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Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 36980

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Dr. Federica Spina

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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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Mycotheca Universitatis Taurinensis, Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
Interests: marine fungi; taxonomy; systematic; bioremediation; fungal ecology
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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 still 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 through 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 made 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 indeed represents 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 past few 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 in 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 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

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Keywords

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

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Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils in Applied Sciences (8 articles)

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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19 pages, 2085 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficacy of Indole Acetic Acid and Exopolysaccharides-Producing Bacillus safensis Strain FN13 for Inducing Cd-Stress Tolerance and Plant Growth Promotion in Brassica juncea (L.)

by Farheen Nazli, Xiukang Wang, Maqshoof Ahmad, Azhar Hussain, Bushra, Abubakar Dar, Muhammad Nasim, Moazzam Jamil, Nalun Panpluem and Adnan Mustafa

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(9), 4160; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11094160 - 2 May 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2464

Abstract

Untreated wastewater used for irrigating crops is the major source of toxic heavy metals and other pollutants in soils. These heavy metals affect plant growth and deteriorate the quality of edible parts of growing plants. Phytohormone (IAA) and exopolysaccharides (EPS) producing plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria can reduce the toxicity of metals by stabilizing them in soil. The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the IAA and EPS-producing rhizobacterial strains for improving growth, physiology, and antioxidant activity of Brassica juncea (L.) under Cd-stress. Results showed that Cd-stress significantly decreased the growth and physiological parameters of mustard plants. Inoculation with Cd-tolerant, IAA and EPS-producing rhizobacterial strains, however, significantly retrieved the inhibitory effects of Cd-stress on mustard growth, and physiology by up regulating antioxidant enzyme activities. Higher Cd accumulation and proline content was observed in the roots and shoot tissues upon Cd-stress in mustard plants while reduced proline and Cd accumulation was recorded upon rhizobacterial strains inoculation. Maximum decrease in proline contents (12.4%) and Cd concentration in root (26.9%) and shoot (29%) in comparison to control plants was observed due to inoculation with Bacillus safensis strain FN13. The activity of antioxidant enzymes was increased due to Cd-stress; however, the inoculation with Cd-tolerant, IAA-producing rhizobacterial strains showed a non-significant impact in the case of the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX) and catalase (CAT) in Brassica juncea (L.) plants under Cd-stress. Overall, Bacillus safensis strain FN13 was the most effective strain in improving the Brassica juncea (L.) growth and physiology under Cd-stress. It can be concluded, as the strain FN13 is a potential phytostabilizing biofertilizer for heavy metal contaminated soils, that it can be recommended to induce Cd-stress tolerance in crop plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II)

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15 pages, 2021 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Isolation and Characterization of Oil-Degrading Enterobacter sp. from Naturally Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils and Their Potential Use against the Bioremediation of Crude Oil

by Mukkaram Ejaz, Baowei Zhao, Xiukang Wang, Safdar Bashir, Fasih Ullah Haider, Zubair Aslam, Muhammad Imran Khan, Muhammad Shabaan, Muhammad Naveed and Adnan Mustafa

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(8), 3504; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083504 - 14 Apr 2021

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4203

Abstract

The contamination of crude oil in soil matrices is a persistent problem with negative repercussions because of the recalcitrant, hazardous, and mutagenic properties of its constituents. To mitigate the effect of crude oil contamination in soil, the use of microorganisms is a cheap and feasible option. In the current study, bacterial species from numerous polluted oil field surfaces were isolated and examined for their ability to degrade crude oil. Random soil samples polluted with hydrocarbons were collected and various bacterial isolates were isolated. Results revealed that 40% of total isolates had potential use for hydrocarbon biodegradation, the synthesis of exopolysaccharides and the solubilization of phosphorous. Following isolation and characterization to degrade crude oil, a pot trial was conducted using maize inoculated with the four best strains—i.e., S₁ (PMEL-63), S₂ (PMEL-67), S₃ (PMEL-80), and S₄ (PMEL-79)—in artificially hydrocarbon-polluted soil with concentrations of crude oil of 0, 1000, and 2000 ppm. Results revealed that S₄ (PMEL-79) had significant potential to degrade hydrocarbon in polluted soils. The root length, shoot length, and fresh biomass of maize were increased by 65%, 45%, and 98%, respectively, in pots inoculated with S₄ (PMEL-79) Enterobacter cloacae subsp., whereas the lowest root length was observed where no strain was added and the concentration of crude oil was at maximum. Moreover, S₄ (PMEL-79) Enterobacter cloacae subsp. was found to be the most effective strain in degrading crude oil and increasing maize growth under polluted soil conditions. It was concluded that the isolation of microorganisms from oil-contaminated sites should be considered in order to identify the most effective microbial consortium for the biodegradation of naturally hydrocarbon-contaminated soils. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II)

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17 pages, 5897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Behavior and Removal of Cadmium and Zinc Using Taraxacum officinale and Gazania under the Application of Biodegradable Chelating Agents

by Naoki Kano, Takumi Hori, Haixin Zhang, Naoto Miyamoto, David Eva Vanessa Anak and Kenji Mishima

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1557; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041557 - 9 Feb 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1897

Abstract

The removal of cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) from soil by phytoremediation was investigated using Taraxacum officinale and Gazania. A plant environmental control system was used to cultivate the plants. The effects of different biodegradable chelating agents (i.e., EDDS, HIDS, and GLDA), relative humidity, and other competitive metals on the adsorption of Cd and Zn were also studied. In addition, the approach for metal recovery was explored by extraction of metals from plants after phytoremediation using Gazania. The concentrations of Cd and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). In addition, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were performed.to determine significant differences between the experimental treatments adopted in this work. Consequently, the following main conclusions were obtained: (1) In the case of Taraxacum officinale, Cd and Zn could be removed even under the presence of other heavy metals. (2) By adding a chelating agent, the amount absorbed by the shoot generally increased. (3) In the case of Gazania, the concentration of Cd was higher in root than that in shoot, whereas the concentration of Zn was higher in the shoot than that in the root. (4) Taraxacum officinale was more suitable for phytoremediation of Cd than Gazania. (5) Cd and Zn could be extracted from plants by adding a low concentration of nitric acid. (6) The one-way ANOVA tests showed no statistically significant differences among the experimental treatments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II)

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12 pages, 2356 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Specific Desulfuromonas Strains Can Determine Startup Times of Microbial Fuel Cells

by Keren Yanuka-Golub, Leah Reshef, Judith Rishpon and Uri Gophna

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8570; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238570 - 30 Nov 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1835

Abstract

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) can generate electricity simultaneously with wastewater treatment. For MFCs to be considered a cost-effective treatment technology, they should quickly re-establish a stable electroactive microbial community in the case of system failure. In order to shorten startup times, temporal studies of anodic biofilm development are required, however, frequent sampling can reduce the functionality of the system due to electroactive biomass loss; therefore, on-line monitoring of the microbial community without interfering with the system’s stability is essential. Although all anodic biofilms were composed of Desulfuromonadaceae, MFCs differed in startup times. Generally, a Desulfuromonadaceae-dominated biofilm was associated with faster startup MFCs. A positive PCR product of a specific 16S rRNA gene PCR primer set for detecting the acetate-oxidizing, Eticyclidine (PCE)-dechlorinating Desulfuromonas group was associated with efficient MFCs in our samples. Therefore, this observation could serve as a biomarker for monitoring the formation of an efficient anodic biofilm. Additionally, we successfully enriched an electroactive consortium from an active anode, also resulting in a positive amplification of the specific primer set. Direct application of this enrichment to a clean MFC anode showed a substantial reduction of startup times from 18 to 3 days. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II)

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9 pages, 1500 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biodegradation of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Soil: Isolation and Characterization of Bacterial Strains from Oil Contaminated Soil

by Runkai Wang, Baichun Wu, Jin Zheng, Hongkun Chen, Pinhua Rao, Lili Yan and Fei Chai

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4173; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124173 - 17 Jun 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2989

Abstract

In this study, we isolated seven strains (termed BY1–7) from polluted soil at an oil station and evaluated their abilities to degrade total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs). Following 16 rRNA sequence analysis, the strains were identified as belonging to the genera Bacillus, Acinetobacter, Sphingobium, Rhodococcus, and Pseudomonas, respectively. Growth characterization studies indicated that the optimal growth conditions for the majority of the strains was at 30 °C, with a pH value of approximately 7. Under these conditions, the strains showed a high TPH removal efficiency (50%) after incubation in beef extract peptone medium for seven days. Additionally, we investigated the effect of different growth media on growth impact factors that could potentially affect the strains’ biodegradation rates. Our results suggest a potential application for these strains to facilitate the biodegradation of TPH-contaminated soil. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II)

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Review

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24 pages, 3666 KiB

Open AccessReview

Recent Strategies for Environmental Remediation of Organochlorine Pesticides

by Timothy O. Ajiboye, Alex T. Kuvarega and Damian C. Onwudiwe

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(18), 6286; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10186286 - 10 Sep 2020

Cited by 49 | Viewed by 9013

Abstract

The amount of organochlorine pesticides in soil and water continues to increase; their presence has surpassed maximum acceptable concentrations. Thus, the development of different removal strategies has stimulated a new research drive in environmental remediation. Different techniques such as adsorption, bioremediation, phytoremediation and ozonation have been explored. These techniques aim at either degrading or removal of the organochlorine pesticides from the environment but have different drawbacks. Heterogeneous photocatalysis is a relatively new technique that has become popular due to its ability to completely degrade different toxic pollutants—instead of transferring them from one medium to another. The process is driven by a renewable energy source, and semiconductor nanomaterials are used to construct the light energy harvesting assemblies due to their rich surface states, large surface areas and different morphologies compared to their corresponding bulk materials. These make it a green alternative that is cost-effective for organochlorine pesticides degradation. This has also opened up new ways to utilize semiconductors and solar energy for environmental remediation. Herein, the focus of this review is on environmental remediation of organochlorine pesticides, the different techniques of their removal from the environment, the advantages and disadvantages of the different techniques and the use of specific semiconductors as photocatalysts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II)

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17 pages, 866 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Bioremediation Methods for the Recovery of Lead-Contaminated Soils: A Review

by Monica Rigoletto, Paola Calza, Elisa Gaggero, Mery Malandrino and Debora Fabbri

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(10), 3528; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10103528 - 20 May 2020

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 13542

Abstract

Currently, the pollution of soils by heavy metals is a problem of paramount relevance and requires the development of proper remediation techniques. In particular, lead is a frequently detected soil contaminant that poses adverse effects to the environment and human health. In this review, we provide an overview of the bioremediation treatments promoted by plants (phytoremediation), fungi, or bacteria that could be applied to areas polluted by lead. These restoration processes have the advantage of being environmentally friendly and cost-effective solutions that exploit plants to immobilize and extract contaminants from soil and water, and fungi and bacteria to degrade them. Phytoremediation is an extensively studied and mature practice, with many in-the-field applications where numerous plant species have been employed. In contrast, bioremediation processes promoted by fungi and bacteria are very promising but, up to now, studies have been mostly performed at a laboratory scale with only a few implementations in real-world situations; therefore, further research is needed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Bioremediation of Wastewaters and Contaminated Soils, Volume II)

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