Biodegradation of cis-Dichloroethene as the Sole Carbon Source by a β-Proteobacterium

ABSTRACT An aerobic bacterium capable of growth on cis-dichloroethene (cDCE) as a sole carbon and energy source was isolated by enrichment culture. The 16S ribosomal DNA sequence of the isolate (strain JS666) had 97.9% identity to the sequence from Polaromonas vacuolata, indicating that the isolate was a β-proteobacterium. At 20°C, strain JS666 grew on cDCE with a minimum doubling time of 73 ± 7 h and a growth yield of 6.1 g of protein/mol of cDCE. Chloride analysis indicated that complete dechlorination of cDCE occurred during growth. The half-velocity constant for cDCE transformation was 1.6 ± 0.2 μM, and the maximum specific substrate utilization rate ranged from 12.6 to 16.8 nmol/min/mg of protein. Resting cells grown on cDCE could transform cDCE, ethene, vinyl chloride, trans-dichloroethene, trichloroethene, and 1,2-dichloroethane. Epoxyethane was produced from ethene by cDCE-grown cells, suggesting that an epoxidation reaction is the first step in cDCE degradation.

The reaction characteristics of wastewater containing nitrophenol, treated using an anaerobic biological fluidized bed

An anaerobic biological fluidized bed was used to treat a synthetic wastewater containing three types of nitrophenols. The results proved that para-nitrophenol (p-NP) was the most toxic nitrophenol to methane producing bacteria while meta-nitrophenol (m-NP) was found to be less toxic, with ortho-nitrophenol (o-NP) being the least toxic to the methane bacteria. The results also showed that o-NP was much more easily decomposed by the microbes on the activated carbon biofilm. During the anaerobic digestion it was found that wastewater containing o-NP had the largest specific methane production rate, specific growth rate, and specific substrate utilization rate, while wastewater containing p-NP had the smallest rate figures. In addition, analyzing metabolites of the effluent indicated the anaerobic metabolism of m-NP started with a hydrogenation reduction, resulting in the production of m-aminophenol follwed by phenol after deamination.

Anaerobic Fluidized-Bed Treatment of Brewery Wastes and Bioenergy Recovery

This paper presents the results of a pilot plant study using an Anaerobic Fluidized Bed Reactor (AFBR) for treatment of brewery wastes. A COD removal efficiency of greater than 75% was observed at an organic loading rate (OLR) of 9.5 kg COD/m3-day for a Deriod of 82 days from start-up. COD removal efficiency was greater than 74% at an OLR of 14.6 kg COD/m3 expanded bed (e.b)-day. A COD to methane conversion of 87% was achieved. Experimental results have suggested that the COD removal efficiency of an AFBR is only a function of COD loading, and neither the feed COD nor HRT alone significantly affect the performance of the reactor. A linear relationship was found between the specific substrate utilization rate and the specific methane production rate. It was observed that the distribution of the biomass along the height of the reactor is not uniform, and the biomass hold-up near the top of the reactor may reach concentrations of greater than 20,000 mg/l.

Temperature Characteristics of the Methanogenesis Process in Anaerobic Digestion

Experiments using high concentration of the major intermediates of anaerobic digestion were conducted with anaerobic chemostat-type reactors to investigate the temperature characteristics of the methanogenesis process. Temperature ranging from 15°C to 50°C were studied. The optimum temperature was 35°C. The methane production was temperature and loading rate dependent. Bacilli were the predominant microbial species and this predominance was independent of digestion temperature. At the mesophilic range, with increasing temperature the saturation constant (Ks) decreased, while the maximum specific substrate utilization rate (vmax) and growth yield (Yg) increased. Their temperature characteristics were described using exponential expressions. For retention times longer than 8 days, the process progressed normally and satisfactorily even at 25°C, and the substrate removal efficiency was more than 96% which was the same as that at 35°C. At the temperature range of 25°C to 35°C, the simulation model is