scholarly journals Nitrate-Utilizing Microorganisms Resistant to Multiple Metals from the Heavily Contaminated Oak Ridge Reservation

2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael P. Thorgersen ◽  
Xiaoxuan Ge ◽  
Farris L. Poole ◽  
Morgan N. Price ◽  
Adam P. Arkin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTContamination of environments with nitrate generated by industrial processes and the use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers is a growing problem worldwide. While nitrate can be removed from contaminated areas by microbial denitrification, nitrate frequently occurs with other contaminants, such as heavy metals, that have the potential to impede the process. Here, nitrate-reducing microorganisms were enriched and isolated from both groundwater and sediments at the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR) using concentrations of nitrate and metals (Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Cd, and U) similar to those observed in a contaminated environment at ORR. Seven new metal-resistant, nitrate-reducing strains were characterized, and their distribution across both noncontaminated and contaminated areas at ORR was examined. While the seven strains have various pH ranges for growth, carbon source preferences, and degrees of resistance to individual and combinations of metals, all were able to reduce nitrate at similar rates both in the presence and absence of the mixture of metals found in the contaminated ORR environment. Four strains were identified in groundwater samples at different ORR locations by exact 16S RNA sequence variant analysis, and all four were found in both noncontaminated and contaminated areas. By using environmentally relevant metal concentrations, we successfully isolated multiple organisms from both ORR noncontaminated and contaminated environments that are capable of reducing nitrate in the presence of extreme mixed-metal contamination.IMPORTANCENitrate contamination is a global issue that affects groundwater quality. In some cases, cocontamination of groundwater with nitrate and mixtures of heavy metals could decrease microbially mediated nitrate removal, thereby increasing the duration of nitrate contamination. Here, we used metal and nitrate concentrations that are present in a contaminated site at the Oak Ridge Reservation to isolate seven metal-resistant strains. All were able to reduce nitrate in the presence of high concentrations of a mixture of heavy metals. Four of seven strains were located in pristine as well as contaminated sites at the Oak Ridge Reservation. Further study of these nitrate-reducing strains will uncover mechanisms of resistance to multiple metals that will increase our understanding of the effect of nitrate and metal contamination on groundwater microbial communities.

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (22) ◽  
pp. 7413-7419 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Bollmann ◽  
Anthony V. Palumbo ◽  
Kim Lewis ◽  
Slava S. Epstein

ABSTRACT The majority of environmental microorganisms cannot be grown by traditional techniques. Here we employed, and contrasted with conventional plating, an alternative approach based on cultivation of microorganisms inside diffusion chambers incubated within natural samples, followed by subculturing in petri dishes. Using this approach, we isolated microorganisms from subsurface sediments from the Field Research Center (FRC) in Oak Ridge, TN. The sediments were acidic and highly contaminated with uranium, heavy metals, nitrate, and organic pollutants. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed clear differences between diversity of isolates obtained by the diffusion chamber approach and those obtained by conventional plating. The latter approach led to isolation of members of the Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia. Isolates obtained via the diffusion chamber approach represented the Alpha-, Beta-, and Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Notably, one-third of the isolates obtained by the new method were closely related to species known from previous molecular surveys conducted in the FRC area. Since the initial growth of microorganisms inside diffusion chambers occurred in the presence of the environmental stress factors, we expected the isolates we obtained to be tolerant of these factors. We investigated the physiologies of selected isolates and discovered that the majority were indeed capable of growth under low pH and/or high concentrations of heavy metals and nitrate. This indicated that in contrast to conventional isolation, the diffusion chamber-based approach leads to isolation of species that are novel, exhibit tolerance to extant environmental conditions, and match some of the species previously discovered by molecular methods.


2011 ◽  
Vol 414 ◽  
pp. 5-15
Author(s):  
Xiao Nan Sun ◽  
Xiu Rong Chen ◽  
An Ping Liu ◽  
Shi Ming Lv ◽  
Xing Xing Yao

On the basis of investigation of specific heavy metals contaminated site, use compound heavy metal hazard quotients to do a assessment for potential health risk. The primarily detected excessive heavy metals are Zn, Gr, Cu and Hg. Results indicate that: in the surface (0~30 cm) and subsurface (30~70 cm), the compound heavy metal hazard quotients of sampling point 7#, 12#, 13# 6#, 7#, 12#, and 13# are greater than 1, and soil exists heavy metal contamination; in 70cm~100cm soil layer, the hazard quotients of all monitoring points are less than 1, therefore in these layers soil is not contaminated, and there are no need for remediation. The result reflects compound heavy metal contamination directly, and provides a reference for later remediation work.


2007 ◽  
Vol 73 (15) ◽  
pp. 4892-4904 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne M. Spain ◽  
Aaron D. Peacock ◽  
Jonathan D. Istok ◽  
Mostafa S. Elshahed ◽  
Fares Z. Najar ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Immobilization of uranium in groundwater can be achieved through microbial reduction of U(VI) to U(IV) upon electron donor addition. Microbial community structure was analyzed in ethanol-biostimulated and control sediments from a high-nitrate (>130 mM), low-pH, uranium-contaminated site in Oak Ridge, TN. Analysis of small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene clone libraries and polar lipid fatty acids from sediments revealed that biostimulation resulted in a general decrease in bacterial diversity. Specifically, biostimulation resulted in an increase in the proportion of Betaproteobacteria (10% of total clones in the control sediment versus 50 and 79% in biostimulated sediments) and a decrease in the proportion of Gammaproteobacteria and Acidobacteria. Clone libraries derived from dissimilatory nitrite reductase genes (nirK and nirS) were also dominated by clones related to Betaproteobacteria (98% and 85% of total nirK and nirS clones, respectively). Within the nirK libraries, one clone sequence made up 59 and 76% of sequences from biostimulated sediments but only made up 10% of the control nirK library. Phylogenetic analysis of SSU rRNA and nirK gene sequences from denitrifying pure cultures isolated from the site indicate that all belong to a Castellaniella species; nearly identical sequences also constituted the majority of biostimulated SSU rRNA and nirK clone libraries. Thus, by combining culture-independent with culture-dependent techniques, we were able to link SSU rRNA clone library information with nirK sequence data and conclude that a potentially novel Castellaniella species is important for in situ nitrate removal at this site.


Author(s):  
Sangeetha Annam ◽  
Anshu Singla

Abstract: Soil is a major and important natural resource, which not only supports human life but also furnish commodities for ecological and economic growth. Ecological risk has posed a serious threat to the ecosystem by the degradation of soil. The high-stress level of heavy metals like chromium, copper, cadmium, etc. produce ecological risks which include: decrease in the fertility of the soil; reduction in crop yield & degradation of metabolism of living beings, and hence ecological health. The ecological risk associated, demands the assessment of heavy metal stress levels in soils. As the rate of stress level of heavy metals is exponentially increasing in recent times, it is apparent to assess or predict heavy metal contamination in soil. The assessment will help the concerned authorities to take corrective as well as preventive measures to enhance the ecological and hence economic growth. This study reviews the efficient assessment models to predict soil heavy metal contamination.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6592
Author(s):  
Ana Moldovan ◽  
Maria-Alexandra Hoaghia ◽  
Anamaria Iulia Török ◽  
Marius Roman ◽  
Ionut Cornel Mirea ◽  
...  

This study aims to investigate the quality and vulnerability of surface water (Aries River catchment) in order to identify the impact of past mining activities. For this purpose, the pollution and water quality indices, Piper and Durov plots, as well vulnerability modeling maps were used. The obtained results indicate that the water samples were contaminated with As, Fe, Mn, Pb and have relatively high concentrations of SO42−, HCO3−, TDS, Ca, K, Mg and high values for the electrical conductivity. Possible sources of the high content of chemicals could be the natural processes or the inputs of the mine drainage. Generally, according to the pollution indices, which were correlated to high concentrations of heavy metals, especially with Pb, Fe and Mn, the water samples were characterized by heavy metals pollution. The water quality index classified the studied water samples into five different classes of quality, namely: unsuitable for drinking, poor, medium, good and excellent quality. Similarly, medium, high and very high vulnerability classes were observed. The Durov and Piper plots classified the waters into Mg-HCO3− and Ca-Cl− types. The past and present mining activities clearly change the water chemistry and alter the quality of the Aries River, with the water requiring specific treatments before use.


Geofluids ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Ducci

This research presents a methodology for assessing nitrate contamination susceptibility in groundwater using thematic maps, derived mainly from the land use map and from statistical data available at national/regional institutes of statistics (especially demographic and environmental data). The methodology was applied in a large area of southern Italy encompassing 4 alluvial and volcanic groundwater bodies, with high concentrations of NO3. The Potential Nitrate Contamination is believed to derive from three sources: agricultural, urban, and periurban. The first one is related to the use of fertilizers. For this reason the land use map was reclassified on the basis of the crop requirements in terms of fertilizers to obtain the Agricultural Potential Nitrate Contamination (APNC) map. The urban source considers leakages from the sewage network and, consequently, it depends on the anthropogenic pressure, expressed by the population density, particularly concentrated in the urbanized areas (Urban Potential Nitrate Contamination (UPNC) map). The periurban sources include unsewered areas, especially present in the periurban context, where illegal sewage connections coexist with on-site sewage disposal (cesspools, septic tanks, and pit latrines) (Periurban Potential Nitrate Contamination (PuPNC) map). The Potential Nitrate Contamination (PNC) map is produced by overlaying the APNC, UPNC, and PuPNC maps. The map combination process is straightforward, being an algebraic combination: the output values are the arithmetic average of the input values. The final pollution susceptibility (RISK) map is obtained by combining the PNC map with the groundwater contamination vulnerability (GwVu) map. The methodology, successfully applied in the study area with a relatively good correlation between the nitrate contamination susceptibility map and the nitrate distribution in groundwater, appears to be effective and have a significant potential for being applied worldwide.


2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 17-37
Author(s):  
Georgiana Grosu ◽  
◽  
Carmen Andreea Roba ◽  
Ramona Bălc ◽  
Maria Lucia Bizău-Cârstea ◽  
...  

The present study was conducted in the proximity of a contaminated site from Cluj-Napoca city (Cluj County, Romania), where metal processing activities have been carried out for decades. Metal content and physico-chemical parameters were analyzed in soil, water and sediment samples, while organic matter (OM) and total organic carbon (TOC) was additionally analyzed for the soil samples. The sources of heavy metals were evaluated based on multivariate statistical analysis, while the soil and sediment contamination degree was assessed based on specific pollution indices. The calculated indices indicated a significant pollution with Cd and Pb, which may represent a risk if the area would become a residential area. Keywords: heavy metals, contaminated site, soil pollution indices, multivariate statistical analysis, Cluj-Napoca


1970 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashafaque Ahmed ◽  
Mikael Ohlson ◽  
Sirajul Hoque ◽  
Md Golam Moula

Chemical composition of leaves of Sonneratia apetala Buch.-Ham. collected from three islands (chars) representing three hydrological regimes in a segment of the coastal zone of Bangladesh was studied. Their relations to some soil chemical and physical variables have also been investigated. The results showed that concentrations of B, C, Fe, Ga, Li, Mg, Mn, N, Na, P, Zn and Sr in leaves of S. apetala grown in different islands differed significantly. It was also revealed that some heavy metals, viz. Mn, Fe, Al, Sr and Ti showed wide range of concentrations. The leaves from one of the locations in Motherbunia island were characterized by exceptional high concentrations of heavy metals such as Al, As, Cu, Fe, Li, Ni, Pb that may be due to local contamination. Leaves sampled in the most seaward locations of the same island had highest concentrations of Ba, Ca, Cu, Mn and Na. High Mn concentration was found in the leaves of S. apetala of Motherbunia island. Correlations among soil and plant samples were generally very weak and organic matter content of soil did not appear to play a significant role in the nutrient supply of S. apetala. Key words: Coastal zone; tidal inundation; elemental concentration; Sonneratia apetala DOI: 10.3329/bjb.v39i1.5528Bangladesh J. Bot. 39(1): 61-69, 2010 (June)


Author(s):  
Made Rahayu Kusumadewi ◽  
I Wayan Budiarsa Suyasa ◽  
I Ketut Berata

Tukad Badung River is one of the potential contamination of heavy metal sare very highin the city of Denpasar. Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) isa commonspecies of fish found in the river and became the object of fishing by the public. The fish is usually consume das a food ingredient forever yangler. Fish can be used as bio-indicators of chemical contamination in the aquatic environment. Determination of heavy metal bioconcentration and analysis of liver histopathology gills organs and muscles is performed to determine the content of heavy metals Pb, Cd, and Cr+6, and the influence of heavy metal exposure to changes in organ histopathology Tilapia that live in Tukad Badung. In this observational study examined the levels of heavy metal contamination include Pb, Cd and Cr+6 in Tilapia meat with AAS method (Atomic Absorption Spectrofotometric), and observe the histopathological changes in organ preparations gills, liver, and muscle were stained with HE staining (hematoxylin eosin). Low Pb content of the fish that live in Tukad Badung 0.8385 mg/kg and high of 20.2600 mg/kg. The content of heavy metals Pb is above the quality standards specified in ISO 7378 : 2009 in the amount of 0.3 mg / kg. The content of Cr+6 low of 1.1402 mg / kg and the highest Cr+6 is 6.2214 mg / kg. The content of Cr+6 is above the quality standards established in the FAO Fish Circular 764 is equal to 1.0 mg / kg. In fish with Pb bioconcentration of 0.8385 mg / kg and Cr+6 of 1.1402 mg / kg was found that histopathological changes gill hyperplasia and fusion, the liver was found degeneration, necrosis, and fibrosis, and in muscle atrophy found. Histopathologicalchangessuch asedema and necrosis ofthe liveris foundin fishwith Pb bioconcentration of 4.5225mg/kg and Cr+6 amounted to2.5163mg/kg. Bio concentration of heavy metal contamination of lead (Pb) and hexavalent chromium (Cr+6) on Tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus ) who lives in Tukad Badung river waters exceed the applicable standard. Histopathological changes occur in organs gills, liver, and muscle as a result of exposure to heavy metals lead and hexavalent chromium. Advised the people not to eat Tilapia that live in Tukad Badung


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