Biomedical subjects

P Kuschk

Publications and source records attributed to P Kuschk.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Removal of bacteria by filtration in planted and non-planted sand columns.

In order to diminish hygienic hazards from pathogens, the elimination of pathogenic bacteria in a pre-treatment step is important for the use of domestic wastewater for irrigation purposes. Therefore, we analysed the removal of bacteria in laboratory-scale model sand filters simulating vertical flow systems of constructed wetlands (CW). Sand-filled glass columns were planted with Juncus effusus or Phragmites australis and non-planted columns were used as controls. Processes of bacteria removal such as adsorption, lysis, and the biotic effects caused by plants, protozoa, and Bdellovibrio were studied with E. coli as a model bacterium. E. coli suspensions (10(8) cellsml(-1)) were trickled on the columns by intermittent loading under non-water-saturated operation conditions. In non-planted and sterilized sand columns, an initial removal of cells was observed in the range as expected by the adsorption capacity of the sand columns. After loading of the sand with cells, an increasing reduction of the cell concentrations by 3-4 orders of magnitude in the effluent was registered up to volumetric loads of more than 548mll(-1) day(-1) (230mm day(-1)). In planted columns, no higher levels of removal were observed. Predation by protozoa, which were found in concentrations up to 10(4)ml(-1) in the effluent, is considered to be the main reason for the elimination. However, Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus was also found in plaque-forming units of about 10(4)g(-1) sand, suggesting that this bacteriovorous bacterium plays an additional role in the removal process. In a second series of experiments, domestic wastewater was applied and removal efficiencies up to four orders of magnitude of the cfu's of coliform bacteria, faecal streptococci, and salmonellae were observed. Considering the transpiration of the plants, higher removal efficiencies were found in the planted variants. Protozoa and Bdellovibrio were detected in the domestic wastewater in varying concentrations, suggesting that predation and lysis were the major removal mechanisms.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2005

Anaerobic co-reduction of chromate and nitrate by bacterial cultures of Staphylococcus epidermidis L-02.

Industrial wastewater is often polluted by Cr(VI) compounds, presenting a serious environmental problem. This study addresses the removal of toxic, mutagenic Cr(VI) by means of microbial reduction to Cr(III), which can then be precipitated as oxides or hydroxides and extracted from the aquatic system. A strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis L-02 was isolated from a bacterial consortium used for the remediation of a chromate-contaminated constructed wetland system. This strain reduced Cr(VI) by using pyruvate as an electron donor under anaerobic conditions. The aims of the present study were to investigate the specific rate of Cr(VI) reduction by the strain L-02, the effects of chromate and nitrate (available as electron acceptors) on the strain, and the interference of chromate and nitrate reduction processes. The presence of Cr(VI) decreased the growth rate of the bacterium. Chromate and nitrate reduction did not occur under sterile conditions but was observed during tests with the strain L-02. The presence of nitrate increased both the specific Cr(VI) reduction rate and the cell number. Under denitrifying conditions, Cr(VI) reduction was not inhibited by nitrite, which was produced during nitrate reduction. The average specific rate of chromate reduction reached 4.4 micromol Cr 10(10 )cells(-1 )h(-1), but was only 2.0 micromol Cr 10(10 )cells(-1 )h(-1) at 20 degrees C. The maximum specific rate was as high as 8.8-9.8 micromol Cr 10(10 )cells(-1 )h(-1). The role of nitrate in chromate reduction is discussed.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2005

Sulphate reduction and the removal of carbon and ammonia in a laboratory-scale constructed wetland.

Sulphate is a normal constituent of domestic wastewater and reduced sulphur compounds are known to be potent inhibitors of plant growth and certain microbial activities. However, the knowledge about sulphate reduction and the effect on the removal of C and N in constructed wetlands is still limited. Investigations in laboratory-scale constructed wetland reactors were performed to evaluate the interrelation of carbon and nitrogen removal with the sulphate reduction by use of artificial domestic wastewater. Carbon removal was found to be only slightly affected and remained at high levels of efficiency (75-90%). Only at sulphate reduction intensities above 75 mgl(-1) (50% removal), a decrease of carbon removal of up to 20% was observed. A highly contrary behaviour of ammonia removal was found in general, which decreased exponentially from 75% to 35% related to a linear increase of sulphate reduction up to 75 mgl(-1) (50% removal). Since sulphate removal is considered to be dependant on the load of electron donors, the carbon load of the system was varied. Variation of the load changed the intensities of sulphate reduction immediately, but did not influence the carbon removal effectiveness. Doubling of the carbon concentration of 200 mgl(-1) BOD(5) for domestic wastewater usually led to sulphate reduction of up to 150 mgl(-1) (100% removal). The findings show that, particularly in constructed wetland systems, the sulphur cycle in the rhizosphere is of high importance for performance of the waste water treatment and may initiate a reconsideration of the amount of sulphate present in the tap water systems.

Ammonia↗

PubMed2005

Influence of the redox condition dynamics on the removal efficiency of a laboratory-scale constructed wetland.

A laboratory reactor planted with Juncus effusus treating an artificial wastewater was used to investigate the short-term and long-term variations and interactions in the redox conditions as well as the removal efficiency of C and the N turnover. The permanent circulation of the process water enabled the micro-gradient processes to be evaluated for an operating period of 20 months. Steady-state conditions were achieved throughout the operating period with high mean removal efficiencies of 92.7% total organic carbon, 82.0% ammonia and 97.6% nitrate. Daily variations in the redox state of the rhizosphere of a few hundred mV were observed, ranging from about -200 to oxidized conditions of about +200 mV and driven by daylight. Variations in pH associated with changes in light and redox were linked to the dynamics of the fates of organic and inorganic carbon species. The ammonia removal processes were found to be firmly established, including for moderately reduced redox conditions with high efficiencies for E(h)>-50 mV. The enrichment of ammonia (up to 13 mg l(-1)) closely linked to the light, particularly during summertime, indicates the existence of hitherto unconsidered additional N turnover pathways in the rhizoplane involving N(2) produced by microbes or released by plants. C turnover was strongly related to the seasonal variation in illumination with minimum efficiencies during the dark season. In addition, it was characterized by oscillation with periods of approximately 1 month. The relationships found are dominant for biofilms on the rhizoplane and decisive for the removal efficiency of especially simple constructed and natural wetlands. The results highlight the importance of helophytes and their physiological specifics for removal processes.

Acetates↗

PubMed2005

Root stimulated nitrogen removal: only a local effect or important for water treatment?

Plants in constructed wetlands serve as carriers for attached microbial growth. They mainly transfer oxygen and release exsudates to the root zone. In consequence of this an area around the roots, called the rhizosphere exists, in which bacteria are stimulated by root growth. The goals were to ascertain whether stimulating the microbial cenosis only has a local effect on the rhizoplane, and to establish the importance of this stimulation for the water purification process in the root zone. Observations were carried out in a laboratory batch reactor filled with sand and planted with reeds (Phragmites australis). A small section was separated with gauze to avoid root growth outside this zone. The reactor was incubated with an artificial waste water containing a high concentration of ammonium. Samples were taken at intervals of 10 mm away from the gauze. The chemical and physical conditions and enzyme activities in soil sections at different distances from the roots affecting the efficiency of nitrogen removal were characterized. An influence was detectable by several parameters up to a specific root distance. Indirect parameters such as the total bacterial number and the DNA amount seem to be affected up to a distance of 50 mm from the root whereas the oxygen amount and DOC are unaffected at a distance exceeding 20-30 mm. This is an initial indication that improved nitrogen removal is also possible in the wider root surroundings. In view of the average root-to-root distance of 35 mm, the root-influenced area could therefore be expanded to the whole rooted zone in a constructed wetland. The influence on bacteria by roots is not just a local effect but may also play an important role in the whole purification process.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2005

Retention of Escherichia coli in municipal sewage by means of planted soil filters in two-stage pilot plant systems.

Different types of constructed wetlands in a pilot-plant system were fed with identical municipal waste water to compare the sanitisation process in two-stage systems. With combinations of a vertical and a horizontal flow filter an E. coli reduction of 5 log10 with an E. coli influent concentration of 10(7) MPN/100 ml was achieved. Using different filter materials in each stage the total performance of the two-stage system was independent from the sequence of these materials. However, using coarser filter material in the first stage makes the filter less prone to clogging and is thus the preferential option with regard to operational reliability.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2003

Trace analysis of technical nonylphenol, bisphenol A and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol in wastewater using solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

To enable high sample throughput, an automated solid-phase microextraction (SPME) method coupled with GC-MS for the trace analysis of technical nonylphenol, bisphenol A and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol was developed. The extraction performance of different SPME fibre coatings was examined, with polyacrylate proving most suitable. Although study of the extraction time showed that the analytes have not reached equilibrium after 3 h, as a compromise an extraction time of 1 h was applied in all the experiments with detection limits between 0.04 and 1 microg l(-1) for wastewater effluent. The mean reproducibility of the technique is 8% RSD. Carry-over effects are negligible. The linearity of calibration curves ranges over three orders of magnitude. The method was tested for determining the analytes in influents and effluents of constructed wetland plants and in model wastewater used in laboratory experiments.

Benzhydryl Compounds↗

PubMed2003

Effects of plants and microorganisms in constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment.

Constructed wetlands are a natural alternative to technical methods of wastewater treatment. However, our understanding of the complex processes caused by the plants, microorganisms, soil matrix and substances in the wastewater, and how they all interact with each other, is still rather incomplete. In this article, a closer look will be taken at the mechanisms of both plants in constructed wetlands and the microorganisms in the root zone which come into play when they remove contaminants from wastewater. The supply of oxygen plays a crucial role in the activity and type of metabolism performed by microorganisms in the root zone. Plants' involvement in the input of oxygen into the root zone, in the uptake of nutrients and in the direct degradation of pollutants as well as the role of microorganisms are all examined in more detail. The ways in which these processes act to treat wastewater are dealt with in the following order: Technological aspects; The effect of root growth on the soil matrix; Gas transport in helophytes and the release of oxygen into the rhizosphere; The uptake of inorganic compounds by plants; The uptake of organic pollutants by plants and their metabolism; The release of carbon compounds by plants; Factors affecting the elimination of pathogenic germs.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2003

Model experiments on the microbial removal of chromium from contaminated groundwater.

A bacterial consortium with representatives of sulfate-reducing and denitrifying bacteria was selectively enriched. Model experiments under microaerobic conditions showed that it precipitated chromium from Cr (VI)-containing waters (area of a former electroplating factory, Leipzig, Germany) by two different mechanisms: by sulfate reduction and precipitation as sulfide, and by some direct reduction. Sulfate reduction needed fatty acids as organic substrates and resulted at the first stage in no sulfide accumulation. In the absence of the fatty acids but with straw as organic substrate, the direct reduction of chromium was observed without sulfate reduction. In this case Cr (VI)-reduction rate correlated with that of the denitrification.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2003

Annual cycle of nitrogen removal by a pilot-scale subsurface horizontal flow in a constructed wetland under moderate climate.

The annual course of nitrogen removal in a stable operating subsurface horizontal flow constructed wetland (SSF) in a moderate climate was evaluated using a large pool of data from 4 years of operation. In spring and autumn removal efficiencies were found to depend on the nitrogen load in a linear mode. The efficiencies in winter and summer differed extremely (mean removal rates of 0.15/0.7 g m(-2) d(-1) (11%/53%) in January/August) and were independent of the nitrogen load (0.7-1.7 g m(-2) d(-1)) in principle. Oscillations of the removal rates in spring, forming several maxima, suggest seasonal specific effects caused by the dynamics of the plant-physiology finally determining the nitrification efficiency, i.e. via O(2)-supply. Nitrification is limited by temperature during all seasons and surprisingly in midsummer additionally restricted by other seasonal aspects forming a clear-cut relative nitrification minimum (mean rate of 0.43 g m(-2) d(-1) (32%)) in July. The importance and the effect of the plants' gas exchange and oxygen input into the rhizosphere are discussed. Denitrification was nearly complete in midsummer and was clearly restricted at seasonal temperatures below 15 degrees C.

Climate↗

PubMed2003

Plant--rhizosphere-microflora association during phytoremediation of PAH-contaminated soil.

The capability of plants to promote the microbial degradation of pollutants in rhizosphere soil is a principal mechanism of phytoremediation of PAH-contaminated soil. The formation of a specific rhizosphere microbocenosis with a high degradative potential toward contaminants is largely determined by plant species. The comparative PAH-degradation in unplanted soil and in soil planted with reed (Phragmites australis) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) was studied in pot experiments during 2 years. Both alfalfa and reed successfully remediated contaminated soil by degrading 74.5 and 68.7% of PAHs, respectively. The study of the rhizosphere, rhizoplane, and unplanted-soil microflora in experimental pots showed that alfalfa stimulated the rhizosphere microflora of PAH-contaminated soil more effectively than did reed. Alfalfa clearly enhanced both the total number of microorganisms (1.3 times, according to fluorescence microscopy data) and the rate of the PAH-degrading population (almost seven times, according to plate counting). The degradative potential of its rhizosphere microflora toward PAHs was higher than the degradative activity of the reed rhizosphere. This study provides relevant information for the successful application of alfalfa to phytoremediate PAH-contaminated soil.

Bacteria↗

PubMed1997

Balancing phosphine in manure fermentation.

The evolution of phosphine gas during the anaerobic batch fermentation of fresh swine manure was detected and correlated to the production of methane and hydrogen sulphide. A close temporal relationship between phosphine liberation and methane formation was found. However, the gaseous phosphine released from manure during fermentation only represents a tiny fraction of the overall phosphine balance. The majority of phosphine is captured in solid manure constituents. This matrix-bound phosphine is eliminated by more than 50% during anaerobic batch-fermentation. Seasonally determined phosphine concentrations in biogas and manure from two large-scale manure treatment plants also revealed net losses of phosphine in fermentation. Consequently, manure has to be considered more as a sink of phosphine rather than a phosphine-generating medium. Furthermore, a close relationship between phosphine in the feed of swine and manure of these swine was observed, implying that phosphine residues in the feed (possibly as a result of grain fumigation) represent an important source of phosphine in manure technologies that is relevant before the faecals of swine enter manure treatment plants.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Efficiency of alfalfa and reed in the phytoremediation of hydrocarbon polluted soil].

The efficacy of plants as means of decontaminating hydrocarbon-polluted soil has been studied. Ditch reed (Phragmites australis) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) markedly intensified processes of pollutant destruction, the effect being particularly pronounced in the case of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Comparative analysis of microflora in soils (including those devoid of plants and rhizosphere) demonstrated that, in addition to preventing the pollutant-induced decrease in the amount of heterotrophic microorganisms, the plants stimulated their development, significantly increasing the population of destructors. Effects of plants on major physiological groups of soil microorganisms under conditions of pollution were ambiguous. The rhizosphere consortium of alfalfa was less susceptible to effects of pollutants than that of reed.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗