scholarly journals Marine gases: Challenges to the bio(geo)chemist

2011 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Steinke ◽  
Dan A. Exton ◽  
Terry J. McGenity
Keyword(s):  
Dimethyl Sulfide ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Waste Products

Gases are produced and consumed by numerous biological processes in the oceans and some volatiles are readily exchanged with the atmosphere where they can affect our climate. They can be waste products but they are also fundamental as nutrient and energy sources and terminal electron acceptors in respiration, and can facilitate communication and interactions via diffusive signalling. Here we will introduce some major gases and mention a few more enigmatic volatiles before focussing on the bio(geo)chemistry of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), ethene and isoprene, three important gases that are currently at the forefront of our research.

scholarly journals A proposed sustainability index for synthesis plans based on input provenance and output fate: application to academic and industrial synthesis plans for vanillin as a case study

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 2346-2362
Author(s):  
John Andraos
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Mass Fraction ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
Borda Count ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Target Product ◽  
Energy Fraction ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Sustainability Index

This paper describes a sustainability index (SI) as a quantitative measure of “sustainability” applicable to synthesis plans based on the provenance of input materials and energy sources and the fate of output waste products. The index is computed as the root-mean-square average of the following four parameters: mass fraction of valorized inputs (F VI ), mass fraction of valorized outputs (F VO ), mass fraction of valorized target product (F VP ), and input enthalpic energy fraction arising from renewable energy sources (F RE ). Valorized input materials originate from renewable, recycled, or reclaimed sources. Valorized output materials are destined for recycling or reclaiming so that they may be used in the same or other chemical processes. Valorized target product refers to that portion of the target product that is actually used for its intended purpose. Renewable energy sources are defined as originating from hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass sources. The computation of SI is illustrated for 22 synthesis plans of the high commodity flavour ingredient vanillin from biofermentation, chemical synthesis, and solvent extraction processes. In addition, these plans are compared and ranked according to Borda count and poset (partially ordered set) pairwise dominance analyses using the following attributes: process mass intensity (PMI), sacrificial reagent (SR) consumption, input enthalpic energy (IEE) consumption, Rowan solvent greenness index (RSGI), and sustainability index (SI).

scholarly journals Microbial biodeterioration and biodegradation

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Ipek Kurtböke ◽  
Irina Ivshina ◽  
Linda L Blackall
Keyword(s):  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Polluted Sites ◽  
Bacteria And Fungi

Microorganisms including bacteria and fungi can use a wide variety of organic compounds as their carbon and energy sources and exploit numerous options as electron acceptors facilitating their ability to live in diverse environments. Such microbial biodegradative activities can result in the bioremediation of polluted sites or cause biodeterioration. Biodegradation and biodeterioration are closely related processes, and they often involve the same organisms, processes and materials.

Renewable Energy in the United Kingdom

1995 ◽  
Vol 209 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Laughton
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Renewable Energy ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Wind Waves ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Government Support ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Supply Systems

The United Kingdom is particularly well endowed with renewable energy sources relating to wind, waves and tide as well as the normal waste products arising from an industrialized society. These and other renewable energy sources have much technological scope for development but less scope for economic use. Government support for these industries has been significant in recent years in allowing a number of schemes to become commercially possible. The technologies are diverse, the design engineering is in its early stages in many cases and the extent of the eventual integration of such energy sources into existing energy supply systems is not easy to foresee. Aspects of the economic, institutional and environmental factors influencing the exploitation of renewable energy sources for electricity generation are reviewed along with an assessment of the present developments in the various technologies. The need for further support within a long-term view of the whole energy supply scene is stressed as necessary to balance shorter-term commercial considerations.

scholarly journals Evolution of Thermophilic Microbial Communities from a Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Chimney under Electrolithoautotrophic Conditions with Nitrate

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2475
Author(s):  
Guillaume Pillot ◽  
Oulfat Amin Ali ◽  
Sylvain Davidson ◽  
Laetitia Shintu ◽  
Yannick Combet-Blanc ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Electrical Current ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Energy Sources ◽  
Phylogenetic Groups ◽  
Electrical Consumption ◽  
Over Time

Recent studies have shown the presence of an abiotic electrical current across the walls of deep-sea hydrothermal chimneys, allowing the growth of electroautotrophic microbial communities. To understand the role of the different phylogenetic groups and metabolisms involved, this study focused on electrotrophic enrichment with nitrate as electron acceptor. The biofilm density, community composition, production of organic compounds, and electrical consumption were monitored by FISH confocal microscopy, qPCR, metabarcoding, NMR, and potentiostat measurements. A statistical analysis by PCA showed the correlation between the different parameters (qPCR, organic compounds, and electron acceptors) in three distinct temporal phases. In our conditions, the Archaeoglobales have been shown to play a key role in the development of the community as the first colonizers on the cathode and the first producers of organic compounds, which are then used as an organic source by heterotrophs. Finally, through subcultures of the community, we showed the development of a greater biodiversity over time. This observed phenomenon could explain the biodiversity development in hydrothermal contexts, where energy sources are transient and unstable.

Modeling of Biological Processes in the Subsurface

1987 ◽  
Vol 19 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 769-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward J. Bouwer ◽  
Gordon D. Cobb
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transport ◽  
Electron Acceptor ◽  
Electron Acceptors ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Organic Micropollutants ◽  
Monod Kinetics ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Transport Effects ◽  
Mass Transport Effects

Biofilm processes are potentially important for transformations of organic micropollutants in groundwater. The type of electron acceptor used by the microorganisms is an important environmental factor affecting biotransformation. A fundamental model of biofilm kinetics is shown to be capable of simulating microbially-mediated changes in a subsurface system of primary substrates and mixed electron acceptors. The model incorporates external mass transport effects, Monod kinetics with determination of limiting electron donor or acceptor, and competitive and sequential microbial reactions. The system to which the model is applied includes aerobic carbonaceous oxidation, nitrification, denitrification, sulfate respiration, and methanogenesis. The model establishes the dominant electron acceptor condition in a given region so that favorable environments for organic contaminant biotransformation can be determined. Model simulations could suggest useful strategies to achieve aquifer clean-up with biological processes.

scholarly journals Ecotoxicity, Occurrence, and Removal of Pharmaceuticals and Illicit Drugs from Aquatic Systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 12530-12546
Keyword(s):  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plants ◽  
Water System ◽  
Illegal Drugs ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Aquatic Life ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health Care Clinics ◽  
Physical Chemical

ollutants of legal pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs are causing many adverse effects on the environment. Pollutants are arising from waste products and from pharmaceuticals or illegal drugs that have not been disposed of properly. Pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs are becoming subject of concern for the past few decades after they attracted considerable attention because they do not willingly biodegrade & remain toxic. Pharmaceuticals compounds such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, psychotropic, human drugs, hormones, and illicit drugs usually occur in wastewater from households, hospitals, health care clinics, veterinary, etc. ends in the water system. They potentially impact human health & aquatic life. Recent studies confirm legal pharmaceuticals & illegal drug residue in drinking water, surface water & groundwater. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been considered as hotspots of Pharmaceuticals residue. This removes contaminants from water using physical, chemical & biological processes. This review focuses on the occurrence, toxicity, and elimination of legal pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in water systems.

Fluorescent potentiometric dyes for membrane-potential imaging

1994 ◽  
Vol 52 ◽  
pp. 166-167
Author(s):  
Leslie M. Loew
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Potential ◽  
Single Cells ◽  
Quantitative Imaging ◽  
Optical Recording ◽  
Biological Processes ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
The Past ◽  
Excitable Systems ◽  
Major Application ◽  
The Impact

A major application of potentiometric dyes has been the multisite optical recording of electrical activity in excitable systems. After being championed by L.B. Cohen and his colleagues for the past 20 years, the impact of this technology is rapidly being felt and is spreading to an increasing number of neuroscience laboratories. A second class of experiments involves using dyes to image membrane potential distributions in single cells by digital imaging microscopy - a major focus of this lab. These studies usually do not require the temporal resolution of multisite optical recording, being primarily focussed on slow cell biological processes, and therefore can achieve much higher spatial resolution. We have developed 2 methods for quantitative imaging of membrane potential. One method uses dual wavelength imaging of membrane-staining dyes and the other uses quantitative 3D imaging of a fluorescent lipophilic cation; the dyes used in each case were synthesized for this purpose in this laboratory.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document