteomics data also suggested activity of a Methanosaeta phylotype acclimatized to high ammonia levels. In particular, we report multiple novel phylotypes proposed as syntrophic acetate oxidizers, which also exert expression of enzymes needed for both the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway and β-oxidation of fatty acids to acetyl coenzyme A. Such an arrangement differs from known syntrophic oxidizing bacteria and presents an interesting hypothesis for future studies. Collectively, these findings provide increased insight into active metabolic roles of uncultured phylotypes and presents new synergistic relationships, both of which may contribute to the stability of the biogas reactor. Biogas production through anaerobic digestion of organic waste provides an attractive source of renewable energy and a sustainable waste management strategy. A comprehensive understanding

  16. Anaerobic oxidation of methane in grassland soils used for cattle husbandry

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bannert, A.; Bogen, C.; Esperschütz, J.; Koubová, Anna; Buegger, F.; Fischer, D.; Radl, V.; Fuss, R.; Chroňáková, Alica; Elhottová, Dana; Šimek, Miloslav; Schloter, M.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 10 (2012), s. 3891-3899 ISSN 1726-4170 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA526/09/1570 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : anaerobic oxidation of methane * grassland soils * cattle husbandry Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 3.754, year: 2012

  17. Co-existence of Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation Bacteria and Denitrifying Anaerobic Methane Oxidation Bacteria in Sewage Sludge: Community Diversity and Seasonal Dynamics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Sai; Lu, Wenjing; Mustafa, Muhammad Farooq; Caicedo, Luis Miguel; Guo, Hanwen; Fu, Xindi; Wang, Hongtao

    2017-11-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX) and denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) have been recently discovered as relevant processes in the carbon and nitrogen cycles of wastewater treatment plants. In this study, the seasonal dynamics of ANAMMOX and DAMO bacterial community structures and their abundance in sewage sludge collected from wastewater treatment plants were analysed. Results indicated that ANAMMOX and DAMO bacteria co-existed in sewage sludge in different seasons and their abundance was positively correlated (P bacteria in autumn and winter indicated that these seasons were the preferred time to favour the growth of ANAMMOX and DAMO bacteria. The community structure of ANNAMOX and DAMO bacteria could also shift with seasonal changes. The "Candidatus Brocadia" genus of ANAMMOX bacteria was mainly recovered in spring and summer, and an unknown cluster was primarily detected in autumn and winter. Similar patterns of seasonal variation in the community structure of DAMO bacteria were also observed. Group B was the dominant in spring and summer, whereas in autumn and winter, group A and group B presented almost the same proportion. The redundancy analysis revealed that pH and nitrate were the most significant factors affecting community structures of these two groups (P < 0.01). This study reported the diversity of ANAMMOX and DAMO in wastewater treatment plants that may be the basis for new nitrogen removal technologies.

  18. The role of adsorbates in the electrochemical oxidation of ammonia on noble and transition metal electrodes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vooys, de A.C.A.; Koper, M.T.M.; Santen, van R.A.; Veen, van J.A.R.

    2001-01-01

    The activity for ammonia oxidation and the intermediates formed during the reaction have been studied on platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, copper, silver and gold electrodes. The activity in the selective oxidation to N-2 is related directly to the nature of the species at the

  19. Characterization and anaerobic treatment of the sanitary landfill leachate in Istanbul.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inanc, B; Calli, B; Saatci, A

    2000-01-01

    In this study, characterization and anaerobic treatability of leachate from Komurcuoda Sanitary Landfill located on the Asian part of Istanbul were investigated. Time based fluctuations in characteristics of leachate were monitored for an 8 month period. Samples were taken from a 200 m3 holding tank located at the lowest elevation of the landfill. COD concentrations have ranged between 18,800 and 47,800 mg/l while BOD5 between 6820 and 38,500 mg/L. COD and BOD5 values were higher in summer and lower in winter due to dilution by precipitation. On the other hand, it was quite interesting that such a dilution effect was not observed for ammonia. The highest ammonia concentration, 2690 mg/L was in November 1998. BOD5/COD ratio was larger than 0.7 for most samples indicating high biodegradability, and acidic phase of decomposition in the landfill. For anaerobic treatability, three different reactors, namely an upflow anaerobic sludge bed reactor, an anaerobic upflow filter and a hybrid bed reactor, were used. The anaerobic reactors were operated for more than 230 days and were continuing operation when this paper was prepared. Organic loading was increased gradually from 1.3 kg COD/m3.day to 8.2 kg COD/m3.day while hydraulic retention time was reduced from 2.4 days to 2.0 days. All the reactors showed similar performances against organic loadings with efficiencies between 80% and 90%. However the reactors have experienced high ammonia concentrations several times throughout the experimental period, and showed different inhibition levels. Anaerobic filter was the least affected reactor while UASB was the most. Hybrid bed reactor has exhibited a similar performance to anaerobic filter although not to the same degree.

  20. Ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacterial communities in a pilot-scale chloraminated drinking water distribution system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Regan, John M; Harrington, Gregory W; Noguera, Daniel R

    2002-01-01

    Nitrification in drinking water distribution systems is a common operational problem for many utilities that use chloramines for secondary disinfection. The diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in the distribution systems of a pilot-scale chloraminated drinking water treatment system was characterized using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and 16S rRNA gene (ribosomal DNA [rDNA]) cloning and sequencing. For ammonia oxidizers, 16S rDNA-targeted T-RFLP indicated the presence of Nitrosomonas in each of the distribution systems, with a considerably smaller peak attributable to Nitrosospira-like AOB. Sequences of AOB amplification products aligned within the Nitrosomonas oligotropha cluster and were closely related to N. oligotropha and Nitrosomonas ureae. The nitrite-oxidizing communities were comprised primarily of Nitrospira, although Nitrobacter was detected in some samples. These results suggest a possible selection of AOB related to N. oligotropha and N. ureae in chloraminated systems and demonstrate the presence of NOB, indicating a biological mechanism for nitrite loss that contributes to a reduction in nitrite-associated chloramine decay.

  1. Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria gain antibiotic resistance during long-term acclimatization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zheng-Zhe; Zhang, Qian-Qian; Guo, Qiong; Chen, Qian-Qian; Jiang, Xiao-Yan; Jin, Ren-Cun

    2015-09-01

    Three broad-spectrum antibiotics, amoxicillin (AMX), florfenicol (FF) and sulfamethazine (SMZ), that inhibit bacteria via different target sites, were selected to evaluate the acute toxicity and long-term effects on anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) granules. The specific anammox activity (SAA) levels reduced by approximately half within the first 3 days in the presence of antibiotics but no nitrite accumulation was observed in continuous-flow experiments. However, the SAA levels and heme c content gradually recovered as the antibiotic concentrations increased. Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) analysis suggested that anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing bacteria gradually developed a better survival strategy during long-term acclimatization, which reduced the antibiotic stress via increased EPS secretion that provided a protective 'cocoon.' In terms of nitrogen removal efficiency, anammox granules could resist 60 mg-AMX L(-1), 10 mg-FF L(-1) and 100 mg-SMZ L(-1). This study supported the feasibility of using anammox granules to treat antibiotic-containing wastewater. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Niche specificity of ammonia-oxidizing archaeal and bacterial communities in a freshwater wetland receiving municipal wastewater in Daqing, Northeast China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kwok-Ho; Wang, Yong-Feng; Li, Hui; Gu, Ji-Dong

    2014-12-01

    Ecophysiological differences between ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) enable them to adapt to different niches in complex freshwater wetland ecosystems. The community characters of AOA and AOB in the different niches in a freshwater wetland receiving municipal wastewater, as well as the physicochemical parameters of sediment/soil samples, were investigated in this study. AOA community structures varied and separated from each other among four different niches. Wetland vegetation including aquatic macrophytes and terrestrial plants affected the AOA community composition but less for AOB, whereas sediment depths might contribute to the AOB community shift. The diversity of AOA communities was higher than that of AOB across all four niches. Archaeal and bacterial amoA genes (encoding for the alpha-subunit of ammonia monooxygenases) were most diverse in the dry-land niche, indicating O2 availability might favor ammonia oxidation. The majority of AOA amoA sequences belonged to the Soil/sediment Cluster B in the freshwater wetland ecosystems, while the dominant AOB amoA sequences were affiliated with Nitrosospira-like cluster. In the Nitrosospira-like cluster, AOB amoA gene sequences affiliated with the uncultured ammonia-oxidizing beta-proteobacteria constituted the largest portion (99%). Moreover, independent methods for phylogenetic tree analysis supported high parsimony bootstrap values. As a consequence, it is proposed that Nitrosospira-like amoA gene sequences recovered in this study represent a potentially novel cluster, grouping with the sequences from Gulf of Mexico deposited in the public databases.

  3. Energy Metabolism during Anaerobic Methane Oxidation in ANME Archaea

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGlynn, Shawn E.

    2017-01-01

    Anaerobic methane oxidation in archaea is often presented to operate via a pathway of “reverse methanogenesis”. However, if the cumulative reactions of a methanogen are run in reverse there is no apparent way to conserve energy. Recent findings suggest that chemiosmotic coupling enzymes known from their use in methylotrophic and acetoclastic methanogens—in addition to unique terminal reductases—biochemically facilitate energy conservation during complete CH4 oxidation to CO2. The apparent enzyme modularity of these organisms highlights how microbes can arrange their energy metabolisms to accommodate diverse chemical potentials in various ecological niches, even in the extreme case of utilizing “reverse” thermodynamic potentials. PMID:28321009

  4. Anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to thiosulfate reduction in a biotrickling filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassarini, Chiara; Rene, Eldon R; Bhattarai, Susma; Esposito, Giovanni; Lens, Piet N L

    2017-09-01

    Microorganisms from an anaerobic methane oxidizing sediment were enriched with methane gas as the substrate in a biotrickling filter (BTF) using thiosulfate as electron acceptor for 213days. Thiosulfate disproportionation to sulfate and sulfide were the dominating sulfur conversion process in the BTF and the sulfide production rate was 0.5mmoll -1 day -1 . A specific group of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB), belonging to the Desulforsarcina/Desulfococcus group, was enriched in the BTF. The BTF biomass showed maximum sulfate reduction rate (0.38mmoll -1 day -1 ) with methane as sole electron donor, measured in the absence of thiosulfate in the BTF. Therefore, a BTF fed with thiosulfate as electron acceptor can be used to enrich SRB of the DSS group and activate the inoculum for anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Enhanced and selective ammonia sensing of reduced graphene oxide based chemo resistive sensor at room temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Ramesh, E-mail: rameshphysicsdu@gmail.com; Kaur, Amarjeet, E-mail: amarkaur@physics.du.ac.in [Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007 (India)

    2016-05-06

    The reduced graphene oxide thin films were fabricated by using the spin coating method. The reduced graphene oxide samples were characterised by Raman studies to obtain corresponding D and G bands at 1360 and 1590 cm{sup −1} respectively. Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectra consists of peak corresponds to sp{sup 2} hybridisation of carbon atoms at 1560 cm{sup −1}. The reduced graphene oxide based chemoresistive sensor exhibited a p-type semiconductor behaviour in ambient conditions and showed good sensitivity to different concentration of ammonia from 25 ppm to 500 ppm and excellent selectivity at room temperature. The sensor displays selectivity to several hazardous vapours such as methanol, ethanol, acetone and hydrazine hydrate. The sensor demonstrated a sensitivity of 9.8 at 25 ppm concentration of ammonia with response time of 163 seconds.

  6. Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification is the dominant methane sink in a deep lake

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Deutzmann, Joerg S.; Stief, Peter; Brandes, Josephin

    2014-01-01

    Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification, also known as “nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation” (n-damo), was discovered in 2006. Since then, only a few studies have identified this process and the associated microorganisms in natural environments. In aquatic sediments......, the close proximity of oxygen- and nitrate-consumption zones can mask n-damo as aerobic methane oxidation. We therefore investigated the vertical distribution and the abundance of denitrifying methanotrophs related to Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera with cultivation-independent molecular techniques...... in the sediments of Lake Constance. Additionally, the vertical distribution of methane oxidation and nitrate consumption zones was inferred from high-resolution microsensor profiles in undisturbed sediment cores. M. oxyfera-like bacteria were virtually absent at shallow-water sites (littoral sediment) and were...

  7. Biochar type and factors affecting N transformation, ammonia volatilization, and nitrous oxide emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soil amendment with biochar has shown the potential to improve nitrogen (N) availability for plant uptake and reduce environmental losses via ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. There are still many unknowns on how biochar type and soil conditions affect N dynamics and processes associa...

  8. Diversity and abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea in tropical compost systems

    OpenAIRE

    de Gannes, Vidya; Eudoxie, Gaius; Dyer, David H.; Hickey, William J.

    2012-01-01

    Composting is widely used to transform waste materials into valuable agricultural products. In the tropics, large quantities of agricultural wastes could be potentially useful in agriculture after composting. However, while microbiological processes of composts in general are well established, relatively little is known about microbial communities that may be unique to these in tropical systems, particularly nitrifiers. The recent discovery of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) has changed the p...

  9. Modeling of simultaneous anaerobic methane and ammonium oxidation in a membrane biofilm reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xueming; Guo, Jianhua; Shi, Ying; Hu, Shihu; Yuan, Zhiguo; Ni, Bing-Jie

    2014-08-19

    Nitrogen removal by using the synergy of denitrifying anaerobic methane oxidation (DAMO) and anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox) microorganisms in a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) has previously been demonstrated experimentally. In this work, a mathematical model is developed to describe the simultaneous anaerobic methane and ammonium oxidation by DAMO and Anammox microorganisms in an MBfR for the first time. In this model, DAMO archaea convert nitrate, both externally fed and/or produced by Anammox, to nitrite, with methane as the electron donor. Anammox and DAMO bacteria jointly remove the nitrite fed/produced, with ammonium and methane as the electron donor, respectively. The model is successfully calibrated and validated using the long-term (over 400 days) dynamic experimental data from the MBfR, as well as two independent batch tests at different operational stages of the MBfR. The model satisfactorily describes the methane oxidation and nitrogen conversion data from the system. Modeling results show the concentration gradients of methane and nitrogen would cause stratification of the biofilm, where Anammox bacteria mainly grow in the biofilm layer close to the bulk liquid and DAMO organisms attach close to the membrane surface. The low surface methane loadings result in a low fraction of DAMO microorganisms, but the high surface methane loadings would lead to overgrowth of DAMO bacteria, which would compete with Anammox for nitrite and decrease the fraction of Anammox bacteria. The results suggest an optimal methane supply under the given condition should be applied not only to benefit the nitrogen removal but also to avoid potential methane emissions.

  10. Enhancing recovery of ammonia from swine manure anaerobic digester effluent using gas-permeable membrane technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dube, P J; Vanotti, M B; Szogi, A A; García-González, M C

    2016-03-01

    Gas-permeable membrane technology is useful to recover ammonia from manure. In this study, the technology was enhanced using aeration instead of alkali chemicals to increase pH and the ammonium (NH4(+)) recovery rate. Digested effluents from covered anaerobic swine lagoons containing 1465-2097 mg NH4(+)-N L(-1) were treated using submerged membranes (0.13 cm(2) cm(-3)), low-rate aeration (120 mL air L-manure(-1) min(-1)) and nitrification inhibitor (22 mg L(-1)) to prevent nitrification. The experiment included a control without aeration. The pH of the manure with aeration rose from 8.6 to 9.2 while the manure without aeration decreased from 8.6 to 8.1. With aeration, 97-99% of the NH4(+) was removed in about 5 days of operation with 96-98% recovery efficiency. In contrast, without aeration it took 25 days to treat the NH4(+). Therefore, the recovery of NH4(+) was five times faster with the low-rate aeration treatment. This enhancement could reduce costs by 70%. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Quantitative analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in a combined system of MBR and worm reactors treating synthetic wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jia; Tian, Yu; Wang, Dezhen; Lu, Yaobin; Zhang, Jun; Zuo, Wei

    2014-12-01

    The Static Sequencing Batch Worm Reactor (SSBWR) followed by the MBR (S-MBR) is one of the advanced excess sludge treatments. In this paper, the control MBR (C-MBR) and the SSBWR-MBR were operated in parallel to study the changes of NH3-N removal and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). The results showed that the capacity of NH3-N removal of the S-MBR was improved by the worm reactors along with the operation. The S-MBR was favorable because it selected for the higher activity of the ammonia oxidization and better cells appearance of the sludge. The five species (Nitrosomonas, Betaproteobacteria, Clostridium, Dechloromonas and Bacteria) were found to be significantly correlate with the ammonia oxidization functions and performance of NH3-N removal in the C-MBR and S-MBR. The Nitrosomonas, Betaproteobacteria and Dechloromonas remained and eventually enriched in the S-MBR played a primary role in the NH3-N removal of the S-MBR. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Geographic Distribution of Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea along the Kuril Islands in the Western Subarctic Pacific

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hongmei Jing

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Community composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA in the ocean were affected by different physicochemical conditions, but their responses to physical barriers (such as a chain of islands were largely unknown. In our study, geographic distribution of the AOA from the surface photic zone to the deep bathypelagic waters in the western subarctic Pacific adjacent to the Kuril Islands was investigated using pyrosequencing based on the ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA gene. Genotypes of clusters A and B dominated in the upper euphotic zone and the deep waters, respectively. Quantitative PCR assays revealed that the occurrence and ammonia-oxidizing activity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA reached their maxima at the depth of 200 m, where a higher diversity and abundance of actively transcribed AOA was observed at the station located in the marginal sea exposed to more terrestrial input. Similar community composition of AOA observed at the two stations adjacent to the Kuril Islands maybe due to water exchange across the Bussol Strait. They distinct from the station located in the western subarctic gyre, where sub-cluster WCAII had a specific distribution in the surface water, and this sub-cluster seemed having a confined distribution in the western Pacific. Habitat-specific groupings of different WCB sub-clusters were observed reflecting the isolated microevolution existed in cluster WCB. The effect of the Kuril Islands on the phylogenetic composition of AOA between the Sea of Okhotsk and the western subarctic Pacific is not obvious, possibly because our sampling stations are near to the Bussol Strait, the main gateway through which water is exchanged between the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific. The vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of AOA communities among stations along the Kuril Islands were essentially determined by the in situ prevailing physicochemical gradients along the two dimensions.

  13. Detection by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in microcosms of crude oil-contaminated mangrove sediments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    dos Santos, A C F; Marques, E L S; Gross, E; Souza, S S; Dias, J C T; Brendel, M; Rezende, R P

    2012-01-27

    Currently, the effect of crude oil on ammonia-oxidizing bacterium communities from mangrove sediments is little understood. We studied the diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in mangrove microcosm experiments using mangrove sediments contaminated with 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5% crude oil as well as non-contaminated control and landfarm soil from near an oil refinery in Camamu Bay in Bahia, Brazil. The evolution of CO(2) production in all crude oil-contaminated microcosms showed potential for mineralization. Cluster analysis of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis-derived samples generated with primers for gene amoA, which encodes the functional enzyme ammonia monooxygenase, showed differences in the sample contaminated with 5% compared to the other samples. Principal component analysis showed divergence of the non-contaminated samples from the 5% crude oil-contaminated sediment. A Venn diagram generated from the banding pattern of PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used to look for operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in common. Eight OTUs were found in non-contaminated sediments and in samples contaminated with 0.5, 1, or 2% crude oil. A Jaccard similarity index of 50% was found for samples contaminated with 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 2% crude oil. This is the first study that focuses on the impact of crude oil on the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium community in mangrove sediments from Camamu Bay.

  14. Metatranscriptomic and metagenomic description of the bacterial nitrogen metabolism in waste water wet oxidation effluents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julien Crovadore

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Anaerobic digestion is a common method for reducing the amount of sludge solids in used waters and enabling biogas production. The wet oxidation process (WOX improves anaerobic digestion by converting carbon into methane through oxidation of organic compounds. WOX produces effluents rich in ammonia, which must be removed to maintain the activity of methanogens. Ammonia removal from WOX could be biologically operated by aerobic granules. To this end, granulation experiments were conducted in 2 bioreactors containing an activated sludge (AS. For the first time, the dynamics of the microbial community structure and the expression levels of 7 enzymes of the nitrogen metabolism in such active microbial communities were followed in regard to time by metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. It was shown that bacterial communities adapt to the wet oxidation effluent by increasing the expression level of the nitrogen metabolism, suggesting that these biological activities could be a less costly alternative for the elimination of ammonia, resulting in a reduction of the use of chemicals and energy consumption in sewage plants. This study reached a strong sequencing depth (from 4.4 to 7.6 Gb and enlightened a yet unknown diversity of the microorganisms involved in the nitrogen pathway. Moreover, this approach revealed the abundance and expression levels of specialised enzymes involved in nitrification, denitrification, ammonification, dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA and nitrogen fixation processes in AS. Keywords: Applied sciences, Biological sciences, Environmental science, Genetics, Microbiology

  15. Evaluation of granular anaerobic ammonium oxidation process for the disposal of pre-treated swine manure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shou-Qing Ni

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available With rising environmental concerns on potable water safety and eutrophication, increased media attention and tighter environmental regulations, managing animal waste in an environmentally responsible and economically feasible way can be a challenge. In this study, the possibility of using granular anammox process for ammonia removal from swine waste treatment water was investigated. A rapid decrease of NO2−–N and NH4+–N was observed during incubation with wastewater from an activated sludge deodorization reactor and anaerobic digestion-partial oxidation treatment process treating swine manure and its corresponding control artificial wastewaters. Ammonium removal dropped from 98.0 ± 0.6% to 66.9 ± 2.7% and nearly absent when the organic load in the feeding increased from 232 mg COD/L to 1160 mg COD/L and 2320 mg COD/L. The presence of organic carbon had limited effect on nitrite and total nitrogen removal. At a COD to N ratio of 0.9, COD inhibitory organic load threshold concentration was 727 mg COD/L. Mass balance indicated that denitrifiers played an important role in nitrite, nitrate and organic carbon removal. These results demonstrated that anammox system had the potential to effectively treat swine manure that can achieve high nitrogen standards at reduced costs.

  16. Do freshwater macrophytes influence the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing and denitrifying bacteria in the rhizospere?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Herrmann, Martina; Schramm, Andreas

    2006-01-01

    to unvegetated sediment, especially with respect to the availability of oxygen, organic carbon, and inorganic nitrogen. We hypothesize that macrophyte species create specific niches for ammonia oxidizing and nitrate-reducing bacteria in their rhizosphere, leading to plant-dependant differences in abundance...... dortmanna have been shown to release oxygen from their roots and to stimulate nitrification and coupled nitrification-denitrification in the rhizosphere. Together with the excretion of root exudates, this effect leads to strongly modified microenvironments at the root surface and in the rhizosphere compared......-denitrification using the 15N isotope pairing technique. Ammonia-oxidizing and nitrate-reducing populations are analyzed based on the ammonia monooxygenase gene (amoA) and the nitrate reductase gene (narG) as functional markers. Preliminary data indicate that there in fact exist differences in the community composition...

  17. Ammonia chemistry in a flameless jet

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zieba, Mariusz; Schuster, Anja; Scheffknecht, Guenter [Institute of Process Engineering and Power Plant Technology, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 23, D-70569 Stuttgart (Germany); Brink, Anders; Hupa, Mikko [Process Chemistry Centre, Aabo Akademi University, Biskopsgatan 8, 20500 Aabo (Finland)

    2009-10-15

    In this paper, the nitrogen chemistry in an ammonia (NH{sub 3}) doped flameless jet is investigated using a kinetic reactor network model. The reactor network model is used to explain the main differences in ammonia chemistry for methane (CH{sub 4})-containing fuels and methane-free fuels. The chemical pathways of nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x}) formation and destruction are identified using rate-of-production analysis. The results show that in the case of natural gas, ammonia reacts relatively late at fuel lean condition leading to high NO{sub x} emissions. In the pre-ignition zone, the ammonia chemistry is blocked due to the absence of free radicals which are consumed by methane-methyl radical (CH{sub 3}) conversion. In the case of methane-free gas, the ammonia reacted very rapidly and complete decomposition was reached in the fuel rich region of the jet. In this case the necessary radicals for the ammonia conversion are generated from hydrogen (H{sub 2}) oxidation. (author)

  18. AMMONOX-Ammonia for enhancing biogas yield & reducing NOx

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gavala, Hariklia N.; Kristensen, P.G.; Paamand, K.

    2013-01-01

    The continuously increasing demand for renewable energy sources renders anaerobic digestion to one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy production. Due to the animal production intensification, manure is being used as the primary feedstock for most of the biogas plants. However...... of innovative ammonia recovery technology and c) the coupling of the excess ammonia obtained from manure with the catalytic elimination of NOx emissions when the biogas is used for subsequent electricity generation with gas engines.......The continuously increasing demand for renewable energy sources renders anaerobic digestion to one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy production. Due to the animal production intensification, manure is being used as the primary feedstock for most of the biogas plants. However......, biogas plants digesting liquid manure alone are not economically viable due to the relatively low organic content of the manure, usually 3-5%.Thus, their economical profitable operation relies partly on increasing the methane yield from manure, and especially of its solid fraction, usually called...

  19. Anaerobic methane oxidation and aerobic methane production in an east African great lake (Lake Kivu)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Roland, Fleur A.E.; Morana, Cédric; Darchambeau, François

    2018-01-01

    We investigated CH4 oxidation in the water column of Lake Kivu, a deep meromictic tropical lake with CH4-rich anoxic deep waters. Depth profiles of dissolved gases (CH4 and N2O) and a diversity of potential electron acceptors for anaerobic CH4 oxidation (NO3 −, SO4 2−, Fe and Mn oxides) were dete...

  20. Energy-mediated versus ammonium-regulated gene expression in the obligate ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, Nitrosococcus oceani

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lisa Y Stein

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Ammonia serves as the source of energy and reductant and as a signaling molecule that regulates gene expression in obligate ammonia-oxidizing chemolithotrophic microorganisms. The gammaproteobacterium, Nitrosococcus oceani, was the first obligate ammonia-oxidizer isolated from seawater and is one of the model systems for ammonia chemolithotrophy. We compared global transcriptional responses to ammonium and the catabolic intermediate, hydroxylamine, in ammonium-starved and non-starved cultures of N. oceani to discriminate transcriptional effects of ammonium from a change in overall energy and redox status upon catabolite availability. The most highly expressed genes from ammonium- or hydroxylamine-treated relative to starved cells are implicated in catabolic electron flow, carbon fixation, nitrogen assimilation, ribosome structure and stress tolerance. Catabolic inventory-encoding genes, including electron flow-terminating Complexes IV, FoF1 ATPase, transporters, and transcriptional regulators were among the most highly expressed genes in cells exposed only to ammonium relative to starved cells, although the differences compared to steady-state transcript levels were less pronounced. Reduction in steady-state mRNA levels from hydroxylamine-treated relative to starved-cells were less than five-fold. In contrast, several transcripts from ammonium-treated relative to starved cells were significantly less abundant including those for forward Complex I and a gene cluster of cytochrome c encoding proteins. Identified uneven steady-state transcript levels of co-expressed clustered genes support previously reported differential regulation at the levels of transcription and transcript stability. Our results differentiated between rapid regulation of core genes upon a change in cellular redox status versus those responsive to ammonium as a signaling molecule in N. oceani, both confirming and extending our knowledge of metabolic modules involved in ammonia

  1. Microstructure and electrical-optical properties of cesium tungsten oxides synthesized by solvothermal reaction followed by ammonia annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Jingxiao; Ando, Yoshihiko; Dong Xiaoli; Shi Fei; Yin Shu; Adachi, Kenji; Chonan, Takeshi; Tanaka, Akikazu; Sato, Tsugio

    2010-01-01

    Cesium tungsten oxides (Cs x WO 3 ) were synthesized by solvothermal reactions using ethanol and 57.1 vol% ethanol aqueous solution at 200 o C for 12 h, and the effects of post annealing in ammonia atmosphere on the microstructure and electrical-optical properties were investigated. Agglomerated particles consisting of disk-like nanoparticles and nanorods of Cs x WO 3 were formed in the pure ethanol and ethanol aqueous solutions, respectively. The samples retained the original morphology and crystallinity after annealing in ammonia atmosphere up to 500 o C, while a small amount of nitrogen ion were incorporated in the lattice. The as-prepared Cs x WO 3 sample showed excellent near infrared (NIR) light shielding ability as well as high transparency in the visible light region. The electrical resistivity of the pressed pellets of the powders prepared in pure ethanol and 57.1 vol% ethanol aqueous solution greatly decreased after ammonia annealing at 500 o C, i.e., from 734 to 31.5 and 231 to 3.58 Ω cm, respectively. - Graphical abstract: Cesium tungsten oxides (Cs x WO 3 ) with different morphology were synthesized by solvothermal reaction, and the effects of post-ammonia annealing on the microstructure and electrical-optical properties were investigated.

  2. ANAEROBIC DDT BIOTRANSFORMATION: ENHANCEMENT BY APPLICATION OF SURFACTANTS AND LOW OXIDATION REDUCTION POTENTIAL

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enhancement of anaerobic DDT (1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) ethane) biotransformation by mixed cultures was studied with application of surfactants and oxidation reduction potential reducing agents. Without amendments, DDT transformation resulted mainly in the pr...

  3. Community composition and ultrastructure of a nitrate-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing enrichment culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gambelli, L.; Guerrero-Cruz, Simon; Mesman, R.; Cremers, G.; Jetten, M.S.M.; Camp, H.J.M. op den; Lueke, Claudia; Niftrik, L.A.M.P. van

    2017-01-01

    Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas and can be oxidized aerobically or anaerobically through microbial-mediated processes, thus decreasing methane emissions to the atmosphere. Using a complementary array of methods including phylogenetic analysis, physiological experiments, and light and

  4. Oxidative stress in response to aerobic and anaerobic power testing: influence of exercise training and carnitine supplementation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bloomer, Richard J; Smith, Webb A

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to compare the oxidative stress response to aerobic and anaerobic power testing, and to determine the impact of exercise training with or without glycine propionyl-L-carnitine (GPLC) in attenuating the oxidative stress response. Thirty-two subjects were assigned (double blind) to placebo, GPLC-1 (1g PLC/d), GPLC-3 (3g PLC/d) for 8 weeks, plus aerobic exercise. Aerobic (graded exercise test: GXT) and anaerobic (Wingate cycle) power tests were performed before and following the intervention. Blood was taken before and immediately following exercise tests and analyzed for malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and xanthine oxidase activity (XO). No interaction effects were noted. MDA was minimally effected by exercise but lower at rest for both GPLC groups following the intervention (p = 0.044). A time main effect was noted for H2O2 (p = 0.05) and XO (p = 0.003), with values increasing from pre- to postexercise. Both aerobic and anaerobic power testing increase oxidative stress to a similar extent. Exercise training plus GPLC can decrease resting MDA, but it has little impact on exercise-induced oxidative stress biomarkers.

  5. Are high rates of sulphate reduction associated with anaerobic oxidation of methane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Devol, A H; Ahmed, S I

    1981-01-01

    Classical models of sulphur diagenesis in marine sediments are based on the assumption that the rate of sulphate reduction is first order with respect to oxidizable particulate organic carbon (POC). This assumption requires that oxidizable POC, sulphate concentration and the sulphate reduction rate be highest at the top of the sulphate reduction zone and decrease exponentially with increasing sediment depth. However, to explain recent observations of concave upwards methane distributions, the anaerobic consumption of methane has been proposed. Furthermore, it has been proposed that this consumption takes place near the bottom of the sulphate reducing zone where sulphate concentrations are low. Thus, if sulphate reducing bacteria are associated with the anaerobic oxidation of methane, a peak in sulphate reduction rate might be expected in this deep consumption zone. The importance of the process in sedimentary sulphur diagenesis is indicated by calculations estimating that 30 to 75% of the downward sulphate flux at depth may be consumed by methane oxidation within this zone. We present here profiles of sulphate reduction rate in anoxic sediments that show distinct local maxima at the depth where the anaerobic oxidation of methane would be expected. Our measurements were made during July and August 1978 in Saanich Inlet, an anoxic fjord located on the south-east of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The inlet has a shallow sill (approx 70 m) which restricts circulation of the deeper water (maximum depth 225 m) inside the basin to the extent that for about 8 months of the year the bottom waters contain hydrogen sulphide, the inlet is an ideal location for studying sedimentary sulphate reduction because reactions with oxygen and the effects of burrowing organisms can be neglected.

  6. Ammonia- and Nitrite-Oxidizing Bacterial Communities in a Pilot-Scale Chloraminated Drinking Water Distribution System

    OpenAIRE

    Regan, John M.; Harrington, Gregory W.; Noguera, Daniel R.

    2002-01-01

    Nitrification in drinking water distribution systems is a common operational problem for many utilities that use chloramines for secondary disinfection. The diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in the distribution systems of a pilot-scale chloraminated drinking water treatment system was characterized using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) analysis and 16S rRNA gene (ribosomal DNA [rDNA]) cloning and sequencing. For ammon...

  7. Response of ammonia oxidizing archaea and bacteria to decabromodiphenyl ether and copper contamination in river sediments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Linqiong; Li, Yi; Niu, Lihua; Zhang, Wenlong; Zhang, Huanjun; Wang, Longfei; Wang, Peifang

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia oxidation plays a fundamental role in river nitrogen cycling ecosystems, which is normally governed by both ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB). Co-contamination of typical emerging pollutant Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and heavy metal on AOA and AOB communities in river sediments remains unknown. In this study, multiple analytical tools, including high-throughput pyrosequencing and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), were used to reveal the ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) activity, subunit alpha (amoA) gene abundance, and community structures of AOA and AOB in river sediments. It was found that the inhibition of AMO activities was increased with the increase of decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE 209, 1-100 mg kg -1 ) and copper (Cu, 50-500 mg kg -1 ) concentrations. Moreover, the synergic effects of BDE 209 and Cu resulted in a higher AMO activity reduction than the individual pollutant BDE 209. The AOA amoA copy number declined by 75.9% and 83.2% and AOB amoA gene abundance declined 82.8% and 90.0% at 20 and 100 mg kg -1 BDE 209 with a 100 mg kg -1 Cu co-contamination, respectively. The pyrosequencing results showed that both AOB and AOA community structures were altered, with a higher change of AOB than that of AOA. The results demonstrated that the AOB microbial community may be better adapted to BDE 209 and Cu pollution, while AOA might possess a greater capacity for stress resistance. Our study provides a better understanding of the ecotoxicological effects of heavy metal and micropollutant combined exposure on AOA and AOB in river sediments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Anaerobic ammonium oxidation by anammox bacteria in the Black Sea RID B-8834-2011

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuypers, MMM; Sliekers, AO; Lavik, G.

    2003-01-01

    The availability of fixed inorganic nitrogen (nitrate, nitrite and ammonium) limits primary productivity in many oceanic regions(1). The conversion of nitrate to N(2) by heterotrophic bacteria (denitrification) is believed to be the only important sink for fixed inorganic nitrogen in the ocean(2......). Here we provide evidence for bacteria that anaerobically oxidize ammonium with nitrite to N(2) in the world's largest anoxic basin, the Black Sea. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences shows that these bacteria are related to members of the order Planctomycetales performing...... the anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) process in ammonium-removing bioreactors(3). Nutrient profiles, fluorescently labelled RNA probes, (15)N tracer experiments and the distribution of specific 'ladderane' membrane lipids(4) indicate that ammonium diffusing upwards from the anoxic deep water is consumed...

  9. Abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in the rhizosphere soil of three plants in the Ebinur Lake wetland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yuan; Hu, Wenge; Ma, Decao; Lan, Hongzhu; Yang, Yang; Gao, Yan

    2017-07-01

    Ammonia oxidation is carried out by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA). The Ebinur Lake wetland is the best example of a temperate arid zone wetland ecosystem in China. Soil samples were collected from rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soil containing Halocnemum strobilaceum (samples H and H'), Phragmites australis (samples R and R'), and Karelinia caspia (samples K and K') to study the relationship between environmental factors and the community structure of AOB and AOA. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the AOA sequences belonged to the Nitrosopumilus and Nitrososphaera clusters. AOB were grouped into Nitrosospira sp. and Nitrosomonas sp. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction results showed that the AOA abundance ranged from 2.09 × 10 4 to 2.94 × 10 5 gene copies/g soil. The highest number of AOA was detected in sample K, followed by samples R and H. AOB abundance varied between 2.91 × 10 5 and 1.05 × 10 6 gene copies/g soil, which was higher than that of AOA. Redundancy analysis indicated that electrical conductivity, pH, and NH 4 + -N might influence the community structure of AOA and AOB. AOB might play a more crucial role than AOA in ammonia oxidation based on AOB's higher diversity and abundance in the Ebinur Lake wetland in Xinjiang.

  10. Anaerobic Digestion Effluents (ADEs) Treatment Coupling with Chlorella sp. Microalgae Production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zieliński, Marcin; Dębowski, Marcin; Szwaja, Stanisław; Kisielewska, Marta

    2018-02-01

      Nutrient removal effectiveness from anaerobic digestion effluents (ADEs) by Chlorella sp. cultivation and microalgae biomass productivity were evaluated in this study. The results showed that the highest Chlorella sp. biomass productivities of 386.5 ± 24.1 mg dry weight/L•d and 338.3 ± 11.0 mg dry weight/L•d were respectively obtained with the anaerobically digested effluent of municipal wastewater sludge and effluent from a fermentation tank treating dairy wastewater. Lower (p effluents of maize silage and swine slurry and cattle manure. The increase of the initial ammonia nitrogen concentration in ADEs to the level of 160 mg/L did not encourage Chlorella sp. productivity because of phosphorus limitation. The removal efficiencies of ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reached 99.7%, 98.6%, 88.2%, and 58.7%, respectively, depending on the source of ADE, but not on the initial ammonia nitrogen concentrations.

  11. Method for forming ammonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Peter C.; Pink, Robert J.; Zuck, Larry D.

    2008-08-19

    A method for forming ammonia is disclosed and which includes the steps of forming a plasma; providing a source of metal particles, and supplying the metal particles to the plasma to form metal nitride particles; and providing a substance, and reacting the metal nitride particles with the substance to produce ammonia, and an oxide byproduct.

  12. Removal of Pesticides and Inorganic Contaminants in Anaerobic and Aerobic Biological Contactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    This presentation contains data on the removal of pesticides (acetochlor, clethodim, dicrotophos), ammonia, nitrate, bromate and perchlorate through aerobic and anaerobic biological treatment processes.

  13. Process model for ammonia volatilization from anaerobic swine lagoons incorporating varying wind speeds and biogas bubbling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ammonia volatilization from treatment lagoons varies widely with the total ammonia concentration, pH, temperature, suspended solids, atmospheric ammonia concentration above the water surface, and wind speed. Ammonia emissions were estimated with a process-based mechanistic model integrating ammonia ...

  14. [Effects of transgenic Bt + CpTI cotton on rhizosphere bacteria and ammonia oxidizing bacteria population].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Lianhua; Meng, Ying; Wang, Jing

    2014-03-04

    The effect of transgenic cotton on the rhizosphere bacteria can be important to the risk assessment for the genetically modified crops. We studied the rhizosphere microbial community with cultivating genetically modified cotton. The effects of transgenic Bt + CpTI Cotton (SGK321) and its receptor cotton (SY321) on rhizosphere total bacteria and ammonia oxidizing bacteria population size were studied by using droplet digital PCR. We collected rhizosphere soil before cotton planting and along with the cotton growth stage (squaring stage, flowering stage, belling stage and boll opening stage). There was no significant change on the total bacterial population between the transgenic cotton and the receptor cotton along with the growth stage. However, the abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in both type of cottons showed significant difference between different growth stages, and the variation tendency was different. In squaring stage, the numbers of AOB in rhizosphere of SY321 and SGK321 increased 4 and 2 times, respectively. In flowering stage, AOB number in rhizosphere of SY321 significantly decreased to be 5.96 x 10(5) copies/g dry soil, however, that of SGK321 increased to be 1.25 x 10(6) copies/g dry soil. In belling stage, AOB number of SY321 greatly increased to be 1.49 x 10(6) copies/g dry soil, but no significant change was observed for AOB number of SGK321. In boll opening stage, both AOB number of SY321 and SGK321 clearly decreased and they were significantly different from each other. Compared to the non-genetically modified cotton, the change in abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria was slightly smooth in the transgenic cotton. Not only the cotton growth stage but also the cotton type caused this difference. The transgenic cotton can slow down the speed of ammonia transformation through impacting the number of AOB, which is advantageous for plant growth.

  15. Influence of substrates on nitrogen removal performance and microbiology of anaerobic ammonium oxidation by operating two UASB reactors fed with different substrate levels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Chongjian; Zheng Ping; Hu Baolan; Chen Jianwei; Wang Caihua

    2010-01-01

    Both ammonium and nitrite act as substrates as well as potential inhibitors of anoxic ammonium-oxidizing (Anammox) bacteria. To satisfy demand of substrates for Anammox bacteria and to prevent substrate inhibition simultaneously; two strategies, namely high or low substrate concentration, were carefully compared in the operation of two Anammox upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors fed with different substrate concentrations. The reactor working at relatively low influent substrate concentration (NO 2 - N, 240 mg-N L -1 ) was shown to avoid the inhibition caused by nitrite and free ammonia. Using the strategy of low substrate concentration, a record super high volumetric nitrogen removal rate of 45.24 kg-N m -3 day -1 was noted after the operation of 230 days. To our knowledge, such a high value has not been reported previously. The evidence from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the morphology and ultrastructure of the Anammox cells in both the reactor enrichments was different.

  16. Influence of substrates on nitrogen removal performance and microbiology of anaerobic ammonium oxidation by operating two UASB reactors fed with different substrate levels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang Chongjian [Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China); Zheng Ping, E-mail: pzheng@zju.edu.cn [Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China); Hu Baolan; Chen Jianwei; Wang Caihua [Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029 (China)

    2010-09-15

    Both ammonium and nitrite act as substrates as well as potential inhibitors of anoxic ammonium-oxidizing (Anammox) bacteria. To satisfy demand of substrates for Anammox bacteria and to prevent substrate inhibition simultaneously; two strategies, namely high or low substrate concentration, were carefully compared in the operation of two Anammox upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors fed with different substrate concentrations. The reactor working at relatively low influent substrate concentration (NO{sub 2}{sup -}N, 240 mg-N L{sup -1}) was shown to avoid the inhibition caused by nitrite and free ammonia. Using the strategy of low substrate concentration, a record super high volumetric nitrogen removal rate of 45.24 kg-N m{sup -3} day{sup -1} was noted after the operation of 230 days. To our knowledge, such a high value has not been reported previously. The evidence from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the morphology and ultrastructure of the Anammox cells in both the reactor enrichments was different.

  17. Iron-mediated anaerobic oxidation of methane in brackish coastal sediments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egger, Matthias; Rasigraf, Olivia; Sapart, Célia J; Jilbert, Tom; Jetten, Mike S M; Röckmann, Thomas; van der Veen, Carina; Bândă, Narcisa; Kartal, Boran; Ettwig, Katharina F; Slomp, Caroline P

    2015-01-06

    Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and its biological conversion in marine sediments, largely controlled by anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM), is a crucial part of the global carbon cycle. However, little is known about the role of iron oxides as an oxidant for AOM. Here we provide the first field evidence for iron-dependent AOM in brackish coastal surface sediments and show that methane produced in Bothnian Sea sediments is oxidized in distinct zones of iron- and sulfate-dependent AOM. At our study site, anthropogenic eutrophication over recent decades has led to an upward migration of the sulfate/methane transition zone in the sediment. Abundant iron oxides and high dissolved ferrous iron indicate iron reduction in the methanogenic sediments below the newly established sulfate/methane transition. Laboratory incubation studies of these sediments strongly suggest that the in situ microbial community is capable of linking methane oxidation to iron oxide reduction. Eutrophication of coastal environments may therefore create geochemical conditions favorable for iron-mediated AOM and thus increase the relevance of iron-dependent methane oxidation in the future. Besides its role in mitigating methane emissions, iron-dependent AOM strongly impacts sedimentary iron cycling and related biogeochemical processes through the reduction of large quantities of iron oxides.

  18. Thermodynamic and kinetic control on anaerobic oxidation of methane in marine sediments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knab, Nina J.; Dale, Andrew W.; Lettmann, Karsten

    2008-01-01

    The free energy yield of microbial respiration reactions in anaerobic marine sediments must be sufficient to be conserved as biologically usable energy in the form of ATP. Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction (SRR) has a very low standard free energy yield of ΔG  = -33...... yield was rarely less than -20 kJ mol-1 and was mostly rather constant throughout this zone. The kinetic drive was highest at the lower part of the SMTZ, matching the occurrence of maximum AOM rates. The results show that the location of maximum AOM rates is determined by a combination of thermodynamic...... and kinetic drive, whereas the rate activity mainly depends on kinetic regulation....

  19. Nitrite accumulation in continuous-flow partial autotrophic denitrification reactor using sulfide as electron donor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Chunshuang; Li, Wenfei; Li, Xuechen; Zhao, Dongfeng; Ma, Bin; Wang, Yongqiang; Liu, Fang; Lee, Duu-Jong

    2017-11-01

    The nitrite accumulation in handling nitrate and sulfide-laden wastewater in a continuous-flow upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor was studied. At sulfide/nitrate-nitrogen ratio of 1:0.76 and loading rates of 1.2kg-Sm -3 d -1 and 0.4kg-Nm -3 d -1 , the elemental sulfur and nitrite accumulation rates peaked at 90% and 70%, respectively, with Acrobacter, Azoarcus and Thauera presenting the functional strains in the studied reactor. The accumulated nitrite was proposed a promising feedstock for anaerobic ammonia oxidation process. An integrated partial autotrophic denitrification-anaerobic ammonia oxidation-aeration process for handling the ammonia and sulfide-laden wastewaters is proposed for further studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in relation to soil environment in Ebinur Lake Wetland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenge Hu

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Ammonia oxidation is the first and rate-limiting step of nitrification and is carried out by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB. Ebinur Lake Wetland, the most representative temperate arid zone wetland ecosystem in China, is the centre of oasis and desertification of the northern slope of Tianshan conjugate. Soil samples were collected from three sites (Tamarix ramosissima, Halocnemum strobilaceum and Phragmites australis and different soil layers (0–5, 5–15, 15–25 and 25–35 cm in this wetland in spring, summer and autumn and were used to characterize the diversity of AOB based on the ammonia monooxygenase (amoA gene. Polymerase chain reaction denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE and bivariate correlation analysis were used to analyse the relationship between the diversity of AOB and soil environment factors. The PCR-DGGE indicated that the diversity of AOB was high in the entire sample and the Shannon diversity index varied from 1.369 to 2.471. The phylogenetic analysis showed that the amoA fragments were grouped into Nitrosospira sp. and Nitrosomonas sp. Most amoA gene sequences fell within the Nitrosospira sp. cluster, and only a few sequences were clustered with Nitrosomonas sp., indicating that Nitrosospira sp. may be more adaptable than Nitrosomonas sp. in this area. Bivariate correlation analysis showed that the diversity of AOB was significantly correlated with soil organic matter, conductivity, total phosphorus and nitrate in the Ebinur Lake Wetland in Xinjiang.

  1. Trace Metal Requirements for Microbial Enzymes Involved in the Production and Consumption of Methane and Nitrous Oxide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glass, Jennifer B.; Orphan, Victoria J.

    2011-01-01

    Fluxes of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere are heavily influenced by microbiological activity. Microbial enzymes involved in the production and consumption of greenhouse gases often contain metal cofactors. While extensive research has examined the influence of Fe bioavailability on microbial CO2 cycling, fewer studies have explored metal requirements for microbial production and consumption of the second- and third-most abundant greenhouse gases, methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Here we review the current state of biochemical, physiological, and environmental research on transition metal requirements for microbial CH4 and N2O cycling. Methanogenic archaea require large amounts of Fe, Ni, and Co (and some Mo/W and Zn). Low bioavailability of Fe, Ni, and Co limits methanogenesis in pure and mixed cultures and environmental studies. Anaerobic methane oxidation by anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) likely occurs via reverse methanogenesis since ANME possess most of the enzymes in the methanogenic pathway. Aerobic CH4 oxidation uses Cu or Fe for the first step depending on Cu availability, and additional Fe, Cu, and Mo for later steps. N2O production via classical anaerobic denitrification is primarily Fe-based, whereas aerobic pathways (nitrifier denitrification and archaeal ammonia oxidation) require Cu in addition to, or possibly in place of, Fe. Genes encoding the Cu-containing N2O reductase, the only known enzyme capable of microbial N2O conversion to N2, have only been found in classical denitrifiers. Accumulation of N2O due to low Cu has been observed in pure cultures and a lake ecosystem, but not in marine systems. Future research is needed on metalloenzymes involved in the production of N2O by enrichment cultures of ammonia oxidizing archaea, biological mechanisms for scavenging scarce metals, and possible links between metal bioavailability and greenhouse gas fluxes in anaerobic environments where metals may be limiting due to sulfide

  2. Responses of bacterial and archaeal ammonia oxidizers to soil organic and fertilizer amendments under long-term management

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wessen, E.; Nyberg, K.; Jansson, J.K.; Hallin, S.

    2010-05-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) co-exist in soil, but their relative distribution may vary depending on the environmental conditions. Effects of changes in soil organic matter and nutrient content on the AOB and AOA are poorly understood. Our aim was to compare effects of long-term soil organic matter depletion and amendments with labile (straw) and more recalcitrant (peat) organic matter, with and without easily plant-available nitrogen, on the activities, abundances and community structures of AOB and AOA. Soil was sampled from a long-term field site in Sweden that was established in 1956. The potential ammonia oxidation rates, the AOB and AOA amoA gene abundances and the community structures of both groups based on T-RFLP of amoA genes were determined. Straw amendment during 50 years had not altered any of the measured soil parameters, while the addition of peat resulted in a significant increase of soil organic carbon as well as a decrease in pH. Nitrogen fertilization alone resulted in a small decrease in soil pH, organic carbon and total nitrogen, but an increase in primary production. Type and amount of organic matter had an impact on the AOB and AOA community structures and the AOA abundance. Our findings confirmed that AOA are abundant in soil, but showed that under certain conditions the AOB dominate, suggesting niche differentiation between the two groups at the field site. The large differences in potential rates between treatments correlated to the AOA community size, indicating that they were functionally more important in the nitrification process than the AOB. The AOA abundance was positively related to addition of labile organic carbon, which supports the idea that AOA could have alternative growth strategies using organic carbon. The AOB community size varied little in contrast to that of the AOA. This indicates that the bacterial ammonia oxidizers as a group have a greater ecophysiological diversity and

  3. Neutral fat hydrolysis and long-chain fatty acid oxidation during anaerobic digestion of slaughterhouse wastewater.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masse, L; Massé, D I; Kennedy, K J; Chou, S P

    2002-07-05

    Neutral fat hydrolysis and long-chain fatty acid (LCFA) oxidation rates were determined during the digestion of slaughterhouse wastewater in anaerobic sequencing batch reactors operated at 25 degrees C. The experimental substrate consisted of filtered slaughterhouse wastewater supplemented with pork fat particles at various average initial sizes (D(in)) ranging from 60 to 450 microm. At the D(in) tested, there was no significant particle size effect on the first-order hydrolysis rate. The neutral fat hydrolysis rate averaged 0.63 +/- 0.07 d(-1). LCFA oxidation rate was modelled using a Monod-type equation. The maximum substrate utilization rate (kmax) and the half-saturation concentration (Ks) averaged 164 +/- 37 mg LCFA/L/d and 35 +/- 31 mg LCFA/L, respectively. Pork fat particle degradation was mainly controlled by LCFA oxidation rate and, to a lesser extent, by neutral fat hydrolysis rate. Hydrolysis pretreatment of fat-containing wastewaters and sludges should not substantially accelerate their anaerobic treatment. At a D(in) of 450 microm, fat particles were found to inhibit methane production during the initial 20 h of digestion. Inhibition of methane production in the early phase of digestion was the only significant effect of fat particle size on anaerobic digestion of pork slaughterhouse wastewater. Soluble COD could not be used to determine the rate of lipid hydrolysis due to LCFA adsorption on the biomass.

  4. Effect of different ammonia sources on aceticlastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tian, Hailin; Fotidis, Ioannis; Kissas, Konstantinos

    2018-01-01

    Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) was usually used as a model ammonia source to simulate ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion (AD) of nitrogen-rich feedstocks. However, ammonia in AD originates mainly from degradation of proteins, urea and nucleic acids, which is distinct from NH4Cl. Thus......, in this study, the inhibitory effect of a “natural” ammonia source (urea) and NH4Cl, on four pure methanogenic strains (aceticlastic: Methanosarcina thermophila, Methanosarcina barkeri; hydrogenotrophic: Methanoculleus bourgensis, Methanoculleus thermophilus), was assessed under mesophilic (37 °C......) and thermophilic (55 °C) conditions. The results showed that urea hydrolysis increased pH significantly to unsuitable levels for methanogenic growth, while NH4Cl had a negligible effect on pH. After adjusting initial pH to 7 and 8, urea was significantly stronger inhibitor with longer lag phases to methanogenesis...

  5. Enhanced reductive dechlorination of DDT in an anaerobic system of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria and iron oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, F.B.; Li, X.M.; Zhou, S.G.; Zhuang, L.; Cao, F.; Huang, D.Y.; Xu, W.; Liu, T.X.; Feng, C.H.

    2010-01-01

    The transformation of DDT was studied in an anaerobic system of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria (Shewanella decolorationis S12) and iron oxide (α-FeOOH). The results showed that S. decolorationis could reduce DDT into DDD, and DDT transformation rate was accelerated by the presence of α-FeOOH. DDD was observed as the primary transformation product, which was demonstrated to be transformed in the abiotic system of Fe 2+ + α-FeOOH and the system of DIRB + α-FeOOH. The intermediates of DDMS and DBP were detected after 9 months, likely suggesting that reductive dechlorination was the main dechlorination pathway of DDT in the iron-reducing system. The enhanced reductive dechlorination of DDT was mainly due to biogenic Fe(II) sorbed on the surface of α-FeOOH, which can serve as a mediator for the transformation of DDT. This study demonstrated the important role of DIRB and iron oxide on DDT and DDD transformation under anaerobic iron-reducing environments. - This is the first case reporting the reductive dechlorination of DDT in an anaerobic system of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria and iron oxide.

  6. Enhanced reductive dechlorination of DDT in an anaerobic system of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria and iron oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, F.B., E-mail: cefbli@soil.gd.c [Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment Pollution Integrated Control, Guangdong Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou 510650 (China); Li, X.M. [Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment Pollution Integrated Control, Guangdong Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou 510650 (China); Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Zhou, S.G.; Zhuang, L. [Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment Pollution Integrated Control, Guangdong Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou 510650 (China); Cao, F. [Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment Pollution Integrated Control, Guangdong Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou 510650 (China); Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Huang, D.Y.; Xu, W.; Liu, T.X. [Guangdong Key Laboratory of Agricultural Environment Pollution Integrated Control, Guangdong Institute of Eco-Environmental and Soil Sciences, Guangzhou 510650 (China); Feng, C.H. [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641 (China)

    2010-05-15

    The transformation of DDT was studied in an anaerobic system of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria (Shewanella decolorationis S12) and iron oxide (alpha-FeOOH). The results showed that S. decolorationis could reduce DDT into DDD, and DDT transformation rate was accelerated by the presence of alpha-FeOOH. DDD was observed as the primary transformation product, which was demonstrated to be transformed in the abiotic system of Fe{sup 2+} + alpha-FeOOH and the system of DIRB + alpha-FeOOH. The intermediates of DDMS and DBP were detected after 9 months, likely suggesting that reductive dechlorination was the main dechlorination pathway of DDT in the iron-reducing system. The enhanced reductive dechlorination of DDT was mainly due to biogenic Fe(II) sorbed on the surface of alpha-FeOOH, which can serve as a mediator for the transformation of DDT. This study demonstrated the important role of DIRB and iron oxide on DDT and DDD transformation under anaerobic iron-reducing environments. - This is the first case reporting the reductive dechlorination of DDT in an anaerobic system of dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria and iron oxide.

  7. Different cultivation methods to acclimatise ammonia-tolerant methanogenic consortia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tian, Hailin; Fotidis, Ioannis A; Mancini, Enrico; Angelidaki, Irini

    2017-05-01

    Bioaugmentation with ammonia tolerant-methanogenic consortia was proposed as a solution to overcome ammonia inhibition during anaerobic digestion process recently. However, appropriate technology to generate ammonia tolerant methanogenic consortia is still lacking. In this study, three basic reactors (i.e. batch, fed-batch and continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTR)) operated at mesophilic (37°C) and thermophilic (55°C) conditions were assessed, based on methane production efficiency, incubation time, TAN/FAN (total ammonium nitrogen/free ammonia nitrogen) levels and maximum methanogenic activity. Overall, fed-batch cultivation was clearly the most efficient method compared to batch and CSTR. Specifically, by saving incubation time up to 150%, fed-batch reactors were acclimatised to nearly 2-fold higher FAN levels with a 37%-153% methanogenic activity improvement, compared to batch method. Meanwhile, CSTR reactors were inhibited at lower ammonia levels. Finally, specific methanogenic activity test showed that hydrogenotrophic methanogens were more active than aceticlastic methanogens in all FAN levels above 540mgNH 3 -NL -1 . Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Inhibitory effects on anaerobic digestion of swine manure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheung, P.W.S.; Zhou, H. [Univ. of Guelph, School of Engineering, Guelph, Ontario (Canada)]. E-mail: hzhou@uoguelph.ca; Hacker, R. [Univ. of Guelph, Dept. of Animal and Poultry Science, Guelph, Ontario (Canada)

    2002-06-15

    This paper presents a laboratory study using anaerobic digestion for swine manure under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, with emphasis on the effects of inhibitory chemicals on biogas production. A series of batch tests were conducted to examine the effects of various process parameters by varying temperature, pH, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations. As well, continuous anaerobic digestion tests were conducted using a completely stirred reactor system with a sludge retention time of 15 days. The results showed that at the initial stage, biogas was generated rapidly in the thermophilic reactor, but was more and more inhibited during the later stage with the presence of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. In contrast, the biogas production was initially delayed in the mesophilic reactor but afterwards had an even higher total gas production. In order to take advantages of both temperature effects in each reactor, the dual-stage system that consists of a thermophilic reactor followed by a mesophilic reactor was suggested. (author)

  9. Inhibitory effects on anaerobic digestion of swine manure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheung, P.W.S.; Zhou, H.; Hacker, R.

    2002-01-01

    This paper presents a laboratory study using anaerobic digestion for swine manure under both mesophilic and thermophilic conditions, with emphasis on the effects of inhibitory chemicals on biogas production. A series of batch tests were conducted to examine the effects of various process parameters by varying temperature, pH, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations. As well, continuous anaerobic digestion tests were conducted using a completely stirred reactor system with a sludge retention time of 15 days. The results showed that at the initial stage, biogas was generated rapidly in the thermophilic reactor, but was more and more inhibited during the later stage with the presence of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. In contrast, the biogas production was initially delayed in the mesophilic reactor but afterwards had an even higher total gas production. In order to take advantages of both temperature effects in each reactor, the dual-stage system that consists of a thermophilic reactor followed by a mesophilic reactor was suggested. (author)

  10. Enrichment and genome sequence of the group I.1a ammonia-oxidizing Archaeon "Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis" representing a clade globally distributed in thermal habitats.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elena V Lebedeva

    Full Text Available The discovery of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA of the phylum Thaumarchaeota and the high abundance of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase subunit A encoding gene sequences in many environments have extended our perception of nitrifying microbial communities. Moreover, AOA are the only aerobic ammonia oxidizers known to be active in geothermal environments. Molecular data indicate that in many globally distributed terrestrial high-temperature habits a thaumarchaeotal lineage within the Nitrosopumilus cluster (also called "marine" group I.1a thrives, but these microbes have neither been isolated from these systems nor functionally characterized in situ yet. In this study, we report on the enrichment and genomic characterization of a representative of this lineage from a thermal spring in Kamchatka. This thaumarchaeote, provisionally classified as "Candidatus Nitrosotenuis uzonensis", is a moderately thermophilic, non-halophilic, chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer. The nearly complete genome sequence (assembled into a single scaffold of this AOA confirmed the presence of the typical thaumarchaeotal pathways for ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation, and indicated its ability to produce coenzyme F420 and to chemotactically react to its environment. Interestingly, like members of the genus Nitrosoarchaeum, "Candidatus N. uzonensis" also possesses a putative artubulin-encoding gene. Genome comparisons to related AOA with available genome sequences confirmed that the newly cultured AOA has an average nucleotide identity far below the species threshold and revealed a substantial degree of genomic plasticity with unique genomic regions in "Ca. N. uzonensis", which potentially include genetic determinants of ecological niche differentiation.

  11. Enrichment and genome sequence of the group I.1a ammonia-oxidizing Archaeon "Ca. Nitrosotenuis uzonensis" representing a clade globally distributed in thermal habitats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebedeva, Elena V; Hatzenpichler, Roland; Pelletier, Eric; Schuster, Nathalie; Hauzmayer, Sandra; Bulaev, Aleksandr; Grigor'eva, Nadezhda V; Galushko, Alexander; Schmid, Markus; Palatinszky, Marton; Le Paslier, Denis; Daims, Holger; Wagner, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The discovery of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota and the high abundance of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase subunit A encoding gene sequences in many environments have extended our perception of nitrifying microbial communities. Moreover, AOA are the only aerobic ammonia oxidizers known to be active in geothermal environments. Molecular data indicate that in many globally distributed terrestrial high-temperature habits a thaumarchaeotal lineage within the Nitrosopumilus cluster (also called "marine" group I.1a) thrives, but these microbes have neither been isolated from these systems nor functionally characterized in situ yet. In this study, we report on the enrichment and genomic characterization of a representative of this lineage from a thermal spring in Kamchatka. This thaumarchaeote, provisionally classified as "Candidatus Nitrosotenuis uzonensis", is a moderately thermophilic, non-halophilic, chemolithoautotrophic ammonia oxidizer. The nearly complete genome sequence (assembled into a single scaffold) of this AOA confirmed the presence of the typical thaumarchaeotal pathways for ammonia oxidation and carbon fixation, and indicated its ability to produce coenzyme F420 and to chemotactically react to its environment. Interestingly, like members of the genus Nitrosoarchaeum, "Candidatus N. uzonensis" also possesses a putative artubulin-encoding gene. Genome comparisons to related AOA with available genome sequences confirmed that the newly cultured AOA has an average nucleotide identity far below the species threshold and revealed a substantial degree of genomic plasticity with unique genomic regions in "Ca. N. uzonensis", which potentially include genetic determinants of ecological niche differentiation.

  12. Thioarsenate Formation Coupled with Anaerobic Arsenite Oxidation by a Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Isolated from a Hot Spring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geng Wu

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Thioarsenates are common arsenic species in sulfidic geothermal waters, yet little is known about their biogeochemical traits. In the present study, a novel sulfate-reducing bacterial strain Desulfotomaculum TC-1 was isolated from a sulfidic hot spring in Tengchong geothermal area, Yunnan Province, China. The arxA gene, encoding anaerobic arsenite oxidase, was successfully amplified from the genome of strain TC-1, indicating it has a potential ability to oxidize arsenite under anaerobic condition. In anaerobic arsenite oxidation experiments inoculated with strain TC-1, a small amount of arsenate was detected in the beginning but became undetectable over longer time. Thioarsenates (AsO4-xSx2- with x = 1–4 formed with mono-, di- and tri-thioarsenates being dominant forms. Tetrathioarsenate was only detectable at the end of the experiment. These results suggest that thermophilic microbes might be involved in the formation of thioarsenates and provide a possible explanation for the widespread distribution of thioarsenates in terrestrial geothermal environments.

  13. Thioarsenate Formation Coupled with Anaerobic Arsenite Oxidation by a Sulfate-Reducing Bacterium Isolated from a Hot Spring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Geng; Huang, Liuqin; Jiang, Hongchen; Peng, Yue'e; Guo, Wei; Chen, Ziyu; She, Weiyu; Guo, Qinghai; Dong, Hailiang

    2017-01-01

    Thioarsenates are common arsenic species in sulfidic geothermal waters, yet little is known about their biogeochemical traits. In the present study, a novel sulfate-reducing bacterial strain Desulfotomaculum TC-1 was isolated from a sulfidic hot spring in Tengchong geothermal area, Yunnan Province, China. The arxA gene, encoding anaerobic arsenite oxidase, was successfully amplified from the genome of strain TC-1, indicating it has a potential ability to oxidize arsenite under anaerobic condition. In anaerobic arsenite oxidation experiments inoculated with strain TC-1, a small amount of arsenate was detected in the beginning but became undetectable over longer time. Thioarsenates (AsO 4-x S x 2- with x = 1-4) formed with mono-, di- and tri-thioarsenates being dominant forms. Tetrathioarsenate was only detectable at the end of the experiment. These results suggest that thermophilic microbes might be involved in the formation of thioarsenates and provide a possible explanation for the widespread distribution of thioarsenates in terrestrial geothermal environments.

  14. Performance evaluation and microbial community analysis of the function and fate of ammonia in a sulfate-reducing EGSB reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Depeng; Liu, Bo; Ding, Xinchun; Sun, Xinbo; Liang, Zi; Sheng, Shixiong; Du, Lingfeng

    2017-10-01

    Ammonia is widely distributed in sulfate-reducing bioreactor dealing with sulfate wastewater, which shows potential effect on the metabolic pathway of sulfate and ammonia. This study investigates the sulfate-reducing efficiency and microbial community composition in the sulfate-reducing EGSB reactor with the increasing ammonia loading. Results indicated that, compared with low ammonia loading (166-666 mg/L), the sulfate and organic matter removal efficiencies were improved gradually with the appropriate ammonia loading (1000-2000 mg/L), which increased from 63.58 ± 3.81 to 71.08 ± 1.36% and from 66.24 ± 1.32 to 81.88 ± 1.83%, respectively. Meanwhile, with the appropriate ratio of ammonia and sulfate (1.5-3.0) and hydraulic retention time (21 h), the sulfate-reducing anaerobic ammonia oxidation (SRAO) process was occurred efficiently, inducing the accumulation of S 0 (270 mg/L) and the simultaneous ammonia removal (70.83%) in EGSB reactor. Moreover, the key sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) (Desulfovibrio) and denitrification bacteria (Pseudomonas and Alcaligenes) were responsible for the sulfate and nitrogen removal in these phases, which accounted for 3.66-5.54 and 3.85-9.13%, respectively. However, as the ammonia loading higher than 3000 mg/L (phases 9 and 10), the sulfate-reducing efficiency was decreased to only 28.3 ± 1.26% with the ammonia removal rate of 18.4 ± 3.37% in the EGSB reactor. Meanwhile, the predominant SRB in phases 9 and 10 were Desulfomicrobium (1.22-1.99%) and Desulfocurvus (4.0-5.46%), and the denitrification bacteria accounted for only 0.88% (phase 10), indicating the low nitrogen removal rate.

  15. Anaerobic oxidation of methane by sulfate in hypersaline groundwater of the Dead Sea aquifer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avrahamov, N; Antler, G; Yechieli, Y; Gavrieli, I; Joye, S B; Saxton, M; Turchyn, A V; Sivan, O

    2014-01-01

    Geochemical and microbial evidence points to anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) likely coupled with bacterial sulfate reduction in the hypersaline groundwater of the Dead Sea (DS) alluvial aquifer. Groundwater was sampled from nine boreholes drilled along the Arugot alluvial fan next to the DS. The groundwater samples were highly saline (up to 6300 mm chlorine), anoxic, and contained methane. A mass balance calculation demonstrates that the very low δ13CDIC in this groundwater is due to anaerobic methane oxidation. Sulfate depletion coincident with isotope enrichment of sulfur and oxygen isotopes in the sulfate suggests that sulfate reduction is associated with this AOM. DNA extraction and 16S amplicon sequencing were used to explore the microbial community present and were found to be microbial composition indicative of bacterial sulfate reducers associated with anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) driving AOM. The net sulfate reduction seems to be primarily controlled by the salinity and the available methane and is substantially lower as salinity increases (2.5 mm sulfate removal at 3000 mm chlorine but only 0.5 mm sulfate removal at 6300 mm chlorine). Low overall sulfur isotope fractionation observed (34ε = 17 ± 3.5‰) hints at high rates of sulfate reduction, as has been previously suggested for sulfate reduction coupled with methane oxidation. The new results demonstrate the presence of sulfate-driven AOM in terrestrial hypersaline systems and expand our understanding of how microbial life is sustained under the challenging conditions of an extremely hypersaline environment. PMID:25039851

  16. Fe(II) oxidation kinetics and Fe hydroxyphosphate precipitation upon aeration of anaerobic (ground)water

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Grift, B.; Griffioen, J.; Behrends, T.; Wassen, M.J.; Schot, P.P.; Osté, Leonard

    2015-01-01

    Exfiltration of anaerobic Fe-rich groundwater into surface water plays an important role in controlling the transport of phosphate (P) from agricultural areas to the sea. Previous laboratory and field studies showed that Fe(II) oxidation upon aeration leads to effective immobilization of dissolved P

  17. Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in wastewater treatment plant sludge and nearby coastal sediment in an industrial area in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yan; Chen, Lujun; Sun, Renhua; Dai, Tianjiao; Tian, Jinping; Wen, Donghui

    2015-05-01

    Under the increasing pressure of human activities, Hangzhou Bay has become one of the most seriously polluted waters along China's coast. Considering the excessive inorganic nitrogen detected in the bay, in this study, the impact of an effluent from a coastal industrial park on ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms (AOMs) of the receiving area was interpreted for the first time by molecular technologies. Revealed by real-time PCR, the ratio of archaeal amoA/bacterial amoA ranged from 5.68 × 10(-6) to 4.79 × 10(-5) in the activated sludge from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) and 0.54-3.44 in the sediments from the effluent receiving coastal area. Analyzed by clone and pyrosequencing libraries, genus Nitrosomonas was the predominant ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), but no ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was abundant enough for sequencing in the activated sludge from the WWTPs; genus Nitrosomonas and Nitrosopumilus were the dominant AOB and AOA, respectively, in the coastal sediments. The different abundance of AOA but similar structure of AOB between the WWTPs and nearby coastal area probably indicated an anthropogenic impact on the microbial ecology in Hangzhou Bay.

  18. Ammonia emissions from the composting of different organic wastes : dependency on process temperature

    OpenAIRE

    Pagans i Miró, Estel·la

    2006-01-01

    Ammonia emissions were quantified for the laboratory-scale composting of three typical organic wastes with medium nitrogen content: organic fraction of municipal solid wastes, raw sludge and anaerobically digested sludge; and the composting of two wastes with high nitrogen content: animal by-products from slaughterhouses and partially hydrolysed hair from the leather industry. All the wastes were mixed with the proper amount of bulking agent. Ammonia emitted in the composting of the five wast...

  19. Emissions of ammonia, nitrous oxide and methane during composting of organic household waste

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gunnarsdotter Beck-Friis, Barbro

    2001-01-01

    In Sweden, composting of source-separated organic household waste is increasing, both domestically at the small-scale, and in larger municipal plants. Composting means a microbial decomposition of organic material, which results in the production of environmentally undesirable gases, such as ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and methane (CH 4 ). The aim of this thesis was to study the emissions of NH 3 , N 2 O and CH 4 to the atmosphere during composting of source-separated organic household waste. The studies were conducted in an experimental reactor under constant and controlled conditions and in municipal compost heaps. Emissions of NH 3 , N 2 O and CH 4 occurred at different phases during composting. Ammonia started to volatilise during the shift from mesophilic to thermophilic conditions when short-chained fatty acids were decomposed. Nitrous oxide was only emitted during the first days of composting and later during the cooling phase when nitrate was formed. Methane was only produced during the thermophilic phase. Large municipal compost heaps are a significant source for the production and emission of the greenhouse gases N 2 O and CH 4 . To avoid unwanted gaseous emissions to the atmosphere during composting, gaseous exchange with the atmosphere should be controlled in future composting plants

  20. A gold electrode modified with silver oxide nanoparticle decorated carbon nanotubes for electrochemical sensing of dissolved ammonia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahman, Mohammed M.; Asiri, Abdullah M.; Balkhoyor, Hasan B.; Marwani, Hadi M.

    2016-01-01

    We have prepared silver oxide nanoparticles with a diameter of ∼ 15 nm and decorated with carbon nanotube nanocomposites (Ag_2O/CNT NCs) by a facile wet chemical method using reducing agents in alkaline medium. These NCs were characterized by UV/vis, FTIR and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, by X-ray powder diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The NCs were then deposited on a flat gold electrode with the help of a conducting binder to result in an electrochemical sensor for aqueous ammonia using the I-V technique. Response is based on surface oxidation of ammonium hydroxide with electrode-adsorbed oxygen to form nitrogen oxide, these simultaneously liberating free electrons in the conduction band. Sensor features include a sensitivity of 32.856 μA.μM"-"1.cm"-"2, a low detection limit (1.3 pM at a signal to noise ratio of 3), reliability, reproducibility, ease of integration, and long term stability. The response to dissolved ammonia is linear (r"2: 0.9778) over the 0.01 nM to 0.1 mM concentration range. (author)

  1. Recent development of anaerobic digestion processes for energy recovery from wastes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishio, Naomichi; Nakashimada, Yutaka

    2007-02-01

    Anaerobic digestion leads to the overall gasification of organic wastewaters and wastes, and produces methane and carbon dioxide; this gasification contributes to reducing organic matter and recovering energy from organic carbons. Here, we propose three new processes and demonstrate the effectiveness of each process. By using complete anaerobic organic matter removal process (CARP), in which diluted wastewaters such as sewage and effluent from a methane fermentation digester were treated under anaerobic condition for post-treatment, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) in wastewater was decreased to less than 20 ppm. The dry ammonia-methane two-stage fermentation process (Am-Met process) is useful for the anaerobic treatment of nitrogen-rich wastes such as waste excess sludge, cow feces, chicken feces, and food waste without the dilution of the ammonia produced by water or carbon-rich wastes. The hydrogen-methane two-stage fermentation (Hy-Met process), in which the hydrogen produced in the first stage is used for a fuel cell system to generate electricity and the methane produced in the second stage is used to generate heat energy to heat the two reactors and satisfy heat requirements, is useful for the treatment of sugar-rich wastewaters, bread wastes, and biodiesel wastewaters.

  2. Ammonia synthesis by means of plasma over MgO catalyst

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugiyama, K.; Akazawa, K.; Matsuda, T.; Miura, H.; Oshima, M.

    1986-01-01

    Ammonia synthesis from H 2 -N 2 mixed gas was studied at room temperature in a glow-discharge plasma in the presence of metals or metal oxides. Magnesia (Mg0) and calcia (CaO), which are oxides with solid basicity, revealed catalytic activity in the plasma synthesis of ammonia, although they are catalytically inactive in industrial ammonia synthesis. The acid oxides (Al 2 0 3 W0 3 , and Si0 2 -Al 2 0 3 ) lead to the consumption of the reactant, i.e., the H2-N2 mixed gas. No ammonia was isolated. Metal catalysts showed higher activity than the above basic oxides. They have, however, different activities. The reaction was faster over the active materials than over sodium chloride (NaCl) or glass wool or in a blank reactor without any catalyst

  3. Ultrastructure and viral metagenome of bacteriophages from an anaerobic methane oxidizing methylomirabilis bioreactor enrichment culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gambelli, Lavinia; Cremers, Geert; Mesman, Rob; Guerrero, Simon; Dutilh, Bas E.; Jetten, Mike S M; den Camp, Huub J M Op; van Niftrik, Laura

    2016-01-01

    With its capacity for anaerobic methane oxidation and denitrification, the bacterium Methylomirabilis oxyfera plays an important role in natural ecosystems. Its unique physiology can be exploited for more sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. However, operational stability of full-scale

  4. Ultrastructure and Viral Metagenome of Bacteriophages from an Anaerobic Methane Oxidizing Methylomirabilis Bioreactor Enrichment Culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Gambelli, L.; Cremers, G.; Mesman, R.; Guerrero, S.; Dutilh, B.E.; Jetten, M.S.; Camp, H.J. Op den; Niftrik, L. van

    2016-01-01

    With its capacity for anaerobic methane oxidation and denitrification, the bacterium Methylomirabilis oxyfera plays an important role in natural ecosystems. Its unique physiology can be exploited for more sustainable wastewater treatment technologies. However, operational stability of full-scale

  5. Ammonia oxidizer populations vary with nitrogen cycling across a tropical montane mean annual temperature gradient

    Science.gov (United States)

    S. Pierre; I. Hewson; J. P. Sparks; C. M. Litton; C. Giardina; P. M. Groffman; T. J. Fahey

    2017-01-01

    Functional gene approaches have been used to better understand the roles of microbes in driving forest soil nitrogen (N) cycling rates and bioavailability. Ammonia oxidation is a rate limiting step in nitrification, and is a key area for understanding environmental constraints on N availability in forests. We studied how increasing temperature affects the role of...

  6. Comparative diversity of ammonia oxidizer 16S rRNA gene sequences in native, tilled, and successional soils

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bruns, M.A.; Stephen, J.R.; Kowalchuk, G.A.; Prosser, J.I.; Paul, E.A.

    1999-01-01

    Autotrophic ammonia oxidizer (AAO) populations in soils from native, tilled, and successional treatments at the Kellogg Biological Station Long-Term Ecological Research site in southwestern Michigan were compared to assess effects of disturbance on these bacteria. N fertilization effects on AAO

  7. Community size and composition of ammonia oxidizers and denitrifiers in an alluvial intertidal wetland ecosystem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ziye eHu

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Global nitrogen cycling is mainly mediated by the activity of microorganisms. Nitrogen cycle processes are mediated by functional groups of microorganisms that are affected by constantly changing environmental conditions and substrate availability. In this study, we investigated the temporal and spatial patterns of nitrifier and denitrifier communities in an intertidal wetland. Soil samples were collected over four distinct seasons from three locations with different vegetative cover. Multiple environmental factors and process rates were measured and analyzed together with the community size and composition profiles. We observed that the community size and composition of the nitrifiers and denitrifiers are affected significantly by seasonal factors, while vegetative cover affected the community composition. The seasonal impacts on the community size of ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA are much higher than that of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB. The seasonal change was a more important indicator for AOA community composition patterns, while vegetation was more important for the AOB community patterns. The microbial process rates were correlated with both the community size and composition.

  8. COMPARISON OF CATALYTIC ACTIVITIES BOTH FOR SELECTIVE OXIDATION AND DECOMPOSITION OF AMMONIA OVER Fe/HZβ CATALYST

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    YELİZ ÇETİN

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Ammonia is one of the syngas contaminants that must be removed before using the syngas downstream applications. The most promising hot-gas clean-up techniques of ammonia are selective catalytic oxidation (SCO and catalytic decomposition. In this study, the catalytic activities over Zeolite Hβ supported iron catalyst (Fe/HZβ were compared both for the two catalytic routes. For SCO experiments; temperature (300-550 °C, O2 (2000-6000 ppmv and (0-10% H2 concentrations were investigated with the presence of 800 ppm NH3 in each of the final gas mixture. In the second route, catalytic ammonia decomposition experiments were carried out with H2 in balance N2 (0-30% containing 800 ppm NH3 at 700°C and 800°C. In the SCO, NH3 conversions were increased with increasing reaction temperatures with the absence of H2 in the reaction mixture. With 10% H2, it was shown that NH3 conversions increased with decreasing the reaction temperature. This was interpreted as the competing H2 and NH3 oxidations over the catalyst. On the other hand, in the catalytic decomposition, thermodynamic equilibrium conversion of almost 100% was attained at both 700 and 800 °C. Upon H2 addition, all conversions decreased. The decrease in conversion seemed to be linear with inlet hydrogen concentration. Hydrogen was seen to inhibit ammonia decomposition reaction. It was shown that Fe/HZβ catalyst is better to use for catalytic decomposition of NH3 in syngas rather than SCO of NH3 in spite of higher reaction temperatures needed in the decomposition reaction.

  9. Study on Release Characteristics and Recovery of Nitrogen and Phosphorus during the Anaerobic Fermentation of Excess Sludge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Yuqian; Hu, Shulong

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia nitrogen and phosphate are produced from activated excess sludge under anaerobic conditions,and will cause eutrophication upon release to the environment. A study of sludge from a eutrophication was carried out, to obtain knowledge of the nitrogen and phosphorus release patterns of the excess sludge during anaerobic fermentation and the recycling efficiency of both nitrogen and phosphorus, by adding magnesium salt and alkali solution to the supernatant liquors. The results showed that the concentration of ammonia nitrogen and phosphate of the supernatant liquors continued to increase during the process of anaerobic digestion, and both reached a maximum in 12 days, at 41.56mg / L and 47.02 mg / L respectively. By adding magnesium salt to the supernatant with c(Mg): c(P) = 1.1:1, adjusting pH value to 9.0 ∼ 9.5, phosphorus recovery rate reached up to 95.0%, while the recovery rate of ammonia was 47.4%, resulting in the formation of a sediment of magnesium ammonium phosphate, or MAP, which may he used as a high-quality fertilizer.

  10. Consumption of ammonia-nitrogen by aob in immobilized batch ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    This study investigated the performance of bio-filters immobilized nitrifying bacteria, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB). In particular, it was to assess the consumption of ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) by the AOB. The experiment was conducted in a one litre reactor.The reactor consisted of ...

  11. Diversity, abundance and niche differentiation of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in mud deposits of the eastern China marginal seas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shaolan eYu

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The eastern China marginal seas are prominent examples of river-dominated ocean margins, whose most characteristic feature is the existence of isolated mud patches on sandy sediments. Ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes play a crucial role in the nitrogen cycles of many marine environments, including marginal seas. However, few studies have attempted to address the distribution patterns of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in mud deposits of these seas. The horizontal and vertical community composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB were investigated in mud deposits of the South Yellow Sea (SYS and the East China Sea (ECS by using amoA clone libraries and quantitative PCR. The diversity of AOB was comparable or higher in the mud zone of SYS and lower in ECS when compared with AOA. Vertically, surface sediments had generally higher diversity of AOA and AOB than middle and bottom layers. Diversity of AOA and AOB showed significant correlation with latitude. Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosospira lineages dominated AOA and AOB communities, respectively. Both AOA and AOB assemblages exhibited greater variations across different sites than those among various depths at one site. The abundance of bacterial amoA was generally higher than that of archaeal amoA, and both of them decreased with depth. Niche differentiation, which was affected by dissolved oxygen, salinity, ammonia and silicate (SiO32-, was observed between AOA and AOB and among different groups of them. The spatial distribution of AOA and AOB was significantly correlated with δ15NTN and SiO32-, and nitrate and δ13C, respectively. Both archaeal and bacterial amoA abundance correlated strongly with SiO32-. This study improves our understanding of spatial distribution of AOA and AOB in ecosystems featuring oceanic mud deposits.

  12. Diversity, Abundance, and Niche Differentiation of Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes in Mud Deposits of the Eastern China Marginal Seas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Shaolan; Yao, Peng; Liu, Jiwen; Zhao, Bin; Zhang, Guiling; Zhao, Meixun; Yu, Zhigang; Zhang, Xiao-Hua

    2016-01-01

    The eastern China marginal seas (ECMS) are prominent examples of river-dominated ocean margins, whose most characteristic feature is the existence of isolated mud patches on sandy sediments. Ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes play a crucial role in the nitrogen cycles of many marine environments, including marginal seas. However, few studies have attempted to address the distribution patterns of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in mud deposits of these seas. The horizontal and vertical community composition and abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) were investigated in mud deposits of the South Yellow Sea (SYS) and the East China Sea (ECS) by using amoA clone libraries and quantitative PCR. The diversity of AOB was comparable or higher in the mud zone of SYS and lower in ECS when compared with AOA. Vertically, surface sediments had generally higher diversity of AOA and AOB than middle and bottom layers. Diversity of AOA and AOB showed significant correlation with latitude. Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosospira lineages dominated AOA and AOB communities, respectively. Both AOA and AOB assemblages exhibited greater variations across different sites than those among various depths at one site. The abundance of bacterial amoA was generally higher than that of archaeal amoA, and both of them decreased with depth. Niche differentiation, which was affected by dissolved oxygen, salinity, ammonia, and silicate (SiO[Formula: see text]), was observed between AOA and AOB and among different groups of them. The spatial distribution of AOA and AOB was significantly correlated with δ(15)NTN and SiO[Formula: see text], and nitrate and δ(13)C, respectively. Both archaeal and bacterial amoA abundance correlated strongly with SiO[Formula: see text]. This study improves our understanding of spatial distribution of AOA and AOB in ecosystems featuring oceanic mud deposits.

  13. Aqueous Ammonia soaking of digested manure fibers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mirtsou-Xanthopoulou, Chrysoula; Jurado, Esperanza; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2012-01-01

    The continuously increasing demand for renewable energy sources renders anaerobic digestion to one of the most promising technologies for renewable energy production. Due to the animal production intensification, manure is being used as the primary feedstock for most of the biogas plants. Thus...... in methane yield as the highest concentrations tested; it is anticipated that this will result to an even lower cost for recovery and recycling of ammonia in full-scale. Moreover, the effect of 1, 3, and 5 days AAS treatment on methane production from digested fibers was investigated with 5 and 25% w....../w reagent concentrations in ammonia. It was shown that the optimal duration among the ones tested was the three days for both reagent concentrations....

  14. Genome-enabled studies of anaerobic, nitrate-dependent iron oxidation in the chemolithoautotrophic bacterium Thiobacillus denitrificans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harry R Beller

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Thiobacillus denitrificans is a chemolithoautotrophic bacterium capable of anaerobic, nitrate-dependent U(IV and Fe(II oxidation, both of which can strongly influence the long-term efficacy of in situ reductive immobilization of uranium in contaminated aquifers. We previously identified two c-type cytochromes involved in nitrate-dependent U(IV oxidation in T. denitrificans and hypothesized that c-type cytochromes would also catalyze Fe(II oxidation, as they have been found to play this role in anaerobic phototrophic Fe(II-oxidizing bacteria. Here we report on efforts to identify genes associated with nitrate-dependent Fe(II oxidation, namely (a whole-genome transcriptional studies [using FeCO3, Fe2+, and U(IV oxides as electron donors under denitrifying conditions], (b Fe(II oxidation assays performed with knockout mutants targeting primarily highly expressed or upregulated c-type cytochromes, and (c random transposon-mutagenesis studies with screening for Fe(II oxidation. Assays of mutants for 26 target genes, most of which were c-type cytochromes, indicated that none of the mutants tested were significantly defective in nitrate-dependent Fe(II oxidation. The non-defective mutants included the c1-cytochrome subunit of the cytochrome bc1 complex (complex III, which has relevance to a previously proposed role for this complex in nitrate-dependent Fe(II oxidation and to current concepts of reverse electron transfer. A transposon mutant with a disrupted gene associated with NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I was ~35% defective relative to the wild-type strain; this strain was similarly defective in nitrate reduction with thiosulfate as the electron donor. Overall, our results indicate that nitrate-dependent Fe(II oxidation in T. denitrificans is not catalyzed by the same c-type cytochromes involved in U(IV oxidation, nor have other c-type cytochromes yet been implicated in the process.

  15. Effects of submerged macrophytes on the abundance and community composition of ammonia-oxidizing prokaryotes in a eutrophic lake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Da-yong; Luo, Juan; Zeng, Jin; Wang, Meng; Yan, Wen-ming; Huang, Rui; Wu, Qinglong L

    2014-01-01

    Abundances and community compositions of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in unvegetated sediment and the rhizosphere sediments of three submerged macrophytes (Ceratophyllum demersum, Vallisneria spinulosa, and Potamogeton crispus) were investigated in a large, eutrophic freshwater lake, Lake Taihu. Abundances of archaeal ammonia monooxygenase alpha-subunit (amoA) gene (from 6.56 × 10(6) copies to 1.06 × 10(7) copies per gram of dry sediment) were higher than those of bacterial amoA (from 6.13 × 10(5) to 3.21 × 10(6) copies per gram of dry sediment) in all samples. Submerged macrophytes exhibited no significant effect on the abundance and diversity of archaeal amoA gene. C. demersum and V. spinulosa increased the abundance and diversity of bacterial amoA gene in their rhizosphere sediment. However, the diversity of bacterial amoA gene in the rhizosphere sediments of P. crispus was decreased. The data obtained in this study would be helpful to elucidate the roles of submerged macrophytes involved in the nitrogen cycling of eutrophic lake ecosystems.

  16. Anaerobic oxidation of carbon steel in granitic groundwaters: A review of the relevant literature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Platts, N.; Blackwood, D.J.; Naish, C.C.

    1994-02-01

    This report reviews the published literature on the anaerobic oxidation of iron in aqueous solutions which are of particular relevance to Swedish granitic groundwaters. The thermodynamics of iron corrosion in water are briefly considered. Following this the experimental data found in the literature are presented and discussed. Results were found for corrosion of iron in both pure water and solutions containing mineral salts. The literature work in the nature of the films formed on iron surfaces under anaerobic conditions is reviewed and the possible mechanisms of film formation are discussed. Conclusions are drawn on the factors most likely to influence and control film growth. 32 refs

  17. Application of Aqueous Ammonia Soaking for enhancement of methane potential of swine manure fibers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jurado, Esperanza; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2012-01-01

    . No inhibition was observed for the digested fibers at the loadings tested while raw fibers exhibited slight inhibition only at very high loadings. Main conclusions: In the present study, AAS was successfully applied as a pretreatment method to increase methane potential of swine manure fibers. Batch anaerobic......Purpose: Increasing the methane productivity of manure based biogas plants is challenging because the solid fraction of manure contains lignocellulosic fibers, which are difficult to biodegrade and thus make anaerobic digestion process slow and economically unfavourable. Therefore, pretreatment...... of the solid fraction is a prerequisite for increasing its digestibility. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) and subsequent ammonia removal as a pretreatment method for increasing methane potential and biogas productivity of raw and digested manure fibers. Methods...

  18. Formation of Hydroxylamine on Dust Grains via Ammonia Oxidation

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Jiao; Vidali, Gianfranco; Lemaire, Jean-Louis; Garrod, Robin T.

    2015-01-01

    The quest to detect prebiotic molecules in space, notably amino acids, requires an understanding of the chemistry involving nitrogen atoms. Hydroxylamine (NH2OH) is considered a precursor to the amino acid glycine. Although not yet detected, NH2OH is considered a likely target of detection with ALMA. We report on an experimental investigation of the formation of hydroxylamine on an amorphous silicate surface via the oxidation of ammonia. The experimental data are then fed into a simulation of the formation of NH2OH in dense cloud conditions. On ices at 14 K and with a modest activation energy barrier, NH2OH is found to be formed with an abundance that never falls below a factor 10 with respect to NH3. Suggestions of conditions for future observations are provided.

  19. Anaerobic Oxidization of Methane in a Minerotrophic Peatland: Enrichment of Nitrite-Dependent Methane-Oxidizing Bacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Baoli; van Dijk, Gijs; Fritz, Christian; Smolders, Alfons J. P.; Pol, Arjan; Jetten, Mike S. M.

    2012-01-01

    The importance of anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) as a methane sink in freshwater systems is largely unexplored, particularly in peat ecosystems. Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo) was recently discovered and reported to be catalyzed by the bacterium “Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera,” which is affiliated with the NC10 phylum. So far, several “Ca. Methylomirabilis oxyfera” enrichment cultures have been obtained using a limited number of freshwater sediments or wastewater treatment sludge as the inoculum. In this study, using stable isotope measurements and porewater profiles, we investigated the potential of n-damo in a minerotrophic peatland in the south of the Netherlands that is infiltrated by nitrate-rich ground water. Methane and nitrate profiles suggested that all methane produced was oxidized before reaching the oxic layer, and NC10 bacteria could be active in the transition zone where countergradients of methane and nitrate occur. Quantitative PCR showed high NC10 bacterial cell numbers at this methane-nitrate transition zone. This soil section was used to enrich the prevalent NC10 bacteria in a continuous culture supplied with methane and nitrite at an in situ pH of 6.2. An enrichment of nitrite-reducing methanotrophic NC10 bacteria was successfully obtained. Phylogenetic analysis of retrieved 16S rRNA and pmoA genes showed that the enriched bacteria were very similar to the ones found in situ and constituted a new branch of NC10 bacteria with an identity of less than 96 and 90% to the 16S rRNA and pmoA genes of “Ca. Methylomirabilis oxyfera,” respectively. The results of this study expand our knowledge of the diversity and distribution of NC10 bacteria in the environment and highlight their potential contribution to nitrogen and methane cycles. PMID:23042166

  20. Study on treatment of distilled ammonia waste water from coke plant with activated carbon-NaClO catalytic oxidation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Luo, D.; Yi, P.; Liu, J.; Chen, A. [Xiangtan Polytechnic University, Xiangtan (China). Dept. of Chemical Enginering

    2001-12-01

    Catalytic oxidation method for the treatment of distilled ammonia waste water from coke plant was investigated using activated carbon as catalyst and NaClO as oxidant. The influences of main factors, such as NaClO, activated carbon, pH and reactionary time were discussed. The results showed that under the conditions of 25{degree}C, NaClO/CODO=1.5, carbon/NaClO=0.6 and pH=3.0, the reaction completed within 120 minutes with 99.5% of phenol removal and 75.8% of COD removal when the distilled ammonia waste water from coke plant which containing phenol 510 mg/L and CODO 8420 mg/L was treated. 13 refs., 4 figs.

  1. How does free ammonia-based sludge pretreatment improve methane production from anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Dongbo; Liu, Bowen; Liu, Xuran; Xu, Qiuxiang; Yang, Qi; Liu, Yiwen; Zeng, Guangming; Li, Xiaoming; Ni, Bing-Jie

    2018-09-01

    Previous studies reported that free ammonia (FA) pretreatment could improve methane production from anaerobic digestion of waste activated sludge (WAS) effectively. However, details of how FA pretreatment improves methane production are poorly understood. This study therefore aims to reveal the underlying mechanisms of FA pretreatment affecting anaerobic digestion of WAS through a series of batch tests using either real sludge or synthetic media as the digestion substrates at different pH values. At pH 8.5 level, with an increase of FA level from 18.5 to 92.5 mg/L (i.e., NH+ 4-N: 100-500 mg/L; pH 8.5) the maximum methane yield varied between 194.0 ± 3.9 and 196.9 ± 7.7 mL/g of VSS (25 °C, 1 atm). At pH 9.5 or 10 level, however, with an increase of initial FA level from 103.2 to 516.2 mg/L, the maximal methane yield increased linearly. The mechanism studies revealed that FA pretreatment at high levels not only accelerated the disintegration of WAS but also enhanced the biodegradability of WAS. Although pH in the digesters was adjusted to 7.0 ± 0.1, the high levels of NH+ 4-N added or released led to substantial levels of residual FA ranging from 4.4 to 11.6 mg/L. It was found that this level of FA inhibited homoacetogenesis and methanogenesis significantly, though hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and acetogenesis processes were unaffected largely. Further analyses showed that the inhibition constant of FA to substrate degradation was in the sequence of dextran > glucose > hydrogen > acetate, indicating the methanogenesis process was more sensitive to FA. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Enhancement options for the utilisation of nitrogen rich animal by-products in anaerobic digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Resch, Christoph; Wörl, Alexander; Waltenberger, Reinhold; Braun, Rudolf; Kirchmayr, Roland

    2011-02-01

    This study focuses on the enhancement of an Austrian anaerobic digestion plant at a slaughterhouse site which exclusively uses animal by-products as substrate. High ammonia concentrations from protein degradation cause severe inhibitions of anaerobic microorganisms. For improving the current situation the COD:TKN ratio is widened by (a) ammonia stripping directly out of the process and (b) addition of a C source to the substrate. Different OLR and HRT were tested in continuous experiments to simulate new operating conditions. The results show that the addition of carbon cannot improve fermentation capacity. The reduction of ammonia boosts the degradation: After reduction of TKN from 7.5 to 4.0 g kg(-1) the initially high VFA concentration decreased and the COD degradation was improved by 55.5%. Hence, the implementation of the new N reduction process facilitates either the increase of the OLR by 61% or the reduction of the HRT by 25%. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Spatial distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria across eight freshwater lakes in sediments from Jiangsu of China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu Sun

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Ammonia-oxidizingarchaea (AOA and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB play an important role innitrogen transformation in freshwater sediments. However, it is still unclear towhat extent the distribution patterns of these microorganisms are affected bythe freshwater sediment across a large geographical scale. This study wasdesigned to gain insight into the heterogeneity distribution of AOA and AOB in32 freshwater sediments from a wide range of ecologic types. Real-time quantitative polymerasechain reaction PCR(qPCR combined with the terminal restrictionfragment length polymorphism(T-RFLP were employed to characterize the abundance, diversity, and communitystructure of the AOA and AOB in 32 freshwater sediments. AOA and AOB wereubiquitous in all sediments, and archaeal amoA far outnumbered bacterial amoA inmost sediments with lower organic matters. The abundance of AOA and AOB did notvary with the freshwater ecological type (macrophyte dominated region and algaedominated region. Based on  the T-RFLP of an amoA gene, this research found that organicmatters in pore water rather than other factors affect the AOA communitystructure in sediments, while the AOB were not significantly different in thefreshwater sediments. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all archaeal amoAsequences fell within either the Crenarchaeotal Group (CG I.1b or the CGI.1asubgroup, and all AOB clustered with genus Nitrosomonas or Nitrosospira. The data obtained inthis study elucidates the role of ammonia-oxidizing archaea andammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the nitrogen cycle of freshwater ecosystems.

  4. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abby, Sophie S; Melcher, Michael; Kerou, Melina; Krupovic, Mart; Stieglmeier, Michaela; Rossel, Claudia; Pfeifer, Kevin; Schleper, Christa

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally at 68°C under chemolithoautotrophic conditions on ammonia or urea converting ammonia stoichiometrically into nitrite with a generation time of approximately 23 h. Phylogenetic analyses based on ribosomal proteins place the organism as a sister group to all known mesophilic AOA. The 1.58 Mb genome of Ca. N. cavascurensis harbors an amo AXCB gene cluster encoding ammonia monooxygenase and genes for a 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway for autotrophic carbon fixation, but also genes that indicate potential alternative energy metabolisms. Although a bona fide gene for nitrite reductase is missing, the organism is sensitive to NO-scavenging, underlining the potential importance of this compound for AOA metabolism. Ca. N. cavascurensis is distinct from all other AOA in its gene repertoire for replication, cell division and repair. Its genome has an impressive array of mobile genetic elements and other recently acquired gene sets, including conjugative systems, a provirus, transposons and cell appendages. Some of these elements indicate recent exchange with the environment, whereas others seem to have been domesticated and might convey crucial metabolic traits.

  5. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome

    OpenAIRE

    Abby, Sophie S.; Melcher, Michael; Kerou, Melina; Krupovic, Mart; Stieglmeier, Michaela; Rossel, Claudia; Pfeifer, Kevin; Schleper, Christa

    2018-01-01

    Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA) of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally ...

  6. Archaea and Bacteria Acclimate to High Total Ammonia in a Methanogenic Reactor Treating Swine Waste

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sofia Esquivel-Elizondo

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Inhibition by ammonium at concentrations above 1000 mgN/L is known to harm the methanogenesis phase of anaerobic digestion. We anaerobically digested swine waste and achieved steady state COD-removal efficiency of around 52% with no fatty-acid or H2 accumulation. As the anaerobic microbial community adapted to the gradual increase of total ammonia-N (NH3-N from 890±295 to 2040±30 mg/L, the Bacterial and Archaeal communities became less diverse. Phylotypes most closely related to hydrogenotrophic Methanoculleus (36.4% and Methanobrevibacter (11.6%, along with acetoclastic Methanosaeta (29.3%, became the most abundant Archaeal sequences during acclimation. This was accompanied by a sharp increase in the relative abundances of phylotypes most closely related to acetogens and fatty-acid producers (Clostridium, Coprococcus, and Sphaerochaeta and syntrophic fatty-acid Bacteria (Syntrophomonas, Clostridium, Clostridiaceae species, and Cloacamonaceae species that have metabolic capabilities for butyrate and propionate fermentation, as well as for reverse acetogenesis. Our results provide evidence countering a prevailing theory that acetoclastic methanogens are selectively inhibited when the total ammonia-N concentration is greater than ~1000 mgN/L. Instead, acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogens coexisted in the presence of total ammonia-N of ~2000 mgN/L by establishing syntrophic relationships with fatty-acid fermenters, as well as homoacetogens able to carry out forward and reverse acetogenesis.

  7. Catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia over transition metal ion-exchanged Y zeolites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sciyama, T; Arakawa, T; Matsuda, T; Yamazoe, N; Takita, Y

    1975-01-01

    The catalytic reduction of nitric oxide with ammonia was studied over transition metal ion-exchanged Y zeolite (Me-Y) catalysts. The reaction products are nitrogen, nitrous oxide, and water in all cases. Selectivities to N/sub 2/ are 60 to 80% on all the cation exchanged zeolite catalysts exhibiting a relatively minor variation with the cationic species exchanged. The copper (II)-Y catalyst exhibits low temperature activity and has an unusual catalytic activity-temperature profile with a maximum at 120/sup 0/C. The catalytic activity is enhanced considerably when a second cation, especially cobalt (II) or iron (III) is coexchanged together with Cu (II) in Y zeolite.

  8. Electrochemical oxidation of ammonia-containing wastewater using Ti/RuO2-Pt electrode

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-wu Hu

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available The electrochemical oxidation degradation processes for artificial and actual wastewater containing ammonia were carried out with a Ti/RuO2-Pt anode and a Ti plate cathode. We studied the effects of different current densities, space sizes between the two electrodes, and amounts of added NaCl on ammonia-containing wastewater treatment. It was shown that, after a 30-min treatment under the optimal conditions, which were a current density of 20 mA/cm2, a space size between the two electrodes of 1 cm, and an added amount of 0.5 g/L of NaCl, the COD concentration in municipal wastewater was 40 mg/L, a removal rate of 90%; and the NH3-N concentration was 7 mg/L, a removal rate of 88.3%. The effluent of municipal wastewater qualified for Class A of the Discharge Standard of Pollutants for Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant (GB18918-2002.

  9. Ammonia-oxidizing activity and microbial community structure in acid tea (Camellia sinensis) orchard soil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okamura, K; Yamada, T; Hiraishi, A; Takanashi, A

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the ammonia-oxidizing activity and the phylogentic composition of microorganisms involved in acid tea (Camellia sinensis) orchard soil. All soil samples were collected from three sites located in Tahara and Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The potential nitrification rate (PNR) was measured by the chlorate inhibition method. The soil pH of tea orchards studied ranged from 2.78 to 4.84, differing significantly from sample to sample, whereas that of meadow and unplanted fields ranged from 5.78 to 6.35. The PNR ranged from 0.050 to 0.193 μg NO 2 - -Ng -1 h -1 and were positively correlated with the soil pH (r 2 0.382, p 2 - -Ng -1 h -1 ) and subjected to PCR-aided clone library analyses targeting archaeal and bacterial amoA genes. The detected archaeal clones separated from the cluster of the 'Soil clones' and tightly clustered with the clones originating from other acidic soil environments including the Chinese tea orchard soil. These results suggest that the specific archaeal populations dominate as the ammonia oxidizers in acid tea-orchard soils and possibly other acid soils, independent of geographic locations, which results from the adaptation to specific ecological niches.

  10. Anaerobic metabolism of nitroaromatic compounds by sulfate-reducing and methanogenic bacteria

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boopathy, R. [Argonne National Lab., IL (United States); Kulpa, C.F. [Notre Dame Univ., IN (United States). Dept. of Biological Sciences

    1994-06-01

    Ecological observations suggest that sulfate-reducing and methanogenic bacteria might metabolize nitroaromatic compounds under anaerobic conditions if appropriate electron donors and electron acceptors are present in the environment, but this ability had not been demonstrated until recently. Most studies on the microbial metabolism of nitroaromatic compounds used aerobic microorganisms. In most cases no mineralization of nitroaromatics occurs, and only superficial modifications of the structures are reported. However, under anaerobic sulfate-reducing conditions, the nitroaromatic compounds reportedly undergo a series of reductions with the formation of amino compounds. For example, trinitrotoluene under sulfate-reducing conditions is reduced to triaminotoluene by the enzyme nitrite reductase, which is commonly found in many Desulfovibrio spp. The removal of ammonia from triaminotoluene is achieved by reductive deamination catalyzed by the enzyme reductive deaminase, with the production of ammonia and toluene. Some sulfate reducers can metabolize toluene to CO{sub 2}. Similar metabolic processes could be applied to other nitroaromatic compounds like nitrobenzene, nitrobenzoic acids, nitrophenols, and aniline. Many methanogenic bacteria can reduce nitroaromatic compounds to amino compounds. In this paper we review the anaerobic metabolic processes of nitroaromatic compounds under sulfate-reducing And methanogenic conditions.

  11. Anaerobic metabolism of nitroaromatic compounds by sulfate-reducing and methanogenic bacteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boopathy, R.; Kulpa, C.F.

    1994-01-01

    Ecological observations suggest that sulfate-reducing and methanogenic bacteria might metabolize nitroaromatic compounds under anaerobic conditions if appropriate electron donors and electron acceptors are present in the environment, but this ability had not been demonstrated until recently. Most studies on the microbial metabolism of nitroaromatic compounds used aerobic microorganisms. In most cases no mineralization of nitroaromatics occurs, and only superficial modifications of the structures are reported. However, under anaerobic sulfate-reducing conditions, the nitroaromatic compounds reportedly undergo a series of reductions with the formation of amino compounds. For example, trinitrotoluene under sulfate-reducing conditions is reduced to triaminotoluene by the enzyme nitrite reductase, which is commonly found in many Desulfovibrio spp. The removal of ammonia from triaminotoluene is achieved by reductive deamination catalyzed by the enzyme reductive deaminase, with the production of ammonia and toluene. Some sulfate reducers can metabolize toluene to CO 2 . Similar metabolic processes could be applied to other nitroaromatic compounds like nitrobenzene, nitrobenzoic acids, nitrophenols, and aniline. Many methanogenic bacteria can reduce nitroaromatic compounds to amino compounds. In this paper we review the anaerobic metabolic processes of nitroaromatic compounds under sulfate-reducing And methanogenic conditions

  12. Laboratory-Scale Demonstration Using Dilute Ammonia Gas-Induced Alkaline Hydrolysis of Soil Contaminants (Chlorinated Propanes and Explosives)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-01

    stabilization of metals (like Cr (VI)) and radionuclides ( uranium or technetium) (Thornton and Amonette 1999, Thornton et al. 2007). Master variable...successful at significantly reducing uranium mobility, although the effect was somewhat reversible. Ammonia oxidation and remediation Ammonia...activity of ammonia- oxidizing microorganisms. A 283-day experiment did not result in any measureable increase in ammonia- oxidizing microorganisms

  13. FORMATION OF HYDROXYLAMINE ON DUST GRAINS VIA AMMONIA OXIDATION

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    He, Jiao; Vidali, Gianfranco [Physics Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244 (United States); Lemaire, Jean-Louis [Paris Observatory, F-75014 Paris (France); Garrod, Robin T., E-mail: gvidali@syr.edu [Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (United States)

    2015-01-20

    The quest to detect prebiotic molecules in space, notably amino acids, requires an understanding of the chemistry involving nitrogen atoms. Hydroxylamine (NH{sub 2}OH) is considered a precursor to the amino acid glycine. Although not yet detected, NH{sub 2}OH is considered a likely target of detection with ALMA. We report on an experimental investigation of the formation of hydroxylamine on an amorphous silicate surface via the oxidation of ammonia. The experimental data are then fed into a simulation of the formation of NH{sub 2}OH in dense cloud conditions. On ices at 14 K and with a modest activation energy barrier, NH{sub 2}OH is found to be formed with an abundance that never falls below a factor 10 with respect to NH{sub 3}. Suggestions of conditions for future observations are provided.

  14. Potential roles of anaerobic ammonium and methane oxidation in the nitrogen cycle of wetland ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Guibing; Jetten, Mike S M; Kuschk, Peter; Ettwig, Katharina F; Yin, Chengqing

    2010-04-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) and anaerobic methane oxidation (ANME coupled to denitrification) with nitrite as electron acceptor are two of the most recent discoveries in the microbial nitrogen cycle. Currently the anammox process has been relatively well investigated in a number of natural and man-made ecosystems, while ANME coupled to denitrification has only been observed in a limited number of freshwater ecosystems. The ubiquitous presence of anammox bacteria in marine ecosystems has changed our knowledge of the global nitrogen cycle. Up to 50% of N(2) production in marine sediments and oxygen-depleted zones may be attributed to anammox bacteria. However, there are only few indications of anammox in natural and constructed freshwater wetlands. In this paper, the potential role of anammox and denitrifying methanotrophic bacteria in natural and artificial wetlands is discussed in relation to global warming. The focus of the review is to explore and analyze if suitable environmental conditions exist for anammox and denitrifying methanotrophic bacteria in nitrogen-rich freshwater wetlands.

  15. Optimization of biomethanation focusing on high ammonia loaded processes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Han

    , could theoretically mitigate the ammonia inhibition problem (Angelidaki et al., 1999). Therefore, the effect of co-digestion of cattle manure with lipids (i.e. glycerol trioleate (GTO)) under high ammonia levels (5 g NH4+-N·L-1) in anaerobic continuous stirred tank (CSTR) reactors (RGTO) was assessed....... Additionally, for comparison purposes, a soluble carbohydrate (i.e. glucose) was also used as a co-substrate in an identical CSTR reactor (RGLU). At 5 g NH4+-N·L-1, relative methane production of RGTO and RGLU, was 10.5% and 41% compared to the expected uninhibited production, respectively. At the same time....... The results derived from this study clearly demonstrated a 31.3% increase in methane production yield in the CSTR reactor, at steady-state, after bioaugmentation. It indicated that this new solution to counteract ammonia inhibition was more practical and effective compared with other methods applied today...

  16. Modeling of nitrous oxide production by autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria with multiple production pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Bing-Jie; Peng, Lai; Law, Yingyu; Guo, Jianhua; Yuan, Zhiguo

    2014-04-01

    Autotrophic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) have been recognized as a major contributor to N2O production in wastewater treatment systems. However, so far N2O models have been proposed based on a single N2O production pathway by AOB, and there is still a lack of effective approach for the integration of these models. In this work, an integrated mathematical model that considers multiple production pathways is developed to describe N2O production by AOB. The pathways considered include the nitrifier denitrification pathway (N2O as the final product of AOB denitrification with NO2(-) as the terminal electron acceptor) and the hydroxylamine (NH2OH) pathway (N2O as a byproduct of incomplete oxidation of NH2OH to NO2(-)). In this model, the oxidation and reduction processes are modeled separately, with intracellular electron carriers introduced to link the two types of processes. The model is calibrated and validated using experimental data obtained with two independent nitrifying cultures. The model satisfactorily describes the N2O data from both systems. The model also predicts shifts of the dominating pathway at various dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrite levels, consistent with previous hypotheses. This unified model is expected to enhance our ability to predict N2O production by AOB in wastewater treatment systems under varying operational conditions.

  17. Isotope effects associated with the anaerobic oxidation of sulfide by the purple photosynthetic bacterium, Chromatium vinosum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fry, B.; Gest, H.; Hayes, J.M.

    1984-01-01

    Small inverse isotope effects of 1-3 per thousand were consistently observed for the oxidation of sulfide to elemental sulfur during anaerobic photometabolism by Chromatium vinosum. The inverse fractionation can be accounted for by an equilibrium isotope effect between H 2 S and HS - , and may indicate that C. vinosum (and other photosynthetic bacteria) utilizes H 2 S rather than HS - as the substrate during sulfide oxidation. (Auth.)

  18. Environmental factors determining ammonia-oxidizing organism distribution and diversity in marine environments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouskill, Nicholas J; Eveillard, Damien; Chien, Diana; Jayakumar, Amal; Ward, Bess B

    2012-03-01

    Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) play a vital role in bridging the input of fixed nitrogen, through N-fixation and remineralization, to its loss by denitrification and anammox. Yet the major environmental factors determining AOB and AOA population dynamics are little understood, despite both groups having a wide environmental distribution. This study examined the relative abundance of both groups of ammonia-oxidizing organisms (AOO) and the diversity of AOA across large-scale gradients in temperature, salinity and substrate concentration and dissolved oxygen. The relative abundance of AOB and AOA varied across environments, with AOB dominating in the freshwater region of the Chesapeake Bay and AOA more abundant in the water column of the coastal and open ocean. The highest abundance of the AOA amoA gene was recorded in the oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) of the Eastern Tropical South Pacific (ETSP) and the Arabian Sea (AS). The ratio of AOA : AOB varied from 0.7 in the Chesapeake Bay to 1600 in the Sargasso Sea. Relative abundance of both groups strongly correlated with ammonium concentrations. AOA diversity, as determined by phylogenetic analysis of clone library sequences and archetype analysis from a functional gene DNA microarray, detected broad phylogenetic differences across the study sites. However, phylogenetic diversity within physicochemically congruent stations was more similar than would be expected by chance. This suggests that the prevailing geochemistry, rather than localized dispersal, is the major driving factor determining OTU distribution. © 2011 Society for Applied Microbiology and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  19. Modelling anaerobic codigestion of manure with olive oil mill effluent

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Angelidaki, I.; Ellegaard, L.; Ahring, B.K.

    1997-01-01

    A mathematical model describing the combined anaerobic degradation of complex organic material, such as manure, and a lipid containing additive, such as olive oil mill effluents, has been developed based on a model previously described (Angelidaki et al. 1993). The model has been used to simulate...... anaerobic codigestion of cattle manure together with olive oil mill effluent (OME) and the simulations were compared with experimental data. Simulation data indicated that lack of ammonia, needed as nitrogen source for synthesis of bacterial biomass and as an important pH buffer, could be responsible...

  20. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis, an Ammonia Oxidizing, Extremely Thermophilic Archaeon with a Highly Mobile Genome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sophie S. Abby

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Ammonia oxidizing archaea (AOA of the phylum Thaumarchaeota are widespread in moderate environments but their occurrence and activity has also been demonstrated in hot springs. Here we present the first enrichment of a thermophilic representative with a sequenced genome, which facilitates the search for adaptive strategies and for traits that shape the evolution of Thaumarchaeota. Candidatus Nitrosocaldus cavascurensis has been enriched from a hot spring in Ischia, Italy. It grows optimally at 68°C under chemolithoautotrophic conditions on ammonia or urea converting ammonia stoichiometrically into nitrite with a generation time of approximately 23 h. Phylogenetic analyses based on ribosomal proteins place the organism as a sister group to all known mesophilic AOA. The 1.58 Mb genome of Ca. N. cavascurensis harbors an amoAXCB gene cluster encoding ammonia monooxygenase and genes for a 3-hydroxypropionate/4-hydroxybutyrate pathway for autotrophic carbon fixation, but also genes that indicate potential alternative energy metabolisms. Although a bona fide gene for nitrite reductase is missing, the organism is sensitive to NO-scavenging, underlining the potential importance of this compound for AOA metabolism. Ca. N. cavascurensis is distinct from all other AOA in its gene repertoire for replication, cell division and repair. Its genome has an impressive array of mobile genetic elements and other recently acquired gene sets, including conjugative systems, a provirus, transposons and cell appendages. Some of these elements indicate recent exchange with the environment, whereas others seem to have been domesticated and might convey crucial metabolic traits.

  1. Effects of different fertilizers on the abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizers in a yellow clay soil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Huaiying; Huang, Sha; Qiu, Qiongfen; Li, Yaying; Wu, Lianghuan; Mi, Wenhai; Dai, Feng

    2016-08-01

    Yellow clay paddy soil (Oxisols) is a typical soil with low productivity in southern China. Nitrification inhibitors and slow release fertilizers have been used to improve nitrogen fertilizer utilization and reduce environmental impaction of the paddy soil. However, their effects on ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in paddy soil have rarely been investigated. In the present work, we compared the influences of several slow release fertilizers and nitrification inhibitors on the community structure and activities of the ammonia oxidizers in yellow clay soil. The abundances and community compositions of AOA and AOB were determined with qPCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP), and clone library approaches. Our results indicated that the potential nitrification rate (PNR) of the soil was significantly related to the abundances of both AOA and AOB. Nitrogen fertilizer application stimulated the growth of AOA and AOB, and the combinations of nitrapyrin with urea (NPU) and urea-formaldehyde (UF) inhibited the growth of AOA and AOB, respectively. Compared with other treatments, the applications of NPU and UF also led to significant shifts in the community compositions of AOA and AOB, respectively. NPU showed an inhibitory effect on AOA T-RF 166 bp that belonged to Nitrosotalea. UF had a negative effect on AOB T-RF 62 bp that was assigned to Nitrosospira. These results suggested that NPU inhibited PNR and increased nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) by inhibiting the growth of AOA and altering AOA community. UF showed no effect on NUE but decreased AOB abundance and shifted AOB community.

  2. Microbial resource management for the mitigation of nitrous oxide emissions from the Partial Nitritation- Anammox process

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blum, Jan-Michael

    Urban wastewater treatment plants are designed to remove pathogens and pollutants from wastewater in order to provide sanitation and to protect receiving water bodies from eutrophication. Reactive nitrogen, mainly in the form of ammonium, is one of the components in wastewater that is converted...... to dinitrogen gas during treatment. The Partial Nitritation-Anammox process (PNA) uses the capacity of autotrophic aerobic and anaerobic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB and AnAOB) to perform this task. The process is mainly applied to treat ammonium-rich wastewater streams with low concentrations of organic...... with the specific ammonia removal rate, while during non-aerated phases net N2O production rates were positively correlated with the nitrite concentration (NO2-). Operation of PNA at reduced specific ammonia removal rates is, therefore, a feasible strategy to mitigate N2O emissions. However, when high ammonium...

  3. Nitric oxide is an obligate bacterial nitrification intermediate produced by hydroxylamine oxidoreductase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caranto, Jonathan D; Lancaster, Kyle M

    2017-08-01

    Ammonia (NH 3 )-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) emit substantial amounts of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O), both of which contribute to the harmful environmental side effects of large-scale agriculture. The currently accepted model for AOB metabolism involves NH 3 oxidation to nitrite (NO 2 - ) via a single obligate intermediate, hydroxylamine (NH 2 OH). Within this model, the multiheme enzyme hydroxylamine oxidoreductase (HAO) catalyzes the four-electron oxidation of NH 2 OH to NO 2 - We provide evidence that HAO oxidizes NH 2 OH by only three electrons to NO under both anaerobic and aerobic conditions. NO 2 - observed in HAO activity assays is a nonenzymatic product resulting from the oxidation of NO by O 2 under aerobic conditions. Our present study implies that aerobic NH 3 oxidation by AOB occurs via two obligate intermediates, NH 2 OH and NO, necessitating a mediator of the third enzymatic step.

  4. Probing the electronic structure of M-graphene oxide (M = Ni, Co, NiCo) catalysts for hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Binhua; Liu, Jinyin; Zhou, Litao [Soochow University-Western University Centre for Synchrotron Radiation Research, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Material (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science & Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Long, Dan, E-mail: legend_long@aliyun.com [Department of Radiology, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Hangzhou 310022 (China); Feng, Kun; Sun, Xuhui [Soochow University-Western University Centre for Synchrotron Radiation Research, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Material (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science & Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Zhong, Jun, E-mail: jzhong@suda.edu.cn [Soochow University-Western University Centre for Synchrotron Radiation Research, Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Material (FUNSOM) and Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science & Technology, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

    2016-01-30

    Graphical abstract: An interaction between metal and graphene oxide was probed to enhance the hydrolysis efficiency of ammonia borane. - Highlights: • Various metal elements (M = Ni, Co, NiCo) were dispersed on graphene oxide (GO) for the hydrolysis of ammonia borane (AB). • The electronic structure of the hybrids has been probed by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM). • An interfacial interaction between metal and GO was observed which could be related to the hydrolysis performance. • The results provide new insight into the enhanced performance of the M-GO hybrids. - Abstract: Various metal elements (M = Ni, Co, NiCo) were dispersed on graphene oxide (GO) to form the M-GO hybrids by a facile way. The hybrids showed good catalytic activities in the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB, NH{sub 3}BH{sub 3}), which were significantly enhanced when compared to the metal nanoparticles or GO alone. The electronic structure of the hybrids has been probed by scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM). The distribution of metal elements was clearly imaged with identical electronic structure. Moreover, an interfacial interaction between metal and GO was observed with the peak intensity proportional to the catalytic performance in the hydrolysis of AB. The results provide new insight into the enhanced performance of the M-GO hybrids and may help for the design of advanced catalysts.

  5. ThermoEnergy Ammonia Recovery Process for Municipal and Agricultural Wastes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alex G. Fassbender

    2001-01-01

    Full Text Available The Ammonia Recovery Process (ARP is an award-winning, low-cost, environmentally responsible method of recovering nitrogen, in the form of ammonia, from various dilute waste streams and converting it into concentrated ammonium sulfate. The ThermoEnergy Biogas System utilizes the new chemisorption-based ARP to recover ammonia from anaerobically digested wastes. The process provides for optimal biogas production and significantly reduced nitrogen levels in the treated water discharge. Process flows for the ammonia recovery and ThermoEnergy biogas processes are presented and discussed. A comparison with other techniques such as biological nitrogen removal is made. The ARP technology uses reversible chemisorption and double salt crystal precipitation to recover and concentrate the ammonia. The ARP technology was successfully proven in a recent large-scale field demonstration at New York City’s Oakwood Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant, located on Staten Island. This project was a joint effort with Foster Wheeler Environmental Corporation, the Civil Engineering Research Foundation, and New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Independent validated plant data show that ARP consistently recovers up to 99.9% of the ammonia from the city’s centrate waste stream (derived from dewatering of sewage sludge, as ammonium sulfate. ARP technology can reduce the nitrogen (ammonia discharged daily into local bodies of water by municipalities, concentrated animal farming operations, and industry. Recent advances to ARP enhance its performance and economic competitiveness in comparison to stripping or ammonia destruction technologies.

  6. A fuzzy logic approach to control anaerobic digestion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domnanovich, A M; Strik, D P; Zani, L; Pfeiffer, B; Karlovits, M; Braun, R; Holubar, P

    2003-01-01

    One of the goals of the EU-Project AMONCO (Advanced Prediction, Monitoring and Controlling of Anaerobic Digestion Process Behaviour towards Biogas Usage in Fuel Cells) is to create a control tool for the anaerobic digestion process, which predicts the volumetric organic loading rate (Bv) for the next day, to obtain a high biogas quality and production. The biogas should contain a high methane concentration (over 50%) and a low concentration of components toxic for fuel cells, e.g. hydrogen sulphide, siloxanes, ammonia and mercaptanes. For producing data to test the control tool, four 20 l anaerobic Continuously Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTR) are operated. For controlling two systems were investigated: a pure fuzzy logic system and a hybrid-system which contains a fuzzy based reactor condition calculation and a hierachial neural net in a cascade of optimisation algorithms.

  7. Calcium in the Mechanism of Ammonia-Induced Astrocyte Swelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayakumar, A.R.; Rao, K.V. Rama; Tong, X.Y; Norenberg, M.D.

    2016-01-01

    Brain edema, due largely to astrocyte swelling, is an important clinical problem in patients with acute liver failure. While mechanisms underlying astrocyte swelling in this condition are not fully understood, ammonia and associated oxidative/nitrosative stress (ONS) appear to be involved. Mechanisms responsible for the increase in reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (RONS) and their role in ammonia-induced astrocyte swelling, however, are poorly understood. Recent studies have demonstrated a transient increase in intracellular Ca2+ in cultured astrocytes exposed to ammonia. As Ca2+ is a known inducer of RONS, we investigated potential mechanisms by which Ca2+ may be responsible for the production of RONS and cell swelling in cultured astrocytes after treatment with ammonia. Exposure of cultured astrocytes to ammonia (5 mM) increased the formation of free radicals, including nitric oxide, and such increase was significantly diminished by treatment with the Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM. We then examined the activity of Ca2+-dependent enzymes that are known to generate RONS and found that ammonia significantly increased the activities of NADPH oxidase (NOX), constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) and phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and such increases in activity were significantly diminished by BAPTA. Pretreatment of cultures with 7-nitroindazole, apocyanin and quinacrine, respective inhibitors of cNOS, NOX and PLA2, all significantly diminished RONS production. Additionally, treatment of cultures with BAPTA or with inhibitors of cNOS, NOX and PLA2 reduced ammonia-induced astrocyte swelling. These studies suggest that the ammonia-induced rise in intracellular Ca2+ activates free radical producing enzymes that ultimately contribute to the mechanism of astrocyte swelling. PMID:19393035

  8. Anaerobic methane oxidation rates at the sulfate-methane transition in marine sediments from Kattegat and Skagerrak (Denmark)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iversen, N.; Jorgensen, B.B.

    1985-01-01

    Concomitant radiotracer measurements were made of in situ rates of sulfate reduction and anaerobic methane oxidation in 2-3-m-long sediment cores. Methane accumulated to high concentrations (> 1 mM CH 4 ) only below the sulfate zone, at 1 m or deeper in the sediment. Sulfate reduction showed a broad maximum below the sediment surface and a smaller, narrow maximum at the sulfate-methane transition. Methane oxidation was low (0.002-0.1 nmol CH 4 cm -3 d -1 ) throughout the sulfate zone and showed a sharp maximum at the sulfate-methane transition, coinciding with the sulfate reduction maximum. Total anaerobic methane oxidation at two stations was 0.83 and 1.16 mmol CH 4 m -2 d -1 , of which 96% was confined to the sulfate-methane transition. All the methane that was calculated to diffuse up into the sulfate-methane transition was oxidized in this zone. The methane oxidation was equivalent to 10% of the electron donor requirement for the total measured sulfate reduction. A third station showed high sulfate concentrations at all depths sampled and the total methane oxidation was only 0.013 mmol m -2 d -1 . From direct measurements of rates, concentration gradients, and diffusion coefficients, simple calculations were made of sulfate and methane fluxes and of methane production rates

  9. Influence of tropical leaf litter on nitrogen mineralization and community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria

    OpenAIRE

    Diallo, M. D.; Guisse, A.; Sall, S. N.; Dick, R. P.; Assigbetsé, Komi; Dieng, A. L.; Chotte, Jean-Luc

    2015-01-01

    Description of the subject. The present study concerns the relationships among leaf litter decomposition, substrate quality, ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) community composition and nitrogen (N) availability. Decomposition of organic matter affects the biogeochemical cycling of carbon (C) and N. Since the composition of the soil microbial community can alter the physiological capacity of the community, it is timely to study the litter quality effect on N dynamic in ecosystems. Objectives. T...

  10. A multi-proxy study of anaerobic ammonium oxidation in marine sediments of the Gullmar Fjord, Sweden

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brandsma, J.; van de Vossenberg, J.; Risgaard-Petersen, N.; Schmid, M.C.; Engstrom, P.; Eurenius, K.; Hulth, S.; Jaeschke, A.; Abbas, B.; Hopmans, E.C.; Strous, M.; Schouten, S.; Jetten, M.S.M.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.

    2011-01-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is an important process for nitrogen removal in marine pelagic and benthic environments and represents a major sink in the global nitrogen cycle. We applied a suite of complementary methods for the detection and enumeration of anammox activity and anammox

  11. A multi-proxy study of anaerobic ammonium oxidation in marine sediments of the Gullmar Fjord, Sweden

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Brandsma, Joost; van de Vossenberg; Risgaard-Petersen, Nils

    2011-01-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is an important process for nitrogen removal in marine pelagic and benthic environments and represents a major sink in the global nitrogen cycle. We applied a suite of complementary methods for the detection and enumeration of anammox activity and anammox...

  12. Atmospheric cycles of nitrogen oxides and ammonia. [source strengths and destruction rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bottger, A.; Ehhalt, D. H.; Gravenhorst, G.

    1981-01-01

    The atmospheric cycles of nitrogenous trace compounds for the Northern and Southern Hemispheres are discussed. Source strengths and destruction rates for the nitrogen oxides: NO, NO2 and HNO3 -(NOX) and ammonia (NH3) are given as a function of latitude over continents and oceans. The global amounts of NOX-N and NH3-N produced annually in the period 1950 to 1975 (34 + 5 x one trillion g NOx-N/yr and 29 + or - 6 x one trillion g NH3-N/yr) are much less than previously assumed. Globally, natural and anthropogenic emissions are of similar magnitude. The NOx emission from anthropogenic sources is 1.5 times that from natural processes in the Northern Hemisphere, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere, it is a factor of 3 or 4 less. More than 80% of atmospheric ammonia seems to be derived from excrements of domestic animals, mostly by bulk deposition: 24 + or - 9 x one trillion g NO3 -N/yr and 21 + or - 9 x one trillion g NH4+-N/yr. Another fraction may be removed by absorption on vegetation and soils.

  13. The Effect of Aqueous Ammonia Soaking Pretreatment on Methane Generation Using Different Lignocellulosic Biomasses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Antonopoulou, Georgia; Gavala, Hariklia N.; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2015-01-01

    In the present study aqueous ammonia soaking (AAS) has been tested as a pretreatment method for the anaerobic digestion of three lignocellulosic biomasses of different origin: one agricultural residue: sunflower straw, one perennial crop: grass and a hardwood: poplar sawdust.The methane production...

  14. Chemical pathways for the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stock, L.M.; Pederson, L.R.

    1997-09-01

    This report reviews chemical reactions leading to the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes. The general features of the chemistry of the organic compounds in the Hanford wastes are briefly outlined. The radiolytic and thermal free radical reactions that are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the oxidative degradation reactions of the nitrogen-containing complexants, trisodium HEDTA and tetrasodium EDTA, are outlined. In addition, the roles played by three different ionic reaction pathways for the oxidation of the same compounds and their degradation products are described as a prelude to the discussion of the formation of ammonia. The reaction pathways postulated for its formation are based on tank observations, laboratory studies with simulated and actual wastes, and the review of the scientific literature. Ammonia derives from the reduction of nitrite ion (most important), from the conversion of organic nitrogen in the complexants and their degradation products, and from radiolytic reactions of nitrous oxide and nitrogen (least important). Reduction of nitrite ions is believed to be the most important source of ammonia. Whether by radiolytic or thermal routes, nitrite reduction reactions proceed through nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, the nitrosyl anion, and the hyponitrite anion. Nitrite ion is also converted into hydroxylamine, another important intermediate on the pathway to form ammonia. These reaction pathways additionally result in the formation of nitrous oxide and molecular nitrogen, whereas hydrogen formation is produced in a separate reaction sequence.

  15. Chemical pathways for the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stock, L.M.; Pederson, L.R.

    1997-09-01

    This report reviews chemical reactions leading to the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes. The general features of the chemistry of the organic compounds in the Hanford wastes are briefly outlined. The radiolytic and thermal free radical reactions that are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the oxidative degradation reactions of the nitrogen-containing complexants, trisodium HEDTA and tetrasodium EDTA, are outlined. In addition, the roles played by three different ionic reaction pathways for the oxidation of the same compounds and their degradation products are described as a prelude to the discussion of the formation of ammonia. The reaction pathways postulated for its formation are based on tank observations, laboratory studies with simulated and actual wastes, and the review of the scientific literature. Ammonia derives from the reduction of nitrite ion (most important), from the conversion of organic nitrogen in the complexants and their degradation products, and from radiolytic reactions of nitrous oxide and nitrogen (least important). Reduction of nitrite ions is believed to be the most important source of ammonia. Whether by radiolytic or thermal routes, nitrite reduction reactions proceed through nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide, the nitrosyl anion, and the hyponitrite anion. Nitrite ion is also converted into hydroxylamine, another important intermediate on the pathway to form ammonia. These reaction pathways additionally result in the formation of nitrous oxide and molecular nitrogen, whereas hydrogen formation is produced in a separate reaction sequence

  16. Recovery of ammonia and sulfate from waste streams and bioenergy production via bipolar bioelectrodialysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Yifeng; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-01-01

    to recover ammonia and sulfate from waste streams and thereby counteracting their toxicity during anaerobic digestion. Furthermore, hydrogen production and wastewater treatment were also accomplished. At an applied voltage of 1.2 V, nitrogen and sulfate fluxes of 5.1 g View the MathML sourceNH4+-N/m2/d...... and 18.9 g View the MathML sourceSO42−/m2/d were obtained, resulting in a Coulombic and current efficiencies of 23.6% and 77.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, H2 production of 0.29 L/L/d was achieved. Gas recirculation at the cathode increased the nitrogen and sulfate fluxes by 2.3 times. The applied voltage......Ammonia and sulfate, which are prevalent pollutants in agricultural and industrial wastewaters, can cause serious inhibition in several biological treatment processes, such as anaerobic digestion. In this study, a novel bioelectrochemical approach termed bipolar bioelectrodialysis was developed...

  17. Ammonia-oxidizing activity and microbial community structure in acid tea (Camellia sinensis) orchard soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okamura, K.; Takanashi, A.; Yamada, T.; Hiraishi, A.

    2012-03-01

    The purpose of this study was to determine the ammonia-oxidizing activity and the phylogentic composition of microorganisms involved in acid tea (Camellia sinensis) orchard soil. All soil samples were collected from three sites located in Tahara and Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The potential nitrification rate (PNR) was measured by the chlorate inhibition method. The soil pH of tea orchards studied ranged from 2.78 to 4.84, differing significantly from sample to sample, whereas that of meadow and unplanted fields ranged from 5.78 to 6.35. The PNR ranged from 0.050 to 0.193 μg NO2--Ng-1 h-1 and were positively correlated with the soil pH (r2 = 0.382, p<0.001). Bulk DNA was extracted from a tea orchard soil (pH 4.8; PNR, 0.078 μg NO2--Ng-1 h-1) and subjected to PCR-aided clone library analyses targeting archaeal and bacterial amoA genes. The detected archaeal clones separated from the cluster of the 'Soil clones' and tightly clustered with the clones originating from other acidic soil environments including the Chinese tea orchard soil. These results suggest that the specific archaeal populations dominate as the ammonia oxidizers in acid tea-orchard soils and possibly other acid soils, independent of geographic locations, which results from the adaptation to specific ecological niches.

  18. Phylogenetic diversity and ecological pattern of ammonia-oxidizing archaea in the surface sediments of the western Pacific.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Huiluo; Hong, Yiguo; Li, Meng; Gu, Ji-Dong

    2011-11-01

    The phylogenetic diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) was surveyed in the surface sediments from the northern part of the South China Sea (SCS). The distribution pattern of AOA in the western Pacific was discussed through comparing the SCS with other areas in the western Pacific including Changjiang Estuary and the adjacent East China Sea where high input of anthropogenic nitrogen was evident, the tropical West Pacific Continental Margins close to the Philippines, the deep-sea methane seep sediments in the Okhotsk Sea, the cold deep sea of Northeastern Japan Sea, and the hydrothermal field in the Southern Okinawa Trough. These various environments provide a wide spectrum of physical and chemical conditions for a better understanding of the distribution pattern and diversities of AOA in the western Pacific. Under these different conditions, the distinct community composition between shallow and deep-sea sediments was clearly delineated based on the UniFrac PCoA and Jackknife Environmental Cluster analyses. Phylogenetic analyses showed that a few ammonia-oxidizing archaeal subclades in the marine water column/sediment clade and endemic lineages were indicative phylotypes for some environments. Higher phylogenetic diversity was observed in the Philippines while lower diversity in the hydrothermal vent habitat. Water depth and possibly with other environmental factors could be the main driving forces to shape the phylogenetic diversity of AOA observed, not only in the SCS but also in the whole western Pacific. The multivariate regression tree analysis also supported this observation consistently. Moreover, the functions of current and other climate factors were also discussed in comparison of phylogenetic diversity. The information collectively provides important insights into the ecophysiological requirements of uncultured ammonia-oxidizing archaeal lineages in the western Pacific Ocean.

  19. Substrate availability drives spatial patterns in richness of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in temperate forest soils

    Science.gov (United States)

    J.S. Norman; J.E. Barrett

    2016-01-01

    We sought to investigate the drivers of richness of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) in temperate forest soils. We sampled soils across four experimental watersheds in the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina USA. These watersheds are geographically close, but vary in soil chemistry due to differences in land use history. While we...

  20. Numerical analysis on effect of aspect ratio of planar solid oxide fuel cell fueled with decomposed ammonia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Wee Choon; Iwai, Hiroshi; Kishimoto, Masashi; Brus, Grzegorz; Szmyd, Janusz S.; Yoshida, Hideo

    2018-04-01

    Planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with decomposed ammonia are numerically studied to investigate the effect of the cell aspect ratio. The ammonia decomposer is assumed to be located next to the SOFCs, and the heat required for the endothermic decomposition reaction is supplied by the thermal radiation from the SOFCs. Cells with aspect ratios (ratios of the streamwise length to the spanwise width) between 0.130 and 7.68 are provided with the reactants at a constant mass flow rate. A parametric study is conducted by varying the cell temperature and fuel utility factor to investigate their effects on the cell performance in terms of the voltage efficiency. The effect of the heat supply to the ammonia decomposer is also studied. The developed model shows good agreement, in terms of the current-voltage curve, with the experimental data obtained from a short stack without parameter tuning. The simulation study reveals that the cell with the highest aspect ratio achieves the highest performance under furnace operation. On the other hand, the 0.750 aspect ratio cell with the highest voltage efficiency of 0.67 is capable of thermally sustaining the ammonia decomposers at a fuel utility of 0.80 using the thermal radiation from both sidewalls.

  1. Effect of methanogenic substrates on anaerobic oxidation of methane and sulfate reduction by an anaerobic methanotrophic enrichment.

    KAUST Repository

    Meulepas, Roel J W

    2010-05-06

    Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction (SR) is assumed to be a syntrophic process, in which methanotrophic archaea produce an interspecies electron carrier (IEC), which is subsequently utilized by sulfate-reducing bacteria. In this paper, six methanogenic substrates are tested as candidate-IECs by assessing their effect on AOM and SR by an anaerobic methanotrophic enrichment. The presence of acetate, formate or hydrogen enhanced SR, but did not inhibit AOM, nor did these substrates trigger methanogenesis. Carbon monoxide also enhanced SR but slightly inhibited AOM. Methanol did not enhance SR nor did it inhibit AOM, and methanethiol inhibited both SR and AOM completely. Subsequently, it was calculated at which candidate-IEC concentrations no more Gibbs free energy can be conserved from their production from methane at the applied conditions. These concentrations were at least 1,000 times lower can the final candidate-IEC concentration in the bulk liquid. Therefore, the tested candidate-IECs could not have been produced from methane during the incubations. Hence, acetate, formate, methanol, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen can be excluded as sole IEC in AOM coupled to SR. Methanethiol did inhibit AOM and can therefore not be excluded as IEC by this study.

  2. Isolation and characterization of a sulfur-oxidizing chemolithotroph growing on crude oil under anaerobic conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodama, Yumiko; Watanabe, Kazuya

    2003-01-01

    Molecular approaches have shown that a group of bacteria (called cluster 1 bacteria) affiliated with the epsilon subclass of the class Proteobacteria constituted major populations in underground crude-oil storage cavities. In order to unveil their physiology and ecological niche, this study isolated bacterial strains (exemplified by strain YK-1) affiliated with the cluster 1 bacteria from an oil storage cavity at Kuji in Iwate, Japan. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis indicated that its closest relative was Thiomicrospira denitrificans (90% identity). Growth experiments under anaerobic conditions showed that strain YK-1 was a sulfur-oxidizing obligate chemolithotroph utilizing sulfide, elemental sulfur, thiosulfate, and hydrogen as electron donors and nitrate as an electron acceptor. Oxygen also supported its growth only under microaerobic conditions. Strain YK-1 could not grow on nitrite, and nitrite was the final product of nitrate reduction. Neither sugars, organic acids (including acetate), nor hydrocarbons could serve as carbon and energy sources. A typical stoichiometry of its energy metabolism followed an equation: S(2-) + 4NO(3)(-) --> SO(4)(2-) + 4NO(2)(-) (Delta G(0) = -534 kJ mol(-1)). In a difference from other anaerobic sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, this bacterium was sensitive to NaCl; growth in medium containing more than 1% NaCl was negligible. When YK-1 was grown anaerobically in a sulfur-depleted inorganic medium overlaid with crude oil, sulfate was produced, corresponding to its growth. On the contrary, YK-1 could not utilize crude oil as a carbon source. These results suggest that the cluster 1 bacteria yielded energy for growth in oil storage cavities by oxidizing petroleum sulfur compounds. Based on its physiology, ecological interactions with other members of the groundwater community are discussed.

  3. Promotion of catalytic performance by adding W into Pt/ZrO{sub 2} catalyst for selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Mengmeng [Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan (China); Wang, Suning; Li, Yuanshan [College of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan (China); Xu, Haidi, E-mail: xuhaidi@scu.edu.cn [Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan (China); Chen, Yaoqiang, E-mail: nic7501@scu.edu.cn [Institute of New Energy and Low-Carbon Technology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan (China); College of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, Sichuan (China)

    2017-04-30

    Highlights: • The tungsten species weaken platinum-oxygen bond strength. • Pt{sup 0} was the active species of ammonia oxidation reaction in the low temperature. • Some PtO species could convert to Pt [111] beside WO{sub 3} species. - Abstract: Pt-WO{sub 3}/ZrO{sub 2} catalyst was prepared by co-impregnation method to improve the ammonia oxidation performance of Pt/ZrO{sub 2}. Differences in textural, structural, surface chemical states, redox properties and acid properties, together with the catalytic performance of Pt/ZrO{sub 2} and Pt-WO{sub 3}/ZrO{sub 2} catalysts were investigated systematically. The results of H{sub 2}-TPR revealed that higher reduction ability was possessed by Pt-WO{sub 3}/ZrO{sub 2} than that of Pt/ZrO{sub 2} due to the influence of tungsten on platinum. The XPS results showed that electron transfer from tungsten to platinum species made higher electron density around platinum. The TEM results revealed that the active lattice plane Pt[111] was obtained by modification of W species. Consequently, Pt-WO{sub 3}/ZrO{sub 2} exhibited obviously better ammonia oxidation performance compared with Pt/ZrO{sub 2}, the light-off temperature of NH{sub 3} shifted from 284 °C to 249 °C, the activation energy decreased from 113.4 kJ mol{sup −1} to 96.2 kJ mol{sup −1}.

  4. Hydrogen bonding-mediated dehydrogenation in the ammonia borane combined graphene oxide systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuang, Anlong; Liu, Taijuan; Kuang, Minquan; Yang, Ruifeng; Huang, Rui; Wang, Guangzhao; Yuan, Hongkuan; Chen, Hong; Yang, Xiaolan

    2018-03-01

    The dehydrogenation of ammonia borane (AB) adsorbed on three different graphene oxide (GO) sheets is investigated within the ab initio density functional theory. The energy barriers to direct combination the hydrogens of hydroxyl groups and the hydridic hydrogens of AB to release H2 are relatively high, indicating that the process is energetically unfavorable. Our theoretical study demonstrates that the dehydrogenation mechanism of the AB-GO systems has undergone two critical steps, first, there is the formation of the hydrogen bond (O-H-O) between two hydroxyl groups, and then, the hydrogen bond further react with the hydridic hydrogens of AB to release H2 with low reaction barriers.

  5. Ammonia threshold for inhibition of anaerobic digestion of thin stillage and the importance of organic loading rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moestedt, Jan; Müller, Bettina; Westerholm, Maria; Schnürer, Anna

    2016-03-01

    Biogas production from nitrogen-rich feedstock results in release of ammonia (NH3), causing inhibition of the microbial process. The reported threshold ammonia value for stable biogas production varies greatly between studies, probably because of differences in operating conditions. Moreover, it is often difficult to separate the effect of ammonia inhibition from that of organic loading rate (OLR), as these two factors are often interrelated. This study attempted to distinguish the effects of ammonia and OLR by analysis of two laboratory-scale biogas reactors operating with thin stillage and subjected to an increase in free ammonia (from 0.30 to 1.1 g L(-1)) either by addition of an external nitrogen source (urea) or by increasing the OLR (3.2-6.0 g volatile solids L(-1) d(-1)). The results showed that ammonia concentration was detrimental for process performance, with the threshold for stability in both processes identified as being about 1 g NH3-N L(-1), irrespective of OLR. Analysis of the methanogenic community showed limited differences between the two reactors on order level and a clear increase in the abundance of Methanomicrobiales, particularly Methanoculleus sp., in response to increasing ammonia concentration. Further comprehensive molecular analysis revealed that diverse Methanoculleus species dominated in the reactors at a given ammonia level at different OLR. The acetogenic community was clearly affected by both ammonia concentration and OLR, suggesting that the volatile fatty acid load in relation to the higher OLR was important for the dynamics of this community. © 2015 The Authors. Microbial Biotechnology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Society for Applied Microbiology.

  6. Enrichment of Thermophilic Ammonia-Oxidizing Archaea from an Alkaline Hot Spring in the Great Basin, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, C.; Huang, Z.; Jiang, H.; Wiegel, J.; Li, W.; Dong, H.

    2010-12-01

    One of the major advances in the nitrogen cycle is the recent discovery of ammonia oxidation by archaea. While culture-independent studies have revealed occurrence of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in nearly every surface niche on earth, most of these microorganisms have resisted isolation and so far only a few species have been identified. The Great Basin contains numerous hot springs, which are characterized by moderately high temperature (40-65 degree C) and circumneutral or alkaline pH. Unique thermophilic archaea have been identified based on molecular DNA and lipid biomarkers; some of which may be ammonia oxidizers. This study aims to isolate some of these archaea from a California hot spring that has pH around 9.0 and temperature around 42 degree C. Mat material was collected from the spring and transported on ice to the laboratory. A synthetic medium (SCM-5) was inoculated with the mat material and the culture was incubated under varying temperature (35-65 degree C) and pH (7.0-10.0) conditions using antibiotics to suppress bacterial growth. Growth of the culture was monitored by microscopy, decrease in ammonium and increase in nitrite, and increases in Crenarchaeota and AOA abundances over time. Clone libraries were constructed to compare archaeal community structures before and after the enrichment experiment. Temperature and pH profiles indicated that the culture grew optimally at pH 9.0 and temperature 45 degree C, which are consistent with the geochemical conditions of the natural environment. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the final OTU was distantly related to all known hyperthermophilic archaea. Analysis of the amoA genes showed two OTUs in the final culture; one of them was closely related to Candidatus Nitrososphaera gargensis. However, the enrichment culture always contained bacteria and attempts to separate them from archaea have failed. This highlights the difficulty in bringing AOA into pure culture and suggests that some of the AOA may

  7. Long Term Performance of an Arsenite-Oxidizing-Chlorate-Reducing Microbial Consortium in an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Bed (UASB) Bioreactor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Wenjie; Sierra-Alvarez, Reyes; Field, Jim A.

    2011-01-01

    A chlorate (ClO3−) reducing microbial consortium oxidized arsenite (As(III)) to arsenate (As(V)) in an upflow anaerobic sludge-bed bioreactor over 550 d operation. As(III) was converted with high conversion efficiencies (>98%) at volumetric loadings ranging from 0.45 to 1.92 mmol As/(Lreactor d). The oxidation of As(III) was linked to the complete reduction of ClO3− to Cl− and H2O, as demonstrated by a molar ratio of approximately 3.0 mol As(III) oxidized per mole of Cl− formed and by the greatly lowered ClO3−-reducing capacity without As(III) feeding. An autotrophic enrichment culture was established from the bioreactor biofilm. A 16S rRNA gene clone library indicated that the culture was dominated by Dechloromonas, and Stenotrophomonas as well as genera within the family Comamonadaceae. The results indicate that the oxidation of As(III) to less mobile As(V) utilizing ClO3− as a terminal electron acceptor provides a sustainable bioremediation strategy for arsenic contamination in anaerobic environments. PMID:21333531

  8. Anodic oxidation of ammonia in alkaline solutions at Pt/Pt electrodes. Hakkin denkyokujo ni okeru enkisei ammonia yoeki no anodo sanka

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takagi, Ryoichiro; Katsuta, Masahiro; Matsumoto, Tamotsu; Kobayashi, Yoshikazu; Asami, Yusaku; Hirano, Katsuhiko (Shibaura Inst. of Tech., Tokyo (Japan))

    1989-01-05

    Anodic oxidation of ammonia in alkaline solutions on Pt/Pt electrode, in which NH {sub 3} is oxidized producing N {sub 2}, is a promising reaction in application to a fuel cell and water treatment. In this study, the relations between electrode potential and adsorbed intermediates, reaction process were elucidated by potentiodynamic method and potential step method. In measurement, a transient memory device and a microprocessor were connected to an electrolysis device as a new method, then measurement of electric potential and current and integral calculation were perfromed at high speed. Active sites of electrode were covered by Pt NH {sub x}. Faradic current corresponds to the N {sub 2} evolution was shown markedly by anodic scanning. The relation between electrode potential and reaction process was revealed by potential step method. It is found that Pt-NH {sub 2} is the active intermediate for the N {sub 2} evolution, and when current shows maximum, its coverage is nearly 0.5. 15 refs., 7 figs.

  9. Ammonia-oxidizing Bacteria and Archaea in the Rhizosphere of Freshwater Macrophytes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Herrmann, Martina; Schramm, Andreas

    2007-01-01

    AMMONIA-OXIDIZING ARCHAEA AND BACTERIA IN THE RHIZOSPHERE OF FRESHWATER MACROPHYTES Martina Herrmann and Andreas Schramm Department of Biological Sciences, Microbiology, University of Aarhus, Denmark Aquatic macrophytes such as Littorella uniflora and Lobelia dortmanna release oxygen from...... their roots and thereby stimulate nitrification and coupled nitrification-denitrification in their rhizosphere. However, oxygen release and inorganic nitrogen concentrations differ markedly between macrophyte species. We therefore propose (i) that the rhizosphere of freshwater macrophytes harbours a species......-specific microbial community distinct from that of unvegetated sediment and (ii) that aquatic macrophytes have an impact on abundance and activity of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in freshwater sediment. The goal of this study was to test these hypotheses for the key functional group for coupled nitrification...

  10. Anaerobic U(IV) Bio-oxidation and the Resultant Remobilization of Uranium in Contaminated Sediments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coates, John D.

    2005-01-01

    A proposed strategy for the remediation of uranium (U) contaminated sites is based on immobilizing U by reducing the oxidized soluble U, U(VI), to form a reduced insoluble end product, U(IV). Due to the use of nitric acid in the processing of nuclear fuels, nitrate is often a co-contaminant found in many of the environments contaminated with uranium. Recent studies indicate that nitrate inhibits U(VI) reduction in sediment slurries. However, the mechanism responsible for the apparent inhibition of U(VI) reduction is unknown, i.e. preferential utilization of nitrate as an electron acceptor, direct biological oxidation of U(IV) coupled to nitrate reduction, and/or abiotic oxidation by intermediates of nitrate reduction. Recent studies indicates that direct biological oxidation of U(IV) coupled to nitrate reduction may exist in situ, however, to date no organisms have been identified that can grow by this metabolism. In an effort to evaluate the potential for nitrate-dependent bio-oxidation of U(IV) in anaerobic sedimentary environments, we have initiated the enumeration of nitrate-dependent U(IV) oxidizing bacteria. Sediments, soils, and groundwater from uranium (U) contaminated sites, including subsurface sediments from the NABIR Field Research Center (FRC), as well as uncontaminated sites, including subsurface sediments from the NABIR FRC and Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant, Texas, lake sediments, and agricultural field soil, sites served as the inoculum source. Enumeration of the nitrate-dependent U(IV) oxidizing microbial population in sedimentary environments by most probable number technique have revealed sedimentary microbial populations ranging from 9.3 x 101 - 2.4 x 103 cells (g sediment)-1 in both contaminated and uncontaminated sites. Interestingly uncontaminated subsurface sediments (NABIR FRC Background core FB618 and Longhorn Texas Core BH2-18) both harbored the most numerous nitrate-dependent U(IV) oxidizing population 2.4 x 103 cells (g sediment)-1

  11. Ammonia effect on hydrogenotrophic methanogens and syntrophic acetate oxidizing bacteria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Han; Fotidis, Ioannis; Angelidaki, Irini

    2015-01-01

    tested in the study; which is contradicting to the general belief that thermophilic methanogens are more vulnerable to high ammonia loads compared to mesophilic. This unexpected finding underlines the fact that the complete knowledge of ammonia inhibition effect on hydrogenotrophic methanogens is still...

  12. Greenhouse Gas and Ammonia Emissions from Different Stages of Liquid Manure Management Chains: Abatement Options and Emission Interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohankumar Sajeev, Erangu Purath; Winiwarter, Wilfried; Amon, Barbara

    2018-01-01

    Farm livestock manure is an important source of ammonia and greenhouse gases. Concerns over the environmental impact of emissions from manure management have resulted in research efforts focusing on emission abatement. However, questions regarding the successful abatement of manure-related emissions remain. This study uses a meta-analytical approach comprising 89 peer-reviewed studies to quantify emission reduction potentials of abatement options for liquid manure management chains from cattle and pigs. Analyses of emission reductions highlight the importance of accounting for interactions between emissions. Only three out of the eight abatement options considered (frequent removal of manure, anaerobic digesters, and manure acidification) reduced ammonia (3-60%), nitrous oxide (21-55%), and methane (29-74%) emissions simultaneously, whereas in all other cases, tradeoffs were identified. The results demonstrate that a shift from single-stage emission abatement options towards a whole-chain perspective is vital in reducing overall emissions along the manure management chain. The study also identifies some key elements like proper clustering, reporting of influencing factors, and explicitly describing assumptions associated with abatement options that can reduce variability in emission reduction estimates. Prioritization of abatement options according to their functioning can help to determine low-risk emission reduction options, specifically options that alter manure characteristics (e.g., reduced protein diets, anaerobic digestion, or slurry acidification). These insights supported by comprehensive emission measurement studies can help improve the effectiveness of emission abatement and harmonize strategies aimed at reducing air pollution and climate change simultaneously. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  13. Ammonia gas sensing property of gadolinium oxide using fiber optic gas sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, J. Santhosh; Ranganathan, B.; Sastikumar, D.

    2017-05-01

    The design of fiber optic sensor is based on a cladding modification methodology. A fiber-optic chemical sensor is developed by replacing a certain portion of the original cladding with a chemically sensitive material, specifically, calcinated gadolinium oxide (Gd2O3).Both the light absorption co-efficient and refractive index change upon exposure to chemical vapours of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as ammonia (NH3), ethanol (CH3CH2OH), and methanol (CH3OH). The spectral characteristics of the sensor were studied for different concentrations ranging from 0-500 ppm. These changes induced the optical intensity modulation of the transmitted optical signal. During interaction between the sensing material and VOCs, the output intensity is taken into account to detect the toxic VOCs present in the environment. This was systematically investigated by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and SEM. The XRD analysis indicated that the calcinated Gd2O3 was formed in cubic structure with the crystallite size of 13 nm. The Gd2O3 nanorods with thickness ranging from 80 to 120 nm were confirmed from SEM. The ammonia gas response of the Gd2O3 sensor is presented. A model is proposed for understanding the spectral intensity variations.

  14. Recovery of ammonia and production of high-grade phosphates from digester effluents (municipal and livestock)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phosphorus (P) recovery of anaerobically digested swine wastewater and side-stream municipal wastewater via magnesium precipitation was enhanced by combining it with the recovery of ammonia (NH3) through gas-permeable membranes and low-rate aeration. The low-rate aeration stripped the natural carbon...

  15. Enriquecimento de bactérias anaeróbias oxidadoras de amônia - anammox Enrichment of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria - anammox

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana Calábria de Araújo

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available Bactérias anaeróbias oxidadoras de amônia (bactérias Anammox, do inglês anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria foram enriquecidas em reator em batelada sequencial (RBS, a partir de lodo proveniente de um sistema convencional de lodos ativados tratando esgoto doméstico de Belo Horizonte (MG. Após três meses de cultivo, atividade Anammox foi detectada no sistema pelo consumo de quantidades estequiométricas de NO2- e NH4+. Análises de hibridação in situ fluorescente (FISH, do inglês fluorescent in situ hybridization confirmaram a presença de bactérias Anammox, provavelmente Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans, e revelaram que estas representavam 53% do total de células (após 6 meses de cultivo. O desempenho do reator ao longo dos sete meses de operação demonstrou remoção quase que total de nitrito, baseada em concentração afluente de 61 a 95 mg N-NO2-/L. A eficiência máxima de remoção de amônia alcançada foi de 95%, a partir de concentração afluente de 55 a 82 mg N-NH4+/L.Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (Anammox bacteria were enriched from sludge collected at a conventional activated sludge system treating domestic wastewater of Belo Horizonte(MG, Brazil, employing a sequencing batch reactor (SBR. After three months of cultivation, Anammox activity was detected in the system by the consumption of stoichiometric amounts of NO2- and NH4+. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH results revealed the presence of Anammox bacteria (probably Candidatus Brocadia anammoxidans and showed that they accounted for 53% of the total bacterial population (after 6 months of cultivation. The reactor performance during the seven months of operation showed a near perfect removal of nitrite, based on the influent NO2--N concentration of 61-95 mg/L. The maximum ammonia removal efficiency was 95% from the influent N-NH4+ concentration of 55-82 mg/L.

  16. The Bacterial Communities of Full-Scale Biologically Active, Granular Activated Carbon Filters Are Stable and Diverse and Potentially Contain Novel Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hope Wilkinson, Katheryn; Strait, Jacqueline M.; Hozalski, Raymond M.; Sadowksy, Michael J.; Hamilton, Matthew J.

    2015-01-01

    The bacterial community composition of the full-scale biologically active, granular activated carbon (BAC) filters operated at the St. Paul Regional Water Services (SPRWS) was investigated using Illumina MiSeq analysis of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. These bacterial communities were consistently diverse (Shannon index, >4.4; richness estimates, >1,500 unique operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) throughout the duration of the 12-month study period. In addition, only modest shifts in the quantities of individual bacterial populations were observed; of the 15 most prominent OTUs, the most highly variable population (a Variovorax sp.) modulated less than 13-fold over time and less than 8-fold from filter to filter. The most prominent population in the profiles was a Nitrospira sp., representing 13 to 21% of the community. Interestingly, very few of the known ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB; <0.07%) and no ammonia-oxidizing Archaea were detected in the profiles. Quantitative PCR of amoA genes, however, suggested that AOB were prominent in the bacterial communities (amoA/16S rRNA gene ratio, 1 to 10%). We conclude, therefore, that the BAC filters at the SPRWS potentially contained significant numbers of unidentified and novel ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms that possess amoA genes similar to those of previously described AOB. PMID:26209671

  17. Influence of oxygen partial pressure and salinity on the community composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the Schelde estuary

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bollmann, A.; Laanbroek, H.J.

    2002-01-01

    The influence of environmental factors on the community structure of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was investigated in the Schelde estuary. Simultaneously with the increase of oxygen and salinity, a shift of the dominant AOB was observed. Molecular analysis based on 16S rRNA genes showed that the

  18. Anaerobic Methane-Oxidizing Microbial Community in a Coastal Marine Sediment: Anaerobic Methanotrophy Dominated by ANME-3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattarai, Susma; Cassarini, Chiara; Gonzalez-Gil, Graciela; Egger, Matthias; Slomp, Caroline P; Zhang, Yu; Esposito, Giovanni; Lens, Piet N L

    2017-10-01

    The microbial community inhabiting the shallow sulfate-methane transition zone in coastal sediments from marine Lake Grevelingen (The Netherlands) was characterized, and the ability of the microorganisms to carry out anaerobic oxidation of methane coupled to sulfate reduction was assessed in activity tests. In vitro activity tests of the sediment with methane and sulfate demonstrated sulfide production coupled to the simultaneous consumption of sulfate and methane at approximately equimolar ratios over a period of 150 days. The maximum sulfate reduction rate was 5 μmol sulfate per gram dry weight per day during the incubation period. Diverse archaeal and bacterial clades were retrieved from the sediment with the majority of them clustered with Euryarchaeota, Thaumarcheota, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that the sediment from marine Lake Grevelingen contained anaerobic methanotrophic Archaea (ANME) and methanogens as archaeal clades with a role in the methane cycling. ANME at the studied site mainly belong to the ANME-3 clade. This study provides one of the few reports for the presence of ANME-3 in a shallow coastal sediment. Sulfate-reducing bacteria from Desulfobulbus clades were found among the sulfate reducers, however, with very low relative abundance. Desulfobulbus has previously been commonly found associated with ANME, whereas in our study, ANME-3 and Desulfobulbus were not observed simultaneously in clusters, suggesting the possibility of independent AOM by ANME-3.

  19. Bioaugmentation as a solution to increase methane production from an ammonia-rich substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fotidis, Ioannis A; Wang, Han; Fiedel, Nicolai R; Luo, Gang; Karakashev, Dimitar B; Angelidaki, Irini

    2014-07-01

    Ammonia-rich substrates inhibit the anaerobic digestion (AD) process and constitute the main reason for low energy recovery in full-scale reactors. It is estimated that many full-scale AD reactors are operating in ammonia induced "inhibited steady-state" with significant losses of the potential biogas production yield. To date there are not any reliable methods to alleviate the ammonia toxicity effect or to efficiently digest ammonia-rich waste. In the current study, bioaugmentation as a possible method to alleviate ammonia toxicity effect in a mesophilic continuously stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) operating under "inhibited steady state" was tested. A fast growing hydrogenotrophic methanogen (i.e., Methanoculleus bourgensis MS2(T)) was bioaugmented in the CSTR reactor at high ammonia levels (5 g NH4(+)-N L(-1)). A second CSTR reactor was used as control with no bioaugmentation. The results derived from this study clearly demonstrated a 31.3% increase in methane production yield in the CSTR reactor, at steady-state, after bioaugmentation. Additionally, high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed a 5-fold increase in relative abundance of Methanoculleus spp. after bioaugmentation. On the contrary to all methods used today to alleviate ammonia toxicity effect, the tested bioaugmentation process performed without interrupting the continuous operation of the reactor and without replacing the ammonia-rich feedstock.

  20. Simultaneous determination of ammonia, dimethylamine, trimethylamine and trimethylamine-N-oxide in fish extracts by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV-detection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Timm Heinrich, Maike; Jørgensen, Bo

    2002-01-01

    A capillary electrophoretic method with indirect UV detection is described for simultaneous determination of ammonia, dimethylamine (DMA), trimethylamine (TMA) and trimethylamine-N- oxide (TMAO) in aqueous extracts of fish, A buffer consisting of 4 mM formic acid, 5 mM copper(II)sulfate and 3 m......M. The detection limit for ammonia, DMA, TMA, and TMAO was less than 0.04 mM, corresponding to 2 mg nitrogen per 100 g fish. As an extra benefit, the method also provided a quantitative determination of potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium ions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved....

  1. Ammonia synthesis over multi-promoted iron catalysts obtained by high-energy ball-milling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsen, C.J.H.; Jiang, Jianzhong; Mørup, Steen

    1999-01-01

    The feasibility of producing ammonia synthesis catalysts from high-energy ball-milling of a simple mixture of the constituent oxides has been investigated. The effect of ball-milling the fused oxidic precursor of the industrial KM1 ammonia synthesis catalyst has also been studied. The results show...

  2. Simultaneous stripping recovery of ammonia-nitrogen and precipitation of manganese from electrolytic manganese residue by air under calcium oxide assist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Hongliang; Liu, Renlong; Shu, Jiancheng; Li, Wensheng

    2015-01-01

    Leaching tests of electrolytic manganese residue (EMR) indicated that high contents of soluble manganese and ammonia-nitrogen posed a high environmental risk. This work reports the results of simultaneous stripping recovery of ammonia-nitrogen and precipitation of manganese by air under calcium oxide assist. The ammonia-nitrogen stripping rate increased with the dosage of CaO, the air flow rate and the temperature of EMR slurry. Stripped ammonia-nitrogen was absorbed by a solution of sulfuric acid and formed soluble (NH4)2SO4 and (NH4)3H(SO4)3. The major parameters that effected soluble manganese precipitation were the dosage of added CaO and the slurry temperature. Considering these two aspects, the efficient operation conditions should be conducted with 8 wt.% added CaO, 60°C, 800 mL min(-1) air flow rate and 60-min reaction time. Under these conditions 99.99% of the soluble manganese was precipitated as Mn3O4, which was confirmed by XRD and SEM-EDS analyses. In addition, the stripping rate of ammonia-nitrogen was 99.73%. Leaching tests showed the leached toxic substances concentrations of the treated EMR met the integrated wastewater discharge standard of China (GB8978-1996).

  3. High abundances of potentially active ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea in oligotrophic, high-altitude lakes of the Sierra Nevada, California, USA.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Curtis J Hayden

    Full Text Available Nitrification plays a central role in the nitrogen cycle by determining the oxidation state of nitrogen and its subsequent bioavailability and cycling. However, relatively little is known about the underlying ecology of the microbial communities that carry out nitrification in freshwater ecosystems--and particularly within high-altitude oligotrophic lakes, where nitrogen is frequently a limiting nutrient. We quantified ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB in 9 high-altitude lakes (2289-3160 m in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, in relation to spatial and biogeochemical data. Based on their ammonia monooxygenase (amoA genes, AOB and AOA were frequently detected. AOB were present in 88% of samples and were more abundant than AOA in all samples. Both groups showed >100 fold variation in abundance between different lakes, and were also variable through time within individual lakes. Nutrient concentrations (ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate were generally low but also varied across and within lakes, suggestive of active internal nutrient cycling; AOB abundance was significantly correlated with phosphate (r(2 = 0.32, p<0.1, whereas AOA abundance was inversely correlated with lake elevation (r(2 = 0.43, p<0.05. We also measured low rates of ammonia oxidation--indicating that AOB, AOA, or both, may be biogeochemically active in these oligotrophic ecosystems. Our data indicate that dynamic populations of AOB and AOA are found in oligotrophic, high-altitude, freshwater lakes.

  4. Comparison among amoA Primers Suited for Quantification and Diversity Analyses of Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria in Soil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shimomura, Yumi; Morimoto, Sho; Hoshino, Yuko Takada; Uchida, Yoshitaka; Akiyama, Hiroko; Hayatsu, Masahito

    2012-01-01

    Ammonia monooxygenase subunit A gene (amoA) is frequently used as a functional gene marker for diversity analysis of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). To select a suitable amoA primer for real-time PCR and PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), three reverse primers (degenerate primer amoA-2R; non-degenerate primers amoA-2R-GG and amoA-2IR) were examined. No significant differences were observed among the three primers in terms of quantitative values of amoA from environmental samples using real-time PCR. We found that PCR-DGGE analysis with the amoA-2IR primer gave the best results in this studied soil. These results indicate that amoA-2IR is a suitable primer for community analysis of AOB in the environment. PMID:22075625

  5. Effect of inoculum sources on the enrichment of nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Zhanfei; Cai, Chen; Shen, Lidong; Lou, Liping; Zheng, Ping; Xu, Xinhua; Hu, Baolan

    2015-01-01

    Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo) is a newly discovered biological process that couples anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) to nitrite reduction. In this study, three different inocula, methanogenic sludge, paddy soil, and freshwater sediment were used to enrich n-damo bacteria in three sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), and three n-damo enrichment cultures, C1, C2 and C3, were obtained, respectively. After 500 days of incubation, Methylomirabilis oxyfera-like bacteria and n-damo activities were observed in cultures C1, C2, and C3, and the specific activities were 0.8 ± 0.1, 1.4 ± 0.1, and 1.0 ± 0.1 μmol CH4 h(-1) g(-1) VSS, respectively. The copy numbers of 16S rRNA genes from cultures C1, C2, and C3 were 5.0 ± 0.4 × 10(8), 6.1 ± 0.1 × 10(9), and 1.0 ± 0.2 × 10(9) copies g(-1) dry weight, respectively. The results indicated that paddy soil is an excellent inoculum for n-damo bacterial enrichment. This work expanded the alternative source of n-damo inoculum and benefited the further research of n-damo process.

  6. Efficient Anaerobic Digestion of Microalgae Biomass: Proteins as a Key Macromolecule.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magdalena, Jose Antonio; Ballesteros, Mercedes; González-Fernandez, Cristina

    2018-05-06

    Biogas generation is the least complex technology to transform microalgae biomass into bioenergy. Since hydrolysis has been pointed out as the rate limiting stage of anaerobic digestion, the main challenge for an efficient biogas production is the optimization of cell wall disruption/hydrolysis. Among all tested pretreatments, enzymatic treatments were demonstrated not only very effective in disruption/hydrolysis but they also revealed the impact of microalgae macromolecular composition in the anaerobic process. Although carbohydrates have been traditionally recognized as the polymers responsible for the low microalgae digestibility, protease addition resulted in the highest organic matter solubilization and the highest methane production. However, protein solubilization during the pretreatment can result in anaerobic digestion inhibition due to the release of large amounts of ammonium nitrogen. The possible solutions to overcome these negative effects include the reduction of protein biomass levels by culturing the microalgae in low nitrogen media and the use of ammonia tolerant anaerobic inocula. Overall, this review is intended to evidence the relevance of microalgae proteins in different stages of anaerobic digestion, namely hydrolysis and methanogenesis.

  7. Detoxification of ammonia in mouse cortical GABAergic cell cultures increases neuronal oxidative metabolism and reveals an emerging role for release of glucose-derived alanine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leke, Renata; Bak, Lasse K; Anker, Malene; Melø, Torun M; Sørensen, Michael; Keiding, Susanne; Vilstrup, Hendrik; Ott, Peter; Portela, Luis V; Sonnewald, Ursula; Schousboe, Arne; Waagepetersen, Helle S

    2011-04-01

    Cerebral hyperammonemia is believed to play a pivotal role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a debilitating condition arising due to acute or chronic liver disease. In the brain, ammonia is thought to be detoxified via the activity of glutamine synthetase, an astrocytic enzyme. Moreover, it has been suggested that cerebral tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolism is inhibited and glycolysis enhanced during hyperammonemia. The aim of this study was to characterize the ammonia-detoxifying mechanisms as well as the effects of ammonia on energy-generating metabolic pathways in a mouse neuronal-astrocytic co-culture model of the GABAergic system. We found that 5 mM ammonium chloride affected energy metabolism by increasing the neuronal TCA cycle activity and switching the astrocytic TCA cycle toward synthesis of substrate for glutamine synthesis. Furthermore, ammonia exposure enhanced the synthesis and release of alanine. Collectively, our results demonstrate that (1) formation of glutamine is seminal for detoxification of ammonia; (2) neuronal oxidative metabolism is increased in the presence of ammonia; and (3) synthesis and release of alanine is likely to be important for ammonia detoxification as a supplement to formation of glutamine.

  8. Biogeochemical controls and isotopic signatures of nitrous oxide production by a marine ammonia-oxidizing bacterium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. H. Frame

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Nitrous oxide (N2O is a trace gas that contributes to the greenhouse effect and stratospheric ozone depletion. The N2O yield from nitrification (moles N2O-N produced per mole ammonium-N consumed has been used to estimate marine N2O production rates from measured nitrification rates and global estimates of oceanic export production. However, the N2O yield from nitrification is not constant. Previous culture-based measurements indicate that N2O yield increases as oxygen (O2 concentration decreases and as nitrite (NO2 concentration increases. Here, we have measured yields of N2O from cultures of the marine β-proteobacterium Nitrosomonas marina C-113a as they grew on low-ammonium (50 μM media. These yields, which were typically between 4 × 10−4 and 7 × 10−4 for cultures with cell densities between 2 × 102 and 2.1 × 104 cells ml−1, were lower than previous reports for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. The observed impact of O2 concentration on yield was also smaller than previously reported under all conditions except at high starting cell densities (1.5 × 106 cells ml−1, where 160-fold higher yields were observed at 0.5% O2 (5.1 μM dissolved O2 compared with 20% O2 (203 μM dissolved O2. At lower cell densities (2 × 102 and 2.1 × 104 cells ml−1, cultures grown under 0.5% O2 had yields that were only 1.25- to 1.73-fold higher than cultures grown under 20% O2. Thus, previously reported many-fold increases in N2O yield with dropping O2 could be reproduced only at cell densities that far exceeded those of ammonia oxidizers in the ocean. The presence of excess NO2 (up to 1 mM in the growth

  9. Enhanced recovery of ammonia from swine manure anaerobic digester effluent using gas-permeable membranes and aeration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atmospheric ammonia pollution from livestock wastes can be reduced using gas-permeable membrane technology by converting ammonia contained in the manure into ammonium salt for use in fertilizers. In this study, gas-permeable membrane technology was enhanced using aeration combined with nitrificatio...

  10. Treatment of municipal landfill leachate using a combined anaerobic digester and activated sludge system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kheradmand, S.; Karimi-Jashni, A.; Sartaj, M.

    2010-01-01

    The main objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of treating sanitary landfill leachate using a combined anaerobic and activated sludge system. A high-strength leachate from Shiraz municipal landfill site was treated using this system. A two-stage laboratory-scale anaerobic digester under mesophilic conditions and an activated sludge unit were used. Landfill leachate composition and characteristics varied considerably during 8 months experiment (COD concentrations of 48,552-62,150 mg/L). It was found that the system could reduce the COD of the leachate by 94% at a loading rate of 2.25 g COD/L/d and 93% at loading rate of 3.37 g COD/L/d. The anaerobic digester treatment was quite effective in removing Fe, Cu, Mn, and Ni. However, in the case of Zn, removal efficiency was about 50%. For the rest of the HMs the removal efficiencies were in the range 88.8-99.9%. Ammonia reduction did not occur in anaerobic digesters. Anaerobic reactors increased alkalinity about 3.2-4.8% in the 1st digester and 1.8-7.9% in the 2nd digester. In activated sludge unit, alkalinity and ammonia removal efficiency were 49-60% and 48.6-64.7%, respectively. Methane production rate was in the range of 0.02-0.04, 0.04-0.07, and 0.02-0.04 L/g COD rem for the 1st digester, the 2nd digester, and combination of both digesters, respectively; the methane content of the biogas varied between 60% and 63%.

  11. Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification is the dominant methane sink in a deep lake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deutzmann, Joerg S; Stief, Peter; Brandes, Josephin; Schink, Bernhard

    2014-12-23

    Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification, also known as "nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation" (n-damo), was discovered in 2006. Since then, only a few studies have identified this process and the associated microorganisms in natural environments. In aquatic sediments, the close proximity of oxygen- and nitrate-consumption zones can mask n-damo as aerobic methane oxidation. We therefore investigated the vertical distribution and the abundance of denitrifying methanotrophs related to Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera with cultivation-independent molecular techniques in the sediments of Lake Constance. Additionally, the vertical distribution of methane oxidation and nitrate consumption zones was inferred from high-resolution microsensor profiles in undisturbed sediment cores. M. oxyfera-like bacteria were virtually absent at shallow-water sites (littoral sediment) and were very abundant at deep-water sites (profundal sediment). In profundal sediment, the vertical distribution of M. oxyfera-like bacteria showed a distinct peak in anoxic layers that coincided with the zone of methane oxidation and nitrate consumption, a strong indication for n-damo carried out by M. oxyfera-like bacteria. Both potential n-damo rates calculated from cell densities (660-4,890 µmol CH4⋅m(-2)⋅d(-1)) and actual rates calculated from microsensor profiles (31-437 µmol CH4⋅m(-2)⋅d(-1)) were sufficiently high to prevent methane release from profundal sediment solely by this process. Additionally, when nitrate was added to sediment cores exposed to anoxic conditions, the n-damo zone reestablished well below the sediment surface, completely preventing methane release from the sediment. We conclude that the previously overlooked n-damo process can be the major methane sink in stable freshwater environments if nitrate is available in anoxic zones.

  12. Determination of surface coverage of catalysts : temperature programmed experiments on platinum and iridium sponge catalysts after low temperature ammonia oxidation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Broek, A.C.M.; Grondelle, van J.; Santen, van R.A.

    1999-01-01

    The activity of iridium and platinum sponge catalysts was studied in the low temperature gas phase oxidation of ammonia with oxygen. Under the reaction conditions used, iridium was found to be more active and more selective to nitrogen than platinum. Furthermore it was established from activity

  13. Trace metal pyritization variability in response to mangrove soil aerobic and anaerobic oxidation processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado, W; Borrelli, N L; Ferreira, T O; Marques, A G B; Osterrieth, M; Guizan, C

    2014-02-15

    The degree of iron pyritization (DOP) and degree of trace metal pyritization (DTMP) were evaluated in mangrove soil profiles from an estuarine area located in Rio de Janeiro (SE Brazil). The soil pH was negatively correlated with redox potential (Eh) and positively correlated with DOP and DTMP of some elements (Mn, Cu and Pb), suggesting that pyrite oxidation generated acidity and can affect the importance of pyrite as a trace metal-binding phase, mainly in response to spatial variability in tidal flooding. Besides these aerobic oxidation effects, results from a sequential extraction analyses of reactive phases evidenced that Mn oxidized phase consumption in reaction with pyrite can be also important to determine the pyritization of trace elements. Cumulative effects of these aerobic and anaerobic oxidation processes were evidenced as factors affecting the capacity of mangrove soils to act as a sink for trace metals through pyritization processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Spatial and temporal distribution of nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria in an intertidal zone of the East China Sea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Jiaqi; Shen, Lidong; He, Zhanfei; Hu, Jiajie; Cai, Zhaoyang; Zheng, Ping; Hu, Baolan

    2017-11-01

    Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (N-DAMO), which couples anaerobic methane oxidation and nitrite reduction, is a recently discovered bioprocess coupling microbial nitrogen and carbon cycles. The discovery of this microbial process challenges the traditional knowledge of global methane sinks and nitrogen losses. In this study, the abundance and activity of N-DAMO bacteria were investigated and their contributions to methane sink and nitrogen loss were estimated in different seasons and different partitions of an intertidal zone of the East China Sea. The results showed that N-DAMO bacteria were extensively and continuously present in the intertidal zone, with the number of cells ranging from 5.5 × 10 4 to 2.8 × 10 5 copy g -1 soil and the potential activity ranging from 0.52 to 5.7 nmol CO 2  g -1 soil day -1 , contributing 5.0-36.6% of nitrite- and sulfate-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation in the intertidal zone. The N-DAMO activity and its contribution to the methane consumption were highest in the spring and in the low intertidal zone. These findings showed that the N-DAMO process is an important methane and nitrogen sink in the intertidal zone and varies with the seasons and the partitions of the intertidal zone.

  15. Biomarker evidence for widespread anaerobic methane oxidation in Mediterranean sediments by a consortium of methanogenic archaea and bacteria : The Medinaut Shipboard Scientific Party

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Pancost, Richard D.; Sinninghe Damsté, Jaap S.; de Lint, Saskia; van der Maarel, Marc J.E.C.; Gottschal, JC

    Although abundant geochemical data indicate that anaerobic methane oxidation occurs in marine sediments, the linkage to specific microorganisms remains unclear, In order to examine processes of methane consumption and oxidation, sediment samples from mud volcanoes at two distinct sites on the

  16. Anaerobic biological treatment of in-situ retort water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ossio, E.; Fox, P.

    1980-03-01

    Anaerobic fermentation was successfully used in a laboratory-scale batch digester to remove soluble organics from retort water. Required pretreatment includes reduction of ammonia levels to 360 mg-N/l, pH adjustment to 7.0, sulfide control, and the addition of the nutrients, calcium, magnesium, and phoshorus. If the prescribed pretreatment is used, BOD/sub 5/ and COD removal efficiencies of 89 to 90% and 65 to 70% are achieved, respectively.

  17. Characterization of specific membrane fatty acids as chemotaxonomic markers for sulfate-reducing bacteria involved in anaerobic oxidation of methane

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elvert, M.; Boetius, A.; Knittel, K.

    2003-01-01

    Membrane fatty acids were extracted from a sediment core above marine gas hydrates at Hydrate Ridge, NE Pacific. Anaerobic sediments from this environment are characterized by high sulfate reduction rates driven by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM). The assimilation of methane carbon......-reducing bacteria (SRB) of the Desulfosarcina/Desulfococcus group, which are present in the aggregates of AOM consortia in extremely high numbers, these specific fatty acids appear to provide a phenotypic fingerprint indicative for SRB of this group. Correlating depth profiles of specific fatty acid content...

  18. amoA Gene abundances and nitrification potential rates suggest that benthic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and not Archaea dominate N cycling in the Colne Estuary, United Kingdom.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jialin; Nedwell, David B; Beddow, Jessica; Dumbrell, Alex J; McKew, Boyd A; Thorpe, Emma L; Whitby, Corinne

    2015-01-01

    Nitrification, mediated by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), is important in global nitrogen cycling. In estuaries where gradients of salinity and ammonia concentrations occur, there may be differential selections for ammonia-oxidizer populations. The aim of this study was to examine the activity, abundance, and diversity of AOA and AOB in surface oxic sediments of a highly nutrified estuary that exhibits gradients of salinity and ammonium. AOB and AOA communities were investigated by measuring ammonia monooxygenase (amoA) gene abundance and nitrification potentials both spatially and temporally. Nitrification potentials differed along the estuary and over time, with the greatest nitrification potentials occurring mid-estuary (8.2 μmol N grams dry weight [gdw](-1) day(-1) in June, increasing to 37.4 μmol N gdw(-1) day(-1) in January). At the estuary head, the nitrification potential was 4.3 μmol N gdw(-1) day(-1) in June, increasing to 11.7 μmol N gdw(-1) day(-1) in January. At the estuary head and mouth, nitrification potentials fluctuated throughout the year. AOB amoA gene abundances were significantly greater (by 100-fold) than those of AOA both spatially and temporally. Nitrosomonas spp. were detected along the estuary by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) band sequence analysis. In conclusion, AOB dominated over AOA in the estuarine sediments, with the ratio of AOB/AOA amoA gene abundance increasing from the upper (freshwater) to lower (marine) regions of the Colne estuary. These findings suggest that in this nutrified estuary, AOB (possibly Nitrosomonas spp.) were of major significance in nitrification. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  19. Application of hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension (HOPE) to assess relative abundances of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria

    KAUST Repository

    Scarascia, Giantommaso

    2017-04-04

    Background: Establishing an optimal proportion of nitrifying microbial populations, including ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB), complete nitrite oxidizers (comammox) and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA), is important for ensuring the efficiency of nitrification in water treatment systems. Hierarchical oligonucleotide primer extension (HOPE), previously developed to rapidly quantify relative abundances of specific microbial groups of interest, was applied in this study to track the abundances of the important nitrifying bacterial populations. Results: The method was tested against biomass obtained from a laboratory-scale biofilm-based trickling reactor, and the findings were validated against those obtained by 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing. Our findings indicated a good correlation between the relative abundance of nitrifying bacterial populations obtained using both HOPE and amplicon sequencing. HOPE showed a significant increase in the relative abundance of AOB, specifically Nitrosomonas, with increasing ammonium content and shock loading (p < 0.001). In contrast, Nitrosospira remained stable in its relative abundance against the total community throughout the operational phases. There was a corresponding significant decrease in the relative abundance of NOB, specifically Nitrospira and those affiliated to comammox, during the shock loading. Based on the relative abundance of AOB and NOB (including commamox) obtained from HOPE, it was determined that the optimal ratio of AOB against NOB ranged from 0.2 to 2.5 during stable reactor performance. Conclusions: Overall, the HOPE method was developed and validated against 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing for the purpose of performing simultaneous monitoring of relative abundance of nitrifying populations. Quantitative measurements of these nitrifying populations obtained via HOPE would be indicative of reactor performance and nitrification functionality.

  20. Treatment of slaughter wastewater by coagulation sedimentation-anaerobic biological filter and biological contact oxidation process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, M.; Yu, P. F.; Fu, J. X.; Ji, X. Q.; Jiang, T.

    2017-08-01

    The optimal process parameters and conditions for the treatment of slaughterhouse wastewater by coagulation sedimentation-AF - biological contact oxidation process were studied to solve the problem of high concentration organic wastewater treatment in the production of small and medium sized slaughter plants. The suitable water temperature and the optimum reaction time are determined by the experiment of precipitation to study the effect of filtration rate and reflux ratio on COD and SS in anaerobic biological filter and the effect of biofilm thickness and gas water ratio on NH3-N and COD in biological contact oxidation tank, and results show that the optimum temperature is 16-24°C, reaction time is 20 min in coagulating sedimentation, the optimum filtration rate is 0.6 m/h, and the optimum reflux ratio is 300% in anaerobic biological filter reactor. The most suitable biological film thickness range of 1.8-2.2 mm and the most suitable gas water ratio is 12:1-14:1 in biological contact oxidation pool. In the coupling process of continuous operation for 80 days, the average effluent’s mass concentrations of COD, TP and TN were 15.57 mg/L, 40 mg/L and 0.63 mg/L, the average removal rates were 98.93%, 86.10%, 88.95%, respectively. The coupling process has stable operation effect and good effluent quality, and is suitable for the industrial application.

  1. A laboratory study of anaerobic oxidation of methane in the presence of methane hydrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solem, R.; Bartlett, D.; Kastner, M.; Valentine, D.

    2003-12-01

    In order to mimic and study the process of anaerobic methane oxidation in methane hydrate regions we developed four high-pressure anaerobic bioreactors, designed to incubate environmental sediment samples, and enrich for populations of microbes associated with anaerobic methane oxidation (AMO). We obtained sediment inocula from a bacterial mat at the southern Hydrate Ridge, Cascadia, having cell counts approaching 1010 cells/cc. Ultimately, our goal is to produce an enriched culture of these microbes for characterization of the biochemical processes and chemical fluxes involved, as well as the unique adaptations required for, AMO. Molecular phylogenetic information along with results from fluorescent in situ hybridization indicate that consortia of Archaea and Bacteria are present which are related to those previously described for marine sediment AMO environments. Using a medium of enriched seawater and sediment in a 3:1 ratio, the system was incubated at 4° C under 43 atm of methane pressure; the temperature and pressure were kept constant. We have followed the reactions for seven months, particularly the vigorous consumption rates of dissolved sulfate and alkalinity production, as well as increases in HS-, and decreases in Ca concentrations. We also monitored the dissolved inorganic C (DIC) δ 13C values. The data were reproduced, and indicated that the process is extremely sensitive to changes in methane pressure. The rates of decrease in sulfate and increase in alkalinity concentrations were complimentary and showed considerable linearity with time. When the pressure in the reactor was decreased below the methane hydrate stability field, following the methane hydrate dissociation, sulfate reduction abruptly decreased. When the pressure was restored all the reactions returned to their previous rates. Much of the methane oxidation activity in the reactor is believed to occur in association with the methane hydrate. Upon the completion of one of the experiments

  2. Enrichment of sulfate reducing anaerobic methane oxidizing community dominated by ANME-1 from Ginsburg Mud Volcano (Gulf of Cadiz) sediment in a biotrickling filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhattarai, Susma; Cassarini, Chiara; Rene, Eldon R; Zhang, Yu; Esposito, Giovanni; Lens, Piet N L

    2018-07-01

    This study was performed to enrich anaerobic methane-oxidizing archaea (ANME) present in sediment from the Ginsburg Mud Volcano (Gulf of Cadiz) in a polyurethane foam packed biotrickling filter (BTF). The BTF was operated at 20 (±2) °C, ambient pressure with continuous supply of methane for 248 days. Sulfate reduction with simultaneous sulfide production (accumulating ∼7 mM) after 200 days of BTF operation evidenced anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) coupled to sulfate reduction. High-throughput sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes showed that after 248 days of BTF operation, the ANME clades enriched to more than 50% of the archaeal sequences, including ANME-1b (40.3%) and ANME-2 (10.0%). Enrichment of the AOM community was beneficial to Desulfobacteraceae, which increased from 0.2% to 1.8%. Both the inoculum and the BTF enrichment contained large populations of anaerobic sulfur oxidizing bacteria, suggesting extensive sulfur cycling in the BTF. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Inoculum and zeolite synergistic effect on anaerobic digestion of poultry manure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fotidis, Ioannis A; Kougias, Panagiotis G; Zaganas, Ioannis D; Kotsopoulos, Thomas A; Martzopoulos, Gerasimos G

    2014-01-01

    Poultry manure is an ammonia-rich substrate due to its high content of proteins and amino acids. Ammonia is the major inhibitor of anaerobic digestion (AD) process, affecting biogas production and causing great economic losses to the biogas plants. In this study, the effect of different natural zeolite dosages on the mesophilic AD of poultry manure inoculated with a non-acclimatized to ammonia inoculum (dairy manure) was investigated. Additionally, a comparative analysis was performed between the data extracted from this study and the results of a previous study, which has been conducted under the same experimental conditions but with the use of ammonia acclimatized inoculum (swine manure). At 5 and 10 g zeolite L(-1), the methane yield of poultry manure was 43.4% and 80.3% higher compared with the experimental set without zeolite addition. However, the ammonia non-acclimatized inoculum was not efficient in digesting poultry manure even in the presence of 10 g zeolite L(-1), due to low methane production (only 39%) compared with the maximum theoretical yield. Finally, ammonia acclimatized inoculum and zeolite have demonstrated a possible 'synergistic effect', which led to a more efficient AD of poultry manure. The results of this study could potentially been used by the biogas plant operators to efficiently digest poultry manure.

  4. The Geologic Signature of Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane (Invited)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ussler, W.; Paull, C. K.

    2010-12-01

    Anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is an enormous sink in anoxic marine sediments for methane produced in situ or ascending through the sediment column towards the seafloor. Existing estimates indicate that between 75 and 382 Tg of sedimentary methane are oxidized each year before reaching the sediment-water interface making AOM a diagenetic process of global significance. This methane is derived from a variety of sources including microbial production, thermocatalytic cracking of complex organic matter, decomposing gas hydrates, and possibly abiogenic processes. Stables isotopes of membrane lipid biomarkers and authigenic carbonates associated with zones of AOM, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and anaerobic methane incubations have substantiated the role Archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria have in driving AOM. The products of AOM are dissolved inorganic carbon (predominantly HCO3-) and bisulfide (HS-). Stable isotope measurements of authigenic carbonates associated with zones of AOM are consistent with the diagenetic carbon being primarily methane derived. These methane-derived carbonates occur in a variety of forms including sedimentary nodules and thin lenses within and below zones of contemporary AOM; outcrops of slabs, ledges, and jagged authigenic carbonates exhumed on the seafloor; and authigenic carbonate mounds associated with near-subsurface methane gas accumulations. Examples of exhumed authigenic carbonates include rugged outcrops along the Guaymas Transform in the Gulf of California, extensive slabs and ledges in the Eel River Basin, and mounds in various stages of development near Bullseye Vent, off Vancouver Island and in the Santa Monica Basin. It is clear from basic microbial biogeochemistry and the occurrences of massive authigenic carbonate which span a large range in size that DIC produced by AOM is preserved as authigenic carbonate within the seafloor and not on the seafloor. These exhumed authigenic carbonate provide a glimpse of how

  5. Dissolved methane oxidation and competition for oxygen in down-flow hanging sponge reactor for post-treatment of anaerobic wastewater treatment

    OpenAIRE

    Hatamoto, Masashi; Miyauchi, Tomo; Kindaichi, Tomonori; Ozaki, Noriatsu; Ohashi, Akiyoshi

    2011-01-01

    Post-treatment of anaerobic wastewater was undertaken to biologically oxidize dissolved methane, with the aim of preventing methane emission. The performance of dissolved methane oxidation and competition for oxygen among methane, ammonium, organic matter, and sulfide oxidizing bacteria were investigated using a lab-scale closed-type down-flow hanging sponge (OHS) reactor. Under the oxygen abundant condition of a hydraulic retention time of 2 h and volumetric air supply rate of 12.95 m(3)-air...

  6. Dynamics of nitrification and denitrification in root- oxygenated sediments and adaptation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria to low-oxygen or anoxic habitats

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bodelier, P.L.E.; Libochant, J.A.; Blom, C.W.P.M.; Laanbroek, H.J.

    1996-01-01

    Oxygen-releasing plants may provide aerobic niches in anoxic sediments and soils for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, The oxygen- releasing, aerenchymatous emergent macrophyte Glycerin maxima had a strong positive effect on numbers and activities of the nitrifying bacteria in its root zone in spring and

  7. Dynamics of nitrification and denitrification in root- oxygenated sediments and adaptation of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria to low-oxygen or anoxic habitats

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bodelier, P.L.E.; Libochant, J.A.; Blom, C.W.P.M.; Laanbroek, H.J.

    1996-01-01

    Oxygen-releasing plants may provide aerobic niches in anoxic sediments and soils for ammonia-oxidizing bacteria. The oxygen-releasing, aerenchymatous emergent macrophyte Glyceria maxima had a strong positive effect on numbers and activities of the nitrifying bacteria in its root zone in spring and

  8. Electrodes as Terminal Electron Acceptors in Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruiz-Urigüen, M.; Jaffe, P. R.

    2017-12-01

    Anaerobic ammonium (NH4+) oxidation under iron (Fe) reducing conditions is a microbial- mediated process known as Feammox. This is a novel pathway in the nitrogen cycle, and a key process for alleviating NH4+ accumulation in anoxic soils, wetlands, and wastewater. Acidimicrobiaceae-bacterium A6, phylum Actinobacteria, are one type of autotrophic bacteria linked to this process. The Feammox-bacteria obtain their energy by oxidizing NH4+ and transferring the electrons to a terminal electron acceptor (TEA). Under environmental conditions, iron oxides are the TEAs. However, in this study we show that electrodes in Microbial Electrolysis Cells (MECs) or electrodes set in the field can be used as TEAs by Feammox-bacteria. The potential difference between electrodes is the driving force for electron transfer, making the reaction energetically feasible. Our results show that MECs containing Feammox cultures can remove NH4+ up to 3.5 mg/L in less than 4 hours, compared to an average of 9 mg/L in 2 weeks when cultured under traditional conditions. Concomitantly, MECs produce an average current of 30.5 A/m3 whilst dead bacteria produced low (Actinobacteria when compared to bulk soil. Electrodes as TEAs enhance electrogenic bacteria recovery and culturing. The use of MECs for the productions of Feammox-bacteria eliminates the dependence of Fe, a finite electron acceptor, therefore, allowing for continuous NH4+ removal. Finally, Fe-free Feammox-bacteria can be applied to reduce other metals of environmental concern; therefore, opening the range of possible application of Feammox-bacteria.

  9. Chemical pathways for the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stock, L.M.; Pederson, L.R.

    1997-12-01

    This report reviews chemical reactions leading to the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes. The general features of the chemistry of the organic compounds in the Hanford wastes are briefly outlined. The radiolytic and thermal free radical reactions that are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the oxidative degradation reactions of the nitrogen-containing complexants, trisodium HEDTA and tetrasodium EDTA, are outlined. In addition, the roles played by three different ionic reaction pathways for the oxidation of the same compounds and their degradation products are described as a prelude to the discussion of the formation of ammonia. The reaction pathways postulated for its formation are based on tank observations, laboratory studies with simulated and actual wastes, and the review of the scientific literature. Ammonia derives from the reduction of nitrite ion (most important), from the conversion of organic nitrogen in the complexants and their degradation products, and from radiolytic reactions of nitrous oxide and nitrogen (least important)

  10. Chemical pathways for the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stock, L.M.; Pederson, L.R.

    1997-12-01

    This report reviews chemical reactions leading to the formation of ammonia in Hanford wastes. The general features of the chemistry of the organic compounds in the Hanford wastes are briefly outlined. The radiolytic and thermal free radical reactions that are responsible for the initiation and propagation of the oxidative degradation reactions of the nitrogen-containing complexants, trisodium HEDTA and tetrasodium EDTA, are outlined. In addition, the roles played by three different ionic reaction pathways for the oxidation of the same compounds and their degradation products are described as a prelude to the discussion of the formation of ammonia. The reaction pathways postulated for its formation are based on tank observations, laboratory studies with simulated and actual wastes, and the review of the scientific literature. Ammonia derives from the reduction of nitrite ion (most important), from the conversion of organic nitrogen in the complexants and their degradation products, and from radiolytic reactions of nitrous oxide and nitrogen (least important).

  11. Engineering application of anaerobic ammonium oxidation process in wastewater treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Nianjia; Ren, Hongqiang; Geng, Jinju; Ding, Lili; Xu, Ke

    2017-08-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox), a promising biological nitrogen removal process, has been verified as an efficient, sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional nitrification and denitrification processes. To date, more than 110 full-scale anammox plants have been installed and are in operation, treating industrial NH 4 + -rich wastewater worldwide, and anammox-based technologies are flourishing. This review the current state of the art for engineering applications of the anammox process, including various anammox-based technologies, reactor selection and attempts to apply it at different wastewater plants. Process control and implementation for stable performance are discussed as well as some remaining issues concerning engineering application are exposed, including the start-up period, process disturbances, greenhouse gas emissions and especially mainstream anammox applications. Finally, further development of the anammox engineering application is proposed in this review.

  12. Nitrous oxide emission from the agriculture in the Netherlands. Outline of effects of manure and ammonia measures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kros, J.; De Vries, W.; Oenema, O.; Velthof, G.; Kuikman, P.J.; Van Hove, B.

    2004-01-01

    By means of the model INITIATOR an integral outline was made of the effects of several measures within the framework of the manure and ammonia policy focusing on nitrous oxide emission. The results are compared with the IPCC method. The model INITIATOR is a mechanistic model by means of which the carbon cycle in the Netherlands can be differentiated on a regional scale as a function of land use, type of soil and hydrology [nl

  13. Diverse microbial species survive high ammonia concentrations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, Laura C.; Cockell, Charles S.; Summers, Stephen

    2012-04-01

    Planetary protection regulations are in place to control the contamination of planets and moons with terrestrial micro-organisms in order to avoid jeopardizing future scientific investigations relating to the search for life. One environmental chemical factor of relevance in extraterrestrial environments, specifically in the moons of the outer solar system, is ammonia (NH3). Ammonia is known to be highly toxic to micro-organisms and may disrupt proton motive force, interfere with cellular redox reactions or cause an increase of cell pH. To test the survival potential of terrestrial micro-organisms exposed to such cold, ammonia-rich environments, and to judge whether current planetary protection regulations are sufficient, soil samples were exposed to concentrations of NH3 from 5 to 35% (v/v) at -80°C and room temperature for periods up to 11 months. Following exposure to 35% NH3, diverse spore-forming taxa survived, including representatives of the Firmicutes (Bacillus, Sporosarcina, Viridibacillus, Paenibacillus, Staphylococcus and Brevibacillus) and Actinobacteria (Streptomyces). Non-spore forming organisms also survived, including Proteobacteria (Pseudomonas) and Actinobacteria (Arthrobacter) that are known to have environmentally resistant resting states. Clostridium spp. were isolated from the exposed soil under anaerobic culture. High NH3 was shown to cause a reduction in viability of spores over time, but spore morphology was not visibly altered. In addition to its implications for planetary protection, these data show that a large number of bacteria, potentially including spore-forming pathogens, but also environmentally resistant non-spore-formers, can survive high ammonia concentrations.

  14. Contribution of anaerobic energy expenditure to whole body thermogenesis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott Christopher B

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Heat production serves as the standard measurement for the determination of energy expenditure and efficiency in animals. Estimations of metabolic heat production have traditionally focused on gas exchange (oxygen uptake and carbon dioxide production although direct heat measurements may include an anaerobic component particularly when carbohydrate is oxidized. Stoichiometric interpretations of the ratio of carbon dioxide production to oxygen uptake suggest that both anaerobic and aerobic heat production and, by inference, all energy expenditure – can be accounted for with a measurement of oxygen uptake as 21.1 kJ per liter of oxygen. This manuscript incorporates contemporary bioenergetic interpretations of anaerobic and aerobic ATP turnover to promote the independence of these disparate types of metabolic energy transfer: each has different reactants and products, uses dissimilar enzymes, involves different types of biochemical reactions, takes place in separate cellular compartments, exploits different types of gradients and ultimately each operates with distinct efficiency. The 21.1 kJ per liter of oxygen for carbohydrate oxidation includes a small anaerobic heat component as part of anaerobic energy transfer. Faster rates of ATP turnover that exceed mitochondrial respiration and that are supported by rapid glycolytic phosphorylation with lactate production result in heat production that is independent of oxygen uptake. Simultaneous direct and indirect calorimetry has revealed that this anaerobic heat does not disappear when lactate is later oxidized and so oxygen uptake does not adequately measure anaerobic efficiency or energy expenditure (as was suggested by the "oxygen debt" hypothesis. An estimate of anaerobic energy transfer supplements the measurement of oxygen uptake and may improve the interpretation of whole-body energy expenditure.

  15. Free ammonia offers algal crop protection from predators in dairy wastewater and ammonium-rich media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Patrick K; Dunn, Gary P; Passero, Maxine; Feris, Kevin P

    2017-11-01

    Cost-effective methods for protecting crops from grazing organisms like rotifers are needed to reduce the risk of pond crashes in mass algal cultures. We present a novel strategy to optimize the exposure time to free ammonia, via control of media pH, in both defined media and dairy anaerobic digester effluent to suppress rotifers and maintain algal productivity. We tested five different free ammonia exposure times (0, 1, 2, 6, and 12h) and found a significant nonlinear effect of exposure time (p0.9) on rotifer survival. In both media types, 6-12h of elevated free ammonia significantly reduced Brachionus plicatilis rotifer survival with no negative effects on Nannochloropsis oculata, while shorter exposure times were insufficient to inhibit rotifers, leading to severe algal culture crashes. These results suggest that algal crops can be protected from rotifers, without productivity loss, by elevating free ammonia for 6 or more hours. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Community Composition and Transcriptional Activity of Ammonia-Oxidizing Prokaryotes of Seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in Coral Reef Ecosystems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Ling

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Seagrasses in coral reef ecosystems play important ecological roles by enhancing coral reef resilience under ocean acidification. However, seagrass primary productivity is typically constrained by limited nitrogen availability. Ammonia oxidation is an important process conducted by ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA and bacteria (AOB, yet little information is available concerning the community structure and potential activity of seagrass AOA and AOB. Therefore, this study investigated the variations in the abundance, diversity and transcriptional activity of AOA and AOB at the DNA and transcript level from four sample types: the leaf, root, rhizosphere sediment and bulk sediment of seagrass Thalassia hemprichii in three coral reef ecosystems. DNA and complementary DNA (cDNA were used to prepare clone libraries and DNA and cDNA quantitative PCR (qPCR assays, targeting the ammonia monooxygenase-subunit (amoA genes as biomarkers. Our results indicated that the closest relatives of the obtained archaeal and bacterial amoA gene sequences recovered from DNA and cDNA libraries mainly originated from the marine environment. Moreover, all the obtained AOB sequences belong to the Nitrosomonadales cluster. Nearly all the AOA communities exhibited higher diversity than the AOB communities at the DNA level, but the qPCR data demonstrated that the abundances of AOB communities were higher than that of AOA communities based on both DNA and RNA transcripts. Collectively, most of the samples shared greater community composition similarity with samples from the same location rather than sample type. Furthermore, the abundance of archaeal amoA gene in rhizosphere sediments showed significant relationships with the ammonium concentration of sediments and the nitrogen content of plant tissue (leaf and root at the DNA level (P < 0.05. Conversely, no such relationships were found for the AOB communities. This work provides new insight into the nitrogen cycle

  17. A Metagenomics-Based Metabolic Model of Nitrate-Dependent Anaerobic Oxidation of Methane by Methanoperedens-Like Archaea

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arshad, Arslan; Speth, Daan R.; de Graaf, Rob M.; Op den Camp, Huub J. M.; Jetten, Mike S. M.; Welte, Cornelia U.

    2015-01-01

    Methane oxidation is an important process to mitigate the emission of the greenhouse gas methane and further exacerbating of climate forcing. Both aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms have been reported to catalyze methane oxidation with only a few possible electron acceptors. Recently, new microorganisms were identified that could couple the oxidation of methane to nitrate or nitrite reduction. Here we investigated such an enrichment culture at the (meta) genomic level to establish a metabolic model of nitrate-driven anaerobic oxidation of methane (nitrate-AOM). Nitrate-AOM is catalyzed by an archaeon closely related to (reverse) methanogens that belongs to the ANME-2d clade, tentatively named Methanoperedens nitroreducens. Methane may be activated by methyl-CoM reductase and subsequently undergo full oxidation to carbon dioxide via reverse methanogenesis. All enzymes of this pathway were present and expressed in the investigated culture. The genome of the archaeal enrichment culture encoded a variety of enzymes involved in an electron transport chain similar to those found in Methanosarcina species with additional features not previously found in methane-converting archaea. Nitrate reduction to nitrite seems to be located in the pseudoperiplasm and may be catalyzed by an unusual Nar-like protein complex. A small part of the resulting nitrite is reduced to ammonium which may be catalyzed by a Nrf-type nitrite reductase. One of the key questions is how electrons from cytoplasmically located reverse methanogenesis reach the nitrate reductase in the pseudoperiplasm. Electron transport in M. nitroreducens probably involves cofactor F420 in the cytoplasm, quinones in the cytoplasmic membrane and cytochrome c in the pseudoperiplasm. The membrane-bound electron transport chain includes F420H2 dehydrogenase and an unusual Rieske/cytochrome b complex. Based on genome and transcriptome studies a tentative model of how central energy metabolism of nitrate-AOM could work is

  18. In Situ Bioremediation of 1,4-Dioxane by Methane Oxidizing Bacteria in Coupled Anaerobic-Aerobic Zones

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-11

    FINAL REPORT In Situ Bioremediation of 1,4-Dioxane by Methane Oxidizing Bacteria in Coupled Anaerobic-Aerobic Zones SERDP Project ER-2306...volatile organic compound (CVOCs), ethene and ethane in groundwater at Raritan Arsenal Area 18C after in situ bioremediation . 4 List of...aquifers, the bioremediation approach most commonly used for chlorinated solvents. The ability of methanotrophs to biodegrade 1,4-dioxane was

  19. Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification is the dominant methane sink in a deep lake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deutzmann, Joerg S.; Stief, Peter; Brandes, Josephin; Schink, Bernhard

    2014-01-01

    Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to denitrification, also known as “nitrate/nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation” (n-damo), was discovered in 2006. Since then, only a few studies have identified this process and the associated microorganisms in natural environments. In aquatic sediments, the close proximity of oxygen- and nitrate-consumption zones can mask n-damo as aerobic methane oxidation. We therefore investigated the vertical distribution and the abundance of denitrifying methanotrophs related to Candidatus Methylomirabilis oxyfera with cultivation-independent molecular techniques in the sediments of Lake Constance. Additionally, the vertical distribution of methane oxidation and nitrate consumption zones was inferred from high-resolution microsensor profiles in undisturbed sediment cores. M. oxyfera-like bacteria were virtually absent at shallow-water sites (littoral sediment) and were very abundant at deep-water sites (profundal sediment). In profundal sediment, the vertical distribution of M. oxyfera-like bacteria showed a distinct peak in anoxic layers that coincided with the zone of methane oxidation and nitrate consumption, a strong indication for n-damo carried out by M. oxyfera-like bacteria. Both potential n-damo rates calculated from cell densities (660–4,890 µmol CH4⋅m−2⋅d−1) and actual rates calculated from microsensor profiles (31–437 µmol CH4⋅m−2⋅d−1) were sufficiently high to prevent methane release from profundal sediment solely by this process. Additionally, when nitrate was added to sediment cores exposed to anoxic conditions, the n-damo zone reestablished well below the sediment surface, completely preventing methane release from the sediment. We conclude that the previously overlooked n-damo process can be the major methane sink in stable freshwater environments if nitrate is available in anoxic zones. PMID:25472842

  20. Genes for Uranium Bioremediation in the Anaerobic Sulfate-Reducing Bacteria: Desulfovibrio mutants with altered sensitivity to oxidative stress

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Payne, Rayford B.; Ringbauer, Joseph A. Jr.; Wall, Judy D.

    2006-01-01

    Sulfate-reducing bacteria of the genus Desulfovibrio are ubiquitous in anaerobic environments such as groundwater, sediments, and the gastrointestinal tract of animals. Because of the ability of Desulfovibrio to reduce radionuclides and metals through both enzymatic and chemical means, they have been proposed as a means to bioremediate heavy metal contaminated sites. Although classically thought of as strict anaerobes, Desulfovibrio species are surprisingly aerotolerant. Our objective is to understand the response of Desulfovibrio to oxidative stress so that we may more effectively utilize them in bioremediation of heavy metals in mixed aerobic-anaerobic environments. The enzymes superoxide dismutase, superoxide reductase, catalase, and rubrerythrin have been shown by others to be involved in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species in Desulfovibrio. Some members of the genus Desulfovibrio can even reduce molecular oxygen to water via a membrane bound electron transport chain with the concomitant production of ATP, although their ability to grow with oxygen as the sole electron acceptor is still questioned.

  1. Anaerobic bacteria that dechlorinate perchloroethene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fathepure, B Z; Nengu, J P; Boyd, S A

    1987-01-01

    In this study, we identified specific cultures of anaerobic bacteria that dechlorinate perchlorethene (PCE). The bacteria that significantly dechlorinated PCE were strain DCB-1, an obligate anaerobe previously shown to dechlorinate chlorobenzoate, and two strains of Methanosarcina. The rate of PCE dechlorination by DCB-1 compared favorably with reported rates of trichloroethene bio-oxidation by methanotrophs. Even higher PCE dechlorination rates were achieved when DCB-1 was grown in a methanogenic consortium. PMID:3426224

  2. Immobilization of radionuclides and heavy metals through anaerobic bio-oxidation of Fe(II)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lack, J.G.; Chaudhuri, S.K.; Kelly, S.D.; Kemner, K.M.; O'Connor, S.M.; Coates, J.D.

    2002-01-01

    Adsorption of heavy metals and radionuclides (HMR) onto iron and manganese oxides has long been recognized as an important reaction for the immobilization of these compounds. However, in environments containing elevated concentrations of these HMR the adsorptive capacity of the iron and manganese oxides may well be exceeded, and the HMR can migrate as soluble compounds in aqueous systems. Here we demonstrate the potential of a bioremediative strategy for HMR stabilization in reducing environments based on the recently described anaerobic nitrate-dependent Fe(II) oxidation by Dechlorosoma species. Bio-oxidation of 10 mM Fe(II) and precipitation of Fe(III) oxides by these organisms resulted in rapid adsorption and removal of 55 μM uranium and 81 μM cobalt from solution. The adsorptive capacity of the biogenic Fe(III) oxides was lower than that of abiotically produced Fe(III) oxides (100 μM for both metals), which may have been a result of steric hindrance by the microbial cells on the iron oxide surfaces. The binding capacity of the biogenic oxides for different heavy metals was indirectly correlated to the atomic radius of the bound element. X-ray absorption spectroscopy indicated that the uranium was bound to the biogenically produced Fe(III) oxides as U(VI) and that the U(VI) formed bidentate and tridentate inner-sphere complexes with the Fe(III) oxide surfaces. Dechlorosoma suillum oxidation was specific for Fe(II), and the organism did not enzymatically oxidize U(IV) or Co(II). Small amounts (less than 2.5 μM) of Cr(III) were reoxidized by D. suillum; however, this appeared to be inversely dependent on the initial concentration of the Cr(III). The results of this study demonstrate the potential of this novel approach for stabilization and immobilization of HMR in the environment.

  3. Aerobic treatment of swine manure to enhance anaerobic digestion and microalgal cultivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bekoe, Dominic; Wang, Lijun; Zhang, Bo; Scott Todd, Matthew; Shahbazi, Abolghasem

    2018-02-01

    Aerobic treatment of swine manure was coupled with anaerobic digestion and microalgal cultivation. A 14-day aerobic treatment reduced the total solid content of swine manure by >15%. Ammonia and carbon dioxide were stripped by the air supplied, and this off-gas was further used to aerate the culture of Chlorella vulgaris. The microalgal growth rates in Bristol medium and the wastewater with the off-gas increased from 0.08 to 0.22 g/L/d and from 0.15 to 0.24 g/L/d, respectively. Meanwhile, the aerobically treated swine manure showed a higher methane yield during anaerobic digestion. The experimental results were used to establish a demonstration unit consisting of a 100 L composter, a 200 L anaerobic digester, a 60 L tubular photobioreactor, and a 300 L micro-open raceway pond.

  4. High rates of anaerobic oxidation of methane, ethane and propane coupled to thiosulphate reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suarez-Zuluaga, Diego A; Weijma, Jan; Timmers, Peer H A; Buisman, Cees J N

    2015-03-01

    Anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to sulphate reduction and the use of ethane and propane as electron donors by sulphate-reducing bacteria represent new opportunities for the treatment of streams contaminated with sulphur oxyanions. However, growth of microbial sulphate-reducing populations with methane, propane or butane is extremely slow, which hampers research and development of bioprocesses based on these conversions. Thermodynamic calculations indicate that the growth rate with possible alternative terminal electron acceptors such as thiosulphate and elemental sulphur may be higher, which would facilitate future research. Here, we investigate the use of these electron acceptors for oxidation of methane, ethane and propane, with marine sediment as inoculum. Mixed marine sediments originating from Aarhus Bay (Denmark) and Eckernförde Bay (Germany) were cultivated anaerobically at a pH between 7.2 and 7.8 and a temperature of 15 °C in the presence of methane, ethane and propane and various sulphur electron acceptors. The sulphide production rates in the conditions with methane, ethane and propane with sulphate were respectively 2.3, 2.2 and 1.8 μmol S L(-1) day(-1). For sulphur, no reduction was demonstrated. For thiosulphate, the sulphide production rates were up to 50 times higher compared to those of sulphate, with 86.2, 90.7 and 108.1 μmol S L(-1) day(-1) for methane, ethane and propane respectively. This sulphide production was partly due to disproportionation, 50 % for ethane but only 7 and 14 % for methane and propane respectively. The oxidation of the alkanes in the presence of thiosulphate was confirmed by carbon dioxide production. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of thiosulphate use as electron acceptor with ethane and propane as electron donors. Additionally, these results indicate that thiosulphate is a promising electron acceptor to increase start-up rates for sulphate-reducing bioprocesses coupled to short-chain alkane oxidation.

  5. Anaerobic oxidation of fatty acids by Clostridium bryantii sp. nov. : a sporeforming, obligately syntrophic bacterium

    OpenAIRE

    Stieb, Marion; Schink, Bernhard

    1985-01-01

    From marine and freshwater mud samples strictly anaerobic, Gram-positive, sporeforming bacteria were isolated which oxidized fatty acids in obligately syntrophic association with H2-utilizing bacteria. Even-numbered fatty acids with up to 10 carbon atoms were degraded to acetate and Hz, odd-numbered fatty acids with up to 11 carbon atoms including 2-methylbutyrate were degraded to acetate, propionate and H2. Neither fumarate, sulfate, thiosulfate, sulfur, nor nitrate were reduced. A marine is...

  6. Anaerobic degradation of benzene by enriched consortia with humic acids as terminal electron acceptors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cervantes, Francisco J., E-mail: fjcervantes@ipicyt.edu.mx [Division de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (IPICyT), Camino a la Presa San Jose 2055, Col. Lomas 4a. Seccion, San Luis Potosi, SLP, 78216 Mexico (Mexico); Mancilla, Ana Rosa; Toro, E. Emilia Rios-del [Division de Ciencias Ambientales, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (IPICyT), Camino a la Presa San Jose 2055, Col. Lomas 4a. Seccion, San Luis Potosi, SLP, 78216 Mexico (Mexico); Alpuche-Solis, Angel G.; Montoya-Lorenzana, Lilia [Division de Biologia Molecular, Instituto Potosino de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (IPICyT), Camino a la Presa San Jose 2055, Col. Lomas 4a. Seccion, San Luis Potosi, SLP, 78216 Mexico (Mexico)

    2011-11-15

    Highlights: {yields} Enriched consortia were able to couple the anaerobic degradation of benzene to the reduction of humic acids. {yields} Electron-equivalents derived from anaerobic benzene oxidation were highly recovered as reduced humic acids. {yields} Several species from classes {beta}-, {delta}- and {gamma}-Proteobacteria were enriched during the anaerobic degradation of benzene. - Abstract: The anaerobic degradation of benzene coupled to the reduction of humic acids (HA) was demonstrated in two enriched consortia. Both inocula were able to oxidize benzene under strict anaerobic conditions when the humic model compound, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), was supplied as terminal electron acceptor. An enrichment culture originated from a contaminated soil was also able to oxidize benzene linked to the reduction of highly purified soil humic acids (HPSHA). In HPSHA-amended cultures, 9.3 {mu}M of benzene were degraded, which corresponds to 279 {+-} 27 micro-electron equivalents ({mu}Eq) L{sup -1}, linked to the reduction of 619 {+-} 81 {mu}Eq L{sup -1} of HPSHA. Neither anaerobic benzene oxidation nor reduction of HPSHA occurred in sterilized controls. Anaerobic benzene oxidation did not occur in soil incubations lacking HPSHA. Furthermore, negligible reduction of HPSHA occurred in the absence of benzene. The enrichment culture derived from this soil was dominated by two {gamma}-Proteobacteria phylotypes. A benzene-degrading AQDS-reducing enrichment originated from a sediment sample showed the prevalence of different species from classes {beta}-, {delta}- and {gamma}-Proteobacteria. The present study provides clear quantitative demonstration of anaerobic degradation of benzene coupled to the reduction of HA.

  7. Anaerobic degradation of benzene by enriched consortia with humic acids as terminal electron acceptors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cervantes, Francisco J.; Mancilla, Ana Rosa; Toro, E. Emilia Rios-del; Alpuche-Solis, Angel G.; Montoya-Lorenzana, Lilia

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → Enriched consortia were able to couple the anaerobic degradation of benzene to the reduction of humic acids. → Electron-equivalents derived from anaerobic benzene oxidation were highly recovered as reduced humic acids. → Several species from classes β-, δ- and γ-Proteobacteria were enriched during the anaerobic degradation of benzene. - Abstract: The anaerobic degradation of benzene coupled to the reduction of humic acids (HA) was demonstrated in two enriched consortia. Both inocula were able to oxidize benzene under strict anaerobic conditions when the humic model compound, anthraquinone-2,6-disulfonate (AQDS), was supplied as terminal electron acceptor. An enrichment culture originated from a contaminated soil was also able to oxidize benzene linked to the reduction of highly purified soil humic acids (HPSHA). In HPSHA-amended cultures, 9.3 μM of benzene were degraded, which corresponds to 279 ± 27 micro-electron equivalents (μEq) L -1 , linked to the reduction of 619 ± 81 μEq L -1 of HPSHA. Neither anaerobic benzene oxidation nor reduction of HPSHA occurred in sterilized controls. Anaerobic benzene oxidation did not occur in soil incubations lacking HPSHA. Furthermore, negligible reduction of HPSHA occurred in the absence of benzene. The enrichment culture derived from this soil was dominated by two γ-Proteobacteria phylotypes. A benzene-degrading AQDS-reducing enrichment originated from a sediment sample showed the prevalence of different species from classes β-, δ- and γ-Proteobacteria. The present study provides clear quantitative demonstration of anaerobic degradation of benzene coupled to the reduction of HA.

  8. Isolation and characterization of two cryptic plasmids in the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas sp. strain ENI-11.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamagata, A; Kato, J; Hirota, R; Kuroda, A; Ikeda, T; Takiguchi, N; Ohtake, H

    1999-06-01

    Two plasmids were discovered in the ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas sp. strain ENI-11, which was isolated from activated sludge. The plasmids, designated pAYS and pAYL, were relatively small, being approximately 1.9 kb long. They were cryptic plasmids, having no detectable plasmid-linked antibiotic resistance or heavy metal resistance markers. The complete nucleotide sequences of pAYS and pAYL were determined, and their physical maps were constructed. There existed two major open reading frames, ORF1 in pAYS and ORF2 in pAYL, each of which was more than 500 bp long. The predicted product of ORF2 was 28% identical to part of the replication protein of a Bacillus plasmid, pBAA1. However, no significant similarity to any known protein sequences was detected with the predicted product of ORF1. pAYS and pAYL had a highly homologous region, designated HHR, of 262 bp. The overall identity was 98% between the two nucleotide sequences. Interestingly, HHR-homologous sequences were also detected in the genomes of ENI-11 and the plasmidless strain Nitrosomonas europaea IFO14298. Deletion analysis of pAYS and pAYL indicated that HHR, together with either ORF1 or ORF2, was essential for plasmid maintenance in ENI-11. To our knowledge, pAYS and pAYL are the first plasmids found in the ammonia-oxidizing autotrophic bacteria.

  9. Catalytic Hydrolysis of Ammonia Borane by Cobalt Nickel Nanoparticles Supported on Reduced Graphene Oxide for Hydrogen Generation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuwen Yang

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Well dispersed magnetically recyclable bimetallic CoNi nanoparticles (NPs supported on the reduced graphene oxide (RGO were synthesized by one-step in situ coreduction of aqueous solution of cobalt(II chloride, nickel (II chloride, and graphite oxide (GO with ammonia borane (AB as the reducing agent under ambient condition. The CoNi/RGO NPs exhibits excellent catalytic activity with a total turnover frequency (TOF value of 19.54 mol H2 mol catalyst−1 min−1 and a low activation energy value of 39.89 kJ mol−1 at room temperature. Additionally, the RGO supported CoNi NPs exhibit much higher catalytic activity than the monometallic and RGO-free CoNi counterparts. Moreover, the as-prepared catalysts exert satisfying durable stability and magnetically recyclability for the hydrolytic dehydrogenation of AB, which make the practical reusing application of the catalysts more convenient. The usage of the low-cost, easy-getting catalyst to realize the production of hydrogen under mild condition gives more confidence for the application of ammonia borane as a hydrogen storage material. Hence, this general method indicates that AB can be used as both a potential hydrogen storage material and an efficient reducing agent, and can be easily extended to facile preparation of other RGO-based metallic systems.

  10. Effect of Aqueous Ammonia Soaking on the methane yield and composition of digested manure fibers applying different ammonia concentrations and treatment durations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mirtsou-Xanthopoulou, Chrysoula; Jurado, Esperanza; Skiadas, Ioannis

    2014-01-01

    , their economical profitable operation relies on increasing the methane yield from manure, and especially of its solid fraction which is not so easily degradable. In the present study, Aqueous Ammonia Soaking (AAS) in six different concentrations in ammonia (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 32%) and for 1, 3 and 5 days...... at 22°C was applied on digested fibers separated from the effluent of a manure-fed, full-scale anaerobic digester. A methane yield increase from 76% to 104% was achieved during the first series of experiments, while the difference in reagent concentration did not considerably affect the methane yield...... is a very promising treatment resulting to an overall increase of the methane yield of digested manure fibers from 76 to 265% depending on the conditions and the batch of digested fibers used (an even higher increase of 190-265% was achieved during the 2nd series of experiments, where different AAS...

  11. Ammonia stress under high environmental ammonia induces Hsp70 and Hsp90 in the mud eel, Monopterus cuchia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hangzo, Hnunlalliani; Banerjee, Bodhisattwa; Saha, Shrabani; Saha, Nirmalendu

    2017-02-01

    The obligatory air-breathing mud eel (Monopterus cuchia) is frequently being challenged with high environmental ammonia (HEA) exposure in its natural habitats. The present study investigated the possible induction of heat shock protein 70 and 90 (hsp70, hsc70, hsp90α and hsp90β) genes and more expression of Hsp70 and Hsp90 proteins under ammonia stress in different tissues of the mud eel after exposure to HEA (50 mM NH 4 Cl) for 14 days. HEA resulted in significant accumulation of toxic ammonia in different body tissues and plasma, which was accompanied with the stimulation of oxidative stress in the mud eel as evidenced by more accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) during exposure to HEA. Further, hyper-ammonia stress led to significant increase in the levels of mRNA transcripts for inducible hsp70 and hsp90α genes and also their translated proteins in different tissues probably as a consequence of induction of hsp70 and hsp90α genes in the mud eel. However, hyper-ammonia stress was neither associated with any significant alterations in the levels of mRNA transcripts for constitutive hsc70 and hsp90β genes nor their translated proteins in any of the tissues studied. More abundance of Hsp70 and Hsp90α proteins might be one of the strategies adopted by the mud eel to defend itself from the ammonia-induced cellular damages under ammonia stress. Further, this is the first report of ammonia-induced induction of hsp70 and hsp90α genes under hyper-ammonia stress in any freshwater air-breathing teleost.

  12. Electrolytic synthesis of ammonia in molten salts under atmospheric pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murakami, Tsuyoshi; Nishikiori, Tokujiro; Nohira, Toshiyuki; Ito, Yasuhiko

    2003-01-15

    Ammonia was successfully synthesized by using a new electrochemical reaction with high current efficiency at atmospheric pressure and at lower temperatures than the Haber-Bosch process. In this method, nitride ion (N3-), which is produced by the reduction from nitrogen gas at the cathode, is anodically oxidized and reacts with hydrogen to produce ammonia at the anode.

  13. Electrospun V2O5 composite fibers: Synthesis, characterization and ammonia sensing properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Modafferi, V.; Trocino, S.; Donato, A.; Panzera, G.; Neri, G.

    2013-01-01

    In the present work, vanadium oxide (V 2 O 5 ) fibers have been investigated for monitoring ammonia (NH 3 ) at ppb levels in air. A simple sol gel-based electrospinning process has been applied for the synthesis of vanadium oxide/polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) and vanadium oxide/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) composite fibers. Composite fibers doped with platinum (Pt) have been also prepared. The pure and Pt-doped metal oxide phase has been subsequently obtained by removing the polymer binder at high temperature in air. The samples have been widely studied to characterize their morphological and microstructural properties by X-Ray Diffraction, Fourier Transform InfraRed spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy investigations. The application of the produced fibers in highly sensitive ammonia resistive sensors has been demonstrated. The influence of the nature of polymer binder and platinum addition on the sensing performances of the V 2 O 5 fibers has been investigated and discussed.V 2 O 5 fibers produced by using PVP as a polymer binder have shown higher sensitivity toward ammonia at ppb concentrations than fibers obtained with PVAc. Pt-doped samples have shown a lower response compared to un-doped samples. - Highlights: • Synthesis of vanadium oxide composite fibers by electrospinning • Physical and chemical characterization of prepared samples • Investigation of the sensing properties to ppb concentrations of ammonia in air

  14. Adsorption of Ammonia on Regenerable Carbon Sorbents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wójtowicz, Marek A.; Cosgrove, Jesph E.; Serio, Michael A..; Wilburn, Monique

    2015-01-01

    Results are presented on the development of reversible sorbents for the combined carbon dioxide, moisture, and trace-contaminant (TC) removal for use in Extravehicular Activities (EVAs), and more specifically in the Primary Life Support System (PLSS). The currently available life support systems use separate units for carbon dioxide, trace contaminants, and moisture control, and the long-term objective is to replace the above three modules with a single one. Data on sorption and desorption of ammonia, which is a major TC of concern, are presented in this paper. The current TC-control technology involves the use of a packed bed of acid-impregnated granular charcoal, which is non-regenerable, and the carbon-based sorbent under development in this project can be regenerated by exposure to vacuum at room temperature. In this study, several carbon sorbents were fabricated and tested for ammonia sorption. Ammonia-sorption capacity was related to carbon pore structure characteristics, and the temperature of oxidative carbon-surface treatment was optimized for enhanced ammonia-sorption performance.

  15. Shifts in Abundance and Diversity of Soil Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria and Archaea Associated with Land Restoration in a Semi-Arid Ecosystem.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhu Chen

    Full Text Available The Grain to Green Project (GGP is an unprecedented land restoration action in China. The project converted large areas (ca 10 million ha of steep-sloped/degraded farmland and barren land into forest and grassland resulting in ecological benefits such as a reduction in severe soil erosion. It may also affect soil microorganisms involved in ammonia oxidization, which is a key step in the global nitrogen cycle. The methods for restoration that are typically adopted in semi-arid regions include abandoning farmland and growing drought tolerant grass (Lolium perenne L. or shrubs (Caragana korshinskii Kom.. In the present study, the effects of these methods on the abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB and ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA were evaluated via quantitative real-time PCR, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism and clone library analysis of amoA genes. Comparisons were made between soil samples from three restored lands and the adjacent farmland in Inner Mongolia. Both the abundance and community composition of AOB were significantly different between the restored lands and the adjacent control. Significantly lower nitrification activity was observed for the restored land. Clone library analysis revealed that all AOB amoA gene sequences were affiliated with Nitrosospira. Abundance of the populations that were associated with Nitrosospira sp. Nv6 which had possibly adapted to high concentrations of inorganic nitrogen, decreased on the restored land. Only a slight difference in the AOB communities was observed between the restored land with and without the shrub (Caragana korshinskii Kom.. A minor effect of land restoration on AOA was observed. In summary, land restoration negatively affected the abundance of AOB and soil nitrification activities, suggesting the potential role of GGP in the leaching of nitrates, and in the emission of N2O in related terrestrial ecosystems.

  16. Tide as steering factor in structuring archaeal and bacterial ammonia-oxidizing communities in mangrove forest soils dominated by Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Marcos, Magali S.; Barboza, A.D.H.; Keijzer, R.M.; Laanbroek, H.J.

    2018-01-01

    Mangrove species are adapted to grow at specific zones in a tidal gradient. Here we tested the hypothesis that the archaeal and bacterial ammonia-oxidizing microbial communities differ in soils dominated by the mangrove species Avicennia germinans and Rhizophora mangle. Two of the sampling locations

  17. More evidence that anaerobic oxidation of methane is prevalent in soils: Is it time to upgrade our biogeochemical models?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Gauthier, M.; Bradley, R.L.; Šimek, Miloslav

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 80, January (2015), s. 167-174 ISSN 0038-0717 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA526/09/1570 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : anaerobic oxidation of methane * isotope dilution * peatland soil * shoreline soil * acid sulfate soil * alternative electron acceptors Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 4.152, year: 2015

  18. Advances in methods for detection of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing (anammox) bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Meng; Gu, Ji-Dong

    2011-05-01

    Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), the biochemical process oxidizing ammonium into dinitrogen gas using nitrite as an electron acceptor, has only been recognized for its significant role in the global nitrogen cycle not long ago, and its ubiquitous distribution in a wide range of environments has changed our knowledge about the contributors to the global nitrogen cycle. Currently, several groups of methods are used in detection of anammox bacteria based on their physiological and biochemical characteristics, cellular chemical composition, and both 16S rRNA gene and selective functional genes as biomarkers, including hydrazine oxidoreductase and nitrite reductase encoding genes hzo and nirS, respectively. Results from these methods coupling with advances in quantitative PCR, reverse transcription of mRNA genes and stable isotope labeling have improved our understanding on the distribution, diversity, and activity of anammox bacteria in different environments both natural and engineered ones. In this review, we summarize these methods used in detection of anammox bacteria from various environments, highlight the strengths and weakness of these methods, and also discuss the new development potentials on the existing and new techniques in the future.

  19. Biogas production from cattle manure by anaerobic digestion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chuen, S.C.; Tinia Idaty Mohd Ghazi; Rozita Omar; Azni Idris

    2009-01-01

    Full text: In order to deal with the energy shortage problem, we are searching for more alternative energy resources especially renewable or sustainable. Biogas is one of the solutions in dealing with the energy shortage problem. Biogas is a type of energy resources derives from organic matter during the process called anaerobic digestion. The biogas produced is mainly consisting of methane and carbon dioxide. In this research, diluted cattle manure (1:1 ration with water) was inoculated with palm oil mill (POME) activated sludge at the ratio of 1:5 and placed in a 10 liter bioreactor. The temperature and pH in the bioreactor was regulated at 6.95 and 53 degree Celsius, respectively to enhance the anaerobic digestion process. Parameters such as chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total solid, volatile solid, ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 -N), methane (CH 4 ) and the volume of biogas generated was monitored for effectiveness of the treatment of cattle manure via anaerobic digestion. The total volume of biogas produced in this study is 80.25 liter in 29 days while being able to treat the COD content up to 52 %. (author)

  20. Identification and Heterologous Expression of Genes Involved in Anaerobic Dissimilatory Phosphite Oxidation by Desulfotignum phosphitoxidans▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simeonova, Diliana Dancheva; Wilson, Marlena Marie; Metcalf, William W.; Schink, Bernhard

    2010-01-01

    Desulfotignum phosphitoxidans is a strictly anaerobic, Gram-negative bacterium that utilizes phosphite as the sole electron source for homoacetogenic CO2 reduction or sulfate reduction. A genomic library of D. phosphitoxidans, constructed using the fosmid vector pJK050, was screened for clones harboring the genes involved in phosphite oxidation via PCR using primers developed based on the amino acid sequences of phosphite-induced proteins. Sequence analysis of two positive clones revealed a putative operon of seven genes predicted to be involved in phosphite oxidation. Four of these genes (ptxD-ptdFCG) were cloned and heterologously expressed in Desulfotignum balticum, a related strain that cannot use phosphite as either an electron donor or as a phosphorus source. The ptxD-ptdFCG gene cluster was sufficient to confer phosphite uptake and oxidation ability to the D. balticum host strain but did not allow use of phosphite as an electron donor for chemolithotrophic growth. Phosphite oxidation activity was measured in cell extracts of D. balticum transconjugants, suggesting that all genes required for phosphite oxidation were cloned. Genes of the phosphite gene cluster were assigned putative functions on the basis of sequence analysis and enzyme assays. PMID:20622064

  1. Identification and heterologous expression of genes involved in anaerobic dissimilatory phosphite oxidation by Desulfotignum phosphitoxidans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simeonova, Diliana Dancheva; Wilson, Marlena Marie; Metcalf, William W; Schink, Bernhard

    2010-10-01

    Desulfotignum phosphitoxidans is a strictly anaerobic, Gram-negative bacterium that utilizes phosphite as the sole electron source for homoacetogenic CO2 reduction or sulfate reduction. A genomic library of D. phosphitoxidans, constructed using the fosmid vector pJK050, was screened for clones harboring the genes involved in phosphite oxidation via PCR using primers developed based on the amino acid sequences of phosphite-induced proteins. Sequence analysis of two positive clones revealed a putative operon of seven genes predicted to be involved in phosphite oxidation. Four of these genes (ptxD-ptdFCG) were cloned and heterologously expressed in Desulfotignum balticum, a related strain that cannot use phosphite as either an electron donor or as a phosphorus source. The ptxD-ptdFCG gene cluster was sufficient to confer phosphite uptake and oxidation ability to the D. balticum host strain but did not allow use of phosphite as an electron donor for chemolithotrophic growth. Phosphite oxidation activity was measured in cell extracts of D. balticum transconjugants, suggesting that all genes required for phosphite oxidation were cloned. Genes of the phosphite gene cluster were assigned putative functions on the basis of sequence analysis and enzyme assays.

  2. Biokinetics and bacterial communities of propionate oxidizing bacteria in phased anaerobic sludge digestion systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamanzadeh, Mirzaman; Parker, Wayne J; Verastegui, Yris; Neufeld, Josh D

    2013-03-15

    Phased anaerobic digestion is a promising technology and may be a potential source of bio-energy production. Anaerobic digesters are widely used for sewage sludge stabilization and thus a better understanding of the microbial process and kinetics may allow increased volatile solids reduction and methane production through robust process operation. In this study, we analyzed the impact of phase separation and operational conditions on the bio-kinetic characteristics and communities of bacteria associated with four phased anaerobic digestion systems. In addition to significant differences between bacterial communities associated with different digester operating temperatures, our results also revealed that bacterial communities in the phased anaerobic digestion systems differed between the 1st and 2nd phase digesters and we identified strong community composition correlations with several measured physicochemical parameters. The maximum specific growth rates of propionate oxidizing bacteria (POB) in the mesophilic and thermophilic 1st phases were 11 and 23.7 mgCOD mgCOD(-1) d(-1), respectively, while those of the mesophilic and thermophilic 2nd-phase digesters were 6.7 and 18.6 mgCOD mgCOD(-1) d(-1), respectively. Hence, the biokinetic characteristics of the POB population were dependent on the digester loading. In addition, we observed that the temperature dependency factor (θ) values were higher for the less heavily loaded digesters as compared to the values obtained for the 1st-phase digesters. Our results suggested the appropriate application of two sets of POB bio-kinetic that reflect the differing growth responses as a function of propionate concentration (and/or organic loading rates). Also, modeling acetogenesis in phased anaerobic sludge digestion systems will be improved considering a population shift in separate phases. On the basis of the bio-kinetic values estimated in various digesters, high levels of propionate in the thermophilic digesters may be

  3. Evaluating four mathematical models for nitrous oxide production by autotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Bing-Jie; Yuan, Zhiguo; Chandran, Kartik; Vanrolleghem, Peter A; Murthy, Sudhir

    2013-01-01

    There is increasing evidence showing that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are major contributors to N(2)O emissions from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Although the fundamental metabolic pathways for N(2)O production by AOB are now coming to light, the mechanisms responsible for N(2)O production by AOB in WWTP are not fully understood. Mathematical modeling provides a means for testing hypotheses related to mechanisms and triggers for N(2)O emissions in WWTP, and can then also become a tool to support the development of mitigation strategies. This study examined the ability of four mathematical model structures to describe two distinct mechanisms of N(2)O production by AOB. The production mechanisms evaluated are (1) N(2)O as the final product of nitrifier denitrification with NO(2)- as the terminal electron acceptor and (2) N(2)O as a byproduct of incomplete oxidation of hydroxylamine (NH(2)OH) to NO(2)-. The four models were compared based on their ability to predict N(2)O dynamics observed in three mixed culture studies. Short-term batch experimental data were employed to examine model assumptions related to the effects of (1) NH4+ concentration variations, (2) dissolved oxygen (DO) variations, (3) NO(2)- accumulations and (4) NH(2OH as an externally provided substrate. The modeling results demonstrate that all these models can generally describe the NH4+, NO(2)-, and NO(3)- data. However, none of these models were able to reproduce all measured N(2)O data. The results suggest that both the denitrification and NH(2)OH pathways may be involved in N(2)O production and could be kinetically linked by a competition for intracellular reducing equivalents. A unified model capturing both mechanisms and their potential interactions needs to be developed with consideration of physiological complexity. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Synthesis of Ru nanoparticles confined in magnesium oxide-modified mesoporous alumina and their enhanced catalytic performance during ammonia decomposition

    KAUST Repository

    Tan, Hua

    2012-09-01

    In this work, Ru nanoparticles confined in the channels of ordered mesoporous alumina (MA) and magnesium oxide-modified ordered MA are prepared for the first time via a two-solvent technique, combined with the amorphous citrate route. Structural characterizations reveal that uniform 2-3 nm Ru nanoparticles are highly dispersed in the blockage-free channels of mesoporous supports. The Ru nanoparticles confined in MA modified with 20% molar ratio magnesium oxide exhibited a high catalytic activity and stability during ammonia decomposition due to the optimized particle size, basic support, lack of chlorine, and confined space provided by the channels of the mesoporous supports. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Synthesis of Ru nanoparticles confined in magnesium oxide-modified mesoporous alumina and their enhanced catalytic performance during ammonia decomposition

    KAUST Repository

    Tan, Hua; Li, Kun; Sioud, Salim; Cha, Dong Kyu; Amad, Maan H.; Hedhili, Mohamed N.; Al-Talla, Zeyad

    2012-01-01

    In this work, Ru nanoparticles confined in the channels of ordered mesoporous alumina (MA) and magnesium oxide-modified ordered MA are prepared for the first time via a two-solvent technique, combined with the amorphous citrate route. Structural characterizations reveal that uniform 2-3 nm Ru nanoparticles are highly dispersed in the blockage-free channels of mesoporous supports. The Ru nanoparticles confined in MA modified with 20% molar ratio magnesium oxide exhibited a high catalytic activity and stability during ammonia decomposition due to the optimized particle size, basic support, lack of chlorine, and confined space provided by the channels of the mesoporous supports. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Massive nitrogen loss from the Benguela upwelling system through anaerobic ammonium oxidation RID B-8834-2011

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kuypers, MMM; Lavik, G.; Woebken, D.

    2005-01-01

    ) and is commonly attributed to denitrification (reduction of nitrate to N-2 by heterotrophic bacteria). Here, we show that instead, the anammox process (the anaerobic oxidation of ammonium by nitrite to yield N-2) is mainly responsible for nitrogen loss in the OMZ waters of one of the most productive regions......In many oceanic regions, growth of phytoplankton is nitrogen-limited because fixation of N-2 cannot make up for the removal of fixed inorganic nitrogen (NH4+, NO2-, and NO3-) by anaerobic microbial processes. Globally, 30-50% of the total nitrogen loss occurs in oxygen-minimum zones (OMZs...... that anammox bacteria are responsible for massive losses of fixed nitrogen. We have identified and directly linked anammox bacteria to the removal of fixed inorganic nitrogen in the OMZ waters of an open-ocean setting. We hypothesize that anammox could also be responsible for substantial nitrogen loss from...

  7. Stable isotope probing and dynamic loading experiments provide insight into the ecophysiology of novel ammonia oxidizers in rapid gravity sand filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fowler, Jane; Palomo, Alejandro; Gülay, Arda

    to elucidate the differences in ecophysiology between the ammonia oxidizing clades that enable them to co-exist in this unique environment. Experiments were conducted using sand columns designed and operated to mimic the conditions in the full-scale parent RSF. RNA and DNA stable isotope probing based on 13C......-bicarbonate incorporation during continuous feeding with either ammonium or nitrite as sole energy source implicated Nitrospira spp. and certain ‘heterotrophic’ bacteria in addition to Nitrosomonas spp. in autotrophy during ammonium oxidation in RSFs. Further experimentation aimed to elucidate the ecophysiology of each...

  8. Impact Assessment and Environmental Evaluation of Various Ammonia Production Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bicer, Yusuf; Dincer, Ibrahim; Vezina, Greg; Raso, Frank

    2017-05-01

    In the current study, conventional resources-based ammonia generation routes are comparatively studied through a comprehensive life cycle assessment. The selected ammonia generation options range from mostly used steam methane reforming to partial oxidation of heavy oil. The chosen ammonia synthesis process is the most common commercially available Haber-Bosch process. The essential energy input for the methods are used from various conventional resources such as coal, nuclear, natural gas and heavy oil. Using the life cycle assessment methodology, the environmental impacts of selected methods are identified and quantified from cradle to gate. The life cycle assessment outcomes of the conventional resources based ammonia production routes show that nuclear electrolysis-based ammonia generation method yields the lowest global warming and climate change impacts while the coal-based electrolysis options bring higher environmental problems. The calculated greenhouse gas emission from nuclear-based electrolysis is 0.48 kg CO2 equivalent while it is 13.6 kg CO2 per kg of ammonia for coal-based electrolysis method.

  9. Enhanced methane productivity from swine manure fibers by aqueous ammonia soaking pretreatment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jurado, Esperanza; Skiadas, Ioannis; Gavala, Hariklia N.

    2011-01-01

    The necessity of increasing the methane productivity of manure based biogas plants has triggered the development of new separation technologies for being applied before anaerobic digestion of the manure. Thus, manure solid and liquid fractions could be used to centralized biogas plants for methane...... production and as fertilizer on the farm, respectively. One of the challenges of this approach is that the solid fraction of manure contains lignocellulosic fibers, which are difficult to digest and thus make anaerobic digestion process slow and economically unfavourable. In the present study, aqueous...... ammonia soaking (AAS) was investigated as a pretreatment method to disrupt lignocellulosic structure and increase methane potential of swine manure fibers. It was proven that AAS broke down the lignocellulosic structure dissolving approximately the 35% of lignin and maintaining cellulose...

  10. Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Ammonia-Oxidizing Thaumarchaeota in Distinct Arctic Water Masses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oliver Müller

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available One of the most abundant archaeal groups on Earth is the Thaumarchaeota. They are recognized as major contributors to marine ammonia oxidation, a crucial step in the biogeochemical cycling of nitrogen. Their universal success is attributed to a high genomic flexibility and niche adaptability. Based on differences in the gene coding for ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA, two different ecotypes with distinct distribution patterns in the water column have been identified. We used high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes combined with archaeal amoA functional gene clone libraries to investigate which environmental factors are driving the distribution of Thaumarchaeota ecotypes in the Atlantic gateway to the Arctic Ocean through an annual cycle in 2014. We observed the characteristic vertical pattern of Thaumarchaeota abundance with high values in the mesopelagic (>200 m water throughout the entire year, but also in the epipelagic (<200 m water during the dark winter months (January, March and November. The Thaumarchaeota community was dominated by three OTUs which on average comprised 76% ± 11 and varied in relative abundance according to water mass characteristics and not to depth or ammonium concentration, as suggested in previous studies. The ratios of the abundance of the different OTU types were similar to that of the functional amoA water cluster types. Together, this suggests a strong selection of ecotypes within different water masses, supporting the general idea of water mass characteristics as an important factor in defining microbial community structure. If indeed, as suggested in this study, Thaumarchaeota population dynamics are controlled by a set of factors, described here as water mass characteristics and not just depth alone, then changes in water mass flow will inevitably affect the distribution of the different ecotypes.

  11. Elevational diversity and distribution of ammonia-oxidizing archaea community in meadow soils on the Tibetan Plateau.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Kang; Kong, Weidong; Khan, Ajmal; Liu, Jinbo; Guo, Guangxia; Muhanmmad, Said; Zhang, Xianzhou; Dong, Xiaobin

    2017-09-01

    Unraveling elevational diversity patterns of plants and animals has long been attracting scientific interests. However, whether soil microorganisms exhibit similar elevational patterns remains largely less explored, especially for functional microbial communities, such as ammonia oxidizers. Here, we investigated the diversity and distribution pattern of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) in meadow soils along an elevation gradient from 4400 m to the grassline at 5100 m on the Tibetan Plateau using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and sequencing methods by targeting amoA gene. Increasing elevations led to lower soil temperature and pH, but higher nutrients and water content. The results showed that AOA diversity and evenness monotonically increased with elevation, while richness was relatively stable. The increase of diversity and evenness was attributed to the growth inhibition of warm-adapted AOA phylotypes by lower temperature and the growth facilitation of cold-adapted AOA phylotypes by richer nutrients at higher elevations. Low temperature thus played an important role in the AOA growth and niche separation. The AOA community variation was explained by the combined effect of all soil properties (32.6%), and 8.1% of the total variation was individually explained by soil pH. The total AOA abundance decreased, whereas soil potential nitrification rate (PNR) increased with increasing elevations. Soil PNR positively correlated with the abundance of cold-adapted AOA phylotypes. Our findings suggest that low temperature plays an important role in AOA elevational diversity pattern and niche separation, rising the negative effects of warming on AOA diversity and soil nitrification process in the Tibetan region.

  12. Pilot-scale field study for ammonia removal from lagoon biogas using an acid wet scrubber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hongjian; Wu, Xiao; Miller, Curtis; Zhu, Jun; Hadlocon, Lara Jane; Manuzon, Roderick; Zhao, Lingying

    2014-01-01

    The anaerobic activities in swine slurry storage and treatment generate biogas containing gaseous ammonia component which is a chemical agent that can cause adverse environmental impacts when released to the atmosphere. The aim of this pilot plant study was to remove ammonia from biogas generated in a covered lagoon, using a sulfuric acid wet scrubber. The data showed that, on average, the biogas contained 43.7 ppm of ammonia and its concentration was found to be exponentially related to the air temperature inside the lagoon. When the air temperature rose to 35°C and the biogas ammonia concentration reached 90 ppm, the mass transfer of ammonia/ammonium from the deeper liquid body to the interface between the air and liquid became a limiting factor. The biogas velocity was critical in affecting ammonia removal efficiency of the wet scrubber. A biogas flow velocity of 8 to 12 mm s(-1) was recommended to achieve a removal efficiency of greater than 60%. Stepwise regression revealed that the biogas velocity and air temperature, not the inlet ammonia concentration in biogas, affected the ammonia removal efficiency. Overall, when 73 g L(-1) (or 0.75 M) sulfuric acid solution was used as the scrubber solution, removal efficiencies varied from 0% to 100% with an average of 55% over a 40-d measurement period. Mass balance calculation based on ammonium-nitrogen concentration in final scrubber liquid showed that about 21.3 g of ammonia was collected from a total volume of 1169 m(3) of biogas, while the scrubber solution should still maintain its ammonia absorbing ability until its concentration reaches up to 1 M. These results showed promising use of sulfuric acid wet scrubber for ammonia removal in the digester biogas.

  13. Comprehensive study for Anammox process via multistage anaerobic baffled reactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ismail, Sherif; Tawfik, Ahmed

    2017-11-01

    Continuous anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) process in multistage anaerobic baffled (MABR) reactor was investigated. The reactor was operated for approximately 150 days at constant hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 48 h and was fed with synthetic wastewater containing nitrite and ammonium as main substrates. The MABR was inoculated with mixed culture bacteria collected from activated sludge plant (41.6 g MLSS/L and 19.1 g MLVSS/L). The MABR reactor exhibited excellent performance for the start-up of Anammox process within a period of 35 days. The start-up period was divided into four successive phases; cell lysis, lag, activity elevation and steady state. Total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal efficiency of 96.8± 0.9% was achieved at steady state conditions, corresponding to nitrogen removal rate (NRR) of 50.2±1.7 mg N/L·d. Moreover, the effect of HRT on the Anammox process was assessed with applying five different HRTs of (48, 38.4, 28.8, 19.2 and 9.6 h). Decreasing HRT from 48 to 9.6 h reduced the removal efficiencies of NH4-N, NO2-N and TIN from 97.7±2.2 to 49.0±9.8%, from 95.7±1.9 to 71.0±8.5% and from 96.8±0.9 to 57.9±9.1%, respectively, that corresponding to reduction in NRR from 50.8±1.2 mg N/L·d at HRT of 48 h to 32.5±5.0 mg N/L·d at HRT of 9.6 h.

  14. Ammonia from manure slurry and measures for its reduction - in particular in connection with fermentation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hersener, J.-L.; Meier, U.; Dinkel, F.

    2002-01-01

    This report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) presents the results of a study made to demonstrate the potential of reducing ammonia emissions from manure slurries in connection with anaerobic digestion. The various methods of treatment that were assessed, including digestion, aeration, separation of the liquid phase, additives, acidification, flocculation, precipitation and stripping are discussed. The findings on the effectiveness of the different treatment methods are compared with normal slurry storage and distribution methods (open pits for storage, distribution by splash plate). Recommendations on convenient methods for reducing ammonia losses are made, whereby the authors state their opinion that digestion is not to be recommended and that separation is practical and can be realised rapidly

  15. Impact of dicyandiamide on emissions of nitrous oxide, nitric oxide and ammonia from agricultural field in the North China Plain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yizhen; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Tian, Di; Mu, Yujing

    2016-02-01

    Nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide (NO) and ammonia (NH3) emissions from an agricultural field in the North China Plain were compared for three treatments during a whole maize growing period from 26 June to 11 October, 2012. Compared with the control treatment (without fertilization, designated as CK), remarkable pulse emissions of N2O, NO and NH3 were observed from the normal fertilization treatment (designated as NP) just after fertilization, whereas only N2O and NH3 pulse emissions were evident from the nitrification inhibitor treatment (designated as ND). The reduction proportions of N2O and NO emissions from the ND treatment compared to those from the NP treatment during the whole maize growing period were 31% and 100%, respectively. A measurable increase of NH3 emission from the ND treatment was found with a cumulative NH3 emission of 3.8 ± 1.2 kg N/ha, which was 1.4 times greater than that from the NP treatment (2.7 ± 0.7 kg N/ha). Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Nitrosomonas communis strain YNSRA, an ammonia-oxidizing bacterium, isolated from the reed rhizoplane in an aquaponics plant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tokuyama, Tatsuaki; Mine, Atsusi; Kamiyama, Kaoru; Yabe, Ryuichi; Satoh, Kazuo; Matsumoto, Hirotoshi; Takahashi, Reiji; Itonaga, Koji

    2004-01-01

    An ammonia-oxidizing bacterium (strain YNSRA) was isolated from the rhizoplane of the reed (Phragmites communis) used in an aquaponics plant which is a wastewater treatment plant. Strain YNSRA was identified as Nitrosomonas communis by taxonomic studies. The hydroxylamine-cytochrome c reductase (HCR) of strain YNSRA was found to have a higher activity (25.60 u/mg) than that of Nitrosomonas europaea ATCC25978T (8.94 u/mg). Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RubisCO) activity was detected at very low levels in strain YNSRA, whereas strain ATCC25978T had definite activity.

  17. Nitrogen removal from wastewater by a catalytic oxidation method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, T L; Macinnes, J M; Cliffe, K R

    2001-06-01

    The ammonia-containing waste produced in industries is usually characterized by high concentration and high temperature, and is not treatable by biological methods directly. In this study, a hydrophobic Pt/SDB catalyst was first used in a trickle-bed reactor to remove ammonia from wastewater. In the reactor, both stripping and catalytic oxidation occur simultaneously. It was found that higher temperature and higher oxygen partial pressure enhanced the ammonia removal. A reaction pathway, which involves oxidizing ammonia to nitric oxide, which then further reacts with ammonia to produce nitrogen and water, was confirmed. Small amounts of by-products, nitrites and nitrates were also detected in the resultant reaction solution. These compounds came from the absorption of nitrogen oxides. Both the minimum NO2- selectivity and maximum ammonia removal were achieved when the resultant pH of treated water was near 7.5 for a feed of unbuffered ammonia solution.

  18. Hydroxylamine-dependent anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) by "Candidatus Brocadia sinica".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oshiki, Mamoru; Ali, Muhammad; Shinyako-Hata, Kaori; Satoh, Hisashi; Okabe, Satoshi

    2016-09-01

    Although metabolic pathways and associated enzymes of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) of 'Ca. Kuenenia stuttgartiensis' have been studied, those of other anammox bacteria are still poorly understood. NO2- reduction to NO is considered to be the first step in the anammox metabolism of 'Ca. K. stuttgartiensis', however, 'Ca. Brocadia' lacks the genes that encode canonical NO-forming nitrite reductases (NirS or NirK) in its genome, which is different from 'Ca. K. stuttgartiensis'. Here, we studied the anammox metabolism of 'Ca. Brocadia sinica'. (15) N-tracer experiments demonstrated that 'Ca. B. sinica' cells could reduce NO2- to NH2 OH, instead of NO, with as yet unidentified nitrite reductase(s). Furthermore, N2 H4 synthesis, downstream reaction of NO2- reduction, was investigated using a purified 'Ca. B. sinica' hydrazine synthase (Hzs) and intact cells. Both the 'Ca. B. sinica' Hzs and cells utilized NH2 OH and NH4+, but not NO and NH4+, for N2 H4 synthesis and further oxidized N2 H4 to N2 gas. Taken together, the metabolic pathway of 'Ca. B. sinica' is NH2 OH-dependent and different from the one of 'Ca. K. stuttgartiensis', indicating metabolic diversity of anammox bacteria. © 2016 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. System and method for controlling ammonia levels in a selective catalytic reduction catalyst using a nitrogen oxide sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    None

    2017-07-25

    A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes an air/fuel ratio determination module and an emission level determination module. The air/fuel ratio determination module determines an air/fuel ratio based on input from an air/fuel ratio sensor positioned downstream from a three-way catalyst that is positioned upstream from a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst. The emission level determination module selects one of a predetermined value and an input based on the air/fuel ratio. The input is received from a nitrogen oxide sensor positioned downstream from the three-way catalyst. The emission level determination module determines an ammonia level based on the one of the predetermined value and the input received from the nitrogen oxide sensor.

  20. Ammonia-Oxidizing β-Proteobacteria from the Oxygen Minimum Zone off Northern Chile▿

    Science.gov (United States)

    Molina, Verónica; Ulloa, Osvaldo; Farías, Laura; Urrutia, Homero; Ramírez, Salvador; Junier, Pilar; Witzel, Karl-Paul

    2007-01-01

    The composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria from the β-Proteobacteria subclass (βAOB) was studied in the surface and upper-oxycline oxic waters (2- to 50-m depth, ∼200 to 44 μM O2) and within the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) suboxic waters (50- to 400-m depth, ≤10 μM O2) of the eastern South Pacific off northern Chile. This study was carried out through cloning and sequencing of genes coding for 16S rRNA and the ammonia monooxygenase enzyme active subunit (amoA). Sequences affiliated with Nitrosospira-like cluster 1 dominated the 16S rRNA gene clone libraries constructed from both oxic and suboxic waters. Cluster 1 consists exclusively of yet-uncultivated βAOB from marine environments. However, a single clone, out of 224 obtained from the OMZ, was found to belong to Nitrosospira lineage cluster 0. To our knowledge, cluster 0 sequences have been derived from βAOB isolated only from sand, soil, and freshwater environments. Sequences in clone libraries of the amoA gene from the surface and upper oxycline could be grouped in a marine subcluster, also containing no cultured representatives. In contrast, all 74 amoA sequences originating from the OMZ were either closely affiliated with cultured Nitrosospira spp. from clusters 0 and 2 or with other yet-uncultured βAOB from soil and an aerated-anoxic Orbal process waste treatment plant. Our results reveal the presence of Nitrosospira-like βAOB in both oxic and suboxic waters associated with the OMZ but with a clear community shift at the functional level (amoA) along the strong oxygen gradient. PMID:17416686

  1. Temporally invariable bacterial community structure in the Arabian Sea oxygen minimum zone.

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Jain, A.; Bandekar, M.; Gomes, J.; Shenoy, D.M.; Meena, R.M.; Naik, H.; Khandeparkar, R.; Ramaiah, N.

    determining ammonia-oxidizing organism distribution and diversity in marine environments. Environ Microbiol 14: 714-729 Bulow SE, Rich JJ, Naik HS, Pratihary AK, Ward BB (2010) Denitrification exceeds anammox as a nitrogen loss pathway in the Arabian Sea... losses of fixed nitrogen to the atmosphere through denitrification (Naqvi 1994) and anaerobic oxidation of ammonia (anammox, Dalsgaard et al 2012). Although OMZ regions represent only a small fraction (~1%) of the global ocean volume (as per World...

  2. Ethanol production from maize silage as lignocellulosic biomass in anaerobically digested and wet-oxidized manure

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oleskowicz-Popiel, Piotr; Lisiecki, P.; Holm-Nielsen, J.B.

    2008-01-01

    was investigated using 2 1 bioreactors. Wet oxidation performed for 20 min at 121 degrees C was found as the most suitable pretreatment conditions for AD manure. High ammonia concentration and significant amount of macro- and micro-nutrients in the AD manure had a positive influence on the ethanol fermentation....... No extra nitrogen source was needed in the fermentation broth. It was shown that the AD manure could successfully substitute process water in SSF of pretreated lignocellulosic fibres. Theoretical ethanol yields of 82% were achieved, giving 30.8 kg ethanol per 100 kg dry mass of maize silage. (C) 2007...

  3. Dissolved methane oxidation and competition for oxygen in down-flow hanging sponge reactor for post-treatment of anaerobic wastewater treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatamoto, Masashi; Miyauchi, Tomo; Kindaichi, Tomonori; Ozaki, Noriatsu; Ohashi, Akiyoshi

    2011-11-01

    Post-treatment of anaerobic wastewater was undertaken to biologically oxidize dissolved methane, with the aim of preventing methane emission. The performance of dissolved methane oxidation and competition for oxygen among methane, ammonium, organic matter, and sulfide oxidizing bacteria were investigated using a lab-scale closed-type down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor. Under the oxygen abundant condition of a hydraulic retention time of 2h and volumetric air supply rate of 12.95m(3)-airm(-3)day(-1), greater than 90% oxidation of dissolved methane, ammonium, sulfide, and organic matter was achieved. With reduction in the air supply rate, ammonium oxidation first ceased, after which methane oxidation deteriorated. Sulfide oxidation was disrupted in the final step, indicating that COD and sulfide oxidation occurred prior to methane oxidation. A microbial community analysis revealed that peculiar methanotrophic communities dominating the Methylocaldum species were formed in the DHS reactor operation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leppaelahti, J; Koljonen, T [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

    1997-12-31

    In the combustion of fossil fuels, the principal source of nitrogen oxides is nitrogen bound in the fuel structure. In gasification, a large part of fuel nitrogen forms NH{sub 3}, which may form nitrogen oxides during gas combustion. If NH{sub 3} and other nitrogen species could be removed from hot gas, the NO emission could be considerably reduced. However, relatively little attention has been paid to finding new means of removing nitrogen compounds from the hot gasification gas. The possibility of selectively oxidizing NH{sub 3} to N{sub 2} in the hot gasification has been studied at VTT Energy. The largest NH{sub 3} reductions have been achieved by catalytic oxidation on aluminium oxides. (author) (4 refs.)

  5. Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leppaelahti, J.; Koljonen, T. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland)

    1996-12-31

    In the combustion of fossil fuels, the principal source of nitrogen oxides is nitrogen bound in the fuel structure. In gasification, a large part of fuel nitrogen forms NH{sub 3}, which may form nitrogen oxides during gas combustion. If NH{sub 3} and other nitrogen species could be removed from hot gas, the NO emission could be considerably reduced. However, relatively little attention has been paid to finding new means of removing nitrogen compounds from the hot gasification gas. The possibility of selectively oxidizing NH{sub 3} to N{sub 2} in the hot gasification has been studied at VTT Energy. The largest NH{sub 3} reductions have been achieved by catalytic oxidation on aluminium oxides. (author) (4 refs.)

  6. Anaerobic Ammonium-Oxidizing Bacteria in Cow Manure Composting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tingting; Cheng, Lijun; Zhang, Wenhao; Xu, Xiuhong; Meng, Qingxin; Sun, Xuewei; Liu, Huajing; Li, Hongtao; Sun, Yu

    2017-07-28

    Composting is widely used to transform waste into valuable agricultural organic fertilizer. Anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria play an important role in the global nitrogen cycle, but their role in composting remains poorly understood. In the present study, the community structure, diversity, and abundance of anammox bacteria were analyzed using cloning and sequencing methods by targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the hydrazine oxidase gene ( hzo ) in samples isolated from compost produced from cow manure and rice straw. A total of 25 operational taxonomic units were classified based on 16S rRNA gene clone libraries, and 14 operational taxonomic units were classified based on hzo gene clone libraries. The phylogenetic tree analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and deduced HZO protein sequences from the corresponding encoding genes indicated that the majority of the obtained clones were related to the known anammox bacteria Candidatus "Brocadia," Candidatus "Kuenenia," and Candidatus "Scalindua." The abundances of anammox bacteria were determined by quantitative PCR, and between 2.13 × 10 5 and 1.15 × 10 6 16S rRNA gene copies per gram of compost were found. This study provides the first demonstration of the existence of anammox bacteria with limited diversity in cow manure composting.

  7. A Year in the Life: Annual Patterns of CO2 and CH4 from a Northern Finland Peatland, Including Anaerobic Methane Oxidation and Summer Ebullition Rates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, K.; Lipson, D.; Biasi, C.; Dorodnikov, M.; Männistö, M.; Lai, C. T.

    2014-12-01

    The major ecological controls on methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes in northern wetland systems are well known, yet estimates of source/sink magnitudes are often incongruous with measured rates. This mismatch persists because holistic flux datasets are rare, preventing 'whole picture' determinations of flux controls. To combat this, we measured net CO2 and CH4 fluxes from September 2012-2013 within a peatland in northern Lapland, Finland. In addition, we performed in situ manipulations and in vitro soil incubations to quantify anaerobic methane oxidation and methanogenic rates as they related to alternative electron acceptor availability. Average annual fluxes varied substantially between different depressions within the wetland, a pattern that persisted through all seasons. Season was a strong predictor of both CO2 and CH4 flux rates, yet CH4 rates were not related to melt-season 10cm or 30cm soil temperatures, and only poorly predicted with air temperatures. We found evidence for both autumnal and spring thaw CH4 bursts, collectively accounting for 26% of annual CH4 flux, although the autumnal burst was more than 5 fold larger than the spring burst. CH4 ebullition measured throughout the growing season augmented the CH4 source load by a factor of 1.5, and was linked with fine-scale spatial heterogeneity within the wetland. Surprisingly, CH4 flux rates were insensitive to Fe(III) and humic acid soil amendments, both of which amplified CO2 fluxes. Using in vitro incubations, we determined anaerobic methane oxidation and methanogenesis rates. Measured anaerobic oxidation rates showed potential consumption of between 6-39% of the methane produced, contributing approximately 1% of total carbon dioxide flux. Treatments of nitrate, sulfate and ferric iron showed that nitrate suppressed methanogenesis, but were not associated with anaerobic oxidation rates.

  8. Anaerobic co-digestion of swine and poultry manure with municipal sewage sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borowski, Sebastian; Domański, Jarosław; Weatherley, Laurence

    2014-02-01

    The anaerobic digestion of municipal sewage sludge (SS) with swine manure (SM) and poultry manure (PM) was undertaken. It was found that a mixture of sewage sludge with a 30% addition of swine manure gave around 400 dm(3)/kg VS of biogas, whereas the maximal biogas yield from ternary mixture (SS:SM:PM=70:20:10 by weight) was only 336 dm(3)/kg VS. An inhibition of methanogenesis by free ammonia was observed in poultry manure experiments. The anaerobic digestion was inefficient in pathogen inactivation as the reduction in the number of E. coli an Enterobacteriaceae was only by one logarithmic unit. A substantial portion of pathogens was also released into the supernatant. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Nitrogen removal from digested slurries using a simplified ammonia stripping technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Provolo, Giorgio; Perazzolo, Francesca; Mattachini, Gabriele; Finzi, Alberto; Naldi, Ezio; Riva, Elisabetta

    2017-11-01

    This study assessed a novel technique for removing nitrogen from digested organic waste based on a slow release of ammonia that was promoted by continuous mixing of the digestate and delivering a continuous air stream across the surface of the liquid. Three 10-day experiments were conducted using two 50-L reactors. In the first two, nitrogen removal efficiencies were evaluated from identical digestates maintained at different temperatures (30°C and 40°C). At the start of the first experiment, the digestates were adjusted to pH 9 using sodium hydroxide, while in the second experiment pH was not adjusted. The highest ammonia removal efficiency (87%) was obtained at 40°C with pH adjustment. However at 40°C without pH adjustment, removal efficiencies of 69% for ammonia and 47% for total nitrogen were obtained. In the third experiment two different digestates were tested at 50°C without pH adjustment. Although the initial chemical characteristics of the digestates were different in this experiment, the ammonia removal efficiencies were very similar (approximately 85%). Despite ammonia removal, the pH increased in all experiments, most likely due to carbon dioxide stripping that was promoted by temperature and mixing. The technique proved to be suitable for removing nitrogen following anaerobic digestion of livestock manure because effective removal was obtained at natural pH (≈8) and 40°C, common operating conditions at typical biogas plants that process manure. Furthermore, the electrical energy requirement to operate the process is limited (estimated to be 3.8kWhm -3 digestate). Further improvements may increase the efficiency and reduce the processing time of this treatment technique. Even without these advances slow-rate air stripping of ammonia is a viable option for reducing the environmental impact associated with animal manure management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. MRI-Monitored Intra-Tumoral Injection of Iron-Oxide Labeled Clostridium novyi-NT Anaerobes in Pancreatic Carcinoma Mouse Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Linfeng; Zhang, Zhuoli; Khazaie, Khashayarsha; Saha, Saurabh; Lewandowski, Robert J.; Zhang, Guixiang; Larson, Andrew C.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives To validate the feasibility of labeling Clostridium novyi-NT (C.novyi-NT) anaerobes with iron-oxide nanoparticles for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and demonstrate the potential to use MRI to visualize intra-tumoral delivery of these iron-oxide labeled C.novyi-NT during percutaneous injection procedures. Materials and Methods All studies were approved by IACUC. C.novyi-NT were labeled with hybrid iron-oxide Texas red nanoparticles. Growth of labeled and control samples were evaluated with optical density. Labeling was confirmed with confocal fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). MRI were performed using a 7 Tesla scanner with T2*-weighted (T2*W) sequence. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) measurements were performed for phantoms and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements performed in C57BL/6 mice (n = 12) with Panc02 xenografts before and after percutaneous injection of iron-oxide labeled C.novyi-NT. MRI was repeated 3 and 7 days post-injection. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE), Prussian blue and Gram staining of tumor specimens were performed for confirmation of intra-tumoral delivery. Results Iron-oxide labeling had no influence upon C.novyi-NT growth. The signal intensity (SI) within T2*W images was significantly decreased for iron-oxide labeled C.novyi-NT phantoms compared to unlabeled controls. Under confocal fluorescence microscopy, the iron-oxide labeled C.novyi-NT exhibited a uniform red fluorescence consistent with observed regions of DAPI staining and overall labeling efficiency was 100% (all DAPI stained C.novyi-NT exhibited red fluorescence). Within TEM images, a large number iron granules were observed within the iron-oxide labeled C.novyi-NT; these were not observed within unlabeled controls. Intra-procedural MRI measurements permitted in vivo visualization of the intra-tumoral distribution of iron-oxide labeled C.novyi-NT following percutaneous injection (depicted as punctate regions of SI reductions within T2*-weighted

  11. Molybdenum-based additives to mixed-metal oxides for use in hot gas cleanup sorbents for the catalytic decomposition of ammonia in coal gases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayala, Raul E.

    1993-01-01

    This invention relates to additives to mixed-metal oxides that act simultaneously as sorbents and catalysts in cleanup systems for hot coal gases. Such additives of this type, generally, act as a sorbent to remove sulfur from the coal gases while substantially simultaneously, catalytically decomposing appreciable amounts of ammonia from the coal gases.

  12. Impact Assessment and Environmental Evaluation of Various Ammonia Production Processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bicer, Yusuf; Dincer, Ibrahim; Vezina, Greg; Raso, Frank

    2017-05-01

    In the current study, conventional resources-based ammonia generation routes are comparatively studied through a comprehensive life cycle assessment. The selected ammonia generation options range from mostly used steam methane reforming to partial oxidation of heavy oil. The chosen ammonia synthesis process is the most common commercially available Haber-Bosch process. The essential energy input for the methods are used from various conventional resources such as coal, nuclear, natural gas and heavy oil. Using the life cycle assessment methodology, the environmental impacts of selected methods are identified and quantified from cradle to gate. The life cycle assessment outcomes of the conventional resources based ammonia production routes show that nuclear electrolysis-based ammonia generation method yields the lowest global warming and climate change impacts while the coal-based electrolysis options bring higher environmental problems. The calculated greenhouse gas emission from nuclear-based electrolysis is 0.48 kg CO 2 equivalent while it is 13.6 kg CO 2 per kg of ammonia for coal-based electrolysis method.

  13. Comparison of different two-pathway models for describing the combined effect of DO and nitrite on the nitrous oxide production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Longqi; Pocquet, Mathieu; Ni, Bing-Jie; Yuan, Zhiguo; Spérandio, Mathieu

    2017-02-01

    The aim of this work is to compare the capability of two recently proposed two-pathway models for predicting nitrous oxide (N 2 O) production by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) for varying ranges of dissolved oxygen (DO) and nitrite. The first model includes the electron carriers whereas the second model is based on direct coupling of electron donors and acceptors. Simulations are confronted to extensive sets of experiments (43 batches) from different studies with three different microbial systems. Despite their different mathematical structures, both models could well and similarly describe the combined effect of DO and nitrite on N 2 O production rate and emission factor. The model-predicted contributions for nitrifier denitrification pathway and hydroxylamine pathway also matched well with the available isotopic measurements. Based on sensitivity analysis, calibration procedures are described and discussed for facilitating the future use of those models.

  14. Water addition regulates the metabolic activity of ammonia oxidizers responding to environmental perturbations in dry subhumid ecosystems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Hang-Wei; Macdonald, Catriona A; Trivedi, Pankaj; Holmes, Bronwyn; Bodrossy, Levente; He, Ji-Zheng; Singh, Brajesh K

    2015-02-01

    Terrestrial arid and semi-arid ecosystems (drylands) constitute about 41% of the Earth's land surface and are predicted to experience increasing fluctuations in water and nitrogen availability. Mounting evidence has confirmed the significant importance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) in nitrification, plant nitrogen availability and atmospheric N2 O emissions, but their responses to environmental perturbations in drylands remain largely unknown. Here we evaluate how the factorial combinations of irrigation and fertilization in forests and land-use change from grassland to forest affects the dynamics of AOA and AOB following a 6-year dryland field study. Potential nitrification rates and AOA and AOB abundances were significantly higher in the irrigated plots, accompanied by considerable changes in community compositions, but their responses to fertilization alone were not significant. DNA-stable isotope probing results showed increased (13) CO2 incorporation into the amoA gene of AOA, but not of AOB, in plots receiving water addition, coupled with significantly higher net mineralization and nitrification rates. High-throughput microarray analysis revealed that active AOA assemblages belonging to Nitrosopumilus and Nitrosotalea were increasingly labelled by (13) CO2 following irrigation. However, no obvious effects of land-use changes on nitrification rates or metabolic activity of AOA and AOB could be observed under dry conditions. We provide evidence that water addition had more important roles than nitrogen fertilization in influencing the autotrophic nitrification in dryland ecosystems, and AOA are increasingly involved in ammonia oxidation when dry soils become wetted. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  15. Environmental assessment of energy and waste systems based on anaerobic digestion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rehl, Torsten

    2013-08-01

    The results of the studies show that biogas production brings about many or environmental improvements compared to energy generation based on fossil sources when designed and managed properly. Environmental advantages are found for GWP (Global Warming Potential) and energy consumption, disadvantages however for EP (Eutrophication Potential), AP (Acidification Potential) and POCP (Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential). However the large amount of technologies and measures indicate that there is a large potential to reduce the environmental impacts. Another finding is that all life cycle phases and subsystems must be carefully considered, as no single dominating item or aspect in the life cycle can be identified. The most environmentally relevant phases are found to be storage, treatment and field application of manure and digestate. This result is to a large part due to the emission of ammonia, nitrous oxide and nitrate. It can therefore be concluded that from a lifecycle perspective, control and mitigation of nitrogen related emissions will be of utmost importance in the future to improve the environmental performance of biogas systems. Considerable emission reduction potentials are exposed when proper technological modifications (e.g. storage covers, filter technologies, digestate treatment or field application technologies) or adopted management practices (early soil incorporation of digestate) are applied. The environmental analysis also shows that whenever possible the focus of anaerobic digestion should be on the use of organic residues from households, agriculture or food industry instead of using energy crops. In this case conventional waste management systems are replaced and manifold positive effects of anaerobic digestion such as waste stabilization, nutrient recycling and energy generation emerge.

  16. Identification of anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing and arsenate-reducing bacteria associated with an alkaline saline lake in Khovsgol, Mongolia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamamura, Natsuko; Itai, Takaaki; Liu, Yitai; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Damdinsuren, Narantuya; Inskeep, William P

    2014-10-01

    Microbial arsenic transformation pathways associated with a saline lake located in northern Mongolia were examined using molecular biological and culturing approaches. Bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences recovered from saline lake sediments and soils were affiliated with haloalkaliphiles, including Bacillus and Halomonas spp. Diverse sequences of arsenate respiratory reductase (arrA) and a new group of arsenite oxidase (arxA) genes were also identified. Pure cultures of arsenate-reducing Nitrincola strain and anaerobic arsenite-oxidizing Halomonas strain were isolated. The chemoorganotrophic Halomonas strain contains arxA gene similar to that of a chemoautotrophic arsenite-oxidizing Alkalilimnicola ehrlichii strain MLHE-1. These results revealed the diversity of arsenic transformation pathways associated with a geographically distinct saline system and the potential contribution of arx-dependent arsenite oxidation by heterotrophic bacteria.

  17. Methane-yielding microbial communities processing lactate-rich substrates: a piece of the anaerobic digestion puzzle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Detman, Anna; Mielecki, Damian; Pleśniak, Łukasz; Bucha, Michał; Janiga, Marek; Matyasik, Irena; Chojnacka, Aleksandra; Jędrysek, Mariusz-Orion; Błaszczyk, Mieczysław K; Sikora, Anna

    2018-01-01

    Anaerobic digestion, whose final products are methane and carbon dioxide, ensures energy flow and circulation of matter in ecosystems. This naturally occurring process is used for the production of renewable energy from biomass. Lactate, a common product of acidic fermentation, is a key intermediate in anaerobic digestion of biomass in the environment and biogas plants. Effective utilization of lactate has been observed in many experimental approaches used to study anaerobic digestion. Interestingly, anaerobic lactate oxidation and lactate oxidizers as a physiological group in methane-yielding microbial communities have not received enough attention in the context of the acetogenic step of anaerobic digestion. This study focuses on metabolic transformation of lactate during the acetogenic and methanogenic steps of anaerobic digestion in methane-yielding bioreactors. Methane-yielding microbial communities instead of pure cultures of acetate producers were used to process artificial lactate-rich media to methane and carbon dioxide in up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors. The media imitated the mixture of acidic products found in anaerobic environments/digesters where lactate fermentation dominates in acidogenesis. Effective utilization of lactate and biogas production was observed. 16S rRNA profiling was used to examine the selected methane-yielding communities. Among Archaea present in the bioreactors, the order Methanosarcinales predominated. The acetoclastic pathway of methane formation was further confirmed by analysis of the stable carbon isotope composition of methane and carbon dioxide. The domain Bacteria was represented by Bacteroidetes , Firmicutes , Proteobacteria , Synergistetes , Actinobacteria , Spirochaetes , Tenericutes , Caldithrix , Verrucomicrobia , Thermotogae , Chloroflexi , Nitrospirae, and Cyanobacteria. Available genome sequences of species and/or genera identified in the microbial communities were searched for genes encoding the lactate-oxidizing

  18. A Novel Process Configuration for Anaerobic Digestion of Source-Sorted Household Waste Using Hyper-Thermophilic Post-Treatment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hartmann, H.; Ahring, Birgitte Kiær

    2005-01-01

    A novel reactor configuration was investigated for anaerobic digestion (AD) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW). An anaerobic hyper-thermophilic (68°C) reactor R68 was implemented as a post–treatment step for the effluent of a thermophilic reactor R1 (55°C) in order to enhance...... hydrolysis of recalcitrant organic matter, improve sanitation and ease the stripping of ammonia from the reactor. The efficiency of the combined system was studied in terms of methane yield, volatile solids (VS) reduction and volatile fatty acid (VFA) production at different hydraulic retention times (HRT...

  19. Abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria on granular activated carbon and their fates during drinking water purification process.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Jia; Kasuga, Ikuro; Kurisu, Futoshi; Furumai, Hiroaki; Shigeeda, Takaaki; Takahashi, Kazuhiko

    2016-01-01

    Ammonia is a precursor to trichloramine, which causes an undesirable chlorinous odor. Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration is used to biologically oxidize ammonia during drinking water purification; however, little information is available regarding the abundance and diversity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) associated with GAC. In addition, their sources and fates in water purification process remain unknown. In this study, six GAC samples were collected from five full-scale drinking water purification plants in Tokyo during summer and winter, and the abundance and community structure of AOA and AOB associated with GAC were studied in these two seasons. In summer, archaeal and bacterial amoA genes on GACs were present at 3.7 × 10(5)-3.9 × 10(8) gene copies/g-dry and 4.5 × 10(6)-4.2 × 10(8) gene copies/g-dry, respectively. In winter, archaeal amoA genes remained at the same level, while bacterial amoA genes decreased significantly for all GACs. No differences were observed in the community diversity of AOA and AOB from summer to winter. Phylogenetic analysis revealed high AOA diversity in group I.1a and group I.1b in raw water. Terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of processed water samples revealed that AOA diversity decreased dramatically to only two OTUs in group I.1a after ozonation, which were identical to those detected on GAC. It suggests that ozonation plays an important role in determining AOA diversity on GAC. Further study on the cell-specific activity of AOA and AOB is necessary to understand their contributions to in situ nitrification performance.

  20. Adsorption of ammonia on vanadium-antimony mixed oxides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Seitz, Hernan; German, Estefania [Departamento e Instituto de Fisica del Sur, Universidad Nacional del Sur-CONICET, Avda. Alem 1253, (8000) Bahia Blanca (Argentina); Juan, Alfredo, E-mail: cajuan@uns.edu.ar [Departamento e Instituto de Fisica del Sur, Universidad Nacional del Sur-CONICET, Avda. Alem 1253, (8000) Bahia Blanca (Argentina); Irigoyen, Beatriz [Departamento de Ingenieria Quimica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Pabellon de Industrias, Ciudad Universitaria, (1428) Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires (Argentina)

    2012-02-01

    We analyzed the adsorption of ammonia (NH{sub 3}) on the VSbO{sub 4}(1 1 0) catalyst surface using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We followed the evolution of the chemical bonds between different atoms of the resulting NH{sub 3}/VSbO{sub 4} system and the changes in the electronic structure of the catalyst. NH{sub 3} preferential adsorption geometries were analyzed through the crystal orbital overlap population (COOP) concept and the density of states (DOS) curves. The VSbO{sub 4}(1 1 0) surface exhibits Lewis and Bronsted acid sites on which the ammonia molecule can interact. On the Lewis acid site, NH{sub 3} adsorption resulted in the interaction between the N and a surface V-isolated cation. On Bronsted acid site, N interacted with a surface H coming from the chemical dissociation of water. The COOP analysis indicate that NH{sub 3} interaction on the VSbO{sub 4}(1 1 0) surface is weak. In addition, the DOS curves show more developed electronic interactions for NH{sub 3} adsorption on Lewis acid site than over Bronsted acid site.