Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Role of primary substrate composition on microbial community structure and function and trace organic chemical attenuation in managed aquifer recharge systems

  • Environmental biotechnology
  • Published:
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study was performed to reveal the microbial community characteristics in simulated managed aquifer recharge (MAR), a natural water treatment system, under different concentrations and compositions of biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) and further link these to the biotransformation of emerging trace organic chemicals (TOrCs). Two pairs of soil-column setups were established in the laboratory receiving synthetic feed solutions composed of different peptone/humic acid ratios and concentrations. Higher BDOC concentration resulted in lower microbial community diversity and higher relative abundance of Betaproteobacteria. Decreasing the peptone/humic acid ratio resulted in higher diversity of the community and higher relative abundances of Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, and Actinobacteria. The metabolic capabilities of microbiome involved in xenobiotics biodegradation were significantly promoted under lower BDOC concentration and higher humic acid content. Cytochrome P450 genes were also more abundant under these primary substrate conditions. Lower peptone/humic acid ratios also promoted the attenuation of most TOrCs. These results suggest that the primary substrate characterized by a more refractory character could increase the relative abundances of Firmicutes, Planctomycetes, and Actinobacteria, as well as associated cytochrome P450 genes, all of which should play important roles in the biotransformation of TOrCs in this natural treatment system.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alidina M, Li D, Ouf M, Drewes JE Role of primary substrate composition and concentration on attenuation of trace organic chemicals in managed aquifer recharge systems. J Environ Management (in review)

  • Amy G, Drewes JE (2007) Soil aquifer treatment (SAT) as a natural and sustainable wastewater reclamation/reuse technology: fate of wastewater effluent organic matter (EfOM) and trace organic compounds. Environ Monit Assess 129:19–26

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes KK, Kolpin DW, Furlong ET, Zaugg SD, Meyer MT, Barber LB (2008) A national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants in the United States—I. Groundwater. Sci Total Environ 402:192–200

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Benotti MJ, Trenholm RA, Vanderford BJ, Holady JC, Stanford BD, Snyder SA (2009) Pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in US drinking water. Environ Sci Technol 43:597–603

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buerge IJ, Buser H-R, Kahle M, Müller MD, Poiger T (2009) Ubiquitous occurrence of the artificial sweetener acesulfame in the aquatic environment: an ideal chemical marker of domestic wastewater in groundwater. Environ Sci Technol 43:4381–4385

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caporaso JG, Kuczynski J, Stombaugh J, Bittinger K, Bushman FD, Costello EK (2010) QIIME allows analysis of high-throughput community sequencing data. Nat Methods 7:335–336

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dantas G, Sommer MOA, Oluwasegun RD, Church GM (2008) Bacteria subsisting on antibiotics. Science 320:100–103

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dillon P (2005) Future management of aquifer recharge. Hydrogeol J 13:313–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drewes JE, Fox P (1999) Fate of natural organic matter (NOM) during groundwater recharge using reclaimed water. Water Sci Technol 40:241–248

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gao J, Ellis LBM, Wackett LP (2010) The University of Minnesota biocatalysis/biodegradation database: improving public access. Nucleic Acids Res 38:D488–D491

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Golan-Rozen N, Chefetz B, Ben-Ari J, Geva J, Hadar Y (2011) Transformation of the recalcitrant pharmaceutical compound carbamazepine by Pleurotus ostreatus: role of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase and manganese peroxidase. Environ Sci Technol 45:6800–6805

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Halden RU (2010) Introduction to contaminants of emerging concern in the environment: ecological and human health considerations. Contaminants of emerging concern in the environment: ecological and human health considerations. ACS Symp Ser 1048:1–6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hammer Ø, Harper DAT, Ryan PD (2001) Past: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol Electron 4:e1–e9

    Google Scholar 

  • Heberer T (2002) Occurrence, fate, and removal of pharmaceutical residues in the aquatic environment: a review of recent research data. Toxicol Lett 131:5–17

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Helbling DE, Hollender J, Kohler HP, Singer H, Fenner K (2010) High-throughput identification of microbial transformation products of organic micropollutants. Environ Sci Technol 44:6621–6627

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins O, Byrom D, Jones D (1987) Methylophilus: a new genus of methanol-utilizing bacteria. Int J Syst Bacteriol 37:446–448

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones OAH, Green PG, Voulvoulis N, Lester JN (2007) Questioning the excessive use of advanced treatment to remove organic micropollutants from wastewater. Environ Sci Technol 41:5085–5089

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kolpin DW, Furlong ET, Meyer MT, Thurman EM, Zaugg SD, Barber LB, Buxton HT (2002) Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, 1999–2000: a national reconnaissance. Environ Sci Technol 36:1202–1211

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li D, Sharp JO, Saikaly PE, Ali S, Alidina M, Alarawi MS, Keller S, Hoppe-Jones C, Drewes JE (2012) Dissolved organic carbon influences microbial community composition and diversity in managed aquifer recharge systems. Appl Environ Microbiol 78:6819–6828

    Article  CAS  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Li D, Alidina M, Ouf M, Sharp JO, Saikaly PE, Drewes JE (2013) Microbial community evolution during simulated managed aquifer recharge in response to different biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) concentrations. Water Res 47:2421–2430

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Madyastha KM, Sridhar GR, Vadiraja BB, Madhavi YS (1999) Purification and partial characterization of caffeine oxidase—a novel enzyme from a mixed culture consortium. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 263:460–464

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maeng SK, Sharma SK, Lekkerkerker-Teunissen K, Amy GL (2011) Occurrence and fate of bulk organic matter and pharmaceutically active compounds in managed aquifer recharge: a review. Water Res 45:3015–33

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mazzafera P (2004) Catabolism of caffeine in plants and microorganisms. Front Biosci 9:1348–1359

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Missimer TM, Drewes JE, Maliva RG, Amy G (2011) Aquifer recharge and recovery: groundwater recharge systems for treatment, storage, and water reclamation. Ground Water 49:771

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ogunseitan OA (2002) Caffeine-inducible enzyme activity in Pseudomonas putida ATCC 700097. World J Microb Biot 18:423–428

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Onesios KM, Bouwer EJ (2012) Biological removal of pharmaceuticals and personal care products during laboratory soil aquifer treatment simulation with different primary substrate concentrations. Water Res 46:2365–2375

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ortiz De Montellano PR, De Voss JJ (2005) Substrate oxidation by cytochrome P450 enzymes. In: Ortiz De Montellano PR (ed) Cytochrome P450: structure, mechanism, and biochemistry. Plenum, New York, pp 183–245

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Prior JE, Shokati T, Christians U, Gill RT (2010) Identification and characterization of a bacterial cytochrome P450 for the metabolism of diclofenac. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 85:625–633

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rauch-Williams T, Hoppe-Jones C, Drewes JE (2010) The role of organic matter in the removal of emerging trace organic contaminants during managed aquifer recharge. Water Res 44:449–460

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sogorb MA, Vilanova E (2002) Enzymes involved in the detoxification of organophosphorus, carbamate and pyrethroid insecticides through hydrolysis. Toxicol Lett 128:215–228

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wackett LP (2006) The metabolic pathways of biodegradation. In: Dworkin M, Falkow S, Rosenberg E, Schleifer K-H, Stackebrandt E (eds) The prokaryotes, vol 2, 3rd edn. Springer-Verlag, New York, pp 956–968

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Westerhoff P, Yoon Y, Snyder S, Wert E (2005) Fate of endocrine-disruptor, pharmaceutical, and personal care product chemicals during simulated drinking water treatment processes. Environ Sci Technol 39:6649–6663

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by discretionary investigator funds at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). The material presented is also based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement EEC-1028968. The authors are thankful for technical assistance provided by Prof. Pascal Saikaly at KAUST as well as Prof. Jonathan O. Sharp at Colorado School of Mines.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Desalination and Reuse Center (WDRC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia

    Dong Li, Mazahirali Alidina & Jörg E. Drewes

  2. NSF Engineering Research Center ReNUWIt, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA

    Dong Li & Jörg E. Drewes

  3. Urban Water Systems Engineering, Technische Universität München, Am Coulombwall 8, 85748, Garching, Germany

    Jörg E. Drewes

Authors
  1. Dong Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mazahirali Alidina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jörg E. Drewes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jörg E. Drewes.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(PDF 4358 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, D., Alidina, M. & Drewes, J.E. Role of primary substrate composition on microbial community structure and function and trace organic chemical attenuation in managed aquifer recharge systems. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 98, 5747–5756 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5677-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-014-5677-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation