Nanoconfined catalytic membrane assembled by nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulating Fe-based nanoparticles for rapid removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol in wastewater by peroxymonosulfate activation.

Surface-dependent non-radical oxidation of carbon materials-based persulfate systems show a better application prospect in the removal of pollutants in complex wastewater. However, their potential is severely limited by the restricted liquid-to-solid mass transfer efficiency of conventional suspension systems. In this paper, a nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulating iron-based nanoparticles (Fe@NC) was prepared, and loaded onto a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane to construct a novel catalytic membrane Fe@NC/PVDF. The Fe@NC/PVDF/PMS system could achieve 99.74% of 2,4-dicholophenol (2,4-DCP) removal within a retention time of 0.867 s, the kinetic constant is 840 times higher than that of Fe@NC/PMS system, and 2-5 orders of magnitude higher than that of various reported advanced oxidation processes systems. The system exhibits strong anti-interference to various water matrices, long-time operational stability at high flux (306 L·m-2·h-1), universality to pollutants that do not contain strong electron-withdrawing groups and mitigation of membrane fouling. Mechanism studies indicate that the electron transfer pathway dominates the 2,4-DCP removal, and singlet oxygen (1O2) plays an auxiliary role. The higher mass transfer efficiency of the filtration mode releases the full potential of the non-radical pathway. This paper provides theoretical and technical support for the development and efficient utilization of carbon-based materials with excellent persulfate catalytic properties.

Highly-efficient peroxydisulfate activation by polyaniline-polypyrrole copolymers derived pyrolytic carbon for 2,4-dichlorophenol removal in water: Coupling mechanism of singlet oxygen and electron transfer.

Carbonization of N-containing aromatic polymers is a promising route to prepare N-doped carbon materials with low cost, easy regulation, and no external N source. However, there are relatively few studies applying these materials for persulfate activation, and the catalytic mechanisms of the existing reaction systems are divergent. In this paper, a series of N-doped carbon materials were prepared by carbonizing polyaniline (PANI), polypyrrole (PPy), and PANI-PPy copolymers. The copolymer-derived carbon materials exhibit superior peroxydisulfate (PDS) catalytic activity compared to some commercially available and reported carbon materials. Combing quenching experiments, EPR analysis, chemical probe analysis, and various electrochemical analysis methods identified the singlet oxygen (1O2) and electron transfer as the main reaction pathways of all systems, but the contribution of each pathway was influenced by the types of precursors. The structure-activity relationship indicated that the carbonyl group (CO) was the main active site for the 1O2 pathway, while the electron transfer ability of the reaction system and the potential of the complex formed by catalyst and PDS jointly determined the electron transfer pathway. This paper provides a new strategy for obtaining excellent N-doped carbon-based persulfate activators and deepens the insight into the mechanism of PDS activation by N-doped carbon materials.

Enhanced rhizoremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls by resuscitation-promoting factor stimulation linked to plant growth promotion and response of functional microbial populations.

Rhizoremediation is acknowledged as a green technology for removing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil. However, rhizoremediation is limited because most soil microorganisms enter into a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state under PCBs stress. This work was to study the effect of resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) on rhizoremediation efficiency of PCBs in alfalfa and rhizosphere microbiological communities. Results suggested that Rpf promoted alfalfa growth in PCB-contaminated soil by improving antioxidant enzymes and detoxification metabolites in alfalfa. After 40 d Rpf treatment, removal rate for five selected PCBs significantly increased by 0.5-2.2 times. Rpf enhanced relative abundances of bphA and bphC responsible for degrading PCBs, and enzymatic activities of metabolizing exogenous compounds in rhizosphere soil. High-throughput sequencing showed that Rpf did not change the dominant microbial population at phyla and genera levels, but caused variation of the bacterial community structures. The promoting function of Rpf was linked to the shift of various key populations having different functions depending on Rpf concentrations. Pseudomonas and Rhizobium spp. enrichment might stimulate PCB degradation and Streptomyces and Bacillus spp. primarily contributed to alfalfa growth. Predicted functions in rhizosphere soil bacterial community indicated Rpf facilitated soil nutrient cycling and environmental adaptation. This study indicated that Rpf was an active additive for strengthening rhizoremediation efficiency of PCB-contaminated soil and enhancing their in-situ remediation.

Removal of ofloxacin from wastewater by chloride electrolyte electro-oxidation: Analysis of the role of active chlorine and operating costs.

Electro-oxidation (EO) has received increasing attention as an efficient and green method for removing pollutants from wastewater. Chloride anions (Cl-), which commonly exist in wastewater, can act as an electrolyte for the EO process. However, the role of reactive chlorine species (RCS) generated near electrodes is often underestimated. In this study, we generated hydroxyl radicals (OH) and RCS in a boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrode system and investigated its degradation mechanism for ofloxacin (OFX) removal. The findings suggested that OFX degradation was dominated by OH existing near the anode in solution, with RCS playing a supporting role. Based on the produced intermediates, we proposed an OFX decomposition pathway. The biological toxicities of the intermediates were evaluated through the ECOSAR and T.E.S.T. procedure. Nearly half of the intermediates are less toxic than the parent compound. After optimizing the operating parameters by the response surface methodology, 20 mg/L OFX was almost completely degraded after 10 min of reaction in 1.45 g/L NaCl with a current density (j) of 18 mA/cm2, and the total organic carbon was decreased by 30.55 %. The energy consumption and current efficiency were 0.648 kW·h/gTOC and 8.65 %, respectively. Comparing the operating costs of the proposed and other EO methods, our method emerged as a viable new treatment scheme for similar polluted wastewaters. This study aims to comprehensively understand the potential application value of BDD electrodes in the treatment of Cl- containing organic wastewater.

Efficient decontamination of ciprofloxacin at neutral pH via visible light assisted Fenton-like process mediated by Fe(III)-GLDA complexation.

This work demonstrated a novel N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)glutamic acid (GLDA) modified visible (vis) light assisted Fenton-like system which could effectively removal ciprofloxacin (CIP) at neutral pH. The removal rate of CIP in the GLDA/Fe(III)/H2O2/vis system was 97.9% within 120 min and was approximately twice as high as that in the Fe(III)/H2O2/vis system. GLDA could significantly accelerate the Fe(III)/Fe(II) cycle under visible light irradiation. Radical scavenging experiments demonstrated that 74.2% of the Fe(II) in the GLDA/Fe(III)/H2O2/vis system originated from the ligand-to-metal charge transfer reaction between Fe(III) and GLDA. The hydroxyl radical was the dominant species for CIP degradation. H2O2 utilization kinetic modeling exhibited that 90.1% of H2O2 was used for CIP mineralization. The effects of experimental parameters and coexisting substances on the removal of CIP in the Fe(III)/GLDA/H2O2/vis system were investigated in detail. The intermediate products of CIP were explored via the high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Enhancing Fenton-like process at neutral pH by Fe(III)-GLDA complexation for the oxidation removal of organic pollutants.

N,N-bis(carboxymethyl)glutamic acid (GLDA) was utilized in this study to significantly enhance the Fe(III) mediated Fenton-like oxidation removal of organic pollutants at neutral pH, in which ciprofloxacin (CIP) was used as the model pollutant. The CIP degradation rate in the GLDA/Fe(III)/H2O2 system reached 96.5% within 180 min and was nearly 14 times higher than that in the Fe(III)/H2O2 system. This enhancement was contributed to the acceleration of the cycle of Fe(III)/Fe(II) caused by GLDA, which was verified by UV-vis spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and radical quenching experiments. The results proved that the GLDA could complex with Fe(III) and greatly modify the redox potential of Fe(III)/Fe(II). Moreover, radical quenching experiments confirmed that •OH and O2·- were the mainly species for CIP degradation, and O2·- was responsible for 81.9% •OH generation. In addition, H2O2 utilization kinetic modeling was also investigated. The optimum parameters of the 100 µM Fe(III)-GLDA complex and 15 mM H2O2 were attained by lot-size optimization experiments. Two possible CIP degradation pathways were proposed on the basis of the intermediates identified by MS/MS. The GLDA/Fe(III)/H2O2 system performed better than common chelating agents at the same condition, manifesting good potential for environmental concerns.

Alkylpolyglycoside modified MnFe2O4 with abundant oxygen vacancies boosting singlet oxygen dominated peroxymonosulfate activation for organic pollutants degradation.

A novel alkylpolyglycoside (APG)-modified MnFe2O4 nanocomposite (APG@MnFe2O4) enriched with oxygen vacancies (VOs) was developed via co-precipitation and characterized as a peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator to degrade 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) as the model contaminant. The APG effectively promoted the in situ formation of VOs on MnFe2O4 and subsequently enhanced the production of singlet oxygen (1O2). Furthermore, the APG@MnFe2O4 initialized an even more efficient non-radical pathway and dominated the degradation of 2,4-DCP. The constructed APG@MnFe2O4 exhibited a much higher reaction rate constant (0.0522) by ~12.73 times of that of the bare MnFe2O4 (0.0041). The degradation efficiency of 2,4-DCP in the APG@MnFe2O4/PMS system approached 93% within 90 min, a rate significantly higher than that in the MnFe2O4/PMS system (32%) given the same condition. The reasonable catalytic mechanism can be attributed to the Fe/Mn/VOs species. The APG@MnFe2O4 also exhibits universally high removal activity for various pollutants and excellent cyclic stability. Thus, the APG@MnFe2O4 is a promising PMS activator, and its utilization offers a useful strategy for developing VOs-enriched MnFe2O4 catalysts as a means of eliminating organic pollutants from wastewater.

Rosmarinic acid enhanced Fe(III)-mediated Fenton oxidation removal of organic pollutants at near neutral pH.

In this study, we reported that the presence of rosemary acid (RA) could strongly enhance the Fe(III)-mediated Fenton oxidation of 2,4-DCP as the model contaminant at near neutral pH. This enhancement was verified by the strong chelating and reducing ability of RA, which could prevent ion precipitation and accelerate the Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle. Radical quenching experiments and electron paramagnetic resonance confirmed the existence and roles of hydroxyl radicals in the Fe3+/RA/H2O2 system. Lot size optimized experiments were executed to achieve efficient 2,4-DCP degradation (99.93%) under the optimum conditions of 100 µmol/L Fe3+, 100 µmol l/L RA and 8 mmol/L H2O2 within 60 min. In addition, co-existing metal ions, inorganic anions and natural organic matters were proved that they could inhibit removal efficiency and rate at varying degrees. Total organic carbon and chloride ion measurements were employed to probe the mineralization of organic matters (including RA and 2,4-DCP). This study provides a new modified Fenton system to enhance the oxidation removal of refractory organics in water and will enrich the understanding on effective H2O2 activation at neutral pH.

Pseudomonas monteilii PN1: a great potential P-nitrophenol degrader with plant growth promoting traits under drought and saline-alkali stresses.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate Pseudomonas monteilii strain PN1 for the removal efficiency of P-nitrophenol (PNP) in soils and its growth promotion of maize (Zea mays L.) seedlings under drought and saline-alkali stress. RESULTS: PN1 can survive in soils contaminated with PNP dosage between 90 and 155 mg/kg and considerably improved the removal PNP efficiency in soils. Drought and saline-alkali stress reduced maize seedling growth (root length, shoot height and dry or fresh weight) and improved the antioxidant enzyme activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) and proline (PRO) contents. However, maize seedlings treated with PN1 remarkably promoted their growth compared with the control. The reduction in antioxidant enzyme activities and MDA and PRO contents was significant. This result may be correlated to the increased tolerance of maize seedlings to drought and saline-alkali stress. CONCLUSIONS: Application of P. monteilii PN1 can be an extremely useful approach for the development of bioinoculants in improving plant tolerance to several abiotic stresses and removing PNP in soils to ensure secure crop production.

Enhancing bacterial transport with saponins in saturated porous media for the bioaugmentation of groundwater: visual investigation and surface interactions.

The success of bioaugmentation processes for the remediation of groundwater contamination relies on effective transport of the injected microorganisms in a subsurface environment. Biosurfactants potentially affect bacterial attachment and transport behavior in porous media. Although saponins as biosurfactants are abundant in nature, their influence on bacterial transport in groundwater systems remains unknown. In this research, tank visual-transport experiments, breakthrough curve monitoring, and surface property measurement were performed to evaluate the effects of saponins on the transport of Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 cells, which were used as a model bacterium in saturated sand. Results show that the 0.1% saponins could effectively facilitated the AN-1 secondary transport and the addition of saponins decreased the hydrophobicity of AN-1 and sand. The role of the promotion of saponins was more dominant than that of the inhibition of ions on AN-1 transport in a saturated porous medium when ions and saponins coexisted. The interactions between AN-1 and sand grains with saponins and ions were explained in accordance with the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory.

Composition and functional diversity of microbial community across a mangrove-inhabited mudflat as revealed by 16S rDNA gene sequences.

The gradient distribution of microbial communities has been detected in profiles along many natural environments. In a mangrove seedlings inhabited mudflat, the microbes drive a variety of biogeochemical processes and are associated with a dramatically changed environment across the tidal zones of mudflat. A better understanding of microbial composition, diversity and associated functional profiles in relation to physicochemical influences could provide more insights into the ecological functions of microbes in a coastal mangrove ecosystem. In this study, the variation of microbial community along successive tidal flats inhabited by mangrove seedlings were characterized based on the 16S rDNA gene sequences, and then the factors that shape the bacterial and archaeal communities were determined. Results showed that the tidal cycles strongly influence the distribution of bacterial and archaeal communities. Dissimilarity and gradient distribution of microbial communities were found among high tidal flat, mid-low tidal flat and seawater. Discrepancies were also as well observed from the surface to subsurface layers specifically in the high tidal flat. For example, Alphaproteobacteria displayed an increasing trend from low tidal to high tidal flat and vice versa for Deltaproteobacteria; Cyanobacteria and Thaumarchaeota were more dominant in the surface layer than the subsurface. In addition, by classifying the microorganisms into metabolic functional groups, we were able to identify the biogeochemical pathway that was dominant in each zone. The (oxygenic) photoautotrophy and nitrate reduction were enhanced in the mangrove inhabited mid tidal flat. It revealed the ability of xenobiotic metabolism microbes to degrade, transform, or accumulate environmental hydrocarbon pollutants in seawater, increasing sulfur-related respiration from high tidal to low tidal flat. An opposite distribution was found for major nitrogen cycling processes. The shift of both composition and function of microbial communities were significantly related to light, oxygen availability and total dissolved nitrogen instead of sediment types or salinity.

Efficient degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in aqueous solution by peroxymonosulfate activated with magnetic spinel FeCo2O4 nanoparticles.

Magnetic spinel FeCo2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and proposed as a catalyst of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for the degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). The catalyst was characterized by XRD, TEM, XPS, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, and magnetization curve. In addition, the effects of parameters, such as initial pH, PMS dosage, FeCo2O4 addition, and initial concentration of 2,4-DCP were studied. The results showed that FeCo2O4 NPs exhibit good properties for the degradation and mineralization of 2,4-DCP, achieving 95.8% and 44.7% removal of 2,4-DCP and TOC, respectively, within 90 min under reaction conditions of 4 mM PMS, 0.06 g L-1 FeCo2O4, 100 mg L-1 2,4-DCP, pH = 7.0, and T = 30 °C. Furthermore, SO4- and HO were main radical species in the reaction system was explored. The 2,4-DCP degradation efficiency could reach 91.8% even after FeCo2O4 NPs were used for the fifth run. Moreover, the degradation efficiencies of metronidazole (MNZ), methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine B (RhB) could reach 74.8%, 86.7%, and 96.1% under the same reaction conditions, respectively. Results revealed that the FeCo2O4/PMS system shows potential for degrading contaminants in the environment.

Oxidative removal of metronidazole from aqueous solution by thermally activated persulfate process: kinetics and mechanisms.

Metronidazole (MNZ) is widely used in clinical applications and animal feed as an antibiotic agent and additive, respectively. Widespread occurrence of MNZ in wastewater treatment and hospital effluents has been reported. In this study, the mechanism of MNZ degradation in aqueous solutions via thermally activated persulfate (TAP) process was established under different conditions. The kinetic model was derived for MNZ degradation and followed pseudo-first-order reaction kinetics and was consistent with the model fitted by experimental data (R 2 > 98.8%). The rate constant increased with the initial dosage of persulfate, as well as the temperature, and the yielding apparent activation energy was 23.9 kcal mol-1. The pH of the solutions did not have significant effect on MNZ degradation. The degradation efficiency of MNZ reached 96.6% within 180 min for an initial MNZ concentration of 100 mg L-1 under the optional condition of [PS]0 = 20 mM, T = 60 °C, and unadjusted pH. [Formula: see text] and HO · were confirmed using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra during TAP process. Radical quenching study revealed that [Formula: see text] was mainly responsible for MNZ degradation at an unadjusted pH. MNZ mineralization evaluation showed that the removal efficiency of total organic carbon (TOC) reached more than 97.2%.

Visualisation study on Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 transport in saturated porous media.

Influence of granular size and groundwater flow rate on transport of Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 in saturated porous media was non-invasively and visually investigated with a novel imaging technique based on our previously established green fluorescent protein-tagging approach. AN-1 was transported faster than water was. The finer the media were, the greater the enhancement of bacterial velocity was. Mass recovery (MR) increased, while deposition rate coefficient (Kc) decreased, with increasing granular size. Similar and linear trends of MR and Kc, respectively, were quantitatively observed with increasing water flow rate. The images revealed that the initial shape of bacterial plume after injection was a narrow strip along the injection well and an ellipsoid in the lower part of the injection well in medium and coarse sand, respectively. Bacterial plume migrated horizontally in medium sand, but shifted slightly downward in coarse sand. Under similar conditions, the fluorescent area carrying AN-1 in medium sand was larger than that carrying AN-1 in coarse sand during the same period. The visualisation method of this study captured both the movement of free-state and retained bacteria that adhered to sediments. A continuous biological zone composed of planktonic and retained AN-1 was observed. These findings are significant for actual bioremediation.

Recombinant protein, AlnA, combined with transgenic alfalfa remediates polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated soils: efficiency and rhizosphere microbial community response.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the remediation efficiency of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soils by the combination of a bioemulsifying protein, AlnA, and alfalfa expressing bphC. RESULT: The combination of AlnA and transgenic alfalfa promoted PCB soil remediation through the pot experiments. The removal rates of tri-PCBs (PCB 16/PCB 32 and PCB 31/PCB 28) and tetra-PCB (PCB 49) in transgenic alfalfa/AlnA treatment were 3.6-, 1.1-, and 2-fold higher than in transgenic alfalfa treatment alone. Analysis of gene copy number revealed that the PCB-degrading gene, bphC, of Pseudomonas-like bacterial populations in transgenic alfalfa/AlnA treatment increased 1.5-fold compared with that of unplanted soils. Bacterial community Illumina sequencing showed Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, and Sphingomonas positively correlated with the removal rates of PCBs. CONCLUSIONS: PCB removal was unrelated to bacterial community diversity but positively correlated with their specific degraders and bphC gene expression.

Efficacy of forming biofilms by Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 toward in situ bioremediation of aniline-contaminated aquifer by groundwater circulation wells.

The formation and activity of aniline-degrading biofilms developed by the psychrotrophic Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 were studied for the in situ remediation of contaminated aquifer using in-well bioreactor of groundwater circulating wells (GCWs). Biofilms grown in mineral salt medium with aniline exhibited tolerance to high concentrations of aniline. In aniline degradation rate, AN-1 biofilms exhibited slight differences compared with planktonic cells. The effectiveness and bio-implication of AN-1 biofilms in GCWs were investigated to treat aniline-contaminated aquifer. The results demonstrate that AN-1 biofilms survived the GCWs treatment process with high aniline-degrading efficiency. This system provides a novel environmentally friendly technology for the in situ bioremediation of low-volatile contaminants.

Bioaugmentation with GFP-Tagged Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 in Aniline-Contaminated Aquifer Microcosms: Cellular Responses, Survival and Effect on Indigenous Bacterial Community.

The recently isolated aniline-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas migulae AN-1 was tagged with green fluorescent protein (GFP) to investigate its bioaugmentation potential against anilinecontaminated groundwater through microcosm experiments. The survival and cellular response of GFP-tagged AN-1 introduced in a lab-scale aquifer corresponded directly with aniline consumption. During the process, the GFP-tagged AN-1 biomass increased from 7.52 × 105 cells/ml to 128 × 105 cells/ml and the degradation rate of aniline was 6.04 mg/l/h. GFP-tagged AN-1 was moderately hydrophobic (41.74%-47.69%) when treated with 20- 100 mg/l aniline and exhibited relatively strong hydrophobicity (55.25%-65.78%) when the concentration of aniline was ≥100 mg/l. The membrane permeability of AN-1 increased followed by a rise in aniline below 100 mg/l and was invariable with aniline above 100 mg/l. Pyrosequencing analysis showed that the relative abundance of Proteobacteria (accounted for 99.22% in the non-bioaugmentation samples) changed to 89.23% after bioaugmentation with GFP-tagged AN-1. Actinobacteria increased from 0.29% to 2.01%, whereas the abundance of Firmicutes barely changed. These combined findings demonstrate the feasibility of removing aniline in aquifers by introducing the strain AN-1 and provide valuable information on the changes in the diversity of dominant populations during bioaugmentation.

2,4-Dichlorophenol hydroxylase for chlorophenol removal: Substrate specificity and catalytic activity.

Chlorophenols (CPs) are common environmental pollutants. As such, different treatments have been assessed to facilitate their removal. In this study, 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) hydroxylase was used to systematically investigate the activity and removal ability of 19CP congeners at 25 and 0 °C. Results demonstrated that 2,4-DCP hydroxylase exhibited a broad substrate specificity to CPs. The activities of 2,4-DCP hydroxylase against specific CP congeners, including 3-CP, 2,3,6-trichlorophenol, 2-CP, and 2,3-DCP, were higher than those against 2,4-DCP, which is the preferred substrate of previously reported 2,4-DCP hydroxylase. To verify whether cofactors are necessary to promote hydroxylase activity against CP congeners, we added FAD and found that the added FAD induced a 1.33-fold to 5.13-fold significant increase in hydroxylase activity against different CP congeners. The metabolic pathways of the CP degradation in the enzymatic hydroxylation step were preliminarily proposed on the basis of the analyses of the enzymatic activities against 19CP congeners. We found that the high activity and removal rate of 2,4-DCP hydroxylase against CPs at 0 °C enhance the low-temperature-adaptability of this enzyme to the CP congeners; as such, the proposed removal process may be applied to biochemical, bioremediation, and industrial processes, particularly in cold environments.

BTEX biodegradation and its nitrogen removal potential by a newly isolated Pseudomonas thivervalensis MAH1.

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) are of great environmental concern because of their widespread occurrence in groundwater and soil, posing an increasing threat to human health. The aerobic denitrifying BTEX-degrading bacterium Pseudomonas thivervalensis MAH1 was isolated from BTEX-contaminated sediment under nitrate-reducing conditions. The degradation rates of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene by strain MAH1 were 4.71, 6.59, 5.64, and 2.59 mg·L⁻¹day⁻¹, respectively. The effects of sodium citrate, nitrate, and NaH2PO4 on improving BTEX biodegradation were investigated, and their optimum concentrations were 0.5 g·L⁻¹, 100 mg·L⁻¹, and 0.8 mmol·L⁻¹, respectively. Moreover, MAH1, which has nirS and nosZ genes, removed ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite at 2.49 mg NH(4)(+)-N·L⁻¹·h⁻¹, 1.50 mg NO(3)(-)-N·L⁻¹·h⁻¹, and 0.83 mg NO(2)(-)-N·L⁻¹·h⁻¹, respectively. MAH1 could help in mitigating the pollution caused by nitrogen amendments for biostimulation. This study highlighted the feasibility of using MAH1 for the bioremediation of BTEX-contaminated sites.

Low-temperature biodegradation of aniline by freely suspended and magnetic modified Pseudomonas migulae AN-1.

Aniline is of great environmental concern with regards to widespread occurrence in water and soil and increasing threat into the life forms. Bioremediation involving the use of degrading bacterium in the removal of aniline is the most promising process, yet inhibited under low temperature usually. In the present study, a new psychrotrophic bacterial strain isolated from groundwater, designated AN-1, was shown to be capable of aniline degradation in a concentration range of 135-2202 mg L(-1) within 72 h at 10 °C. Strain AN-1 was proposed to be a Pseudomonas migulae group of bacteria based on the evolutionary relationship and the morphological and biochemical characteristics. The pH, NaH2PO4, and aniline concentration were used as independent variables to optimize the aniline removal by AN-1 at 10 °C, and a statistically significant (R (2) = 0.9230, p < 0.005) quadratic polynomial mathematical model was suggested. Moreover, an efficient biocomposite by assembling Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto the surface of AN-1 cells was constructed. Compared with free cells, the microbial cell/Fe3O4 biocomposite had the same biodegradation activity but exhibited remarkable reusability. This study highlights AN-1 might be a promising candidate for aniline removal from wastewater at low temperatures.