Diversity of Fungi on Decomposing Leaf Litter in a Sugarcane Plantation and Their Response to Tillage Practice and Bagasse Mulching: Implications for Management Effects on Litter Decomposition.

To minimize the degradation of soil organic matter (SOM) content in conventional sugarcane cropping, it is important to understand how the fungal community contributes to SOM dynamics during the decomposition of sugarcane leaf litter. However, our knowledge of fungal diversity in tropical agroecosystems is currently limited. Thus, we determined the fungal community structure on decomposing sugarcane leaf litter and their response to different soil management systems using the internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS1) amplicon sequencing method afforded by Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM). The results indicate that no-tillage had positive effects on the relative abundance of Zygomycota and of some taxa that may prefer a moist environment over conventional tillage, whereas bagasse mulching decreased the richness of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and had positive effect on the relative abundance of slow-growing taxa, which may prefer poor nutrient substrates. Furthermore, a combination of no-tillage and bagasse mulching increased the abundance of unique OTUs. We suggest that the alteration of fungal communities through the changes in soil management practices produces an effect on litter decomposition.

Ecological risk of estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals in sewage plant effluent and reclaimed water.

The long-term ecological risk of micropollutants, especially endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has threatened reclaimed water quality. In this study, estrogenic activity and ecological risk of eight typical estrogenic EDCs in effluents from sewage plants were evaluated. The estrogenic activity analysis showed that steroidal estrogens had the highest estrogenic activity (ranged from 10(-1) to 10(3) ng-E2/L), phenolic compounds showed weaker estrogenic activity (mainly ranged from 10(-3) to 10 ng-E2/L), and phthalate esters were negligible. The ecological risk of the estrogenic EDCs which was characterized by risk quotient ranged from 10(-4) to 10(3), with an order in descending: steroids estrogens, phenolic compounds and phthalate esters. The eight estrogenic EDCs were scored and sorted based on the comparison of the estrogenic activity and the ecological risk, suggesting that 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), estrone (E1) and estradiol (E2) should be the priority EDCs to control in municipal sewage plants.

Supercritical fluid extraction of bacterial and archaeal lipid biomarkers from anaerobically digested sludge.

Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) was used in the analysis of bacterial respiratory quinone (RQ), bacterial phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), and archaeal phospholipid ether lipid (PLEL) from anaerobically digested sludge. Bacterial RQ were determined using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Determination of bacterial PLFA and archaeal PLEL was simultaneously performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effects of pressure, temperature, and modifier concentration on the total amounts of RQ, PLFA, and PLEL were investigated by 23 experiments with five settings chosen for each variable. The optimal extraction conditions that were obtained through a multiple-response optimization included a pressure of 23.6 MPa, temperature of 77.6 °C, and 10.6% (v/v) of methanol as the modifier. Thirty nine components of microbial lipid biomarkers were identified in the anaerobically digested sludge. Overall, the SFE method proved to be more effective, rapid, and quantitative for simultaneously extracting bacterial and archaeal lipid biomarkers, compared to conventional organic solvent extraction. This work shows the potential application of SFE as a routine method for the comprehensive analysis of microbial community structures in environmental assessments using the lipid biomarkers profile.

Supercritical fluid extraction and ultra performance liquid chromatography of respiratory quinones for microbial community analysis in environmental and biological samples.

Microbial community structure plays a significant role in environmental assessment and animal health management. The development of a superior analytical strategy for the characterization of microbial community structure is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we developed an effective supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method for the analysis of bacterial respiratory quinones (RQ) in environmental and biological samples. RQ profile analysis is one of the most widely used culture-independent tools for characterizing microbial community structure. A UPLC equipped with a photo diode array (PDA) detector was successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of ubiquinones (UQ) and menaquinones (MK) without tedious pretreatment. Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) extraction with the solid-phase cartridge trap proved to be a more effective and rapid method for extracting respiratory quinones, compared to a conventional organic solvent extraction method. This methodology leads to a successful analytical procedure that involves a significant reduction in the complexity and sample preparation time. Application of the optimized methodology to characterize microbial communities based on the RQ profile was demonstrated for a variety of environmental samples (activated sludge, digested sludge, and compost) and biological samples (swine and Japanese quail feces).

Supercritical fluid extraction of microbial phospholipid fatty acids from activated sludge.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) extraction was applied for the determination of microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) in activated sludge. Quantification was performed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The highest extraction yields of PLFA, at a concentration of 7.28 nmol/mg-dry activated sludge, was obtained at a temperature of 80°C, pressure of 25 MPa and 10% (v/v) methanol for a 15-min extraction time. ScCO2 extraction results obtained in these conditions were comparable with those obtained by liquid organic solvent extraction (LSE) based on diversity and equalibility indices. The repeatability test showed that the relative standard deviation values were less than 13%. The experimental results show that the scCO2 extraction saves time and uses much less organic solvent. In addition, scCO2 extraction is a promising and alternative method for the analysis of microbial community structure in environmental assessment using the PLFA profile.

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction of ubiquinones and menaquinones from activated sludge.

Supercritical CO2 (scCO2) extraction, with methanol as modifier, was applied to the determination of ubiquinones and menaquinones in activated sludge. Four ubiquinones and 12 menaquinones species were identified based on retention time and UV spectrum in 0.1g dried activated sludge. The optimum extraction conditions were at a pressure of 25 MPa, a temperature of 55 degrees C, and 10% (v/v) methanol for 15 min. At this condition, the concentrations of extracted ubiquinones and menaquinones were found to be 0.181 and 0.326 micromol/g-dry-cell, respectively. The results were comparable with those obtained by organic solvent extraction based on diversity and dissimilarity indices. Furthermore, the method was evaluated in term of repeatability, which resulted in an RSD of < or =10%. The experimental results have demonstrated the technique to be simple, fast, and with less consumption of organic solvents. This work shows the potential application of supercritical CO2 extraction to microbial community analysis using quinone profile.

Application of modified supercritical carbon dioxide extraction to microbial quinone analysis.

Supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) was applied to extract microbial quinones from activated sludge. Identification and analysis was then performed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) detector and photodiode array detector (PDA). Extracted microbial quinones were trapped and separated as menaquinones (MK) and ubiquinones (Q) species using two Sep-Pak Plus Silica cartridges joined in series. Four ubiquinones and 12 menaquinones species were identified in 0.1 g dried activated sludge based on retention time and spectrum analysis. Among the tested various polar solvents, methanol showed to be the best modifier, based on the highest total quinone content extracted and the lowest dissimilarity index. The diversity index of quinone and the number of quinone species using methanol-modified scCO2 were similar to that of the conventional method (organic solvent extraction).

Development of ecotoxicity assay based on inhibition of respiring activity in microbial community using XTT reduction.

The aim of this study is to develop ecotoxicity assay for evaluating the influence of chemicals on a microbial ecosystem based on XTT reduction inhibition (XTT assay). XTT reduction method is used for quantification of the microbial respiratory activity. Since the XTT assay indicates the inhibition of microbial respiratory activity, it could evaluate the toxicity of chemicals. Suitable conditions for the XTT assay were determined to be 200 mg/L of particulate organic carbon as test microbe concentration and 15 min of assay time using activated sludge. Toxicities of several chemicals evaluated by activated sludge as test microbes were examined under these conditions. Sensitivity for the toxicity evaluated by the XTT assay using activated sludge microbes was almost the same value was that for the OECD activated sludge respiration inhibition test (ASRI test). XTT assay was also applied for evaluating the influence of chemicals on the soil microbial community and the XTT assay was used to evaluate a median effective concentration (EC(50)) value of 3,5-dichlorophenol (3,5-DCP). The EC(50) value of 3,5-DCP was almost the same as the value using activated sludge as test microbes. These results suggest that the XTT assay using both mixed cultures of non-contaminated environments and chemical extracts from various contaminated environments could evaluate the influence on microbial ecosystems affected by toxic chemicals.

Metal elution from Ni- and Fe-based alloy reactors under hydrothermal conditions.

Elution of metals from Ni- and Fe-based alloy (i.e. Inconel 625 and SUS 316) under hydrothermal conditions was investigated. Results showed that metals could be eluted even in a short contact time. At subcritical conditions, a significant amount of Cr was extracted from SUS 316, while only traces of Ni, Fe, Mo, and Mn were eluted. In contrast, Ni was removed in significant amounts compared to Cr when Inconel 625 was tested. Several factors including temperature and contact time were found to affect elution behavior. The presence of air in the fluid even promoted elution under subcritical conditions.

Change of monochloroacetic acid to biodegradable organic acids by hydrothermal reaction.

The feasibility of biodegradability improvement induced from the structural conversion of refractory pollutants by hydrothermal reaction was investigated. Monochloroacetic acid (MCAA) was selected as a preliminary material represented for linear hydrocarbon structured refractory pollutants. Under the tested conditions, MCAA was partially destructed and then converted to biodegradable reaction products by hydrolysis, dehydration and thermal decomposition. The identified products were glycolic acid, citric acid and formic acid. Total organic carbon (TOC) reduction during the structural conversion did not exceed 24%, except the results at the reaction conditions of 350 degrees C and 17 MPa. However, Produced biodegradable organic acids were reduced by thermal decomposition with increasing reaction temperature and time. At the reaction temperature of 250 and 300 degrees C, biodegradability (BOD/COD(Cr)) was reached at 0.51 in 6.9 min and 0.52 in 7.4 min despite the presence of dissociated chlorine ions. The detachment of recalcitrant chlorine ion from MCAA and the production of biodegradable organic acids by hydrothermal reaction were directly related to the biodegradability improvement of reaction products.

Qualitative investigation on hydrothermal treatment of Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) bark for production of useful chemicals.

Hydrothermal treatment of an outer layer of a bark of Hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) tree was investigated qualitatively for the possibility of utilizing residual forest biomass to produce valuable chemicals. Experiments were carried out in a semibatch reactor apparatus that allows the study of the effect of reaction temperatures in a single run. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses show the presence of useful chemicals such as furfural, aromatic compounds (1,3-di-tert-butyl benzene and 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol), and fatty acids (myristic acid, palmitic acid, and stearic acid) in the products.

[Determination and QSPR study on the electrochemical reduction characteristics of chlorinated aromatic compounds].

The relationship between the reduction characteristics and molecular structure of 87 chlorinated aromatics including naphthalenes, biphenyls, benzenes and phenols was studied by using quantitative structure-property relationship technique. The result indicated that there was significant correlation between reduction potential and the energy of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital and the number of chlorine atoms in molecule. The study threw more light on the nature of reduction process, and provided valuable basic data for designing and optimizing treatment process.

A new strategy for recycling and preparation of poly(L-lactic acid): hydrolysis in the melt.

Poly(L-lactide) [i.e., poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)] was hydrolyzed in the melt in high-temperature and high-pressure water at the temperature range of 180-350 degrees C for a period of 30 min, and formation, racemization, and decomposition of lactic acids and molecular weight change of PLLA were investigated. The highest maximum yield of l-lactic acid, ca. 90%, was attained at 250 degrees C in the hydrolysis periods of 10-20 min. Too-high hydrolysis temperatures such as 350 degrees C induce the dramatic racemization and decomposition of formed lactic acids, resulting in decreased maximum yield of L-lactic acid. The hydrolysis of PLLA proceeds homogeneously and randomly via a bulk erosion mechanism. The molecular weight of PLLA decreased exponentially without formation of low-molecular-weight specific peaks originating from crystalline residues. The activation energy for the hydrolysis (deltaE(h)) of PLLA in the melt (180-250 degrees C) was 12.2 kcal x mol(-1), which is lower than 20.0 kcal x mol(-1) for PLLA and 19.9 kcal x mol(-1) for poly(dl-lactide) [i.e., poly(DL-lactic acid)] as a solid in the temperature range below the glass-transition temperature (21-45 degrees C). This study reveals that hydrolysis of PLLA in the melt is an effective and simple method to obtain l-lactic acid and to prepare PLLA having different molecular weights without containing the specific low-molecular-weight chains, because of the removal of the effect caused by crystalline residues.

Analysis of the differences in microbial community structures between suspended and sessile microorganisms in rivers based on quinone profile.

In this study, a quinone profiling method was applied to clarify the differences in community structure between suspended and sessile microorganisms in rivers. The compositions of microbial quinone of 6 sites for 4 rivers were analyzed. Ubiquinone (UQ)-8, UQ-10, menaquinone (MK)-7, and plastoquinone (PQ)-9 were observed in all samples of suspended and sessile microorganisms for the sites investigated. The dominant quinone species in suspended microorganisms was ubiquinone, and that in sessile microorganism was photosynthetic quinones (namely PQ-9 and vitamin K1). This indicated that aerobic bacteria were abundant in the suspended microorganisms, and photosynthetic microorganisms such as micro-algae and cyanobacteria dominated in the sessile microorganisms. The quinone concentration in the river waters tested, which reflects the concentration of suspended microorganisms, ranged from 0.045 to 1.813 nmol/L. The microbial diversities of suspended and sessile microorganisms calculated based on the composition of all quinones were in the range from 3.4 to 7.5, which was lower than those for activated sludge and soils. Moreover, the diversity of heterotrophic bacteria for sessile microorganisms in the rivers was higher than that for the suspended microorganisms.

Low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids produced from hydrothermal treatment of organic wastes.

This article reports production of low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids from the hydrothermal treatment of representative organic wastes and compounds (i.e. domestic sludge, proteinaceous, cellulosic and plastic wastes) with or without oxidant (H(2)O(2)). Organic acids such as acetic, formic, propionic, succinic and lactic acids were obtained in significant amounts. At 623 K (16.5 MPa), acetic acid of about 26 mg/g dry waste fish entrails was obtained. This increased to 42 mg/g dry waste fish entrails in the presence of H(2)O(2). Experiments on glucose to represent cellulosic wastes were also carried out, getting acetic acid of about 29 mg/g glucose. The study was extended to terephthalic acid and glyceraldehyde, reaction intermediates of hydrothermal treatment of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic wastes and glucose, respectively. In addition, production of lactic acid, one of the interesting low-molecular-weight carboxylic acids, was discussed on the viewpoint of resources recovery. Studies on temperature dependence of formation of organic acids showed thermal stability of acetic acid, whereas, formic acid decomposed readily under hydrothermal conditions. In general, results demonstrated that the presence of oxidants favored formation of organic acids with acetic acid being the major product.