Olli H. Tuovinen

tuovinen.1@osu.edu

Ph.D., University of London (U.K.)

Professor of Microbiology

Environmental Microbiology

Several projects are underway in my laboratory that combine microbial metabolism and ecology with environmental disciplines. Examples of current studies include (1) the biodegradation of pesticides and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, (2) microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of acid mine drainage, (3) microbial solubilization and weathering of minerals, and (4) microbial processes in landfills.

(1) Biodegradation is by far the single most important factor in the attenuation of pesticides in soils. Biodegradation rates vary with bioavailability and presence of organisms with degradative capabilities in soils and subsurface environments. We have previously investigated the degradation of phenoxyalkanoic acid and chloroacetamide herbicides and our current focus is on the pre-emergent weed killer atrazine. This compound has a symmetric, N-heterocyclic aromatic structure and has no known natural analogs in nature.

Annual applications of atrazine are known to enhance biodegradation rates in agricultural soils, and this acclimation effect has also been reported for many other herbicides. Biodegradation rate constants and the corresponding half-lives may vary by two orders of magnitude between soils with different histories of atrazine application, including reference soils with no prior exposure. Such kinetic differences reflect phenotypic and genotypic variation in soil microbial communities.

Complete biodegradation of atrazine involves dehalogenation, N-dealkylation, deamination, and ring-cleavage steps. Several genes of the atrazine degradative pathways have been described in the literature. The genes provide the basis for the characterization of soil microbial communities by molecular techniques such as DNA probes and PCR amplification, cloning, and sequencing. In addition to agricultural soils, we have also used these approaches for describing atrazine-degrading microbial communities in natural and constructed wetlands.

Biodegradation is also most important in the natural attenuation of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons; these compounds are highly nonpolar and sorb on soil and sediment particles. The scope in our studies is to assess the biodegradation potential of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in compost materials and in sediments impacted by hydrocarbon pollution and stormwater runoff. The biodegradation potential yields useful information for assessing the fate and kinetics of the biodegradation of these compounds in environments impacted by anthropogenic sources. Such information may be useful in designing bioremediation strategies for solid waste materials.

(2) Mine drainage constitutes a serious water pollution problem in many metal and coal mine areas. Treatment methods of acid mine water include constructed wetland systems to remove acidity and metal ions. Our approach to elucidating microbial ecology in constructed acid mine wetlands has been based on using 16S rDNA-based techniques. With emphasis on non-culturable approaches, we have use PCR amplification with universal and genus/species specific phylogenetic primers, cloning and sequencing, RFLP, DGGE, and FISH to characterize microbial communities in a constructed wetland system treating acid coal mine water. Geochemical and mineralogical changes with time have been described by analysis of pore water and iron precipitates in aerobic and anaerobic zones of the constructed wetland.

(3) The dominant bacterial groups in constructed mine drainage wetland systems are aerobic, iron- and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria. These acidophilic bacteria are also involved in the oxidative dissolution of sulfide minerals in ore deposits and coal refuse piles. A long-term study in my laboratory has been to characterize dissolution processes using research-grade minerals as well as ores and concentrates. These bacteria have application for processing of copper-, uranium-, and precious metal-containing ore materials in the mining industry. We have also shown that anaerobic sulfate reducing-bacteria can be involved in biogeochemical transformations by using solid-phase electron acceptors.

(4) Microbial processes in conventional landfills are usually limited by low moisture content. This dry tomb technology of landfill management is contrasted by landfill bioreactor approaches, which aim to accelerate waste decomposition and landfill gas production through leachate circulation. Our studies in landfill bioreactor technology are aimed at optimizing environmental conditions conducive to anaerobic microbial activities and assessing nutrient deficiency conditions for landfill materials.

Projects in my laboratory have prospective in remediation and other applications with interdisciplinary approaches, but the foundations are firmly based on microbial biochemistry, ecology, and physiology. Many of the research problems under study in my laboratory involve biogeochemical redox reactions, interfacial reactions, and molecular ecological approaches that help design microbiological strategies competitive in environmental investigations.

Bigham, J.M., F.S. Jones, B. Özkaya, E. Sahinkaya, J.A. Puhakka, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2010. Characterization of jarosites produced by chemical synthesis over a temperature gradient from 2 to 40 °C. International Journal of Mineral Processing, in press. 

Nurmi, P., B. Özkaya, A.H. Kaksonen, O.H. Tuovinen, and J.A. Puhakka. 2010. Predictive modelling of Fe(III) precipitation in iron removal process for bioleaching circuits. Bioprocess and Biosystems Engineering, in press.

Nurmi, P., B. Özkaya, K. Sasaki, A.H. Kaksonen, M.L. Riekkola-Vanhanen, O.H. Tuovinen, and J.A. Puhakka. 2010. Biooxidation and precipitation for iron and sulfate removal from heap bioleaching effluent streams. Hydrometallurgy 101:7-14.

Tao, J., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2010. Attenuation of organic matter, suspended solids, ammonium and phosphate in sanitary sewer overflow: Comparative evaluation of treatment with fixed media bioreactors. Bioresource Technology 101:1781-1786.

Gaur, R.S., L. Cai, O.H. Tuovinen, and K.M. Mancl. 2010. Pretreatment of turkey fat-containing wastewater in coarse sand and gravel/coarse sand bioreactors. Bioresource Technology 101:1106-1110.

Gramp, J.P., J.M. Bigham, F.S. Jones, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2010. Formation of Fe-sulfides in cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Journal of Hazardous Materials 175:1062-1067.

Bhatti, T.M., J.M. Bigham, M. Riekkola-Vanhanen, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2010. Altered mineralogy associated with stirred tank bioreactor leaching of a black schist ore. Hydrometallurgy 100:181-184.  

Bevilaqua, D., O. Garcia Jr., and O.H. Tuovinen. 2010. Oxidative dissolution of bornite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Process Biochemistry 45:101-106.

Kupka, D., M. Liljeqvist, P. Nurmi, J.A. Puhakka, O.H. Tuovinen, and M. Dopson. 2010. Oxidation of elemental sulfur, tetrathionate and ferrous iron by the psychrotolerant Acidithiobacillus strain SS3. Research in Microbiology 160:767-774.

Nurmi, P., B. Özkaya, A.H. Kaksonen, O.H. Tuovinen, M.-L. Riekkola-Vanhanen, and J.A. Puhakka. 2009. Process for biological oxidation and control of dissolved iron in bioleach liquors. Process Biochemistry 44:1315-1322.  

Tao, J., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009. Using fixed media bioreactors to control the environmental impact of sanitary sewer overflow. In: Proceedings of the 82nd Annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference, p. 849-861. Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, VA.

Ahonen, L., P. Nurmi, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009. Thermodynamic simulation of sulphide mineral leaching. Advanced Materials Research 71-73:437-440.

Nurmi, P., L. Ahonen, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009. Thermodynamic modelling of iron solubility in sulphide mineral leaching. Advanced Materials Research 71-73:441-444.

Tuovinen, O.H., P. Nurmi, and L. Ahonen. 2009. Thermodynamic modelling of phosphate and chloride effects on solid and solution phase ferric iron speciation. Advanced Materials Research 71-73:445-458.

Sasaki, K.., K. Takaguchi, T. Hirajima, N. Kozai, T. Ohnuki, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009. Bioleaching of enargite by arsenic-tolerant Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Advanced Materials Research 71-73:485-488.

Vestola, E.A., M.K. Kuusenaho, H.M. Närhi, O.H. Tuovinen, J.A. Puhakka, J.J. Plumb, and A. H. Kaksonen. 2009. Biological solubilisation of metals from solid waste materials from copper, steel and recycling industries. Advanced Materials Research 71-73:673-676.

Sasaki, K., Y. Nakamuta, T.  Hirajima, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009. Raman characterization of secondary minerals formed during the leaching of chalcopyrite with Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Hydrometallurgy 95:193-198.

Kolehmainen, R.E., J.P. Korpela, U. Münster, J.A. Puhakka, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009.  Extracellular enzyme activities and nutrient availability during artificial groundwater recharge. Water Research 43:405-416.

Tao, J., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009. Treatment of sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) with fixed media bioreactors. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 25:39-43.

Gramp, J.P., H. Wang, J.M. Bigham, F.S. Jones, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2009. Biosynthesis and reduction of Fe(III)-hydroxysulfates. Geomicrobiology Journal 26:275-280.

Nurmi, P., B. Özkaya, A.H. Kaksonen, O.H. Tuovinen, and J.A. Puhakka. 2009. Kinetic modeling of bacterial iron oxidation: Inhibition of Leptospirillum ferriphilum by ferric iron, nickel and zinc. Hydrometallurgy 97:137-145.

Ghosh, D., K. Roy, V. Srinivasan, T. Mueller, O.H. Tuovinen, K. Sublette, A. Peacock, and M. Radosevich. 2009. In-situ enrichment and analysis of atrazine-degrading microbial communities using atrazine-containing porous beads. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 41:1331-1334.

Nicomrat, D., W.A. Dick, M. Dopson, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2008. Bacterial phylogenetic diversity in a constructed wetland system treating acid coal mine drainage. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 40:312-321.

Hurdzan, C.M., N.T. Basta, P.G. Hatcher, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2008. Phenanthrene release from natural organic matter surrogates under simulated human gastrointestinal conditions. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 69:525-530.

Kaksonen, A.H., M. Dopson, O.V. Karnachuk, O.H. Tuovinen, and J.A. Puhakka. 2008. Biological iron oxidation and sulfate reduction in the treatment of acid mine drainage at low temperatures. In: Psychrophiles: from Biodiversity to Biotechnology (R. Margesin, F. Schinner, J.-C. Marx, and C. Gerday, Eds.), p. 429-454. Springer Verlag, Berlin.

Rismani-Yazdi, H., S.M. Carver, A.D. Christy, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2008. Cathodic limitations in microbial fuel cells: an overview. Journal of Power Sources 180:683-694.

Hita, R., H. Wang, J.M. Bigham, J. Torrent, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2008. Bioleaching of a pyritic sludge from the Aznalcóllar (Spain) mine spillage at ambient and elevated temperatures. Hydrometallurgy 93:76-79.

Karnachuk, O.V., K. Sasaki, A.L. Gerasimchuk, O. Sukhanova, D.A. Ivasenko, A.H. Kaksonen, J.A. Puhakka, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2008. Precipitation of Cu-sulfides by copper-tolerant Desulfovibrio isolates. Geomicrobiology Journal 25:219-227.

Gramp, J.P., F.S. Jones, J.M. Bigham, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2008. Monovalent cation concentrations determine the types of Fe(III) hydroxysulfate precipitates formed in bioleach solutions. Hydrometallurgy 94:29-33.

Garcia Jr., O., J.M. Bigham, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Oxidation of isochemical FeS2 (marcasite-pyrite) by Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans. Minerals Engineering 20:98-101.

Wang, H., J.M. Bigham, F.S. Jones, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Synthesis and properties of ammoniojarosites prepared with iron-oxidizing acidophilic microorganisms at 22 to 65 °C. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 71:155-64.

Kang, Y.W., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Treatment of turkey processing wastewater with sand filtration. Bioresource Technology 98:1460-1468.

Rismani-Yazdi, H., A.D. Christy, B.A. Dehority, M. Morrison, Z. Yu, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Electricity generation by rumen microorganisms from cellulose in microbial fuel cells. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 97:1398-1407.

Kupka, D., O.I. Rzhepishevska, M. Dopson, E.B. Lindström, O.V. Karnachuk, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Bacterial oxidation of ferrous iron at low temperatures. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 97:1470-1478.

Wang, H, J. M. Bigham, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Oxidation of marcasite and pyrite by iron-oxidizing bacteria and archaea. Hydrometallurgy 88:127-131.

Gaur, R.S., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Pretreatment of turkey fat in wastewater in sand bioreactors. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh National Symposium on Individual and Small Community Sewage Systems, 4 p. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, St. Joseph, MI.

Gaur, R.S., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Treatment of turkey processing wastewater with sand and sand-textile bioreactors. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh National Symposium on Individual and Small Community Sewage Systems, 7 p. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, St. Joseph, MI.

Tao, J., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Removal of COD and BOD5 in sanitary sewer overflow with fixed media bioreactors. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh National Symposium on Individual and Small Community Sewage Systems, 7 p. American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, St. Joseph, MI.

Hurdzan, C.M., N.T. Basta, P.G. Hatcher, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Screening of human gastrointestinal microorganisms for potential biotransformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 79:533-536.

Gramp, J.P., J.M. Bigham, K. Sasaki, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Formation of Ni- and Zn-sulfides in cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Geomicrobiology Journal 24:609-614.

Kang, Y.W., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2007. Recovery of sand bioreactor performance through resting following treatment of turkey processing wastewater. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 23:719-725.

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