Scheda di dettaglio – i prodotti della ricerca
| Dato | Valore |
|---|---|
| Title | MICROCOSM EXPERIMENTS FOR EVALUATING NATURAL BIOREMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED ECOSYSTEMS |
| Abstract | Microorganisms play a key role not only in biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem energy flow but also in maintaining ecosystem environmental quality. In fact, natural microbial communities harbour an amazing physiological versatility and catabolic potential for the breakdown of an enormous number of organic molecules, including synthetic compounds, thanks to their great adaptability to different conditions. They are able to colonize contaminated sites and metabolize some recalcitrant xenobiotics, for example pesticides and pharmaceuticals. In this way, microbial communities represent an important key to understanding the impacts of environmental and anthropogenic factors on ecosystems. Pollution may influence soil and water quality and productivity, but little is known on the effects on microbial communities, and consequent impacts on its functioning. Miniaturized ecosystems (microcosms) provide the advantage of allowing researchers to investigate under controlled conditions the effects of selective pressures, such as xenobiotic occurrence, on natural microbial communities. In this work we report the results of several microcosm studies, using natural soil and water samples, in which the environmental fate of several pesticides and pharmaceuticals in soil and water ecosystems has been evaluated. The natural attenuation capability of autochthonous microbial communities versus chemical contamination was evaluated comparing microbiologically active microcosms treated with each chemical with others previously sterilized. The degradation experiments were conducted under different natural conditions (e.g. temperature, light, humidity, etc.), including the occurrence of more stressors (e.g. co-presence of excess of nutrients or of other contaminants) in order to evaluate the fate and the effects of the chemicals in different environmental scenarios. The disappearance time of 50 % of the parent compound applied (DT50) was assessed for each chemical and condition. The overall results show the key role of microorganisms in the degradation of all chemicals studied and encourage the use of the microcosm approach for assessing more realistic environmental exposure scenarios and establishing the casual relationship between degradation and the role of microbial communities in chemical disappearance from the environment. |
| Source | Chemical Engineering transactions 28, pp. 7–12 |
| Keywords | natural microbial communitiesmicrocosmsnatural attenuation capabilityxenobiotics |
| Journal | Chemical Engineering transactions |
| Editor | AIDIC, Milano, Italia |
| Year | 2012 |
| Type | Articolo in rivista |
| DOI | 10.3303/CET1228002 |
| Authors | Grenni P., Falconi F., Barra Caracciolo A. |
| Text | 192996 2012 10.3303/CET1228002 Scopus 2 s2.0 84867208945 natural microbial communities microcosms natural attenuation capability xenobiotics MICROCOSM EXPERIMENTS FOR EVALUATING NATURAL BIOREMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED ECOSYSTEMS Grenni P., Falconi F., Barra Caracciolo A. IRSA CNR Microorganisms play a key role not only in biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem energy flow but also in maintaining ecosystem environmental quality. In fact, natural microbial communities harbour an amazing physiological versatility and catabolic potential for the breakdown of an enormous number of organic molecules, including synthetic compounds, thanks to their great adaptability to different conditions. They are able to colonize contaminated sites and metabolize some recalcitrant xenobiotics, for example pesticides and pharmaceuticals. In this way, microbial communities represent an important key to understanding the impacts of environmental and anthropogenic factors on ecosystems. Pollution may influence soil and water quality and productivity, but little is known on the effects on microbial communities, and consequent impacts on its functioning. Miniaturized ecosystems microcosms provide the advantage of allowing researchers to investigate under controlled conditions the effects of selective pressures, such as xenobiotic occurrence, on natural microbial communities. In this work we report the results of several microcosm studies, using natural soil and water samples, in which the environmental fate of several pesticides and pharmaceuticals in soil and water ecosystems has been evaluated. The natural attenuation capability of autochthonous microbial communities versus chemical contamination was evaluated comparing microbiologically active microcosms treated with each chemical with others previously sterilized. The degradation experiments were conducted under different natural conditions e.g. temperature, light, humidity, etc. , including the occurrence of more stressors e.g. co presence of excess of nutrients or of other contaminants in order to evaluate the fate and the effects of the chemicals in different environmental scenarios. The disappearance time of 50 % of the parent compound applied DT50 was assessed for each chemical and condition. The overall results show the key role of microorganisms in the degradation of all chemicals studied and encourage the use of the microcosm approach for assessing more realistic environmental exposure scenarios and establishing the casual relationship between degradation and the role of microbial communities in chemical disappearance from the environment. 28 Published version http //www.aidic.it/cet/12/28/002.pdf Articolo pubblicato 002_Grenni.pdf Articolo in rivista AIDIC 1974 9791 Chemical Engineering transactions Chemical Engineering transactions Chem.l Eng. trans. Chemical Engineering transactions. C.E.T. anna.barracaracciolo BARRA CARACCIOLO ANNA francesca.falconi FALCONI FRANCESCA paola.grenni GRENNI PAOLA TA.P04.005.011 Vulnerabilita degli ecosistemi delle acque sotterranee e attenuazione naturale degli inquinanti nel suolo e nel sottosuolo |