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J Dolfing

Publications and source records attributed to J Dolfing.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Pathways of propionate degradation by enriched methanogenic cultures.

A mixed methanogenic culture was highly enriched in a growth medium containing propionate as the sole organic carbon and energy source. With this culture, the pathways of propionate degradation were studied by use of C-radiotracers. Propionate was first metabolized to acetate, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen by nonmethanogenic organisms. Formate was not excreted. The carbon dioxide originated exclusively from the carboxyl group of propionate, whereas both [2-C]- and [3-C]propionate lead to the production of radioactive acetate. The methyl and carboxyl groups of the acetate produced were equally labeled, regardless of whether [2-C]- or [3-C]propionate was used. These observations suggest that in the culture, propionate was degraded through a randomizing pathway.

Journal Article↗

Microbiological aspects of the removal of chlorinated hydrocarbons from air.

Chlorinated hydrocarbons are widely used synthetic chemicals that are frequently present in industrial emissions. Bacterial degradation has been demonstrated for several components of this class of compounds. Structural features that affect the degradability include the number of chlorine atoms and the presence of oxygen substituents. Biological removal from waste streams of compounds that serve as a growth substrate can relatively easily be achieved. Substrates with more chlorine substituents can be converted co-metabolically by oxidative routes. The microbiological principles that influence the biodegradability of chlorinated hydrocarbons are described. A number of factors that will determine the performance of microorganisms in systems for waste gas treatment is discussed. Pilot plant evaluations, including economics, of a biological trickling filter for the treatment of dichloromethane containing waste gas indicate that at least for this compound biological treatment is cost effective.

Air Microbiology↗

Wet chemical and phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of phosphorus speciation in a sandy soil receiving long-term fertilizer or animal manure applications.

In areas under intensive livestock farming and with high application rates of animal manure, inorganic and organic phosphorus (P) may be leached from soils. Since the contribution of these P compounds to P leaching may differ, it is important to determine the speciation of P in these soils. We determined the effect of various fertilization regimes on the P speciation in NaOH-Na2EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) and water extracts of acidic sandy soil samples from the top 5 cm of grassland with wet chemical analysis and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. These soils had been treated for a period of 11 years with no fertilizer (control), N (no P application), N-P-K, or different animal manures. Inorganic P was highly elevated in the NaOH-Na2EDTA extracts of the soils amended with N-P-K or animal manures, while organic P increased only in the soil treated with pig slurry. Water-extractable P showed a similar trend. As indicated by 31P NMR, orthophosphate monoesters were the main organic P compounds in all soils. Our results suggest that long-term applications of large amounts of P fertilizer and animal manures caused an accumulation of inorganic P, resulting in an increase of the potential risk related to mobilization of inorganic P in the top 5 cm of these soils.

Animals↗

Phosphorus availability for plant uptake in a phosphorus-enriched noncalcareous sandy soil.

Mining soil phosphorus (i.e., harvesting P taken up from the soil by a crop grown without external P addition) has been proposed as a possible management strategy for P-enriched soils to decrease the risk of P leaching. We performed a pot experiment in a greenhouse where grass was cropped on a P-enriched noncalcareous sandy soil at zero P application over a period of 978 d. We determined the long-term availability of soil P and evaluated the effectiveness of mining soil P to decrease P in different pools. There were two treatments: soil layers in the pots of either 5 or 10 cm thickness. Soils were analyzed at various stages of the experiment. Phosphorus in soil solution and the total pool of sorbed P were estimated using 1:10 (w/v) 0.01 M CaCl2 extracts and acid ammonium oxalate (P(ox)), respectively. A desorption isotherm was constructed, which described the relationship between P in soil solution and the total pool of sorbed P for the soils of the 5- and 10-cm treatments. The Langmuir equation gave a very good description of the isotherm. In the long-term, 65% of P(ox) in the initial soil can be removed by plant uptake, as was calculated from the Langmuir equation and a critical P concentration in soil solution at which P uptake can just be maintained. Thus, P(ox) may be largely plant available. From the strong nonlinearity of the desorption isotherm, it can be understood why the relative decrease of the P concentration in the CaCl2 extracts was much larger than the relative decrease of P(ox). Mining soil P decreased the P concentration in soil solution effectively and, therefore, risk of P leaching from our P-enriched soil.

Adsorption↗