brine and perchlorate

If life exists on Mars, it would face several challenges including the presence of perchlorates, which destabilize biomacromolecules by inducing chaotropic stress. However, little is known about perchlorate toxicity for microorganisms on the cellular level. Here, we present the first proteomic investigation on the perchlorate-specific stress responses of the halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii and compare these to generally known salt stress adaptations. We found that the responses to NaCl and NaClO

Topics: Debaryomyces; Extraterrestrial Environment; Mars; Perchlorates; Proteomics

In this work, the valorization of brines, with concentrations similar to those produced by reverse osmosis or electrodialysis processes, by electrolysis with diamond anodes is evaluated. To do this, synthetic brines made from solutions of NaCl (with target concentrations ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 M and an additional test at 5.0 M) were used as the raw material for the electrochemical production of perchlorate using commercial electrochemical cells equipped with boron-doped diamond (BDD) anodes. The effect of key parameters on the rate and efficiency of perchlorate production was evaluated. The results show that it is possible to transform more than 80% of the initial chloride concentration into perchlorate, with current efficiencies higher than 70% regardless of the initial concentration of sodium chloride contained in the brine. Moreover, it was observed that both hypochlorite and chlorate were produced almost simultaneously at the beginning of electrolysis, while perchlorate was only produced when a certain value of applied electric charge was passed through the system. The results obtained were essentially independent of the concentration of NaCl, as the high concentrations used in this study avoided mass transfer limitations. Moreover, the specific energy cost of perchlorate production was estimated to range from 26.14 kWh kg

Topics: Boron; Electrochemical Techniques; Electrodes; Electrolysis; Perchlorates; Salts

It is well known that dissolved salts can significantly lower the freezing point of water and thus extend habitability to subzero conditions. However, most investigations thus far have focused on sodium chloride as a solute. In this study, we report on the survivability of the bacterial strain Planococcus halocryophilus in sodium, magnesium, and calcium chloride or perchlorate solutions at temperatures ranging from +25°C to -30°C. In addition, we determined the survival rates of P. halocryophilus when subjected to multiple freeze/thaw cycles. We found that cells suspended in chloride-containing samples have markedly increased survival rates compared with those in perchlorate-containing samples. In both cases, the survival rates increase with lower temperatures; however, this effect is more pronounced in chloride-containing samples. Furthermore, we found that higher salt concentrations increase survival rates when cells are subjected to freeze/thaw cycles. Our findings have important implications not only for the habitability of cold environments on Earth but also for extraterrestrial environments such as that of Mars, where cold brines might exist in the subsurface and perhaps even appear temporarily at the surface such as at recurring slope lineae.

Topics: Chlorides; Cold Temperature; Freezing; Microbial Viability; Osmolar Concentration; Perchlorates; Planococcus Bacteria; Salts; Water

Perchlorate contamination has been detected in both ground water and drinking water. An attractive treatment option is the use of ion-exchange to remove and concentrate perchlorate in brine. Biological treatment can subsequently remove the perchlorate from the brine. When nitrate is present, it will also be concentrated in the brine and must also be removed by biological treatment. The primary objective was to obtain an in-depth characterization of the microbial populations of two salt-tolerant cultures each of which is capable of metabolizing perchlorate. The cultures were derived from a single ancestral culture and have been maintained in the laboratory for more than 10 years. One culture was fed perchlorate only, while the other was fed both perchlorate and nitrate.. A metagenomic characterization was performed using Illumina DNA sequencing technology, and the 16S rDNA of several pure strains isolated from the mixed cultures were sequenced. In the absence of nitrate, members of the Rhodobacteraceae constituted the prevailing taxonomic group. Second in abundance were the Rhodocyclaceae. In the nitrate fed culture, the Rhodobacteraceae are essentially absent. They are replaced by a major expansion of the Rhodocyclaceae and the emergence of the Alteromonadaceae as a significant community member. Gene sequences exhibiting significant homology to known perchlorate and nitrate reduction enzymes were found in both cultures.. The structure of the two microbial ecosystems of interest has been established and some representative strains obtained in pure culture. The results illustrate that under favorable conditions a group of organisms can readily dominate an ecosystem and yet be effectively eliminated when their advantage is lost. Almost all known perchlorate-reducing organisms can also effectively reduce nitrate. This is certainly not the case for the Rhodobacteraceae that were found to dominate in the absence of nitrate, but effectively disappeared in its presence. This study is significant in that it reveals the existence of a novel group of organisms that play a role in the reduction of perchlorate under saline conditions. These Rhodobacteraceae especially, as well as other organisms present in these communities may be a promising source of unique salt-tolerant enzymes for perchlorate reduction.

Topics: Base Sequence; Biodegradation, Environmental; Bioreactors; Ion Exchange; Metagenome; Molecular Sequence Data; Nitrates; Perchlorates; Rhodobacteraceae; Rhodocyclaceae; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Salts; Sodium Chloride

The H(2)-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) was used to remove nitrate and perchlorate from real ion-exchange brine at two different salinities (30- and 50-g/L NaCl). Base production from nitrate reduction to N(2) gas caused the pH to increase, and this exacerbated precipitation of calcium and magnesium carbonates onto the MBfR fibers. The precipitates lowered the H(2) flux to the biofilm and caused a deterioration of denitrification performance that could be reversed by mild citric-acid washing. The addition of acid seems to be the only mechanism to avoid serious precipitation, membrane fouling, and non-optimal pH for denitrification.

Topics: Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biofilms; Bioreactors; Chemical Precipitation; Denitrification; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Ion Exchange; Membranes, Artificial; Nitrates; Oxidation-Reduction; Perchlorates; Salinity; Salts; Water Purification

Denitrifying up-flow packed bed bioreactors (UPBRs) were evaluated for their capacity to simultaneously remove nitrate and perchlorate from ion exchange regenerant brines. A continuous-flow UPBR, which was inoculated with denitrifying bacteria obtained from a municipal wastewater plant, completely removed perchlorate as well as nitrate in conditions of up to 10% salinity. When nitrate and perchlorate were added to the UPBR, they were removed immediately. To investigate factors that affected the contaminant removal, acetate (as an electron donor) and sulfate (as a competing electron acceptor) were added at different salinities. Lower carbon loading decreased the nitrate and perchlorate reductions, but increased sulfate loading did not decrease the reductions of nitrate and perchlorate. In conclusion, the UPBR is a useful and powerful technology that simultaneously removes nitrate and perchlorate in brine.

Topics: Bioreactors; Nitrates; Perchlorates; Salts; Water Purification

A salt-tolerant, perchlorate- and nitrate-reducing bacterial culture developed previously was used to inoculate two acetate-fed fluidized bed reactors (FBRs) which treated a 6% ion-exchange regenerant brine containing 500 +/- 84 mg-N/L nitrate and 4.6 +/- 0.6 mg/L perchlorate. The reactors were operated in series in continuous flow mode for 107 days after an acclimation period of 65 days. Pilot operation data suggest that complete denitrification was achieved after 70 days of operation, but significant perchlorate removal was not observed. Molecular analysis of the inoculum culture and biomass from the pilot plant samples using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed that the composition of the biomass in the pilot-plant was evolving with time in each FBR. The total number of Azoarcus/Denitromonas decreased in the first reactor with time and position in the bioreactor during acclimation and operation. FISH analysis clearly revealed that the number of Halomonas which was the dominant nitrate-reducing organism increased in the first reactor. This indicates a shift towards nitrate reduction which corresponds to the operation data. Both DGGE and FISH demonstrated that the Azoarcus/Denitromonas was still present in the second bioreactor, which indicated that the removal of nitrate in the first reactor was allowing the perchlorate-reducing organisms to establish themselves in the second reactor. The study also suggests that FISH was more effective for analysis of the composition of these cultures and it would be a better tool for the routine monitoring of cultures.

Topics: Acetic Acid; Azoarcus; Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biomass; Bioreactors; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Nitrates; Perchlorates; Pilot Projects; Salts

The removal of perchlorate and nitrate from contaminated drinking water using regenerable ion-exchange processes produces a high salt brine (3-10% NaCl) laden with high concentrations of perchlorate and nitrate. This bench-scale research describes the operation of acetate-fed granular activated carbon (GAC) based fluidized bed reactors (FBR) for perchlorate-only, and combined nitrate and perchlorate removal from synthetic brine (6% NaCl). The GAC was inoculated with a salt-tolerant culture developed by the authors and used previously in batch systems. An FBR was an effective design for perchlorate reduction and exhibited first-order degradation kinetics with respect to perchlorate concentrations. Nitrate was also removed by the organisms in the column and had no negative effects on the removal of perchlorate using the FBR design. However, at higher concentrations of nitrate the FBR was more difficult to operate due to loss of carbon and biomass from the formation of nitrogen bubbles and the high recycle flow rates needed.

Topics: Biodegradation, Environmental; Bioreactors; Chromatography, Ion Exchange; Kinetics; Nitrates; Perchlorates; Salts; Water; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Purification

Several sources of bacterial inocula were tested for their ability to reduce nitrate and perchlorate in synthetic ion-exchange spent brine (30-45 g/L) using a hydrogen-based membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR). Nitrate and perchlorate removal fluxes reached as high as 5.4 g Nm(-2)d(-1) and 5.0 g ClO(4)m(-2)d(-1), respectively, and these values are similar to values obtained with freshwater MBfRs. Nitrate and perchlorate removal fluxes decreased with increasing salinity. The nitrate fluxes were roughly first order in H(2) pressure, but roughly zero-order with nitrate concentration. Perchlorate reduction rates were higher with lower nitrate loadings, compared to high nitrate loadings; this is a sign of competition for H(2). Nitrate and perchlorate reduction rates depended strongly on the inoculum. An inoculum that was well acclimated (years) to nitrate and perchlorate gave markedly faster removal kinetics than cultures that were acclimated for only a few months. These results underscore that the most successful MBfR bioreduction of nitrate and perchlorate in ion-exchange brine demands a well-acclimated inoculum and sufficient hydrogen availability.

Topics: Bacteria; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biofilms; Bioreactors; Ion Exchange; Kinetics; Membranes, Artificial; Nitrates; Perchlorates; Salts; Water Microbiology; Water Purification

Groundwater contaminated with perchlorate and nitrate was treated in a pilot plant using a commercially available ion exchange (IX) resin. Regenerant brine concentrate from the IX process, containing high perchlorate and nitrate, was treated biologically and the treated brine was reused in IX resin regeneration. The nitrate concentration of the feed water determined the exhaustion lifetime (i.e., regeneration frequency) of the resin; and the regeneration condition was determined by the perchlorate elution profile from the exhausted resin. The biological brine treatment system, using a salt-tolerant perchlorate- and nitrate-reducing culture, was housed in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The biological process consistently reduced perchlorate and nitrate concentrations in the spent brine to below the treatment goals of 500 microg ClO4(-)/L and 0.5mg NO3(-)-N/L determined by equilibrium multicomponent IX modeling. During 20 cycles of regeneration, the system consistently treated the drinking water to below the MCL of nitrate (10 mgNO3(-)-N/L) and the California Department of Health Services (CDHS) notification level of perchlorate (i.e., 6 microg/L). A conceptual cost analysis of the IX process estimated that perchlorate and nitrate treatment using the IX process with biological brine treatment to be approximately 20% less expensive than using the conventional IX with brine disposal.

Topics: Bioreactors; Ion Exchange; Nitrates; Oxidation-Reduction; Perchlorates; Salts; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Purification; Water Supply

Perchlorate has emerged as a widespread contaminant in groundwater and surface water. Because of the unique chemistry of perchlorate, it has been challenging to destroy perchlorate. This study tested the feasibility of using a new class of stabilized zero-valent iron (ZVI) nanoparticles for complete transformation of perchlorate in water or ion-exchange brine. Batch kinetic tests showed that at an iron dosage of 1.8 g L(-1) and at moderately elevated temperatures (90-95 degrees C), approximately 90% of perchlorate in both fresh water and a simulated ion-exchange brine (NaCl=6% (w/w)) was destroyed within 7h. An activation energy (Ea) of 52.59+/-8.41 kJ mol(-1) was determined for the reaction. Kinetic tests suggested that Cl(VII) in perchlorate was rapidly reduced to chloride without accumulation of any intermediate products. Based on the surface-area-normalized rate constant k(SA), starch- and CMC-stabilized ZVI nanoparticles degraded perchlorate 1.8 and 3.3 times, respectively, faster than non-stabilized ZVI particles. Addition of a metal catalyst (Al, Cu, Co, Ni, Pd, or Re) did not show any reaction improvement. This technology provides an effective method for complete destruction of perchlorate in both contaminated water and brine.

Topics: Chlorides; Fresh Water; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Ion Exchange; Iron; Kinetics; Nanoparticles; Oxidation-Reduction; Perchlorates; Salts; Temperature; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Water Purification