Dataset Information

Effects of copper particles on a model septic system's function and microbial community.

ABSTRACT: There is concern surrounding the addition of nanoparticles into consumer products due to toxicity potential and the increased risk of human and environmental exposures to these particles. Copper nanoparticles are found in many common consumer goods; therefore, the disposal and subsequent interactions between potentially toxic Cu-based nanoparticles and microbial communities may have detrimental impacts on wastewater treatment processes. This study investigates the effects of three copper particles (micron- and nano-scale Cu particles, and a nano-scale Cu(OH)2-based fungicide) on the function and operation of a model septic tank. Septic system analyses included water quality evaluations and microbial community characterizations to detect changes in and relationships between the septic tank function and microbial community phenotype/genotype. As would be expected for optimal wastewater treatment, biological oxygen demand (BOD5) was reduced by at least 63% during nano-scale Cu exposure, indicating normal function. pH was reduced to below the optimum anaerobic fermentation range during the micro Cu exposure, suggesting incomplete degradation of organic waste may have occurred. The copper fungicide, Cu(OH)2, caused a 57% increase in total organic carbon (TOC), which is well above the typical range for septic systems and also corresponded to increased BOD5 during the majority of the Cu(OH)2 exposure. The changes in TOC and BOD5 demonstrate that the system was improperly treating waste. Overall, results imply individual exposures to the three Cu particles caused distinct disruptions in septic tank function. However, it was observed that the system was able to recover to typical operating conditions after three weeks post-exposure. These results imply that during periods of Cu introduction, there are likely pulses of improper removal of total organic carbon and significant changes in pH not in the optimal range for the system.

SUBMITTER: Taylor AA

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4761442 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Effects of copper particles on a model septic system's function and microbial community.

Taylor Alicia A AA Walker Sharon L SL

Water research 20160111

There is concern surrounding the addition of nanoparticles into consumer products due to toxicity potential and the increased risk of human and environmental exposures to these particles. Copper nanoparticles are found in many common consumer goods; therefore, the disposal and subsequent interactions between potentially toxic Cu-based nanoparticles and microbial communities may have detrimental impacts on wastewater treatment processes. This study investigates the effects of three copper particl ...[more]

PMID: 26815140

Similar Datasets

Project description:Sinking particles mediate the transport of carbon and energy to the deep-sea, yet the specific microbes associated with sedimenting particles in the ocean's interior remain largely uncharacterized. In this study, we used particle interceptor traps (PITs) to assess the nature of particle-associated microbial communities collected at a variety of depths in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Comparative metagenomics was used to assess differences in microbial taxa and functional gene repertoires in PITs containing a preservative (poisoned traps) compared to preservative-free traps where growth was allowed to continue in situ (live traps). Live trap microbial communities shared taxonomic and functional similarities with bacteria previously reported to be enriched in dissolved organic matter (DOM) microcosms (e.g., Alteromonas and Methylophaga), in addition to other particle and eukaryote-associated bacteria (e.g., Flavobacteriales and Pseudoalteromonas). Poisoned trap microbial assemblages were enriched in Vibrio and Campylobacterales likely associated with eukaryotic surfaces and intestinal tracts as symbionts, pathogens, or saprophytes. The functional gene content of microbial assemblages in poisoned traps included a variety of genes involved in virulence, anaerobic metabolism, attachment to chitinaceaous surfaces, and chitin degradation. The presence of chitinaceaous surfaces was also accompanied by the co-existence of bacteria which encoded the capacity to attach to, transport and metabolize chitin and its derivatives. Distinctly different microbial assemblages predominated in live traps, which were largely represented by copiotrophs and eukaryote-associated bacterial communities. Predominant sediment trap-assocaited eukaryotic phyla included Dinoflagellata, Metazoa (mostly copepods), Protalveolata, Retaria, and Stramenopiles. These data indicate the central role of eukaryotic taxa in structuring sinking particle microbial assemblages, as well as the rapid responses of indigenous microbial species in the degradation of marine particulate organic matter (POM) in situ in the ocean's interior.

Project description:Declining soil quality and microecological imbalances were evaluated in larch plantations in this study. One potential solution to this problem is the cultivation of mixed coniferous and broad-leaved plantations. However, it is unclear whether and how soil microbial community structure and nutrient cycling function would be affected by mixed plantations and soil depths. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing technology to investigate bacterial 16S and fungal ITS regions for comparisons of soil microbial diversity among plantation types (a Larix gmelinii pure plantation, a Fraxinus mandshurica pure plantation, a Larix-Fraxinus mixed plantation within the Larix row, the Fraxinus row, and between the Larix and Fraxinus rows) and soil depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm). These data were used to evaluate variations in microbial communities and nutrient cycling function with the determining environmental factors. Our results indicated that bacteria had a stronger spatial dependence than did fungi, while plantation types significantly affected the fungal community. The relative abundance of Gaiellaceae, as well as bacterial ligninolysis, nitrate ammonification, and nitrite ammonification functions significantly increased with increasing soil depth. Compared with other plantations, the relative abundance of Inocybaceae was significantly higher in the Larix plantation. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) showed that Gaiellaceae and Inocybaceae abundances were positively correlated with ammonium nitrogen content, available phosphorus content, and phosphatase activity. Our findings indicate that variations in soil available phosphorus are closely related to the relative abundances of Gaiellaceae at different soil depths and Inocybaceae in different plantation types. Mixed plantations might change the availability of soil phosphorus by controlling the relative abundance of Inocybaceae. We recommend that fungal community changes be considered in the sustainable management of mixed plantations.

Dataset Information

Effects of copper particles on a model septic system's function and microbial community.

Publications

Effects of copper particles on a model septic system's function and microbial community.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets