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A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental and Green Processes".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 42697

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Clarisse Brígido

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MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE-Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Institute for Advanced Studies and Research, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Évora, Portugal
Interests: rhizosphere engeneering; sustainable agriculture; plant–bacteria interactions; rhizobia–legume symbioses; plant growth promotion; microbe–plant signaling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Paulo Ivan Fernandes-Júnior

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Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), Tropical Semiarid Research Center (Embrapa Semiárido), Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil
Interests: microbial ecology; plant growth-promoting microbes; environmental microbiology; plant microbiology; biological nitrogen fixation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the years, anthropogenic activities have disturbed different ecosystems, severely limiting the natural regeneration capacity of these environments. For instance, the intensive application of certain pesticides or fertilizers is one of the major factors responsible for soil degradation and loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Different studies have shown that microorganisms may play an important role in remediating and improving disturbed ecosystems, and henceforth can contribute to several sustainable development goals. A notable example of the successful application of microorganisms to reverse negative environmental impacts is the exploitation of microalgae for wastewater treatment, the application of which has already been implemented in several regions. Therefore, the environmentally friendly use of microorganisms to clean up environmental pollution is an emerging area of study that will be of great use in the future for sustainable development.

This Special Issue on “Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration” aims to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the role of microorganisms on environmental remediation and restoration of different ecosystems. We welcome the submission of interdisciplinary work in the format of the following article types: original articles, critical reviews, mini-reviews, opinions, research notes, and short communications. This Special Issue covers research work on food and agriculture biotechnology with a focus on sustainable food production along with land restoration, microalgae biotechnology dealing with microalgae products for environmental applications and, environmental biotechnology comprising microbial techniques of remediation of contaminated environments. Research on molecular and -omics technologies employed to survey intrinsic microbial communities underlying bioremediation at contaminated sites are also most welcome.

Important Note: All contributions to this Special Issue must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. The journal reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of the peer review.

Dr. Clarisse Brígido
Dr. Paulo Ivan Fernandes-Júnior
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Processes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Microbial bioproducts
Biosurfactants
Heavy metals
Pollutants from human activity
Microbial degradation of pollutants
Xenobiotics
Soil pollution

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 3735 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Cadmium and Copper Adsorption by Two Agricultural Soils from Romania and Tunisia: Risk of Water Resource Pollution

by Mohamed Abdelwaheb, Valentin Nedeff, Sonia Dridi-Dhaouadi, Emilian Moșneguțu, Narcis Barsan and Alexandra-Dana Chițimus

Processes 2022, 10(9), 1802; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10091802 - 7 Sep 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1681

Abstract

Using treated wastewater for irrigation is a good solution for conserving water, but it is also in part responsible for groundwater and water surface pollution by heavy metals, especially copper and cadmium. The soil can be a barrier to retaining these pollutants and protecting the water resource. This study presents an assessment of the adsorption of copper and cadmium by two agricultural soils from Tunisia and Romania to evaluate the risk of water pollution. At first, the two soils were characterized with a scanning electron microscope and different physico-chemical analyses. Before adsorption, the elemental analysis performed with an SEM showed a very low amount of cadmium and copper in both soils (0.01%). The Tunisian soil was considered clayey soil, and the Romanian soil was sandy clayey soil. All experimental kinetics and isotherms were well correlated (R² > 0.9) with the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and the modified and extended Redlich–Peterson binary adsorption model. For an initial concentration of both pollutants of 0.1 mmol·L⁻¹, the amounts retained and the adsorption percentage of copper and cadmium by the two soils indicate that the Romanian soil (q_Cu = 0.87 μmol·g⁻¹; % Cu = 98%; q_Cd = 0.88 μmol·L⁻¹; % Cd = 99%) retained both pollutants better than the Tunisian soil (q_Cu = 0.65 μmol·g⁻¹, %Cu = 83%; q_Cd = 0.73 μmol·g⁻¹; %Cd = 93%). Copper presents the greatest risk of water resource pollution, especially in Tunisia. The SEM confirmed the soil adsorption of Cu and Cd and estimated that the retention mechanisms of these two heavy metals are mainly related to the amount of phosphorus, chloride, sulfur and carbon by complexation and precipitation reactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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19 pages, 3876 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Factors Affecting the Natural Regeneration of the Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr Plantations: Evidence from the Composition and Co-Occurrence Network Structure of Soil Bacterial Communities

by Yajie Niu, Wenjun Liang, Xi Wei and Youzhi Han

Processes 2022, 10(9), 1771; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10091771 - 3 Sep 2022

Viewed by 1758

Abstract

Bacterial communities living in the soil can affect forests natural regeneration, but the effects of their composition and network inference on regeneration of Larix principis-rupprechtii Mayr plantations remain largely elusive. Therefore, the redundancy analysis and structure equations modeling of affecting elements for the regeneration of L. principis-rupprechtii plots including the diversity, composition and network structure of soil bacteria, topographic factors, light factors, and soil physicochemical properties have been conducted. It was found that the increased modularity of the soil bacterial community co-occurrence network and the enrichment of metabolic pathway bacteria had a significant positive effect on the successful regeneration (total effect of 0.84). The complexity of the soil bacterial community gradually decreased with the increase of stand regeneration, and the composition and structure of the flora became simpler (with standard path coefficients: −0.70). In addition, altitude also had a positive effect on regeneration with a total effect of 0.39. Soil nutrients had significantly negative effects on regeneration with total effects of −0.87. Soil bacterial communities may mediate the effects of soil nutrients, altitude, litter thickness, and herbaceous diversity on regeneration in L. principis-rupprechtii plantations. The results provide a great contribution to our understanding of regeneration-soil bacterial community interactions and the basis and important data for sustainable management of L. principis-rupprechtii plantations in the Lvliang Mountains located in northern China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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16 pages, 4432 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improvement of Low-Fertility Soils from a Coal Mining Subsidence Area by Immobilized Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

by Lu Bai, Yingming Yang, Ziyue Shi, Yiping Zou, Huixin Zhou and Jianli Jia

Processes 2022, 10(6), 1185; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10061185 - 14 Jun 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2013

Abstract

Coal mining subsidence leads to reductions in soil fertility. In order to improve soil physical and chemical properties and to promote vegetation restoration, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium named S1 was isolated from the coal mining subsidence area in the Shendong mining area, and a zeolite-immobilized nitrogen-fixing bacterium was studied to improve the soil in the subsidence area. The results show that the immobilized nitrogen-fixing bacteria can significantly improve the ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen of soil by 50 times and 0.6 times, respectively, at 20 days, and it can also improve organic matter. In pot experiments, it was found that immobilized microorganisms can improve germination rate, plant height and the dry and fresh weight of maize. The results of the above soil culture tests and pot experiments were then compared and analyzed. It was found that plants made obvious use of soil ammonium nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen, and planting the plants was conducive to increases in soil organic matter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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14 pages, 3265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Non-Specific Interactions of Rhizospheric Microbial Communities Support the Establishment of Mimosa acutistipula var. ferrea in an Amazon Rehabilitating Mineland

by Paulo Henrique de Oliveira Costa, Sidney Vasconcelos do Nascimento, Hector Herrera, Markus Gastauer, Silvio Junio Ramos, Cecílio Frois Caldeira, Guilherme Oliveira and Rafael Borges da Silva Valadares

Processes 2021, 9(11), 2079; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9112079 - 19 Nov 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3130

Abstract

Mimosa acutistipula var. ferrea (Fabaceae) is endemic to ferruginous tropical rocky outcrops in the eastern Amazon, also known as canga. Canga are often associated with mining activities and are the target of protection and rehabilitation projects. M. acutistipula stands out in this biodiversity hotspot with high growth rates, even in rehabilitating minelands (RMs). However, little is known about the diversity of soil microorganisms interacting with M. acutistipula in canga and RMs. This study analyzed the rhizosphere-associated bacterial and fungal microbial communities associated with M. acutistipula growing in an RM and a native shrub canga. The fungal phylum Ascomycota was the dominant taxa identified in the rhizosphere of the canga (RA: 98.1) and RM (RA: 93.1). The bacterial phyla Proteobacteria (RA: 54.3) and Acidobacteria (RA: 56.2) were the dominant taxa identified in the rhizosphere in the canga and RM, respectively. Beneficial genera such as Bradyrhizobium, Rhodoplanes, and Paraconiothyrium were identified in the rhizosphere of M. acutistipula in both areas. However, the analyses showed that the fungal and bacterial diversity differed between the rhizosphere of the canga and RM, and that the microbial taxa adapted to the canga (i.e., Rasamsonia, Scytalidium, Roseiarcus, and Rhodomicrobium) were lacking in the RM. This influences the microbe-mediated soil processes, affecting long-term rehabilitation success. The results showed that M. acutistipula established non-specific interactions with soil microorganisms, including beneficial taxa such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, and other beneficial endophytes, well known for their importance in plant adaptation and survival. High levels of microbe association and a plant’s ability to recruit a wide range of soil microorganisms help to explain M. acutistipula’s success in rehabilitating minelands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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15 pages, 708 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Diazotrophic Behaviour in a Non-Sterile Bioreactor: The Effect of O₂-Availability

by Amber Yasemin Shirin de Zoete, Hendrik Gideon Brink, Joshua Cornelus Beukes, Ignatius Leopoldus van Rooyen and Willie Nicol

Processes 2021, 9(11), 2039; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9112039 - 15 Nov 2021

Viewed by 2566

Abstract

The behaviour of a locally isolated diazotrophic consortium was investigated with the prospect of agricultural applications. A repeatable culture was obtained in a non-sterile bioreactor. Metagenomic analysis indicated Chryseobacterium ssp. and Flavobacterium ssp. were the dominant species, making up approximately 50% of the microbial community. The oxygen supply was varied and mass-transfer limited growth was attained under all experimental conditions. Negligible amounts of aqueous metabolites were formed, indicating a high selectivity towards biomass production. High oxygen availability resulted in decreased growth efficiencies i.e., the specific energy requirements for biomass synthesis. This was attributed to reduced electron transport chain efficiencies and nitrogenase protection mechanisms. Mass and energy balances indicated that sessile biomass with a high C:N served as a carbon sink. The most efficient growth was measured at an aeration feed composition of 21% oxygen and 79% nitrogen. The study presents one of the only known investigations of operational conditions on diazotrophic growth in a non-sterile bioreactor. In addition, it provides a strong foundation for the development of a Biological Nitrogen Fixation process with scaling potential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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16 pages, 2472 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Use of Lactic Acid Bacteria with Pathogen Inhibitory Capacity as a Biopreservative Agent for Chorizo

by Ruby Stella Lucumi-Banguero, Cristina Ramírez-Toro and German A. Bolívar

Processes 2021, 9(9), 1582; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9091582 - 3 Sep 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2592

Abstract

The biopreservation of meat products is of great interest due to the demand for products with low or minimal chemical additives. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) have been used as protective cultures for many centuries. The objective of this work was to characterize 10 native LAB isolated from meat masses with biopreservative potential for meat products. The isolates were subjected to viability tests with different concentrations of NaCl, nitrite, and nitrate salts, pHs, and temperature conditions. Antibiotic resistance and type of lactic acid isomer were tested. In addition, the isolates were tested against seven pathogens, and inhibitory substances were identified by diffusion in agar wells. Finally, two isolates, Lb. plantarum (SB17) and Lb. sakei (SB3) were tested as protective cultures of chorizo in a model. As a result, the viability at different concentrations of NaCl and nitrate and nitrate salts were obtained. pH and temperature exerted a negative effect on the growth of some of the isolates. Pathogens were inhibited mainly by the presence of organic acids; P. aurius was the most susceptible, and S. typhimurium and S. marcescens were the most resistant. The strains SB17 and SB3 had similar effects on chorizo, and time exerted a deleterious effect on microbiological quality and pH. The results indicated that the 10 isolates show promising characteristics for the preservation of cooked meat products, with the strain Lb. plantarum (SB17) being the most promising. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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18 pages, 3167 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Production, Characterization and Commercial Formulation of a Biosurfactant from Candida tropicalis UCP0996 and Its Application in Decontamination of Petroleum Pollutants

by Darne Germano Almeida, Rita de Cássia Freire Soares da Silva, Hugo Morais Meira, Pedro Pinto Ferreira Brasileiro, Elias José Silva, Juliana Moura Luna, Raquel Diniz Rufino and Leonie Asfora Sarubbo

Processes 2021, 9(5), 885; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9050885 - 18 May 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3416

Abstract

Contamination by oil and its derivatives causes serious damage to the environment, motivating the development of innovative technologies for the removal of these contaminants, such as the use of biosurfactants. In the present study, the biosurfactant from Candida tropicalis UCP0996 produced in the low cost-medium formulated with molasses, residual frying oil, and corn steep liquor, was characterized and its toxicity, formulation, and application in removal and biodegradation of oil were investigated. The surface tension of the medium was reduced to 30.4 mN/m, yielding 4.11 g/L of isolated biosurfactant after 120 h. Tests under extreme environmental conditions indicated the stability of the biosurfactant. Chemical characterization by thin layer chromatography (TLC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H NMR), and gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (CG-MS) revealed the glycolipidic nature of the biosurfactant. The isolated biosurfactant showed no toxicity against the microcrustacean Artemia salina, while the properties of the formulated biosurfactant remained stable during 120 days of storage. The biosurfactant removed 66.18% of motor oil adsorbed in marine stones and dispersed 70.95% of oil in seawater. The biosurfactant was also able to increase by 70% the degradation of motor oil by seawater indigenous microorganisms, showing great potential to be applied as a commercial additive in the bioremediation of oil spills. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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14 pages, 3281 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Magnetic Metal Organic Framework Immobilized Laccase for Wastewater Decolorization

by Abdelfattah Amari, Fatimah Mohammed Alzahrani, Norah Salem Alsaiari, Khadijah Mohammedsaleh Katubi, Faouzi Ben Rebah and Mohamed A. Tahoon

Processes 2021, 9(5), 774; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9050774 - 28 Apr 2021

Cited by 41 | Viewed by 3394

Abstract

The laccase enzyme was successfully immobilized over a magnetic amino-functionalized metal–organic framework Fe₃O₄-NH₂@MIL-101(Cr). Different techniques were used for the characterization of the synthesized materials. The Fe₃O₄-NH₂@MIL-101(Cr) laccase showed excellent resistance to high temperatures and low pH levels with a high immobilization capacity and large activity recovery, due to the combination of covalent binding and adsorption advantages. The long-term storage of immobilized laccase for 28 days indicated a retention of 88% of its initial activity, due to the high stability of the immobilized system. Furthermore, a residual activity of 49% was observed at 85 °C. The immobilized laccase was effectively used for the biodegradation of Reactive Black 5 (RB) and Alizarin Red S (AR) dyes in water. The factors affecting the RB and AR degradation using the immobilized laccase (dye concentration, temperature and pH) were investigated to determine the optimum treatment conditions. The optimum conditions for dye removal were a 5 mg/L dye concentration, temperature of 25 °C, and a pH of 4. At the optimum conditions, the biodegradation and sorption-synergistic mechanism of the Fe₃O₄-NH₂@MIL-101(Cr) laccase system caused the total removal of AR and 81% of the RB. Interestingly, the reusability study of this immobilized enzyme up to five cycles indicated the ability to reuse it several times for water treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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17 pages, 870 KiB

Open AccessReview

Bioremediation of Soil from Petroleum Contamination

by Anna Yurievna Stepanova, Evgeny Aleksandrovich Gladkov, Ekaterina Sergeevna Osipova, Olga Victorovna Gladkova and Dmitry Viktorovich Tereshonok

Processes 2022, 10(6), 1224; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr10061224 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 55 | Viewed by 10965

Abstract

Petroleum is the most common global fossil fuel. It is a complex multi-component system mainly composed of various hydrocarbons such as alkanes, cycloalkanes, mono-, bi- and polyaromatic compounds, resins and asphaltenes. In spite of humanity’s need for petroleum, it negatively affects the environment due to its toxicity. The ecological problem is especially serious at petroleum mining sites or during petroleum transportation. Since it is not possible to replace petroleum with less toxic fuel, ways to reduce the toxic impact of petroleum hydrocarbons on the environment need to be developed. This review addresses bioremediation, a biological approach to petroleum degradation, which is mainly performed by microbes. The pathways of degradation of alkanes, alkenes and aromatic hydrocarbons are presented in detail. The effects of temperature, aeration and the presence of biogenic elements on microbial degradation of petroleum are discussed. Plant–microbe interactions involved with the bioremediation of petroleum-polluted soils are specifically addressed. The data presented in this review point to the great potential of bioremediation practices for cleaning soils of petroleum. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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24 pages, 1583 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Bioaccumulation of Fluoride in Plants and Its Microbially Assisted Remediation: A Review of Biological Processes and Technological Performance

by Rakesh Kumar, Rama Sinha, Pushpa Kumari Sharma, Nishita Ivy, Pawan Kumar, Nishi Kant, Aprajita Jha, Prakash Kumar Jha, Pankaj Kumar Gupta, Prabhakar Sharma, Rakesh Kumar Singh, Rajeev Pratap Singh, Ashok Ghosh and P. V. Vara Prasad

Processes 2021, 9(12), 2154; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr9122154 - 29 Nov 2021

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 7835

Abstract

Fluoride is widely found in soil–water systems due to anthropogenic and geogenic activities that affect millions worldwide. Fluoride ingestion results in chronic and acute toxicity, including skeletal and dental fluorosis, neurological damage, and bone softening in humans. Therefore, this review paper summarizes biological processes for fluoride remediation, i.e., bioaccumulation in plants and microbially assisted systems. Bioremediation approaches for fluoride removal have recently gained prominence in removing fluoride ions. Plants are vulnerable to fluoride accumulation in soil, and their growth and development can be negatively affected, even with low fluoride content in the soil. The microbial bioremediation processes involve bioaccumulation, biotransformation, and biosorption. Bacterial, fungal, and algal biomass are ecologically efficient bioremediators. Most bioremediation techniques are laboratory-scale based on contaminated solutions; however, treatment of fluoride-contaminated wastewater at an industrial scale is yet to be investigated. Therefore, this review recommends the practical applicability and sustainability of microbial bioremediation of fluoride in different environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbial Biotechnology for Environmental Remediation and Restoration)

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