Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Identification Of Sulfate Reducing Bacteria For Abandoned Mine Drainage Bioremediation, Lance Daley, Nancy Trun Phd

D.U.Quark

No abstract provided.

Engineering A Microbiosphere To Clean Up The Ocean – Inspiration From The Plastisphere, Khulood A. Alnahdi, Laila W. Alali, Mezna K. Suwaidan, M. Kalim Akhtar

All Works

Plastic is a ubiquitous material that has become an essential part of our lives. More than one hundred million tons of plastic has accumulated in the world’s oceans as a result of poor waste management. This plastic waste gradually fragments into smaller pieces known as microplastics and nanoplastics. These small plastic particles can cause significant damage to marine ecosystems, and negatively impact human health. According to a recent review of international patents, the majority of ocean-cleaning inventions are limited to microplastics larger than 20 μm. Furthermore, such technologies are ineffective for nanoplastics, which measure less than 1000 nm, or even …

Biological Treatment Of Produced Water Using Algae: A Proof Of Concept, Shibin Nadersha

Theses

Produced water (PW) is the effluent generated during oil mining and extraction. On average, for every barrel of oil, 4 - 5 barrels of PW are generated worldwide. In UAE, 1.22 billion cubic meters of PW were generated in the year 2017. Proper management of PW is thus very important taking into account the large volumes of it being generated. In addition, PW is considered toxic as it contains various contaminants such as aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, inorganic salts, metals, phenols, radioactive materials, and chemical additives. Disposal of untreated PW into oceans and water bodies can cause adverse effects on …

1,4-Dioxane Biodegradation In Propanotrophs: Molecular Foundations And Implications For Environmental Remediation, Li Fei

Dissertations

1,4-Dioxane (dioxane) has emerged with an escalating concern given its human carcinogenicity and widespread occurrence in groundwater. Bioremediation is promising as an effective and cost-efficient treatment alternative for in situ or ex situ cleanup of dioxane and co-existing pollutants in the field. Soluble di-iron monooxygenases (SDIMOs) are reputed for their essential roles in initiating the cleavage of dioxane and other pollutants. In this doctoral dissertation, molecular foundations for SDIMOs-mediated dioxane biodegradation are untangled to promote the development and implication of site-specific bioremediation and natural attenuation strategies. This dissertation focused on propanotrophic bacteria given their pivotal roles in dioxane metabolism and …

Remediation Of Crude Petroleum Oil-Water Emulsions Using Microalgae, Mohamed Shafi

Civil and Environmental Theses

Crude petroleum oil spills are among the most important organic contaminations, which result from uncontrolled releases and spillages during transportation or storage. The separated oils on that accumulate on top of the water can be removed by various conventional skimming methods. However, the emulsified portions that remain within the water phase are more difficult to remove and pose significant threats to the environment and could tamper the tertiary treatment in a wastewater treatment plant. Biological treatment, using bacteria, have proven to be an effective method in the removal of the emulsified oils. However, the biomass produced in this case does …

Exploring Options For Mussel Restoration, Henry Hurt

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

This paper seeks to explore the feasibility and possible procedures of restoring freshwater mussels to the Little Westham Creek (LWC) as a way to reduce excess organic pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus coming from upstream. To this end, the use of mussels in bioremediation and restoration procedures found in scientific literature were reviewed with the goal of creating a guideline of how such a project would be carried out at the Gambles Mill Eco- Corridor. Based on the results of past literature, water data collected by students in this seminar, and data from RES, it was estimated that a …

Evaluation Of The Symbiotic Relation Between Endophyte And Poplar Trees Exposed To Landfill Leachate, Catalina Vega Hurtado

Masters Theses

“The contamination of soil and groundwater from leachate leakage from landfill has turned, nowadays, into a global public issue. One of the main concerns about this pollutant is the potential threat to human and ecosystem health. The current research studied endophyte bacteria in association with poplar trees (Populus sp.), as a method of bioremediation of landfill leachates. The objective of the project was to identify treatment strategies that may improve plant performance (survival rates, plant fitness, and degradation efficacy) with the purpose of being implemented in phytoremediation plots, aimed to intercept and treat landfill leachate, before the contamination of watershed. …

Message In A Bottle: The Expression And Confirmation Of Isf6_4831, A Polyethylene Terephthalate Hydrolase, Nathan A. Koconis

Graduate Theses

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), the polyester used to make plastic bottles for soft drinks, is one of the top five sources of plastic waste in the world. Its abundance represents significant problems for municipalities and environments. Recycling PET polymers by traditional methods is possible, but success has been limited due to poor compliance, liability, cost, and other factors. Fortunately, a PET degradation pathway has been identified in Ideonella sakaiensis. Research on this pathway is still nascent and has not yet explored the PET hydrolase gene (ISF6_4831, or PETase) with its leading signal peptide intact. For this reason, the gene was transferred …

Polyculture Bioremediation: An Analysis Of Potential Nitrogen Assimilation And Removal By Mya Arenaria, Gracilaria Tikvahiae And Ulva Lactuca Harvests In The Corsica River, Md, Kathleen Hemeon

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

An analysis of nitrogen bioremediation in a tidal tributary of the Chesapeake Bay by the use of a hypothetical bivalve and macroalgae polyculture covering 1%, 3% and 5% of the Corsica River bottom area. This study was performed to illustrate the role ecosystem services play in managing diffuse watershed pollution, particularly nitrogen, resulting in water quality and living resource degradation. Excess concentrations of nitrogen in the Corsica River estuary lead to seasonal eutrophication and subsequent hypoxic events. Mya arenaria L. and Gracilaria tikvahiae (McLachlan, 1979) were chosen for this theoretical study due to their high assimilative capacities for nitrogen and …

Isolation And Characterization Of Polychlorinated Biphenyl (Pcb) Degrading Bacteria Isolated From A Pcb Contaminated Reservoir In Donna, Tx, Sergio Cepeda

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Donna Irrigation System (DIS) located in Donna, Hidalgo County, TX, was confirmed to be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in 1993 and remediation of the site will be attempted in the future. The need to isolate novel PCB degrading bacteria for bioremediation has been an active area of research in recent decades; thus, it was hypothesized that a variety of microorganisms able to degrade PCBs could be isolated from sediments taken from the DIS. Two genes of the PCB degradation pathway, bphA1 and bphC, were detected in 43 bacterial isolates grown from DIS sediments using molecular and culture-based methodology, …

A Combined Chemical And Biological Approach To Transforming And Mineralizing Pahs In Runoff Water, Chainarong Sakulthaew, Steve D. Comfort, Chanat Chokejaroenrat, Clifford Harris, Xu Li

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The water quality of lakes, rivers and streams associated with metropolitan areas is declining from increased inputs of urban runoff that contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Our objective was to transform and mineralize PAHs in runoff using a combined chemical and biological approach. Using ¹⁴C-labeled phenanthrene, ¹⁴C-benzo(a)pyrene and a mixture of 16 PAHs, we found that ozone transformed all PAHs in a H₂O matrix within minutes but complete mineralization to CO₂ took several weeks. When urban runoff water (7.6 mg C L−1) replaced H₂O as the background matrix, some delays in degradation rates …

Ecological Remediation Using Bacterial, Fungal, And Plant Microcosms: An Effective Solution For Bunker C Crude Oil Contamination In Waterways, Jakob E. Schenker

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

Factory legacy pollutants are an increasing concern for waterways as old infrastructure deteriorates and contaminates nearby environments. The Fisherville Mill in Grafton, Massachusetts, USA exemplifies this problem since it has now fallen into disrepair and is leaking Bunker C crude oil into the adjoining Blackstone River, a third order stream. Our research examines how effectively an ecologically engineered system (EES), consisting of anaerobic bacteria environments, fungal microcosms, and aquatic plant environments, can break down petroleum hydrocarbons, specifically aliphatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), in this river environment.

Our testing protocol involved taking water samples before and after each filtration stage …

Cometabolic Degradation Of Halogenated Aliphatic Hydrocarbons By Aerobic Microorganisms Naturally Associated With Wetland Plant Roots, Madelyn M. Smith

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Wetland systems provide both anaerobic (reducing) and aerobic (oxidizing) zones for the biodegradation of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAH). In particular, wetland plant roots provide micro-oxidizing environments for methanotrophic bacteria from the presence of methane, which is produced in anaerobic zones, and oxygen, which is brought to the subsurface by roots of wetland plants; this shows the potential for cometabolic degradation of common organic pollutants.

This study explored the natural attenuation of CAHs by methanotrophic bacteria naturally associated with roots of the common wetland plant, Carex comosa. Root microcosms were amended with varying concentrations of methane; trichloroethene; cis 1,2-dichloroethene; 1,2-dichloroethane; or …

Potential Of Sewage And Green Waste For Acidic Pit Lake Bioremediation, Naresh Radhakrishnan, Clinton Mccullough, Mark Lund

Research outputs 2011

Bacterial sulfate reduction-based bioremediation was trialled in an acidic pit lake, divided into two sections by an earth wall. Sewage and green waste was added to the smallest section, while the other was kept untreated as a control. Bioremediation initially increased the pH of the hypolimnion of the treatment lake but after 12 months the pH suddenly returned to pre-treatment levels. This proved to be only temporary and pH bounced quickly back to previous highs. The pH decreases appeared to be associated with heavy rainfall events. These rainfall events affected the bioremediation by mixing the lake and increasing acidity inputs …

Evaluation Of Allochthonous And Autochthonous Microbial Populations In The In-Situ Remediation Of Weathered Oil In A Coastal Freshwater Habitat, Kyle Alan Schmidt

LSU Master's Theses

Use of bioremedial technologies has gained popularity in recent decades for application at oil spill sites. While much research has been done on specific case studies along marine shores, such as with the spill of the Exxon Valdez, there still remain questions as to the advantage of active biological treatment vs. natural attenuation in freshwater environments. To examine this question, a comparative study of allochthonous and autochthonous microbial communities ability to degrade weathered oil residuals was implemented at the CITGO Petroleum Refinery in Lake Charles, Louisiana following a spill of approximately 40,000 barrels of slop oil on June 19th, 2006 …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Dunaliella Tertiolecta As A Candidate Algal Species For Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus-Laden Effluents Impacting Marine Environments, Ashley Juanika Belle

LSU Master's Theses

Dunaliella tertiolecta was evaluated to determine the effectiveness of utilizing the algal species to reduce the nutrient load of saline wastewater during tertiary treatment. Nutrient uptake studies performed using f/2-Si medium illustrated that Dunaliella tertiolecta favored phosphate uptake over nitrate-nitrogen. Over a 7-day observational period, total phosphorus concentration was reduced by over 97% and the kinetic rate of uptake observed was approximately 0.5 - 1 mg/L/day. Daily nitrate-nitrogen concentrations were highly variable and a model could not be determined to predict uptake behavior. In heavily concentrated nutrient loads, the algae still favored phosphate uptake. However as the nutrient load increased …

Resource Recovery Of Coal Bed Methane Formation Water, Catherine Elizabeth Bishop

LSU Master's Theses

During the excavation of natural gas, petroleum hydrocarbon-polluted brine water, termed production water, is drawn from the coal bed methane formations (CBMF) along with the natural gas product. The water is drawn out in vast amounts and re-injected into the CBMF. In the Greater Rocky Mountain Region (GRMR) where water supplies are dwindling, the remediation of CBMF production water has become a high priority for maintaining agriculture, residential development and industrial expansion. The overall objective of this research was to demonstrate in laboratory and field pilot studies the efficacious merging of Immobilized Microbe BioReactor (IMBR) technologies for biodegradation/mineralization of organics …

Modeling Application Of Hydrogen Release Compound To Effect In Situ Bioremediation Of Chlorinated Solvent-Contaminated Groundwater, Ryan C. Wood

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates how application of Hydrogen Release Compound (HRC) might be implemented to remediate a site contaminated with tetrachloroethene (PCE) or its daughter products, under varying site conditions. The 3-D reactive transport model RT3D was coupled with a dual-Monod biodegradation submodel to simulate the effect of the hydrogen generated by HRC on accelerating the biodegradation of dissolved chlorinated solvents. Varying site conditions and injection well configurations were investigated to determine the effect of these environmental and design conditions on overall treatment efficiency. The model was applied to data obtained at a chlorinated solvent contaminated site at Vandenberg AFB, where …

Modeling A Field Application Of In Situ Bioremediation Of Perchlorate-Contaminated Groundwater Using Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells (Hftws), Peter G. Chosa

Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate contaminated groundwater is rapidly becoming a significant environmental remediation issue for the Department of Defense. In this study, an existing numerical model that simulates the operation of a Horizontal Flow Treatment Well (HFTW) system to effect the in situ biodegradation of perchlorate through the addition of an electron donor is modified to include a submodel that describes bioclogging. Bioclogging restricts flow out of the HFTW due to the accumulation of biomass directly adjacent to the well. The modified model is then applied to an existing perchlorate contaminated site that will be used for an evaluation of the HFTW technology. …

Optimizing An In Situ Bioremediation Technology To Manage Perchlorate-Contaminated Groundwater, Mark R. Knarr

Theses and Dissertations

Combining horizontal flow treatment wells (HFTWs) with in situ biodegradation is an innovative approach with the potential to remediate perchlorate-contaminated groundwater. A technology model was recently developed that combines the groundwater flow induced by HFTWs with in situ biodegration processes that result from using the HFTWs to mix electron donor into perchlorate-contaminated groundwater. A field demonstration of this approach is planned to begin this year. In order to apply the technology in the field, project managers need to understand how contaminated site conditions and technology design parameters impact technology performance. One way to gain this understanding is to use the …

Effect Of Temperature On Efficiency Of In Situ Bioremediation Technology: A Laboratory Microcosm And Field Study, Javed Iqbal

LSU Master's Theses

Laboratory microcosm experiment and parallel ex situ bioremediation studies were conducted to study the effect of temperature on in situ bioremediation systems installed at Superfund site in southeast Georgia. Laboratory microcosms, inoculated with PAHs/phenols specific microorganisms, at high temperatures (42±2°C; 107±3°F) demonstrated a significant reduction of residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and selected phenols from 4927±1356ng/g dry weight soil to 1158±530ng/g with a kinetic rate of 76.1±16.8ng/g/day (84% reduction; p≤0.01) in 49days. High temperature non-inoculated microcosms were reduced of residual PAHs and phenols from 1117±436ng/g to 341±116ng/g with a kinetic rate of 15.8±6.5ng/g/day (65% reduction; p≤0.01) in 49days. Low temperature …

A Comparison Of Modeling Approaches In Simulating Chlorinated Ethene Removal In A Constructed Wetland By A Microbial Consortia, Jason S. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to compare different approaches to modeling the reductive dechlorination of chlorinated ethenes in the anaerobic region of an upward flow constructed wetland by microbial consortia. A controlled simulation experiment that compares three different approaches to modeling the degradation of chlorinated ethenes in wetland environments is conducted and investigates how each of the modeling approaches affect simulation results. Concepts like microbial growth in the form of a biofilm and spatially varying contaminant concentrations bring the validity of the CSTR assumption into question. These concepts are incorporated into the different modeling approaches to evaluate the CSTR …

Characterization And Identification Of A Sludge-Associated Bacterial Isolate, Abiodun O. Adibi, Derrell Mcpherson, Minna Laine

Virginia Journal of Science

During a metal speciation study, an unusually high retention of lead ·was observed when lead solution was percolated through a column packed with sludge compost obtained from Hampton Roads Sanitation department. A bacterium was isolated from the sludge compost and identified as Bacillus sphaericus using electron microscopy, whole cell fatty acid analysis (Midi System) and Biolog GP Microplate. The isolate grows in broth and agar media containing up to 800 µM lead. Lead accumulation study using atomic absorption spectrophotometer indicates that the isolate adsorbs lead. Lead adsorption is pH dependent. The isolate contains a plasmid of approximately 40 -50 kbp …

The Regulation And Development Of Bioremediation, Susan J. Timian, D. Michael Connolly

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The authors describe how federal statutes regulating hazardous wastes create both incentives and disincentives for exploiting the large potential of bioremediation. Ultimately, they argue for regulation attending more to comparative risks and costs.

In Situ Bioremediation Of Contaminated Unsaturated Subsurface Soils, Joseph L. Sims, R. C. Sims, R. R. Dupont, J. E. Mathews, M. M. Russell

Reports

An emerging technology for the remediation of unsaturated subsurface soils involves the use of microorganisms to degrade contaminants which are present in such soils. Understanding the processes which drive in situ bioremediation, as well as the effectiveness and efficiency of the utilization of these systems, are issues which have been identified by the Regional Superfund Engineering Forum as concerns of Superfund decision makers.