Degradation Of M-xylene Research Articles

Synergistic removal of m-xylene and its corresponding mechanism in a biotrickling filter

Synergism is an important strategy to enhance the bioavailability of pollutants and optimize biotrickling filter (BTF) performance. The synergistic biodegradation of m-xylene with the introduction of toluene was investigated in this study. The packing was diatomaceous earth pellets with a volume of 2411 cm3. The empty bed residence time (EBRT) of the BTF was kept constant at 25 s. The mixing ratios for toluene and m-xylene were 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, and 1:6, corresponding to the inlet loading rate (ILR) of m-xylene from about 36–216 g/m3/h, and the toluene ILR was maintained at about 36 g/m3/h. The biodegradation performance and biofilm characteristics were evaluated under these various mixture compositions. For mixing ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:4, m-xylene was synergistically removed with toluene. The most pronounced synergism occurred when the ratio was 1:2; the average elimination capacity (EC) of m-xylene increased by 12.5%, from 64 g/m3/h to 72 g/m3/h. The presence of toluene promoted the growth of microorganisms and improved the hydrophobicity of the biofilm. In contrast, for the 1:6 toluene and m-xylene mixture, toluene inhibited the degradation of m-xylene. The microbial species composition analysis revealed that Burkholderia and Mycobacterium were correlated with synergistic removal of m-xylene, especially Burkholderia.

Unveiling the collective effects of moisture and oxygen on the photocatalytic degradation of m-Xylene using a titanium dioxide supported platinum catalyst

The development of practical photocatalytic system is of great significance in pursuit of efficient removal of hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOC) in indoor environments. The photocatalytic degradation (PCD) of VOC, as assessed commonly in terms of conversion efficiency (e.g., into intermediate/by-product species), is affected by the combined effects of multiple variables in the reaction environment such as relative humidity (RH) level and oxygen (O2) content. In this research, the interactive relationship between such variables (e.g., RH from 0 to 100% and the O2 level from 0 to 21%) has been studied using m-xylene (X) as model compound in a dynamic flow reactor system made of the titanium dioxide-supported platinum (Pt/TiO2). Accordingly, the involvement of water (H2O) and O2 is found to synergistically increase the PCD efficiency for the mineralization of xylene through the generation of a large number of reactive oxygen species (ROS: e.g., superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals from the adsorbed O2 and H2O molecules, respectively) under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The detailed information acquired in this research is expected to offer valuable insights into the degradation pathways of aromatic VOC and the interactive roles between PCD process variables, especially water and oxygen.

Abatement of gas-phase VOCs via dielectric barrier discharge plasmas.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology is regarded as promising method for abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and has gained substantial interests in the fields of air purification. In this present work at atmospheric pressure, dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma has been employed and utilized to evaluate feasibility of toluene, benzene, and m-xylene degradation in a parallel plate type DBD reactor taking argon as a carrier gas. The composition of post-plasma-treated by-products is studied by various spectroscopic techniques such as GC, GCMS, and FTIR, and the corresponding computational work is carried out by Gaussian software. The by-products obtained are analyzed in order to ascertain their structure and stability. The degradation of the VOCs to CO and CO2 has been affirmed from the GC and GCMS analyses. Furthermore, the probable degradation pathway for the degradation of the aforementioned VOCs has been deciphered and the most feasible path is suggested. Additionally, DFT calculations have been performed to have an idea about the energies of the pathways involved. This research work has been carried out without use of any catalyst. Surprisingly, the degradation observed is much higher than the reported values. These findings would be helpful towards the abatement of VOCs by the use of non-thermal plasma.

Rationally rewiring the connectivity of the XylR/Pu regulatory node of the m-xylene degradation pathway in Pseudomonas putida.

The XylR/Pu regulatory node of the m-xylene biodegradation pathway of Pseudomonas putida mt-2 is one of the most intricate cases of processing internal and external cues into a single controlling element. Despite this complexity, the performance of the regulatory system is determined in vivo only by the occupation of Pu by m-xylene-activated XylR and σ(54)-RNAP. The stoichiometry between these three elements defines natural system boundaries that outline a specific functional space. This space can be expanded artificially following different strategies that involve either the increase of XylR or σ(54) or both elements at the same time (each using a different inducer). In this work we have designed a new regulatory architecture that drives the system to reach a maximum performance in response to one single input. To this end, we first explored using a simple mathematical model whether the output of the XylR/Pu node could be amended by simultaneously increasing σ(54) and XylR in response to only natural inducers. The exacerbation of Pu activity in vivo was tested in strains bearing synthetic transposons encoding xylR and rpoN (the σ(54) coding gene) controlled also by Pu, thereby generating a P. putida strain with the XylR/Pu output controlled by two intertwined feed forward loops (FFLs). The lack of a negative feedback loop in the expression node enables Pu activity to reach its physiological maximum in response to a single input. Only competition for cell resources might ultimately check the upper activity limit of such a rewired m-xylene sensing device.

Metaproteogenomic analysis of a sulfate-reducing enrichment culture reveals genomic organization of key enzymes in the m-xylene degradation pathway and metabolic activity of proteobacteria

This study aimed to ascertain the functional and phylogenetic relationships within an m-xylene degrading sulfate-reducing enrichment culture, which had been maintained for several years in the laboratory with m-xylene as the sole source of carbon and energy. Previous studies indicated that a phylotype affiliated to the Desulfobacteraceae was the main m-xylene assimilating organism. In the present study, genes and gene products were identified by a metaproteogenomic approach using LC-MS/MS analysis of the microbial community, and 2426 peptides were identified from 576 proteins. In the metagenome of the community, gene clusters encoding enzymes involved in fumarate addition to a methyl moiety of m-xylene (nms, bss), as well as gene clusters coding for enzymes involved in modified beta-oxidation to (3-methyl)benzoyl-CoA (bns), were identified in two separate contigs. Additionally, gene clusters containing homologues to bam genes encoding benzoyl-CoA reductase (Bcr) class II, catalyzing the dearomatization of (3-methyl)benzoyl-CoA, were identified. Time-resolved protein stable isotope probing (protein-SIP) experiments using 13C-labeled m-xylene showed that the respective gene products were highly 13C-labeled. The present data suggested the identification of gene products that were similar to those involved in methylnaphthalene degradation even though the consortium was not capable of growing in the presence of naphthalene, methylnaphthalene or toluene as substrates. Thus, a novel branch of enzymes was found that was probably specific for anaerobic m-xylene degradation.

The differential response of the Pben promoter of Pseudomonas putida mt‐2 to BenR and XylS prevents metabolic conflicts in m‐xylene biodegradation

Pseudomonas putida mt-2 encompasses two alternative and potentially conflicting routes for benzoate metabolism, one meta pathway encoded by xyl genes of the pWW0 plasmid and mastered by the Pm promoter and XylS, and one chromosomally encoded ortho pathway initiated by Pben and the BenR protein. Any cross-activation of Pben promoter by XylS ought to cause a metabolic conflict during the degradation of m-xylene because 3-methylbenzoate (3MBz) generated as an intermediate can be channelled through the ortho pathway and produce toxic dead-end metabolites. The activation of Pben by XylS was revisited using both reporter technology and tiling arrays targeted to the sequences of interest around messenger RNA initiation of both Pben and Pm promoters. Analysis of supersensitive luxCDABE fusions, inspection of xylX versus benA transcripts and growth tests of benR mutants indicated that the natural expression ranges of XylS under various conditions are insufficient to cause a significant cross-regulation of Pben whether cells face endogenous or exogenous 3MBz. This seems to stem from the nature of the operators for binding either transcriptional factor, which in the case of the Pben promoter of P. putida mt-2 appear to have evolved for avoiding a strong interaction with XylS.

Plasma Surface Modified TiO2 Nanoparticles: Improved Photocatalytic Oxidation of Gaseous m-Xylene

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is a preferred catalyst for photocatalytic oxidation of many air pollutants. In an effort to enhance its photocatalytic activity, TiO(2) was modified by pulsed plasma treatment. In this work, TiO(2) nanoparticles, coated on a glass plate, were treated with a plasma discharge of hexafluoropropylene oxide (HFPO) gas. By appropriate adjustment of discharge conditions, it was discovered that the TiO(2) particles can be either directly fluorinated (Ti-F) or coated with thin perfluorocarbon films (C-F). Specifically, under relatively high power input, the plasma deposition process favored direct surface fluorination. The extent of Ti-F formation increased with increasing power input. In contrast, at lower average power inputs, perfluorocarbon films are deposited on the surface of the TiO(2) particles. The plasma surface modified TiO(2) nanoparticles were subsequently employed as catalysts in the photocatalytic oxidation of m-xylene in air, as carried out inside a batch reactor with closed loop constant gas circulation. Both types of modified TiO(2) were significantly more catalytically active than that of the unmodified particles. For example, the rate constant of m-xylene degradation was increased from 0.012 min(-1) with untreated TiO(2) to 0.074 min(-1) with fluorinated TiO(2). Although it is not possible to provide unequivocal reasons for this increased photocatalytic activity, it is noted that the plasma surface treatment converted the TiO(2) from hydrophilic to highly hydrophobic, which would provide more facile catalyst adsorption of the xylene from the flowing air. Also, based on literature reports, the use of fluorinated TiO(2) reduces electron-hole recombination rates, thus increasing the photocatalytic activity.

Degradation of m-xylene solution using ultrasonic irradiation

This study is to apply ultrasound to remove m-xylene, a volatile compound from aqueous solutions which causes environmental damage. High frequency ultrasound was used to investigate the effect of different operational parameters, such as m-xylene initial concentration, ultrasonic frequency and ultrasonic power. The degradation rate of m-xylene was increased with decreasing initial concentration of m-xylene and increasing frequency and power. Optimal conditions include 26.07 mg/L, 806.3 kHz and 70 ± 1 W, in which MnO 2, Cu 2+, Fe 2+, and H 2O 2 had little or no effect on the degradation. Moreover, the effect of radical scavengers such as Na 2CO 3 and t-butyl was not obvious, which indicates that direct pyrolysis inside the collapsing bubbles has an important role in m-xylene ultrasonic removal. In addition, the degradation of m-xylene was observed to behave under pseudo-first-order kinetics with different experimental conditions tested in the present work.

Substrate interactions during anaerobic biodegradation of BTEX by the mixed cultures under nitrate reducing conditions

The enriched BTEX-degrading bacteria were used to investigate the substrate interactions during anaerobic biodegradation of all the possible BTEX binary combinations. Beneficial and detrimental substrate interactions were observed in comprehensive mixtures of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, m-xylene and p-xylene. The amendment of toluene or ethylbenzene could stimulate benzene degradation. Lower concentrations of m-xylene would enhance the degradation of benzene, whereas degradation of benzene was inhibited with higher concentrations of m-xylene. The simultaneous presence of toluene and ethylbenzene could stimulate the degradation of each other. The addition of toluene stimulated o-xylene degradation, whereas the amendment of ethylbenzene inhibited the degradation of o-xylene. Lower concentrations of toluene or ethylbenzene would enhance the degradation of m-xylene and p-xylene, whereas higher concentrations of toluene or ethylbenzene had a slight inhibitory effect on m-xylene and p-xylene degradation. The amendment of benzene, m-xylene or p-xylene would inhibit the degradation of other BTEX compounds. When the concentration of BTEX mixtures was over 150 mg/l, the degradation of benzene, o-xylene, m-xylene and p-xylene was severely inhibited.

Genetic Evidence that Catabolites of the Entner-Doudoroff Pathway Signal C Source Repression of the σ54PuPromoter ofPseudomonas putida

Glucose and other C sources exert an atypical form of catabolic repression on the sigma54-dependent promoter Pu, which drives transcription of an operon for m-xylene degradation encoded by the TOL plasmid pWW0 in Pseudomonas putida. We have used a genetic approach to identify the catabolite(s) shared by all known repressive C sources that appears to act as the intracellular signal that triggers downregulation of Pu. To this end, we reconstructed from genomic data the pathways for metabolism of repressor (glucose, gluconate) and nonrepressor (fructose) C sources. Since P. putida lacks fructose-6-phosphate kinase, glucose and gluconate appear to be metabolized exclusively by the Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway, while fructose can be channeled through the Embden-Meyerhof (EM) route. An insertion in the gene fda (encoding fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase) that forces fructose metabolism to be routed exclusively to the ED pathway makes this sugar inhibitory for Pu. On the contrary, a crc mutation known to stimulate expression of the ED enzymes causes the promoter to be less sensitive to glucose. Interrupting the ED pathway by knocking out eda (encoding 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphogluconate aldolase) exacerbates the inhibitory effect of glucose in Pu. These observations pinpoint the key catabolites of the ED route, 6-phosphogluconate and/or 2-dehydro-3-deoxyphosphogluconate, as the intermediates that signal Pu repression. This notion is strengthened by the observation that 2-ketogluconate, which enters the ED pathway by conversion into these compounds, is a strong repressor of the Pu promoter.

Stable isotope fractionation caused by glycyl radical enzymes during bacterial degradation of aromatic compounds.

Stable isotope fractionation was studied during the degradation of m-xylene, o-xylene, m-cresol, and p-cresol with two pure cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Degradation of all four compounds is initiated by a fumarate addition reaction by a glycyl radical enzyme, analogous to the well-studied benzylsuccinate synthase reaction in toluene degradation. The extent of stable carbon isotope fractionation caused by these radical-type reactions was between enrichment factors (epsilon) of -1.5 and -3.9, which is in the same order of magnitude as data provided before for anaerobic toluene degradation. Based on our results, an analysis of isotope fractionation should be applicable for the evaluation of in situ bioremediation of all contaminants degraded by glycyl radical enzyme mechanisms that are smaller than 14 carbon atoms. In order to compare carbon isotope fractionations upon the degradation of various substrates whose numbers of carbon atoms differ, intrinsic epsilon (epsilon(intrinsic)) were calculated. A comparison of epsilon(intrinsic) at the single carbon atoms of the molecule where the benzylsuccinate synthase reaction took place with compound-specific epsilon elucidated that both varied on average to the same extent. Despite variations during the degradation of different substrates, the range of epsilon found for glycyl radical reactions was reasonably narrow to propose that rough estimates of biodegradation in situ might be given by using an average epsilon if no fractionation factor is available for single compounds.

Molecular and biochemical characterization of two meta-cleavage dioxygenases involved in biphenyl and m-xylene degradation by Beijerinckia sp. strain B1

Beijerinckia sp. strain B1 is able to grow on either biphenyl or m-xylene as the sole source of carbon and is capable of cooxidizing many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The catabolic pathways for biphenyl and m-xylene degradation are coinduced and share common downstream enzymatic reactions. The catabolic pathway for biphenyl degradation involves two meta-cleavage steps, one for 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl and a second for catechol. The catabolic pathway for m-xylene involves one m-cleavage step for 3-methylcatechol. The genes for two meta-cleavage dioxygenases were cloned from Beijerinckia sp. strain B1 on a single fragment of genomic DNA. The two genes are located approximately 5.5 kb away from one another. Expression of each gene separately in Escherichia coli and analysis of the meta-cleavage dioxygenase produced showed that one enzyme was more specific for 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl while the second was more specific for catechol. The genes for the two meta-cleavage enzymes were thus labeled bphC and xylE for 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, respectively. Nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by enzyme activity staining showed that the two meta-cleavage dioxygenases could be easily separated from each other. Similar analyses of Beijerinckia sp. strain B1 grown on succinate, biphenyl, or m-xylene indicate that both meta-cleavage enzymes are induced when cells are grown on either biphenyl or m-xylene. The nucleotide sequence was determined for both bphC and xylE. The two genes are transcribed in opposite directions, demonstrating that at least two operons must be involved in biphenyl degradation by Beijerinckia sp. strain B1. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicates that 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl 1,2-dioxygenase (BphC) falls into the class of meta-cleavage dioxygenases acting on dihydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and is somewhat distinct from the main group of meta-cleavage dioxygenases acting on 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl. Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (XyIE) falls into the class of meta-cleavage enzymes acting on dihydroxylated monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons but shows little similarity to the canonical TOL plasmid-encoded catechol 2,3-dioxygenase.