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Applied Sciences
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Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils
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Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2020) | Viewed by 35884

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Federica Spina

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Guest Editor
Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
Interests: decontamination processes based on fungi and their enzymes; impact of contaminants in terrestrial and aquatic environments
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valeria Prigione

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Guest Editor
Mycotheca Universitatis Taurinensis, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
Interests: marine fungi; taxonomy; systematic; bioremediation; fungal ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increasing urbanization and massive industrialization of our times jeopardize aquatic and terrestrial environments, with a continuous loss of ecosystem services. In recent years, public awareness about the need for access to clean waters and soils has increased, but much has to be done. Just in the European territories, it has been estimated that among the approx. 2.5 million potentially contaminated sites, 14% are expected to be contaminated and need to be addressed by targeted remediation actions. Today, heavy metals and organic aromatic compounds are just one part of the equation; emerging persistent micropollutants are becoming a new factor that needs to be considered.

Although many efforts have been done by legislative institutions, industrial and civil wastewaters still represent a threat for the ecosystem. Part of the problem is surely ascribable to the poor performances of wastewater treatment plants, which contrariwise may become a pollution hot spot of surface waters. As regards contaminated soils, recent surveys have highlighted that ex situ treatments are the most commonly used systems. With the excavation and the disposal at landfills of contaminated soil, there is no possibility to restore the ecological functions of the site. The implementation of the ongoing technologies represents indeed an actual and future challenge.

Although many studies have assessed the decontamination skills of algae, bacteria, and fungi, very scare information is available about the possibility to scale up the system at pilot and industrial level. Many challenges and technological issues have to be faced; they should be the driving forces of scientific research. New biocatalysts have to be discovered, and their skills as bioremediation agents have to be investigated.

The biotransformation of organic pollutants and the extraction of inorganic ones have been the target of several studies over the last decades. However, few have clarified the biological mechanisms, the capability of biocatalysts to resist the extreme environmental conditions they will be subjected to, the implementation to ongoing industrial processes, etc. This information may help the selection of the most proper organisms/enzymes and the most suitable technologies that would be scaled up. Moreover, it is mandatory to elucidate the fate of pollutants and transformation products in the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem. Due to the limits of the chemical analysis, toxicological studies are a fruitful tool to describe the actual environmental risk and efficiency of any bioremediation approach.

The purpose of this Special Issue is therefore to disseminate the results of advanced bio-based approaches. Particular attention will be given to those studies that address civil and industrial effluents as well as anthropized sediments and soils.

Dr. Federica Spina
Dr. Valeria Prigione
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wastewater treatment
  • contaminated soils
  • algae
  • bacteria
  • fungi
  • enzymes
  • advanced oxidation systems
  • reactors

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 780 KiB  
Article
Fungi and Arsenic: Tolerance and Bioaccumulation by Soil Saprotrophic Species
by Andrea Ceci, Veronica Spinelli, Lorenzo Massimi, Silvia Canepari and Anna Maria Persiani
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3218; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093218 - 05 May 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3630
Abstract
Increasing arsenic environmental concentrations are raising worldwide concern for its impacts on human health and ecosystem functionality. In order to cope with arsenic contamination, bioremediation using fungi can represent an efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective technological solution. Fungi can mitigate arsenic contamination through different [...] Read more.
Increasing arsenic environmental concentrations are raising worldwide concern for its impacts on human health and ecosystem functionality. In order to cope with arsenic contamination, bioremediation using fungi can represent an efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective technological solution. Fungi can mitigate arsenic contamination through different mechanisms including bioaccumulation. In this work, four soil saprotrophic fungi Absidia spinosa, Purpureocillium lilacinum, Metarhizium marquandii, and Cephalotrichum nanum, isolated from soils with naturally high arsenic concentrations, were tested for their ability to tolerate different sodium arsenite concentrations and accumulate As in different cultural conditions. pH medium after fungal growth was measured to study pH variation and metabolic responses. Arsenic bioaccumulation and its influence on the uptake of other elements were investigated through multi-elemental analysis using hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HG-AFS), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). Considering the increasing interest in siderophore application for metal bioremediation, the production of siderophores and their affinity for both Fe and As were also evaluated. All species were able to tolerate and accumulate As in their biomass in all of the tested conditions and produced siderophores with different affinities for Fe and As. The results suggest that the tested fungi are attractive potential candidates for the bioremediation of As contaminated soil and worthy of further investigation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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15 pages, 1996 KiB  
Article
Trichoderma: Evaluation of Its Degrading Abilities for the Bioremediation of Hydrocarbon Complex Mixtures
by Chiara Daccò, Lidia Nicola, Marta Elisabetta Eleonora Temporiti, Barbara Mannucci, Federica Corana, Giovanna Carpani and Solveig Tosi
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(9), 3152; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10093152 - 30 Apr 2020
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3805
Abstract
Hydrocarbons can have very harmful effects on organisms and the environment, and conventional techniques for their removal are expensive and require the use of chemicals and long-term actions. Trichoderma is an ascomycete genus known to be active on different recalcitrant substrates, since it [...] Read more.
Hydrocarbons can have very harmful effects on organisms and the environment, and conventional techniques for their removal are expensive and require the use of chemicals and long-term actions. Trichoderma is an ascomycete genus known to be active on different recalcitrant substrates, since it can produce a set of nonspecific extracellular enzymes generally involved in the degradation of lignin. However, the literature concerning the use of Trichoderma to degrade hydrocarbons is still limited. In this work we aimed to investigate the ability of Trichoderma to exploit used engine oil as its sole carbon source for prospective bioremediation of contaminated substrates. Four different strains belonging to Trichoderma asperellum and Trichoderma harzianum species were tested. The fungi were inoculated in direct contact with used engine oil, and after 45 days the samples were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The results showed that all strains (except Trichoderma asperellum F1020) significantly changed the oil composition, decreasing the aromatic fraction in favor of the aliphatic one. T. harzianum F26, especially, showed a significant reduction of the BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the three xylene isomers) and alkylbenzenes fraction and an increase in short-chain aliphatics C1–C20. Enzymatic tests for laccase and peroxidase were also carried out, demonstrating that every strain seems to express a different mode of action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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21 pages, 10134 KiB  
Article
Kinetics and Optimization by Response Surface Methodology of Aerobic Bioremediation. Geoelectrical Parameter Monitoring
by Carla Maria Raffa, Fulvia Chiampo, Alberto Godio, Andrea Vergnano, Francesca Bosco and Barbara Ruffino
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(1), 405; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10010405 - 05 Jan 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2768
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the kinetics of an aerobic bioremediation process of diesel oil removal by indigenous microorganisms, and to define the optimal operative conditions by means of response surface methodology. This was carried out by setting up a series of microcosms [...] Read more.
This study aimed to investigate the kinetics of an aerobic bioremediation process of diesel oil removal by indigenous microorganisms, and to define the optimal operative conditions by means of response surface methodology. This was carried out by setting up a series of microcosms (200 g of soil), polluted with the same diesel oil concentration (70 g·kg−1 of soil), but with different water contents (u%) and carbon to nitrogen (C/N) ratios. The process was monitored by: (1) residual diesel oil concentration, to measure the removal efficiency, and (2) fluorescein production, to check the microbial activity. These two parameters were the objective variables used for the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and response surface methodology (RSM). The results allowed the interactions between u% and C/N to be defined and the optimal range to be adopted for each. The process kinetics was modeled with first- and second-order reaction rates; slightly better results were achieved for the second-order model in terms of parameter variability. Biological processes like degradation may have effects on dielectric properties of soil; an open-ended coaxial cable was used to measure the dielectric permittivity of microcosm matrices at the start and after 130 days of bioremediation. The evolution of the real and the imaginary components of dielectric permittivity provided results that supported the evidence of a biodegradation process in progress. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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14 pages, 1298 KiB  
Article
Biodegradation of the Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical 17α-Ethynylestradiol (EE2) by Rhodococcus zopfii and Pseudomonas putida Encapsulated in Small Bioreactor Platform (SBP) Capsules
by Ofir Menashe, Yasmin Raizner, Martin Esteban Kuc, Vered Cohen-Yaniv, Aviv Kaplan, Hadas Mamane, Dror Avisar and Eyal Kurzbaum
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(1), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10010336 - 02 Jan 2020
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3413
Abstract
In this study, we present an innovative new bio-treatment approach for 17α-ethynyestradiol (EE2). Our solution for EE2 decontamination was accomplished by using the SBP (Small Bioreactor Platform) macro-encapsulation method for the encapsulation of two bacterial cultures, Rhodococcus zopfii (R. zopfii ) and [...] Read more.
In this study, we present an innovative new bio-treatment approach for 17α-ethynyestradiol (EE2). Our solution for EE2 decontamination was accomplished by using the SBP (Small Bioreactor Platform) macro-encapsulation method for the encapsulation of two bacterial cultures, Rhodococcus zopfii (R. zopfii ) and Pseudomonas putida F1 (P. putida). Our results show that the encapsulated R. zopffi presented better biodegradation capabilities than P. putida F1. After 24 h of incubation on minimal medium supplemented with EE2 as a sole carbon source, EE2 biodegradation efficacy was 73.8% and 86.5% in the presence of encapsulated P. putida and R. zopfii, respectively. In the presence of additional carbon sources, EE2 biodegradation efficacy was 75% and 56.1% by R. zopfii and P. putida, respectively, indicating that the presence of other viable carbon sources might slightly reduce the EE2 biodegradation efficiency. Nevertheless, in domestic secondary effluents, EE2 biodegradation efficacy was similar to the minimal medium, indicating good adaptation of the encapsulated cultures to sanitary effluents and lack of a significant effect of the presence of other viable carbon sources on the EE2 biodegradation by the two encapsulated cultures. Our findings demonstrate that SBP-encapsulated R. zopfii and P. putida might present a practical treatment for steroidal hormones removal in wastewater treatment processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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17 pages, 5328 KiB  
Article
Time-Domain Reflectometry (TDR) Monitoring at a Lab Scale of Aerobic Biological Processes in a Soil Contaminated by Diesel Oil
by Andrea Vergnano, Alberto Godio, Carla Maria Raffa, Fulvia Chiampo, Francesca Bosco and Barbara Ruffino
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(24), 5487; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9245487 - 13 Dec 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3238
Abstract
This study aims to monitor the biological processes ongoing in a hydrocarbon polluted soil. The experiments were carried out at a laboratory scale by measuring the evolution of its geophysical electromagnetic parameters. Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probes were used to measure dielectric permittivity and [...] Read more.
This study aims to monitor the biological processes ongoing in a hydrocarbon polluted soil. The experiments were carried out at a laboratory scale by measuring the evolution of its geophysical electromagnetic parameters. Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probes were used to measure dielectric permittivity and electrical conductivity in columns of sandy soil artificially contaminated with diesel oil (Voil/Vtot = 0.19). To provide aerobic conditions suitable for the growth of microorganisms, they were hydrated with Mineral Salt Medium for Bacteria. One mesocosm was aerated by injecting air from the bottom of the column, while the other had only natural aeration due to diffusion of air through the soil itself. The monitoring lasted 105 days. Geophysical measurements were supported by microbiological, gas chromatographic analyses, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Air injection heavily influenced the TDR monitoring, probably due to the generation of air bubbles around the probe that interfered with the probe–soil coupling. Therefore, the measurement accuracy of geophysical properties was dramatically reduced in the aerated system, although biological analyses showed that aeration strongly supports microbial activity. In the non-aerated system, a slight (2%) linear decrease of dielectric permittivity was observed over time. Meanwhile, the electrical conductivity initially decreased, then increased from day 20 to day 45, then decreased again by about 30%. We compared these results with other researches in recent literature to explain the complex biological phenomena that can induce variations in electrical parameters in a contaminated soil matrix, from salt depletion to pore clogging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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20 pages, 3902 KiB  
Article
Bio-Waste Aloe vera Leaves as an Efficient Adsorbent for Titan Yellow from Wastewater: Structuring of a Novel Adsorbent Using Plackett-Burman Factorial Design
by Marwa El-Azazy, Sarra N. Dimassi, Ahmed S. El-Shafie and Ahmed A. Issa
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(22), 4856; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9224856 - 13 Nov 2019
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6495
Abstract
Titan yellow (TY), a triazene azo dye, was removed from contaminated wastewater samples using a green adsorbent recycled from Aloe vera leaves (AV) waste. Two adsorbents were developed—air-dried Aloe vera (ADAV) and thermally treated Aloe vera (TTAV). Adsorption efficacy of both adsorbents was [...] Read more.
Titan yellow (TY), a triazene azo dye, was removed from contaminated wastewater samples using a green adsorbent recycled from Aloe vera leaves (AV) waste. Two adsorbents were developed—air-dried Aloe vera (ADAV) and thermally treated Aloe vera (TTAV). Adsorption efficacy of both adsorbents was assessed in terms of percent removal (%R) of TY and adsorption capacity (qe). ADAV had a better performance compared to TTAV. Plackett–Burman design (PBD) was exploited to establish the experimental pattern of the study. Four variables were studied: pH, adsorbent dose (AD), dye concentration (DC), and stirring time (ST). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 95.0 confidence interval (CI), control, and quality charts helped establish regression model(s). Characterization of both adsorbents was performed using FT-IR/Raman spectroscopy together with TGA/dTGA and SEM/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. Textural properties were determined using nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K. Results showed that the surface areas of ADAV and TTAV300 were 3.940 and 7.076 m2/g, respectively. Raman analysis showed that the TTAV had clear D- and G-bands. Equilibrium studies revealed that data were well fitted to Freundlich isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 55.25 mg/g using Langmuir equation, and the adsorption was physisorption. Adsorption followed a pseudo-second order that occurred in two steps—diffusion and then adsorption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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17 pages, 1659 KiB  
Article
Simultaneous Application of Biosurfactant and Bioaugmentation with Rhamnolipid-Producing Shewanella for Enhanced Bioremediation of Oil-Polluted Soil
by Manoharan Melvin Joe, Ram Gomathi, Abitha Benson, Devaraj Shalini, Parthasarathi Rengasamy, Allen John Henry, Jaak Truu, Marika Truu and Tongmin Sa
Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(18), 3773; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9183773 - 09 Sep 2019
Cited by 27 | Viewed by 5301
Abstract
In the present study, a combined treatment strategy involving the addition of rhamnolipid, rhamnolipid-producing bacteria (Shewanella sp. BS4) and a native soil microbial community for the remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil under pilot-scale conditions was adopted. The isolate BS4 (rhl+), demonstrating the highest [...] Read more.
In the present study, a combined treatment strategy involving the addition of rhamnolipid, rhamnolipid-producing bacteria (Shewanella sp. BS4) and a native soil microbial community for the remediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil under pilot-scale conditions was adopted. The isolate BS4 (rhl+), demonstrating the highest emulsification activity and surface tension reduction efficiency, was identified based on 16 S rDNA sequencing as Shewanella sp. strain. Growth conditions for rhamnolipid production were optimized based on Central Composite Design (CCD) as 2.9% crude oil, a 54 × 106 CFU g−1 inoculation load of soil, a temperature of 30.5 °C, and a pH of 6.7. In situ bioremediation experiments, conducted using hydrocarbon-contaminated soil treated with the combination of rhamnolipid and rhamnolipid-producing bacteria, showed that the inoculated Shewanella sp. BS4, along with the indigenous soil microbial community, supported the highest hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial population and soil respiration activity, and this treatment resulted in 75.8% hydrocarbon removal efficiency, which was higher compared to contaminated soil devoid of any treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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Review

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19 pages, 1128 KiB  
Review
Advanced Bioreactor Treatments of Hydrocarbon-Containing Wastewater
by Maria S. Kuyukina, Anastasiya V. Krivoruchko and Irena B. Ivshina
Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(3), 831; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10030831 - 24 Jan 2020
Cited by 56 | Viewed by 6289
Abstract
This review discusses bioreactor-based methods for industrial hydrocarbon-containing wastewater treatment using different (e.g., stirred-tank, membrane, packed-bed and fluidized-bed) constructions. Aerobic, anaerobic and hybrid bioreactors are becoming increasingly popular in the field of oily wastewater treatment, while high concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons usually require [...] Read more.
This review discusses bioreactor-based methods for industrial hydrocarbon-containing wastewater treatment using different (e.g., stirred-tank, membrane, packed-bed and fluidized-bed) constructions. Aerobic, anaerobic and hybrid bioreactors are becoming increasingly popular in the field of oily wastewater treatment, while high concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons usually require physico-chemical pre-treatments. Most efficient bioreactor techniques employ immobilized cultures of hydrocarbon-oxidizing microorganisms, either defined consortia or mixed natural populations. Some advantages of fluidized-bed bioreactors over other types of reactors are shown, such as large biofilm–liquid interfacial area, high immobilized biomass concentration and improved mass transfer characteristics. Several limitations, including low nutrient content and the presence of heavy metals or toxicants, as well as fouling and contamination with nuisance microorganisms, can be overcome using effective inocula and advanced bioreactor designs. The examples of laboratory studies and few successful pilot/full-scale applications are given relating to the biotreatment of oilfield wastewater, fuel-contaminated water and refinery effluents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils)
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