Biogenic Mn Oxide Generation and Mn(II) Removal by a Manganese Oxidizing Bacterium Bacillus sp. Strain M2.

Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) are widely distributed in natural environments and can convert soluble Mn(II) into insoluble Mn(III) and Mn(IV). The biogenic manganese oxides (BioMnOx) produced by MOB have been considered for remediating heavy metal pollution and degrading organic pollutants in an eco-friendly manner. In this study, a manganese-oxidizing bacterium was isolated from Mn-polluted rivulet sediment and identified as Bacillus sp. strain M2 by PCR, phylogenetic tree construction, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and physiological and biochemical indices. Strain M2 grew well under Mn(II) stress. BioMnOx with nanosized irregular geometric shapes and loose structures generated by strain M2 were found on the surface of the bacterial cells. The content of Mn in the bacteria was as high as 5.36%. Approximately 71.24% and 47.52% of Mn(II) was oxidized to Mn(III/IV) in the cell and in the deposits, respectively, within 3 d of cultivation with Mn(II). Extracellular enzymes contributed to the Mn removal and oxidation. In conclusion, Bacillus sp. strain M2 has a high potential for use in the remediation of Mn-contaminated sites.

Trace elements' deficiency in energy production through methanogenesis process: Focus on the characteristics of organic solid wastes.

Excessive or insufficient supplementation of trace elements (TEs) limits the progression of anaerobic digestion. The main reason for this is the lack of sufficient understanding of digestion substrate characteristics, which significantly affects the demand for TEs. In this review, the relationship between TEs requirements and substrate characteristics is discussed. We mainly focus on three aspects. 1) The basis for TE optimization and existing problems: The optimization of TEs often based on the total solids (TS) or volatile solids (VS) of substrates, does not fully consider substrate characteristics. 2) TE deficiency mechanisms for different types of substrates: nitrogen-rich, sulfur-rich, TE-poor, and easily hydrolyzed substrates are the four main types of substrates. The mechanisms underlying TEs deficiency in the different substrates are investigated. 3) Regulation of TE bioavailability: characteristics of substrates affect digestion parameters, which disturb the bioavailability TE. Therefore, methods for regulating bioavailability of TEs are discussed.

In situ encapsulation of iron oxide nanoparticles into nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes as anodic electrode materials of lithium ion batteries.

Fe-based oxides are considered as promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities, low cost, natural abundance and environmental friendliness. However, their severe volume expansion upon cycling and poor conductivity limit their cycling stability and rate capability. To address this issue, a hybrid of Fe2O3 nanoparticles encapsulated at the endpoints of nitrogen-doped CNTs (Fe2O3@NCNTs) is designed and prepared using a metal-catalyzed graphitization-nitridization driven tip-growth process and subsequent oxidation in air. When evaluated as an anode material for LIBs, this Fe2O3@NCNT hybrid exhibits a high capacity of 1145 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1, excellent rate capability of 907 mA h g-1 at 5.0 A g-1 and remarkable cycling stability of 856 mA h g-1 after 800 cycles at 1 A g-1, which are much superior to those of the Fe2O3/carbon black (CB) control material. The outstanding electrochemical performance benefits from the unique nanoarchitecture of Fe2O3@NCNTs, which provides a porous conductive matrix for effective electron-ion transport, and provides space confining carbon nanocaps as well as stress buffer nanocavities for robust structural stability during the lithiation/delithiation process. The results may pave the way for the rational structural design of high-performance metal oxide-based anode materials for next-generation LIBs.

Impacts of urea and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate on nitrification, targeted ammonia oxidizers, non-targeted nitrite oxidizers, and bacteria in two contrasting soils.

This study explored the effects of combined urea and 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) on several components critical to the soil system: net nitrification rates; communities of targeted ammonia oxidizers [ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) and complete ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (comammox)]; non-targeted nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB) and bacteria. We conducted the study in two contrasting soils (acidic and neutral) over the course of 28 days. Our results indicated that DMPP had higher inhibitory efficacy in the acidic soil (30.7%) compared to the neutral soil (12.1%). The abundance of AOB and Nitrospira-like NOB were positively associated with nitrate content in acidic soil. In neutral soil, these communities were joined by the abundance of AOA and Nitrobacter-like NOB in being positively associated with nitrate content. By blocking the growth of AOB in acidic soil-and the growth of both AOB and comammox in neutral soil-DMPP supported higher rates of AOA growth. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed that urea and urea + DMPP treatments significantly increased the diversity indices of bacteria, including Chao 1, ACE, Shannon, and Simpson in the acidic soil but did not do so in the neutral soil. However, both urea and urea + DMPP treatments obviously altered the community structure of bacteria in both soils relative to the control treatment. This experiment comprehensively analyzed the effects of urea and nitrification inhibitor on functional guilds involved in the nitrification process and non-targeted bacteria, not just focus on targeted ammonia oxidizers.

A novel mechanocatalytical reaction system driven by fluid shear force for the mild and rapid pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass.

Pretreatment is the initial stage of lignocellulosic biorefinery process, but is limited by the time-consuming processes, harsh conditions and/or undesirable products. Herein, a mild (<60 °C) and highly efficient pretreatment strategy is developed. The novel mechanocatalytical reaction system driven by fluid shear force helps to exfoliate cellulose from lignocellulose, and the heat generated by the shear process can be used to precipitate and recover the dissolved cellulose from the precooled NaOH/urea solution. The regenerated cellulose shows satisfying crystal structure (cellulose II), significantly decreased crystallinity and nearly tripled enzymolysis glucose yield. Almost 90% of lignin and hemicellulose could be rapidly separated. The separated lignin shows a nearly native structure with 64% ß-O-4 linkage, which is even higher than the ball-milling lignin (60%). This research provides a theoretical guidance for the mild pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, which will push the application of mechanocatalytical reaction system in biorefinery processes on a large scale.

A comparison and evaluation of the effects of biochar on the anaerobic digestion of excess and anaerobic sludge.

The mechanisms and enhancing effects of different biochar loadings on the digesters receiving low and high excess (or anaerobic) sludge loadings were thoroughly examined in the present study. This was done to explore an efficient method for converting excess sludge to anaerobic sludge. Biochar had an obvious effect on the anaerobic digestion of excess sludge but not on the anaerobic sludge. When the amount of biochar added was equivalent to 100% of the sludge TS, the cumulative methane yields of anaerobic digestion inoculated with small and large amounts of excess sludge were respectively 30.2 and 1.7 times that of those without biochar. The number of methanogens in the digesters that received small and large inoculations of excess sludge with 100% biochar, were respectively 105.4% and 20.6% higher than those without biochar. The biochar enhanced the systems performance because it selectively enriched the Trichococcus and Methanomicrobiales tightly attach to it. This enhanced the synergy and overall activity of the system by promoting biofilm development. Ultimately, the integration of 100% biochar and excess sludge can be used as a substitute for anaerobic sludge as an inoculum by giving similar overall performance.

Superior nitrogen-doped activated carbon materials for water cleaning and energy storing prepared from renewable leather wastes.

The fabrication of nitrogen-doped activated carbons (N-ACs) from leather solid wastes (LSW), a huge underutilized bioresource, by different activation methods was investigated. N-AC prepared by KOH activation (named KNAC) exhibited superior physical and chemical properties with much higher BET surface area (2247 m2 g-1) and more abundant hierarchical micropores than those activated by nano-CaCO3 (CNAC) or by direct carbonization (NNAC). KOH activation decreased the total nitrogen content in KNAC, but it increased the ratio of surface nitrogen species. KOH activation also significantly promoted the conversion of nitrogen species in the carbon material to pyridinic N. Potential applications of the prepared N-ACs were evaluated, and they were tested as adsorbents to remove phenols from water and as the anodes of lithium batteries. The high surface area, abundant micropores, and plentiful surface pyridinic N guaranteed KNAC a superior nitrogen-doped activated carbon that could serve as an excellent adsorbent to remove phenols (282 mg/g) from waste water as well as an outstanding electrode material with a high and stable charge/discharge capacity (533.54 mAh g-1 after 150th cycle). The strategy of LSW conversion to versatile N-ACs turns waste into treasure and could promote the sustainable development of our society.

Catalytic gasification of phenol in supercritical water over bimetallic Co-Ni/AC catalyst.

Solid-solution bimetallic alloy catalysts containing no noble metals were developed via both simultaneous and sequential deposition in supercritical water (SCW). These bimetallic nano-catalysts were analyzed by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Obvious downward shifts are observed in diffraction peaks, situated between the peak (1 1 1) for Co and the peak (1 1 1) for Ni. The shifts indicate the formation of NiCo solid-solution bimetallic alloy(s). The bimetallic nanoparticles show high activity for supercritical water gasification of phenol to produce gaseous fuels. The carbon gasification efficiency (CGE) of phenol in SCW can reach 95% on the Co-Ni/AC catalyst at conditions of 500°C and 30 min, showing nearly the same CGE as the commercial noble-metal-based catalyst, such as Ru/C (5 wt% Ru) from Sigma-Aldrich. The Co-Ni/AC catalyst also shows high stability. Therefore, deposition in SCW provides an effective way to create noble-metal-free solid-solution bimetallic alloy catalysts.