Würzburg, Univ., Diss., 2008 / Zsfassung in engl. Sprache

Zugl.: Hannover, Universiẗat, Diss., 2000. / Zugl.: Hannover, Univ., Diss., 2001. - Zsfassung in dt. und engl. Sprache.

På Syvabs reningsverk i Himmerfjärden används cirka 18 % av den totala energiförbrukningen i luftningsbassängerna. Genom att minska mängden luft som tillsätts till luftningsbassängerna med bibehållen reningsgrad kan en energibesparing erhållas. Syvab har också haft problem med försämrad kväverening på grund av toxiskt inkommande material till reningsverket, vilket har påverkat aktivslamprocessen i luftningsbassängen negativt. Hösten 2013 slogs deras aktivslamprocess ut på grund avtoxiskt inkommande material från en industri i upptagningsområdet. Syftet med denna rapport var att undersöka om Alphametern, som är en så kallad off-gas analysutrustning, kan bidra till minskad energianvändning och förbättrad övervakning av aktivslamprocessen. Alphametern installerades i en luftningsbassäng i en av åtta linjer på Himmerfjärdsverket. Undersökningen visar att Alphametern inte kan ge en tidigare signal vid störning i kväveprocessen i jämförelse med den ordinarie mätningen. Alphametern kan dock ge ytterligare information vid en störning genom syreupptagningshastigheten (OUR-värdet). Eftersom ingen tidigare signal kan ges avAlphametern ges ingen ökad möjlighet att tidigare sätta in driftåtgärder för att minska eventuell skada på kvävereningen. En fördel med Alphametern är att den kan användas för att skapa en energieffektiv syrehaltsprofil över luftningsbassängen med hjälp av OUR-värdet förutsatt att zonvis reglering av luftflödet är möjlig. På Syvab fanns inte möjlighet till zonvis reglering och därför kunde inte möjlighet att skapa enenergieffektiv syrehaltsprofil testas. Alphameterns reglering av luftflödet jämfördes också med den ordinarie regleringen i en annan linje. De båda testlinjerna jämfördes också vid ordinarie reglering för att se om det fanns skillnader mellan linjerna som inte berodde på vilken typ av reglering som användes. Resultatet visade att Alphametern inte kunde påvisa en mer energieffektiv reglering av luftflödet i jämförelse med ordinarie reglering givet de reglerinställningar som användes under utvärderingsperioden. Eftersom utvärderingen endast varade under en vecka går det inte att dra någraslutsatser för hur Alphametern skulle prestera under en längre period, till exempel ett år. För en komplett utvärdering av Alphameterns förbättringsmöjligheter behöver den installeras i en linje med zonvis reglering av luftflödet.

Marine Schwämme (Phylum Porifera) sind sessile Invertebraten, deren Biomasse bis zu 60% aus Mikroorganismen bestehen kann. Während die mikrobielle Diversität in Schwämmen in den letzten Jahren recht gut beschrieben wurde, weiß man noch sehr wenig über mögliche Funktionen und Interaktionen zwischen Schwamm-assoziierten Mikroorganismen mit ihren Wirten. Das Ziel dieser Promotionsarbeit war es, den Prozess der mikrobiellen Nitrifikation im bakterienhaltigen Mittelmeerschwamm Aplysina aerophoba nachzuweisen und im Kontext der Symbiose näher zu untersuchen. Die Nitrifikation beschreibt die zweistufige Oxidation von Ammoniak zu Nitrit und weiter zu Nitrat und wird von bestimmten Mikroorganismen zur Energiegewinnung durchgeführt. Um dieser Fragestellung nachzugehen, wurden physiologische Untersuchungen an lebenden Schwämmen während Freilandexkursionen nach Rovinj (Kroatien) durchgeführt. Frisch gesammelte Schwämme wurden zu unterschiedlichen Jahreszeiten in experimentellen Aquarien jeweils über einen Zeitraum von über 24 Stunden gehältert. Die Konzentrationen von Ammonium, Nitrit und Nitrat wurden in Zeitintervallen mittels photometrischer Nachweise gemessen und die Aufnahme- und Exkretionsraten berechnet. Nitrit wurde in keinem der Experimente messbar ausgeschieden. Ammonium, als natürliches Stoffwechselendprodukt mariner Schwämme, wurde von A. aerophoba in Raten ausgeschieden, die saisonal variabel waren. Im Frühjahr wurde keine Ammonium-ausscheidung beobachtet während die Exkretionsrate zum Sommer hin stetig anstieg. Nitrat, welches natürlicherweise nur durch mikrobielle Nitrifikation entstehen kann, wurde saisonunabhängig konstant ausgeschieden. Ammoniumaufnahme-Experimente zeigten auf, dass Ammonium im Frühjahr rasch aufgenommen wurde und dass Ammonium die Nitratexkretionsrate bis zu vierfach stimulierte, wohingegen im Sommer keine Ammoniumaufnahme und keine Stimulation der Nitratexkretion stattfanden. Durch Zugabe des spezifischen Inhibitors der Nitrifikation, Nitrapyrin, konnte die Nitratexkretion in A. aerophoba vollständig gehemmt werden. Im Gegensatz zu bakterienhaltigen Schwämmen zeigten sogenannte bakterienfreie Schwämme erwartungsgemäß keine Nitratausscheidung. Das 16S rRNA- und das amoA-Gen wurden als molekulare Marker verwendet, um nitrifizierende Mikroorganismen in Schwämmen phylogenetisch zu identifizieren. Es konnten zahlreiche 16S rRNA-Gene aus insgesamt sechs Schwammarten inklusive Aplysina aerophoba amplifiziert und dem marinen Nitrosospira Cluster 1 zugeordnet werden. Aus A. aerophoba konnten auch Nitrosospira amoA-Gensequenzen gewonnen werden. Archaeale 16S rRNA- und amoA-Gensequenzen wurden ebenfalls aus A. aerophoba gewonnen, wobei die 16S rRNA-Gene mit anderen aus Schwämmen stammenden Sequenzen ein Schwamm-spezifisches Cluster innerhalb der Crenarchaea Gruppe I.1A bildeten. Unter Verwendung spezifischer Fluoreszenz-markierter 16S rRNA Sonden konnten den Nitrosospira Cluster 1 und Crenarchaea Gruppe 1 zugehörige Zellen innerhalb des mikrobiellen Konsortiums aus A. aerophoba nachgewiesen werden. Basierend auf der geschätzten Menge nitrifizierender Mikroben in der Schwammmesohylmatrix und den Nitratexkretionsraten wurde eine zellspezifische Ammoniakoxidationsrate von 1,6 fmol Zelle-1 h-1 errechnet. Der Nachweis von 16S rRNA- oder funktionellen Genen des anaeroben mikrobiellen N-Kreislaufs in A. aerophoba verlief negativ. Darüber hinaus wurde eine in vorherigen Arbeiten aus dem mit A. aerophoba assoziierten mikrobiellen Konsortium erstellte Metagenombank auf das Vorhandensein von funktionellen (amoA) Nitrosospira- und Crenarchaea-Genen untersucht. Aus der Sequenzierung des archaealen Metagenomklons 58F6 resultierte die Sequenz des kompletten AMO-Operons eines möglicherweise Schwamm-spezifischen Crenarchaeoten. Diese Ergebnisse liefern erste funktionelle Einblicke in die komplexen Stoffflüsse und Wechselwirkungen zwischen Schwämmen und den mit ihnen assoziierten mikrobiellen Konsortien. Aufgrund dieser Arbeit wurde ein Modell des Stickstoffkreislaufs in A. aerophoba erstellt, welches die Mikroorganismen mit möglichen Stoffwechselfunktionen in dem Wirtsschwamm verknüpft. Diese Arbeit trägt zu dem Informationsstand über die Interaktionen zwischen Schwämmen und Mikroorganismen bei und leistet einen Beitrag zur Aufklärung des Stickstoffkreislaufs in A. aerophoba. / Marine sponges (phylum Porifera) can harbor large amounts of microorganisms which can contribute up to 60% of the sponge biomass. While the microbial diversity has been well described in the last decade, there is only little known about possible functions and metabolic interactions of these microbes with their hosts. The aim of this Ph.D. thesis was to assess and investigate the potential for microbial nitrification in the Mediterranean high microbial abundance sponge (HMA) Aplysina aerophoba. Nitrification consists of the two-step oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and subsequently to nitrate and is carried out by certain microbes for energy purposes. Physiological experiments with living sponges were performed during several expeditions to Rovinj (Croatia). Freshly sampled sponges were incubated in experimental aquaria for more than 24 hours during different seasons. Concentrations of ammonium, nitrite and nitrate were determined in time intervals using colorimetric assays and the excretion- and uptake rates were determined. Nitrite was not excreted in any of the incubation experiments. Ammonium as the natural metabolic waste product of marine sponges was excreted by A. aerophoba and the excretion was seasonally variable. During spring ammonium excretion was not observed, but the excretion rates increased towards the summer. Nitrate which is solely produced by microbial nitrification was excreted constantly and independent of the season. Ammonium uptake experiments proved that ammonium was taken up rapidly in spring and nitrate excretion was stimulated up to 4-fold. During summer no ammonium uptake by A. aerophoba was observed and nitrate excretion was not stimulated. Addition of the specific inhibitor of nitrification, nitrapyrin, resulted in the complete inhibition of nitrate excretion. In contrast to high microbial abundance sponges, nitrate was not excreted by low microbial abundance sponges as expected. The 16S rRNA gene as well as the amoA gene was used as molecular markers to phylogenetically identify microbial nitrifiers in sponges. Numerous 16S rRNA gene sequences representing the marine Nitrosospira cluster 1 were obtained from six sponge species including Aplysina aerophoba. Nitrosospira amoA genes and archaeal 16S rRNA and amoA gene sequences were also amplified from Aplysina aerophoba. The archaeal 16S rRNA gene sequences formed a sponge-specific sub-cluster within the Crenarchaea group I.1A together with other, exclusively sponge-derived sequences. Using fluorescently-labeled 16S rRNA probes targeting the Nitrosospira cluster 1 and the Crenarchaea group 1, their presence was confirmed in A. aerophoba mesohyl. Based on nitrifier abundance in sponge tissues as estimated by FISH and nitrate excretion rates, a cell specific ammonia oxidation rate of 1.6 fmol cell-1 h-1 was calculated. No 16S rRNA or functional genes representing microbes of the anaerobic part of the N-cycle were obtained from A. aerophoba. Furthermore, a previously constructed metagenomic library containing DNA from A. aerophoba associated microbial consortia was screened for clones harboring functional (amoA) genes from Nitrosospira and Crenarchaea. Sequencing of the archaeal clone 58F6 resulted to a complete AMO operon of a possible sponge specific crenarchaeote. The results of this dissertation thesis provide first insights into the complex nitrogen fluxes and interactions between sponges and their associated microbial consortia. Based on this study, a model of N-cycle was postulated for A. aerophoba which links microbial diversity with possible metabolic functions. This study contributes significantly to sponge-microbial interactions and adds new information about the nitrogen cycle in A. aerophoba and its associated microorganisms.

Paderborn, University-GHS, Fachb. Chemie u. Chemietechnik, Diss. 1990.

Bayreuth, Univ., Diss., 2008.

One major environmental challenge is to manage agricultural soil in asustainable way. Since nutrients in the soil are taken away every harvest, there is a need to recycle nutrients back to the soil. One solution is to use sewage sludge as a fertilizer. However, sludge can also contain substances that could potentially be harmful to crops or humans. This study examined the long-term effect of sewage sludge amendment in agricultural soil. The aim of this study was to analyse the general effects on the microbial community by sequencing the 16SrRNA gene, as well as studying the response to the amendments of nitrifying and denitrifying microorganisms. This was done by qPCR quantification of marker genes and activity tests of potential denitrification and N2O production in the soil. The main conclusion is that long-term effects of sewage sludge amendments on the microbial community, as well as on microorganisms involved in nitrogen cycling,are relatively small compared to effects caused by differences in soils. Moreover, the effects on the microbial community differed between soils, implying that attention needs to be paid to the characteristics of the soil when evaluating effects of sludge amendments. It was clear that the ratio of ammonia oxidising bacteria and archaea differed between treatments, however further studies are needed to conclude the reason for this. Finally, positive correlations between both measured activities and denitrifying marker genes were found, which suggests that quantification of marker genes can be used for studying reactions in the soil.

Vatten är en viktig komponent för alla oljeraffinaderier, både för kylning och för själva destillationsprocessen. Vatten som har kommit i kontakt med olja, sulfider, kväveföreningar samt andra miljöfarliga ämnen, kallas processvatten och måste renas innan det släpps ut i recipient. Processvattnet renas i vattenreningsverk som kan se olika ut och ha olika uppbyggnad.St1 Refinery AB ligger på Hisingen i Göteborg vid Göta älv och har ett biologiskt vattenreningsverk som kallas Biotreatern. Biotreatern har i uppgift att rena processvattnet främst ifrån kväveföreningar, men även olja och andra miljöfarliga ämnen med hjälp av bakterier. Biotreatern har problem med så kallat slamflykt, detta kan påverka att utsläppskrav för bl.a. mängden olja och kväveföreningar i renat vatten överskrids. Om utsläppskraven överskrids kan detta leda till höga bötersbelopp för företaget och en ökad negativ påverkan på miljön. Syftet med rapporten är att ta fram förslag på förbättringar och nya tekniska lösningar till Biotreatern för att minska slamflykten. I rapporten redovisas resultat som främst handlar om nya filtreringstekniker, hur dessa fungerar och var i anläggningen de kan appliceras för att undvika slamflykt. Vilka huvudsakliga faktorer som styr reningsprocessen och vad begreppet slamflykt innebär, beskrivs i rapporten. Det beskrivs också hur reningsprocessen fungerar, tillsammans med uppritat flödesschema över anläggningen. De förbättringsförslag som presenteras i rapporten, kan minska och eventuellt eliminera problemet med slamflykt som Biotreatern lider av idag.

In connection with the admittance of the EC-directive (99/31/EC) in Swedish politic, through the constitution of waste depositing (2001:512) at year 2001, the rules about management the landfills and leachates tightened. At the landfill Vissberga in the municipality of Hallsberg, a leachate treatment plant was constructed just a year thereafter. This treatment plant consisted of an aerated pond with a following land treatment and a willow cultivation to replace the land treatment during the summer. In this case the parameters, which were estimated as the most important to reduce, were iron and nitrogen. The iron would react with the oxygen-rich water in the aerated pond and precipitate to ferric-hydroxide and than settle in a calm zone of the pond. The rest of it would be reduced by filtration in the land treatment. The elimination of nitrogen would happened by two biological processes. The first one was intended to be in the aerated pond, where ammonium ions would oxidise to nitrate by the process called nitrification. The established nitrate would then be transformed to nitrogen gas by a denitrification in the land treatment and be emitted to the air. Unfortunately the reduction has not been desirable, why the main objective of this thesis is to quantify the problem and identify the limitations of the plant by describing the processes involved and find out which factors that affects them, in particular the impact of the temperature. This was executed by a literature study about the processes and by studying results from analysis that were obtained both from earlier samples and from samples which were done during this thesis. At the end it appears that the plant was overloaded and that this probably depends on incorrect estimates of the leachate water flow, done during the dimensioning of the plant. Due to the high flow the ferric-hydroxide can’t be settled and the nitrifyers don’t have enough time to reduce the nitrate. One part of the objective was to found out in which degradation phase the landfill are for the moment, to see what changes is to expect in the combination of the leachate water in the future. However, it was difficult to say with certainty, due to the circumstances that the landfill currently is in the methane phase and the knowledge of the next phase, the humic phase, is very limited because very few landfills has now days reached this phase. The phase determination was made by comparisons between composition of the leachate water of Vissberga and leachate water from the literature. An interview study was also done during this thesis, where people from the Counties Agency in the county of Örebro and Västmanland, the municipality of Uppsala and the Environmental Protection Agency were attended. The question was: Which new requirements that might be claimed at leachate water treatment in a foreseeable future?

Plants in constructed wetlands serve as carriers for attached microbial growth. They mainly transfer oxygen and release exudates into the root zone. As a result, an area exists around the roots (rhizosphere) in which bacteria are stimulated by root growth. Our goals were to ascertain whether stimulating the microbial community only has a local effect on the rhizoplane, and to establish the importance of this stimulation for wastewater purification in the root zone. Observations were carried out in a planted and an unplanted laboratory batch reactor incubated with an artificial wastewater with a high concentration of ammonia. Samples were taken at intervals of 10 mm away from the roots. The chemical and physical conditions and enzyme activities in soil sections at various distances from the roots affecting the efficiency of microbial nitrogen removal were characterized. An influence on the nitrification and denitrification process was detected via several parameters up to a range of different root distances: microbial parameters such as the total bacterial number, respiratory activity, protein and DNA amount seem to be affected by roots up to a distance of 50 mm from the roots, whereas the oxygen concentration, DOC and redox potential are unaffected at a distance exceeding 20-30 mm. This indicates that improved nitrogen removal is also possible in the wider root surroundings. Given 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.