TY - GEN A1 - Sohail, Norman A1 - Riedel, Ramona A1 - Dorneanu, Bogdan A1 - Arellano-Garcia, Harvey T1 - Prolonging the Life Span of Membrane in Submerged MBR by the Application of Different Anti-Biofouling Techniques T2 - Membranes N2 - The membrane bioreactor (MBR) is an efficient technology for the treatment of municipal and industrial wastewater for the last two decades. It is a single stage process with smaller footprints and a higher removal efficiency of organic compounds compared with the conventional activated sludge process. However, the major drawback of the MBR is membrane biofouling which decreases the life span of the membrane and automatically increases the operational cost. This review is exploring different anti-biofouling techniques of the state-of-the-art, i.e., quorum quenching (QQ) and model-based approaches. The former is a relatively recent strategy used to mitigate biofouling. It disrupts the cell-to-cell communication of bacteria responsible for biofouling in the sludge. For example, the two strains of bacteria Rhodococcus sp. BH4 and Pseudomonas putida are very effective in the disruption of quorum sensing (QS). Thus, they are recognized as useful QQ bacteria. Furthermore, the model-based anti-fouling strategies are also very promising in preventing biofouling at very early stages of initialization. Nevertheless, biofouling is an extremely complex phenomenon and the influence of various parameters whether physical or biological on its development is not completely understood. Advancing digital technologies, combined with novel Big Data analytics and optimization techniques offer great opportunities for creating intelligent systems that can effectively address the challenges of MBR biofouling. KW - Membrane bioreactor (MBR) KW - quorum sensing (QS) KW - quorum quenching (QQ) KW - moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) KW - moving bed biofilm membrane reactor (MBBMR) KW - model-based anti-fouling strategies Y1 - 2023 UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/2/217 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes13020217 SN - 2077-0375 VL - 13 IS - 2 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Riedel, Ramona A1 - Krahl, Kathrin A1 - Buder, Kai A1 - Böllmann, Jörg A1 - Braun, Burga A1 - Martienssen, Marion T1 - Novel standard biodegradation test for synthetic phosphonates T2 - Journal of Microbiological Methods N2 - Determination of biodegradation of synthetic phosphonates such as aminotris(methylenephosphonic acid) (ATMP), ethylenediamine tetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP), or diethylenetriamine penta(methylenephosphonic acid) (DTPMP) is a great challenge. Commonly, ready biodegradability of organic substances is assessed by OECD 301 standard tests. However, due to the chemical imbalance of carbon to phosphorus synthetic phosphonates do not promote microbial growth and, thus, limiting its biodegradation. Therefore, standard OECD test methods are not always reliable to predict the real biodegradability of phosphonates. In the presented study, we report the development of a standardized batch system suitable to synthetic phosphonates such as ATMP, EDTMP, DTPMP and others. The novel standard batch test is applicable with pure strains, activated sludge from different wastewater treatment plants (i.e., municipal and industrial), and with tap water as inoculum. We optimized the required calcium and magnesium exposure levels as well as the amount of the start inoculum biomass. We demonstrated that our test also allows to determine several parameters including ortho-phosphate (o-PO43􀀀 ), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium (NH4+) and total organic carbon (TOC). In addition, also LC/MS analyses of cell-free medium is applicable for determining the mother compounds and metabolites. We applied our optimized standardized batch with selected phosphonates and evidenced that the chemical structure has a major influence of the microbial growth rates. Thus, our novel batch test overcomes drawbacks of the OECD 301 test series for determination of easy biodegradability for stoichiometric imbalanced organic compounds such as phosphonates. Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mimet.2023.106793 SN - 1872-8359 SN - 0167-7012 VL - Vol. 212 SP - 1 EP - 13 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Riedel, Ramona A1 - Commichau, Fabian M. A1 - Benndorf, Dirk A1 - Hertel, Robert A1 - Holzer, Katharina A1 - Mardoukhi, Mohammad Saba Yousef A1 - Noack, Laura A1 - Martienssen, Marion T1 - Biodegradation of selected aminophosphonates by the bacterial isolate Ochrobactrum sp. BTU1 T2 - Microbial Research N2 - Aminophosphonates, like glyphosate (GS) or metal chelators such as ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (EDTMP), are released on a large scale worldwide. Here, we have characterized a bacterial strain capable of degrading synthetic aminophosphonates. The strain was isolated from LC/MS standard solution. Genome sequencing indicated that the strain belongs to the genus Ochrobactrum. Whole-genome classification using pyANI software to compute a pairwise ANI and other metrics between Brucella assemblies and Ochrobactrum contigs revealed that the bacterial strain is designated as Ochrobactrum sp. BTU1. Degradation batch tests with Ochrobactrum sp. BTU1 and the selected aminophosphonates GS, EDTMP, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA), iminodi(methylene-phosphonic) (IDMP) and ethylaminobis(methylenephosphonic) acid (EABMP) showed that the strain can use all phosphonates as sole phosphorus source during phosphorus starvation. The highest growth rate was achieved with AMPA, while EDTMP and GS were least supportive for growth. Proteome analysis revealed that GS degradation is promoted by C-P lyase via the sarcosine pathway, i.e., initial cleavage at the C-P bond. We also identified C-P lyase to be responsible for degradation of EDTMP, EABMP, IDMP and AMPA. However, the identification of the metabolite ethylenediaminetri(methylenephosphonic acid) via LC/MS analysis in the test medium during EDTMP degradation indicates a different initial cleavage step as compared to GS. For EDTMP, it is evident that the initial cleavage occurs at the C-N bond. The detection of different key enzymes at regulated levels, form the bacterial proteoms during EDTMP exposure, further supports this finding. Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2024.127600 SN - 0944-5013 VL - 280 SP - 1 EP - 12 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Ahmed, Naveed A1 - Martienssen, Marion A1 - Bryant, Isaac Mbir A1 - Vione, Davide A1 - Bruzzoniti, Maria Concetta A1 - Riedel, Ramona T1 - Investigation on UV Degradation and Mechanism of 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonamide Alkyl Betaine, Based on Model Compound Perfluorooctanoic Acid T2 - ChemEngineering N2 - The UV treatment of 6:2 FTAB involves the mitigation of this persistent chemical by the impact of ultraviolet radiation, which is known for its resistance to environmental breakdown. UV treatment of PFOA and/or 6:2 FTAB, and the role of responsible species and their mechanism have been presented. Our investigation focused on the degradation of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonamide alkyl betaine (6:2 FTAB, Capstone B), using UV photolysis under various pH conditions. Initially, we used PFOA as a reference, finding a 90% decomposition after 360 min at the original (unadjusted) pH 5.6, with a decomposition rate constant of (1.08 ± 0.30) × 10−4 sec−1 and a half-life of 107 ± 2 min. At pH 4 and 7, degradation averaged 85% and 80%, respectively, while at pH 10, it reduced to 57%. For 6:2 FTAB at its natural pH 6.5, almost complete decomposition occurred. The primary UV transformation product was identified as 6:2 fluorotelomer sulfonic acid (6:2 FTSA), occasionally accompanied by shorter-chain perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) including PFHpA, PFHxA, and PFPeA. Interestingly, the overall decomposition percentages were unaffected by pH for 6:2 FTAB, though pH influenced rate constants and half-lives. In PFOA degradation, direct photolysis and reaction with hydrated electrons were presumed mechanisms, excluding the involvement of hydroxyl radicals. The role of superoxide radicals remains uncertain. For 6:2 FTAB, both direct and indirect photolysis were observed, with potential involvement of hydroxyl, superoxide radicals, and/or other reactive oxygen species (ROS). Clarification is needed regarding the role of 𝑒−𝑎𝑞 in the degradation of 6:2 FTAB. KW - PFOA KW - 6:2 FTAB KW - decomposition KW - photolysis KW - scavenger Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8020032 SN - 2305-7084 VL - 8 IS - 2 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Ahmed, Naveed A1 - Martienssen, Marion A1 - Bryant, Isaac Mbir A1 - Vione, Davide A1 - Bruzzoniti, Maria Concetta A1 - Riedel, Ramona T1 - Investigation on UV Degradation and Mechanism of 6:2 Fluorotelomer Sulfonamide Alkyl Betaine, Based on Model Compound Perfluorooctanoic Acid T2 - ChemEngineering Y1 - 2024 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/chemengineering8020032 SN - 2305-7084 VL - 8 IS - 2 ER -