Microbial electron acceptors

Lohner ST, Katzoreck D, Tiehm A. (2008a). Electromigration of microbial electron acceptors and nutrients (I) Transport in synthetic media./owmaZ of Environmental Science and Health Part A 43 913-921. 

The production of reduced products like methane and ammonia by the gut microbial flora has important environmental consequences, as such compounds contribute to the chemical and biological oxygen demand. The detection of dissolved oxygen in the gut of piglets led to tests to show whether methane and other reduced products could be oxidized in the pig gut. The production of C-labelledCOj from C-labelledmethane has been demonstrated however, it is calculated that at most only a very small proportion of methane produced is likely to be oxidized using O 2 as electron acceptor. Methane may also be oxidized anaerobically, but only an extremely small amount of methane is likely to... 

The microbial degradation of contaminants under anaerobic conditions using humic acids as electron acceptors has been demonstrated. These included the oxidations (a) chloroethene and 1,2-dichloroethene to CO2 that was confirmed using C-labeled substrates (Bradley et al. 1998) and (b) toluene to CO2 with AQDS or humic acid as electron acceptors (Cervantes et al. 2001). The transformation of l,3,5-trinitro-l,3,5-triazine was accomplished using Geobacter metallireducens and humic material with AQDS as electron shuttle (Kwon and Finneran 2006). 

Bradley PM, FH Chapelle, DR Lovley (1998) Humic acids as electron acceptors for anaerobic microbial oxidation of vinyl chloride and dichloroethene. Appl Environ Microbiol 68 3102-3103. 

The B. licheniformis JF-2 strain produces a very effective surfactant under conditions typical of oil reservoirs. The partially purified biosurfactant from JF-2 was shown to be the most active microbial surfactant found, and it gave an interfacial tension against decane of 0.016 mN/m. An optimal production of the surfactant was obtained in cultures grown in the presence of 5% NaCl at a temperature of 45° C and pH of 7. TTie major endproducts of fermentation were lactic acid and acetic acid, with smaller amounts of formic acid and acetoin. The growth and biosurfactant formation were also observed in anaerobic cultures supplemented with a suitable electron acceptor, such as NaNO3[1106]. 

The genus Thiobacillus, especially the species T. denitrificans catalyzed the oxidation reactions of hydrogen sulfide yielding soluble hydrosulfide compounds, elemental sulfur, and sulfuric acid. Carbonyl sulfide and carbon disulfide are converted to hydrogen sulfide by hydrolysis. Additionally, they are oxidized to SOx and sulfates via microbial action. The reported oxidation reactions of thiosulfate using nitrate as electron acceptor are ... 

Hong YG, Gu J, Xu ZC et al (2007) Humic substances act as electron acceptor and redox mediator for microbial dissimilatory azoreduction by Shewanella decolorationis S12. J Microbiol Biotechnol 17 428 -37... 

Fig. 33.1. Results of a batch experiment (symbols) by Blum et al. (1998) in which Bacillus arsenicoselenatis grows on lactate, using arsenate [As(V)] as an electron acceptor. Solid lines show results of integrating a kinetic rate model describing microbial respiration and growth.

TABLE 1.1. Electron Acceptors and Corresponding Conditions for Microbial Redox Processes in Sewer Networks. 

The fundamental understanding of the microbial processes in wastewater is based on the fact that substrate utilization for growth of biomass takes place parallel to its removal for energy purposes by an electron acceptor. Figure 2.2 shows the general concept and examples where an external electron acceptor is involved. These fundamental microbial transformations take place in the water phase, in the biofilms and in the sediments of the sewer. 

FIGURE 2.2. Microbial biomass and substrate relations as applied to wastewater in sewer systems under aerobic, anoxic and anaerobic conditions and involving an external electron acceptor. 

The microbial catabolic processes, which proceed in wastewater, provide the biomass with energy. These processes include two process steps oxidation of organic matter and reduction of an electron acceptor. The entire oxidation-reduction process, or redox process, consists basically of transfer of electrons from the electron donor (the organic matter) to the relevant electron acceptor, i.e., from the oxidation step to the reduction step. 

The following exemplifies how the total balance of a redox reaction is completed taking an electron donor and an electron acceptor (cf. the outline of the total redox reaction in Figure 2.3). Example 2.2 is, in this respect, used as an example of an (microbial) oxidation of an electron donor (organic matter) under anoxic conditions, i.e., with reduction of NO3 as electron acceptor (cf. Example 2.4). 

The microbial processes in the sewer interact across the boundaries of the subsystems. Exchange of substrate (electron donors as well as electron acceptors) and biomass between these subsystems proceeds. 

The microbial transformations of the wastewater described in the concept shown in Figure 5.5 deal with the COD components defined in Section 3.2.6. The figure also depicts the major processes that include the transformations of the organic matter (the electron donors) in the two subsystems of the sewer the suspended wastewater phase and the sewer biofilm. The air-water oxygen transfer (the reaeration) provides the aerobic microbial processes with the electron acceptor (cf. Section 4.4). Sediment processes are omitted in the concept but are indirectly taken into account in terms of a biofilm at the sediment surface. Water phase/biofilm exchange of electron donors and dissolved oxygen is included in the description. 

The OUR is an activity-related quantitative measure of the aerobic biomass influence on the relationship between the electron donor (organic substrate) and the electron acceptor (dissolved oxygen, DO). It is a measure of the flow of electrons through the entire process system under aerobic conditions (Figure 2.2). The OUR versus time relationship of wastewater samples from sewers becomes a backbone for analysis of the microbial system. This relationship is crucial for characterization of the suspended wastewater phase in terms of COD components and corresponding kinetic and stoichiometric parameters of in-sewer processes. 

Highly halogenated organic compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls and perchloroethylene appear to be too highly oxidised and low in energy content to serve as sources of electrons and energy for microbial metabolism. Bacteria are more likely to use them as electron acceptors in cell-membrane-based respiration processes [154]. The environmental fate of halogenated polymers such as polyvinylchloride or Teflon may depend on the question of whether it will be appropriate to sustain de-halorespiration processes. 

Microbial response to injection of electron acceptors and nutrients may be conducted. 

Design area of influence, which is the volume and area of the aquifer to which an adequate amount of electron acceptor and nutrients can be supplied to sustain microbial activity ... 

In some undisturbed subsurface systems, an equilibrium is established. Bacteria have acclimated to food sources, water availability, and electron acceptor types. The number and variety of microbial cells are balanced in this system. If the system is aerobic, the microbial activity continues at the rate of oxygen resupply. If the system is anaerobic, the rate of activity cannot exceed the accessibility of alternate electron acceptors. Generally, the subsurface (lower than the plant root zone) is relatively deficient in available carbon and electron acceptors. Under these normal semi-equilibrium conditions, a soil or aquifer system can consume organic materials within a reasonable range. When a chemical release is introduced into a well-established soil system, the system must change to react to this new energy source. The bacterial balance readjusts, in an effort to acclimate to the new carbon source. 

Permeability The rate of microbial ability to metabolize hydrocarbons is limited primarily by the availability of electron acceptors and nutrient supply. In... 

Without appropriate cleanup measures, BTEX often persist in subsurface environments, endangering groundwater resources and public health. Bioremediation, in conjunction with free product recovery, is one of the most cost-effective approaches to clean up BTEX-contaminated sites [326]. However, while all BTEX compounds are biodegradable, there are several factors that can limit the success of BTEX bioremediation, such as pollutant concentration, active biomass concentration, temperature, pH, presence of other substrates or toxicants, availability of nutrients and electron acceptors, mass transfer limitations, and microbial adaptation. These factors have been recognized in various attempts to optimize clean-up operations. Yet, limited attention has been given to the exploitation of favorable substrate interactions to enhance in situ BTEX biodegradation. 

BTEX bioremediation projects often focus on overcoming limitations to natural degradative processes associated with the insufficient supply of inorganic nutrients and electron acceptors. However, other limitations associated with the presence and expression of appropriate microbial catabolic capacities may also hinder the effectiveness of bioremediation. Thus, while subsurface addition of oxygen or nitrate has proven sufficient to remove BTEX below detection levels [134,145,292,315,316], it has been only marginally effective at some sites [6]. Sometimes, the concentration of a target BTEX compound fails to decrease below a threshold level even after years of continuous addition of nutrients and electron acceptors [317]. This phenomenon has also been observed for many other xenobiotic and natural substrates under various experimental conditions [327-332]. 

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