scholarly journals Assessment of Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 as an option for sustainable wastewater treatment

Author(s):  
Georgios Samiotis ◽  
Kostas Stamatakis ◽  
Elisavet Amanatidou

Abstract Industrial wastewaters are recognized as a valuable resource, however their disposal without proper treatment can result in environmental deterioration. The associated environmental/operational cost of wastewater treatment necessitates upgrade of applied processes towards the goals of sustainability and mitigation of climate change. The implementation of cyanobacteria-based processes can contribute to these goals via resources recovery, production of high-value products, carbon fixation and green-energy production. The present study evaluates the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (S7942) as a biological component for novel and sustainable alternatives to typical biological nutrient removal processes. Valuable results regarding cultivation temperature boundaries, applied disinfection techniques and analytical methods, as well as regarding relations between parameters expressing S7942 biomass concentration are presented. The results show that at typical industrial wastewater temperatures, S7942 efficiently grew and removed nitrates from treated snack-industry's wastewater. Moreover, in cultures with treated and relatively saline dairy wastewater, its growth rate slightly decreased, but nevertheless nitrates removal rate remained efficiently high. A comparison between typical denitrification processes and the proposed nutrient removal process indicated that a S7942-based system may constitute an alternative or a supplementary to denitrification process. Thus, Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 proved to be a potent candidate towards sustainable industrial wastewater treatment applications.

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1313
Author(s):  
ShylajaNaciyar Mohandass ◽  
Mangalalakshmi Ragavan ◽  
Dineshbabu Gnanasekaran ◽  
Uma Lakshmanan ◽  
Prabaharan Dharmar ◽  
...  

Discharge of recalcitrant azo dyes to the environment poses a serious threat to environmental health. However certain microorganisms in nature have developed their survival strategies by degrading these toxic dyes. Cyanobacteria are one such prokaryotic, photosynthetic group of microorganisms that degrade various xenobiotic compounds, due to their capability to produce various reactive oxygen species (ROS), and particularly the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) when released in their milieu. The accumulation of H2O2 is the result of the dismutation of superoxide radicals by the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). In this study, we have genetically modified the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 by integrating Cu/Zn SOD gene (sodC) from Synechococcus sp. PCC 9311 to its neutral site through homologous recombination. The overexpression of sodC in the derivative strain was driven using a strong constitutive promoter of the psbA gene. The derivative strain resulted in constitutive production of sodC, which was induced further during dye-treated growth. The genetically engineered Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 (MS-sodC+) over-accumulated H2O2 during azo dye treatment with a higher dye removal rate than the wild-type strain (WS-sodC−). Therefore, enhanced H2O2 accumulation through SODs overexpression in cyanobacteria may serve as a valuable bioremediation tool.


2011 ◽  
Vol 365 ◽  
pp. 354-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuo Liu ◽  
Ji Fu Wang ◽  
Bao Zhen Wang ◽  
Bing Wang ◽  
Wei Wan

To solve the problem of eutrophication in receiving water, a novel Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) with combined configuration was designed for municipal wastewater treatment and reclamation. By dividing bioreactor into three zones, the combined MBR operated under anoxic, anaerobic and aerobic conditions. It provided optimum conditions for nitrification, denitrifying and phosphate accumulating bacterial growth which resulted in high biological nutrient removal rate directly. The operational performance of combined MBR pilot plant showed that it exhibited high nutrient removal rate on Chemical oxygen demand (CODcr), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP). The mean value of effluent CODcr, TN and TP removal rate was 90.63%, 63.05% and 60.51% respectively during 180 days of operation. In order to obtain stable membrane flux, the combined MBR packed with fibrous bio-film carrier and added diatomite. Furthermore, it could alleviate membrane fouling effectively. As a result, the combined MBR improved effluent water quality significantly and alleviated membrane fouling remarkably.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Samiotis ◽  
Maria G. Ziagova ◽  
Elisavet Amanatidou

Abstract The cultivation of microalgae or/and cyanobacteria in nutrient-rich wastewaters presents a significant opportunity for enhancing sustainability of tertiary wastewater treatment processes via resources/energy recovery/production. However, maintaining a monoculture in wastewater-media constitutes a significant challenge to be addressed, as a plethora of antagonistic and predating microorganisms exist is such media. In this regard, the present work assesses the efficiency of the low-cost wastewater substrate disinfection techniques of filtration, use of NaClO, H2O2 or Fe(VI), in terms of antagonistic or/and predating microbial species growth inhibition in Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 cultivations. Nitrates and phosphates removal rates were also experimentally assessed. The results showed that filter thickness has a greater effect on disinfection efficiency than that of filter’s pore size. Furthermore, the disinfection efficiency of Fe(VI), which was produced on-site by electrosynthesis via a Fe0/Fe0 cell, was greater than that of NaClO and H2O2. Filtration at ≤ 1.2 µm pore size coupled with chemical disinfection leads to unhindered S7942 growth and efficient nitrates and phosphates removal rates, at dosages of CT ≥ 270 mg min L−1 for NaClO and CT ≥ 157 mg min L−1 for Fe(VI). The coagulation action of Fe(III) species that result from Fe(VI) reduction and the oxidation action of Fe(VI) can assist in turbidity, organic compounds and phosphorous removal from wastewater-media. Moreover, the residual iron species can assist in S7942 harvesting and may enhance photosynthesis rate. Thus, the utilization of wastewaters for S7942 cultivation as tertiary treatment seems a promising and novel alternative to common nutrient removal processes that can reduce environmental footprint and operational costs of wastewater treatment plants.


1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Rabinowitz ◽  
T. D. Vassos ◽  
R. N. Dawson ◽  
W. K. Oldham

A brief review of recent developments in biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal technology is presented. Guidelines are outlined of how current understanding of these two removal mechanisms can be applied in the upgrading of existing wastewater treatment plants for biological nutrient removal. A case history dealing with the upgrading of the conventional activated sludge process located at Penticton, British Columbia, to a biological nutrient removal facility with a design flow of 18,200 m3/day (4.0 IMGD) is presented as a design example. Process components requiring major modification were the headworks, bioreactors and sludge handling facilities.


1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vibeke R. Borregaard

In the upgrade of wastewater treatment plants to include biological nutrient removal the space available is often a limiting facor. It may be difficult to use conventional suspended growth processes (i.e. activated sludge) owing to the relatively large surface area required for these processes. Recent years have therefore seen a revived interest in treatment technologies using various types of attached growth processes. The “new” attached growth processes, like the Biostyr process, utilise various kinds of manufactured media, e.g. polystyrene granules, which offer a high specific surface area, and are therefore very compact. The Biostyr plants allow a combination of nitrification-denitrification and filtration in one and the same unit. The results obtained are 8 mg total N/l and an SS content normally below 10 mg/l. The plants in Denmark which have been extended with a Biostyr unit have various levels of PLC control and on-line instrumentation.


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