Biotic Transformation Processes Research Articles

Soil microbial response to photo-degraded C60 fullerenes

Recent studies indicate that while unfunctionalized carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) exhibit very low decomposition rates in soils, even minor surface functionalization (e.g., as a result of photochemical weathering) may accelerate microbial decay. We present results from a C60 fullerene-soil incubation study designed to investigate the potential links between photochemical and microbial degradation of photo-irradiated C60. Irradiating aqueous 13C-labeled C60 with solar-wavelength light resulted in a complex mixture of intermediate products with decreased aromaticity. Although addition of irradiated C60 to soil microcosms had little effect on net soil respiration, excess 13C in the respired CO2 demonstrates that photo-irradiating C60 enhanced its degradation in soil, with ∼0.78% of 60 day photo-irradiated C60 mineralized. Community analysis by DGGE found that soil microbial community structure was altered and depended on the photo-treatment duration. These findings demonstrate how abiotic and biotic transformation processes can couple to influence degradation of CNMs in the natural environment.

Chiral signature of venlafaxine as a marker of biological attenuation processes

The chiral signature of the antidepressant venlafaxine was used in this study to gain insight into biological attenuation processes and to differentiate abiotic and biotic transformation processes in water. Laboratory scale experiments revealed that sorption and phototransformation processes were not enantioselective while venlafaxine was enantioselectively biotransformed into O-desmethylvenlafaxine. The enantiomeric fraction (EF) variations of venlafaxine appeared to be proportional to its microbial fractional conversion. Enantioselective biotransformation of venlafaxine was also investigated in a eutrophic French river. Venlafaxine was found to be racemic at the output of the main wastewater treatment plant discharging into the river, independently of the sampling date during the year. An analysis of EF variations might provide evidence of biodegradation along a 30km river stretch.

Biotic and Abiotic Anaerobic Transformations of Trichloroethene and cis-1,2-Dichloroethene in Fractured Sandstone

A fractured sandstone aquifer at an industrial site in southern California is contaminated with trichloroethene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) to depths in excess of 244 m. Field monitoring data suggest that TCE is undergoing reduction to cis-DCE and that additional attenuation is occurring. However, vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene have not been detected in significant amounts, so that if transformation is occurring, a process other than reductive dechlorination must be responsible. The objective of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of biotic and abiotic transformation processes at this site for TCE, cis-DCE, and VC. Anaerobic microcosms were constructed with site groundwater and sandstone core samples. 14C-labeled compounds were used to detect transformation products (e.g., CO2 and soluble products) that are not readily identifiable by headspace analysis. The microcosms confirmed the occurrence of biotic reduction of TCE to cis-DCE, driven by electron donor in the groundwater and/or sandstone. VC and ethene were not detected. Following incubation periods up to 22 months, the distribution of 14C indicated statistically significant transformation of [14C]TCE and [14C]cis-DCE in live microcosms, to as high as 10% 14CO2 from TCE and 20% 14CO2 from cis-DCE. In autoclaved microcosms, significant transformation of [14C]TCE and [14C]cis-DCE also occurred; although some 14CO2 accumulated, the predominant 14C product was soluble and could not be stripped by N2 from an acidic solution (referred to as nonstrippable residue, or NSR). Characterization of the NSR by high-performance liquid and ion chromatography identified glycolate, acetate, and formate as significant components. These results suggest that a combination of abiotic and biotic transformation processes is responsible for attenuation of TCE and cis-DCE in the fractured sandstone aquifer. Tracking the distribution of 14C during the microcosm study was essential for observing these phenomena.