Indigenous microbial communities in Albertan sediments are capable of anaerobic benzene biodegradation under methanogenic, sulfate‐reducing, nitrate‐reducing, and iron‐reducing redox conditions

Abstract

Alberta is a major center for oil and gas production, and correspondingly harbors hundreds of unresolved contamination sites by environmental hazards such as benzene (C 6 H 6). Due to its cost-effectiveness, bioremediation has become a promising strategy for C 6 H 6 removal. Contamination sites typically take on an anaerobic context, which complicates the energetics of contamination sites and is a subject that is scarcely broached in studies of Albertan sediments. This study examines the innate potential for indigenous microbial communities in Albertan sediments to remove C 6 H 6 in a multitude of reduced conditions. Community profiles of these sediments were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and removal rates and reaction stoichiometries were observed by gas chromatography and ion chromatography. Organisms belonging to known primary degrader taxa were identified, including Geobacter (iron-reducing), and Peptococcaceae (nitrate-reducing). Furthermore, benzene removal patterns of the cultures were similar to those observed in previously reported microcosms, with lag times between 70 and 168 days and removal rates between 3.27 and 12.70 µM/day. Such information could support a more comprehensive survey of Albertan sediment consortia, which may eventually be utilized in informing future remediation efforts in the province.

Anaerobic sulfamethoxazole‐degrading bacterial consortia in antibiotic‐contaminated wetland sediments identified by DNA‐stable isotope probing and metagenomics analysis

“…4) and potentially involved in SMX degradation. Geobacteraceae was the common functional microorganisms under anaerobic conditions (Lee & Ulrich, 2021), and Rikenellaceae was the major microbial group in anaerobic digestion (Li et al ., 2022); however, Family XVIII was an unclassified Clostridiales family with very limited information (Zhu et al ., 2019). Among the dominant genera in SA‐degrading bacterial communities, the two Family XVIII members were also designated as 13 C‐labelled in sediment GD, but the dominant microbes in sediments FJ and SC were not identified as active SMX‐degraders by DNA‐SIP.…”

Editorial: April 2021

“…April's issue of Water Environment Research presents new research on topics important to water quality engineers and scientists: biodegradation of hazardous organic compounds (Lee & Ulrich, 2020) and microconstituents (Rao et al, 2020), removal of fluoride (Bilici Baskan & Biyikli, 2020), membrane fouling (Liu et al, 2020), and electrochemical disinfection (Qing et al, 2020), among others. The issue also includes original research on nutrient removal from around the world: the microbial communities involved in anammox from Las Barrillas estuary, Mexico (Ronzón Bravo et al, 2020), impact of COD/TN on anammox for influents simulating those from Vietnam (Nguyen & Tran, 2020), and electrocoagulation for ammonia removal from landfill leachate in Malaysia (Hamid et al, 2020).…”