For more than 100 years it was believed that bacteria were the only group responsible for the oxidation of ammonia. However, recently, a new strain of archaea bearing a putative ammonia monooxygenase subunit A (amoA) gene and able to oxidize ammonia was isolated from a marine aquarium tank. Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) were subsequently discovered in many ecosystems of varied characteristics and even found as the predominant causal organisms in some environments. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on the environmental conditions related to the presence of AOA and discuss the possible site-related properties. Considering these data, we deduct the possible niches of AOA based on pH, sulfide and phosphate levels. It is proposed that the AOA might be important actors within the nitrogen cycle in low-nutrient, low-pH, and sulfide-containing environments.

Environmental factors shaping the ecological niches of ammonia-oxidizing archaea

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is intrinsically a sequential complex chemical and biochemical process, and many factors (microbiological, operational, and chemical) can affect its performance. The great ...

Anaerobic digestion from the viewpoint of microbiological, chemical, and operational aspects — a review

The corrosion of sewers and the control of odor are the major operational and maintenance problems in wastewater collection systems. The generation of hydrogen sulfide and subsequent sulfuric acid results from microbially mediated reactions, by sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SBR) and sulfide‐oxidizing bacteria. This review covers pertinent information about sulfate reduction‐induced problems in general and SBR in particular. Metabolism with respect to carbon, energy, and sulfur sources, ecology, growth factors (dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, and sulfide), and the competitive effects of methane‐producing bacteria on SBR are discussed. Because metals react with sulfide to form metal sulfide precipitates with extremely low solubilities, metal interactions in sulfate reduction environments are discussed.

Sulfate‐reducing bacteria

Fate and transformation of silver nanoparticles in urban wastewater systems.

▪ Abstract Throughout the first 90 years after their discovery, sulfate-reducing bacteria were thought to be strict anaerobes. During the last 15 years, however, it has turned out that they have manifold properties that enable them to cope with oxygen. Sulfate-reducing bacteria not only survive oxygen exposure for at least days, but many of them even reduce oxygen to water. This process can be a true respiration process when it is coupled to energy conservation. Various oxygen-reducing systems are present in Desulfovibrio species. In Desulfovibrio vulgaris and Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, oxygen reduction was coupled to proton translocation and ATP conservation. In these species, the periplasmic fraction, which contains hydrogenase and cytochrome c3, was found to catalyze oxygen reduction with high rates. In Desulfovibrio gigas, a cytoplasmic rubredoxin oxidase was identified as an oxygen-reducing terminal oxidase. Generally, the same substrates as with sulfate are oxidized with oxygen. As additional elec...

Oxygen respiration by desulfovibrio species.

Sulfate reducing and methane producing bacteria in aerobic wastewater treatment systems

Fed-batch anaerobic digestion of raw and pretreated hazelnut skin over long-term operation.

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Materials to Enhance their Methane Potential

Ultrasounds application for nut and coffee wastes valorisation via biomolecules solubilisation and methane production.

Abstract Lignocellulosic residues (LRs) are one of the most abundant wastes produced worldwide. Nevertheless, unlocking the full energy potential from LRs for biofuel production is limited by their complex structure. This study investigated the effect of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) pretreatment on almond shell (AS), spent coffee grounds (SCG), and hazelnut skin (HS) to improve their bioconversion to methane. The pretreatment was performed using a 73% NMMO solution heated at 120 °C for 1, 3, and 5 h. The baseline methane productions achieved from raw AS, SCG, and HS were 54.7 (± 5.3), 337.4 (± 16.5), and 265.4 (± 10.4) mL CH 4 /g VS, respectively. The NMMO pretreatment enhanced the methane potential of AS up to 58%, although no changes in chemical composition and external surface were observed after pretreatment. Opposite to this, pretreated SCG showed increased porosity (up to 63%) and a higher sugar percentage (up to 27%) after pretreatment despite failing to increase methane production. All pretreatment conditions were effective on HS, achieving the highest methane production of 400.4 (± 9.5) mL CH 4 /g VS after 5 h pretreatment. The enhanced methane production was due to the increased sugar percentage (up to 112%), lignin removal (up to 29%), and loss of inhibitory compounds during the pretreatment. An energy assessment revealed that the NMMO pretreatment is an attractive technology to be implemented on an industrial scale for energy recovery from HS residues. 

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P.N. Lens

Papers

Sulfate reducing and methane producing bacteria in aerobic wastewater treatment systems

Fed-batch anaerobic digestion of raw and pretreated hazelnut skin over long-term operation.

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Materials to Enhance their Methane Potential

Ultrasounds application for nut and coffee wastes valorisation via biomolecules solubilisation and methane production.

Use of N-Methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMMO) pretreatment to enhance the bioconversion of lignocellulosic residues to methane