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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 analog 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.
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Xi,
J., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2005.
Carbon transformation during sand filtration
of cheese processing wastewater. Applied
Engineering in Agriculture 21:271-274.
Karnachuk,
O.V., N.V. Pimenov, S.K. Yusupov, Y.A. Frank,
A.H. Kaksonen, J.A. Puhakka, M.V. Ivanov,
E.B. Lindström, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2005.
Sulfate reduction potential in sediments
in the Norilsk mining area, northern Siberia.
Geomicrobiology Journal 22:11-25.
Kang,
Y.K., K.M. Mancl, and O. H. Tuovinen. 2005.
Feasibility of renovating turkey processing
wastewater using fixed film bioreactors.
In: Proceedings of the 14th Annual Technical
Education Conference, 10 p. National Onsite
Wastewater Recycling Association, Cleveland,
OH.
Gaur,
R.S., L. Cai, K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen.
2005. Pretreatment of animal fat through
coarse sand filters. In: Proceedings of
the 14th Annual Technical Education Conference,
10 p. National Onsite Wastewater Recycling
Association, Cleveland, OH.
Rowan,
M., K.M. Mancl, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2005.
Performance of drip irrigation emitters
distributing primary and secondary wastewater
effluent. In: Proceedings of the 14th Annual
Technical Education Conference, 10 p. National
Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association,
Cleveland, OH.
Rzhepishevska,
O.I., E.B. Lindström, O.H. Tuovinen, and
M. Dopson. 2005. Bioleaching of sulfidic
tailing samples with a novel, vacuum-positive
pressure driven bioreactor. Biotechnology
and Bioengineering 92:559-567.
Stamper,
D.M., J.A. Krzycki, D. Nicomrat, S.J. Traina,
and O.H. Tuovinen. 2005. Ring-cleaving cyanuric
acid amidohydrolase activity in the atrazine-mineralizing
Ralstonia basilensis M91-3. Biocatalysis
and Biotransformation 23:387-396.
Nicomrat,
D., W.A. Dick, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2006.
Assessment of the microbial community in
a constructed wetland that receives acid
coal mine drainage. Microbial Ecology 51:83-89.
Wang, H., J.M. Bigham, and O.H. Tuovinen.
2006. Formation of schwertmannite and its
transformation to jarosite in the presence
of acidophilic iron-oxidizing microorganisms.
Materials Science and Engineering. C, Biomimetic
Materials, Sensors and Systems 26:588-592.
Nicomrat,
D., W.A. Dick, and O.H. Tuovinen. 2006.
Microbial populations identified by fluorescence
in-situ hybridization in a constructed wetland
treating acid coal mine drainage. Journal
of Environmental Quality 35:1329-1337.
Gramp,
J.P., K. Sasaki, J.M. Bigham, O.V. Karnachuk,
and O.H. Tuovinen. 2006. Formation of covellite
(CuS) under biological sulfate-reducing
conditions. Geomicrobiology Journal 23:613-619.
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, 7 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, 4 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.
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, in press.
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, in press.
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