4 Material und Umwelt
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- 2022 (117) (entfernen)
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- Biocides (14)
- Antimicrobial resistance (10)
- Klärschlamm (6)
- Phosphorrückgewinnung (5)
- Risk assessment (5)
- Antimicrobial coating (4)
- Archäometrie (4)
- Biofilms (4)
- Disinfection (4)
- Evolution (4)
Organisationseinheit der BAM
- 4 Material und Umwelt (117)
- 4.1 Biologische Materialschädigung und Referenzorganismen (31)
- 4.3 Schadstofftransfer und Umwelttechnologien (28)
- 4.2 Material-Mikrobiom Wechselwirkungen (21)
- 4.4 Thermochemische Reststoffbehandlung und Wertstoffrückgewinnung (16)
- 4.0 Abteilungsleitung und andere (13)
- 4.5 Kunst- und Kulturgutanalyse (10)
- 6 Materialchemie (8)
- 1 Analytische Chemie; Referenzmaterialien (5)
- 3 Gefahrgutumschließungen; Energiespeicher (5)
Eingeladener Vortrag
- nein (61)
The processing of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) represents a simple and robust way for the nanostructuring of solids that allows creating a wide range of surface functionalities featuring applications in optics, tribology, medicine, energy technologies, etc. While the currently available laser and scanner technology already allows surface processing rates at the m2/min level, industrial applications of LIPSS are sometimes hampered by the complex interplay between the nanoscale surface topography and the specific surface chemistry. This typically manifests in difficulties to control the processing of LIPSS and in limitations to ensure the long-term stability of the created surface functions. This presentation aims to identify some unsolved scientific problems related to LIPSS, discusses the pending technological limitations, and sketches the current state of theoretical modelling. Hereby, it is intended to stimulate further research and developments in the field of LIPSS for overcoming these limitations and for supporting the transfer of the LIPSS technology into industry.
The main obstacle to bottom ash (BA) being used as a recycling aggregate is the content of salts and potential toxic elements (PTEs), concentrated in a layer that coats BA particles. This work presents a dry treatment for the removal of salts and PTEs from BA particles. Two pilotscale abrasion units (with/without the removal of the fine particles) were fed with different BA samples. The performance of the abrasion tests was assessed through the analyses of particle size and moisture, and that of the column leaching tests at solid-to-liquid ratios between 0.3 and 4. The results were: the particle-size distribution of the treated materials was homogeneous (25 wt % had dimensions <6.3 mm) and their moisture halved, as well as the electrical conductivity of the leachates. A significant decrease was observed in the leachates of the treated BA for sulphates (44%),
chlorides (26%), and PTEs (53% Cr, 60% Cu and 8% Mo). The statistical analysis revealed good correlations between chloride and sulphate concentrations in the leachates with Ba, Cu, Mo, and Sr, illustrating the consistent behavior of the major and minor components of the layer surrounding BA particles. In conclusion, the tested process could be considered as promising for the improvement of BA valorization.
Der Fachbeirat kommt bereits seit 13 Jahren in seiner jetzigen Form zusammen, um Zulassungsrichtlinien, weitere Dokumente und fachliche Fragestellungen zu beraten. Die Zeit bringt auch personelle Veränderungen mit sich, darüber wollen wir berichten. Derzeit wird die Zulassungsrichtlinie für Schutzschichten im Fachbeirat und in seiner Arbeitsgruppe Geotextilien und Kunststoff Dränelemente (AG Geotextilien) überarbeitet. Zudem wurde die Zulassungsrichtlinie für Kunststoffdichtungsbahnen auf den aktuellen Stand der Regelsetzung und Normung gebracht. Bestimmte Medien, die hier bei einigen Prüfungen verwendet werden, dürfen nicht mehr in der EU in Verkehr gebracht werden. Hier werden die Hintergründe und Zusammenhänge in Kürze aufgezeigt. Zuletzt wird die Diskussion in Bezug auf den Einsatz von Rezyklaten in den zugelassenen Produkten aufgeführt.
Der Fachbeirat kommt bereits seit 13 Jahren in seiner jetzigen Form zusammen, um Zulassungsrichtlinien, weitere Dokumente und fachliche Fragestellungen zu beraten. Die Zeit bringt auch personelle Veränderungen mit sich, darüber wollen wir berichten. Derzeit wird die Zulassungsrichtlinie für Schutzschichten im Fachbeirat und in seiner Arbeitsgruppe Geotextilien und Kunststoff Dränelemente (AG Geotextilien) überarbeitet. Zudem wurde die Zulassungsrichtlinie für Kunststoffdichtungsbahnen auf den aktuellen Stand der Regelsetzung und Normung gebracht. Bestimmte Medien, die hier bei einigen Prüfungen verwendet werden, dürfen nicht mehr in der EU in Verkehr gebracht werden. Hier werden die Hintergründe und Zusammenhänge in Kürze aufgezeigt. Zuletzt wird die Diskussion in Bezug auf den Einsatz von Rezyklaten in den zugelassenen Produkten aufgeführt.
Analyseverfahren und Messhäufigkeit zur Bestimmung des Phosphorgehalts im Klärschlamm nach AbfKlärV
(2022)
Auf dem Betreiberforum der DWA-Plattform P-Rück wurden die Empfehlungen für den Vollzug der Phosphorrückgewinnungspflicht aus Klärschlamm vorgestellt. Diese Empfehlungen behandeln die Häufigkeit der Phosphoruntersuchungen im Klärschlamm, wo ein Jahresgang empfohlen wird und eine Empfehlung der Phosphorbestimmung über Aufschluss der Probe in der Mikrowelle und Messung mit ICP-OES. Untermauert wurden die Empfehlungen mit den Ergebnissen von Klärschlamm-Monitoring, Ringversuch und Analytikvergleich aus dem Vorhaben extraWERT.
Quantitative chemical analysis of airborne particulate matter (PM) is vital for the understanding of health effects in indoor and outdoor environments, as well as for enforcing air quality regulations. Typically, airborne particles are sampled over long time periods on filters, followed by lab-based analysis, e.g., with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Within the EURAMET EMPIR AEROMET project, cascade impactor aerosol sampling was combined for the first time with on-site total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) spectroscopy to develop a tool for quantifying particle element compositions within short time intervals and even on-site. This makes variations of aerosol chemistry observable with time resolution of only a few hours and with good size resolution in the PM10 range. A proof of principles of this methodological approach and the comparison to standard methods within the scope of a field campaign will be presented. Secondly, aerosol sampling and TXRF analysis seems suitable for the quantification of elements in indoor aerosols as well and may provide an important enhancement of existing methods for the analysis of organic species in aerosols (such as sampling and TD-GC/MS). As an example, the TXRF analysis of particles emitted from laser printers under controlled conditions in an environmental test chamber will be presented.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have emerged over the course of the last twenty years as a global pollution issue. Altogether, there are currently more than 4700 known but only partly characterized fluorinated compounds identified by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as shown by a recently published classification proposal.
The ongoing production of new, yet unrestricted PFAS alternatives has become a major challenge for environmental routine analytics, since the state-of-the-art method LC-MS/MS relies on structural information and availability of isotope standards of the targeted compound. First reported by Miyake et al., fluorine sum parameters like adsorbable organic fluorine (AOF), extractable organic fluorine (EOF) and total fluorine (TF) can be applied to survey and detect the presence of large amounts of unidentified organofluorine compounds in environmental matrices. Today fluorine sum parameters have been established as a useful supplement to classic target-analytical approaches of PFAS and were implemented for the first time as a sum value “PFAS-total” in the recently revised Drinking Water Directive (2020/2184) by the European Commission.
In contrast, X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy has been widely applied to identify low concentration of element-specific contamination without pre-treatment in environmental samples in the past. The XANES approach enables a penetration depth of approx. 1 µm (at fluorine K-edge energy; depending on the matrix) which is significantly deeper than for X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS; penetration depth approx. 10 nm). Furthermore, the method is fast, non-destructive and only simple preparation of the samples is required.
In our work, we combined both F-XANES spectroscopy and combustion ion chromatography (CIC) in order to present a new analytical perspective on the investigation of PFAS in environmental media and material samples.
Analytical Challenges for PFAS in Environmental Samples - Methods, Approaches and Applicability
(2022)
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms and which include up to 1.7 M compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Furthermore, because of the continuous contamination through PFAS containing commercial products, effluents and sewage sludge from WWTPs have been shown to be an important source of PFAS discharge into the aquatic environment. In the last few years, legacy PFAS (≥C4) have been found in various environments, including soil, water and wastewater, and their environmental pathways have been partly described.
Several long-chain PFAS species, and their respective salts are considered as persistent organic pollutants by the United Nations Stockholm Convention. These pollutants have been linked to altered immune and thyroid function, liver disease, lipid and insulin dysregulation, kidney disease, adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes, and cancer. A significant shift in the chemical industry towards production of short (C4-C7) and ultrashort (C1-C3) alternatives was observed in response to recently intensified regulations and restrictions on the use of long-chain (≥C8) PFAS. PFAS analysis in environmental samples is currently mainly done by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). This efficient method is conducted in a targeted fashion analyzing a small subset of PFAS. The US EPA method for analysis of PFAS using LC-MS/MS for example currently lists 40 PFAS (≥C4). However, to get a better overview of the amount of “total PFAS,” sum parameter methods like total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay and methods based on combustion ion chromatography (CIC) are in development. CIC results in data regarding the sum of absorbable organic fluorine (AOF) or extractable organic fluorine (EOF), which can also quantify other organically bound fluorine compounds such as fluorinated pesticides and pharmaceutical. Moreover, non-target and suspect screening mass spectrometry can be used to identify novel emerging PFAS and partly unknown fluorinated compounds in environmental samples. Furthermore, to analyze ultrashort PFAS (C1-C3), supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC), hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) are available, but further research is needed to develop reliable and accurate methods to quantify several ultrashort PFAS in environmental samples.
Additionally, for research purpose several spectroscopical methods like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES)spectroscopy, particular induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are available.
Aschen und Schlacken und aus der Abfallverbrennung, chemische und mineralogische Zusammensetzung
(2022)
Aschen und Schlacken sind mengenmäßig der wichtigste Reststoffstrom in der thermischen Abfallbehandlung. Die enthaltenen elementaren Metalle werden mit gängigen Verfahren abgetrennt und einer Verwertung als Sekundärrohstoff zugeführt. Durch die chemische und mineralogische Zusammensetzung der mineralischen Fraktion wird das Umweltverhalten sowie die abfallrechtliche Einstufung bestimmt. Methoden zur Ermittlung der Einstufung werden vorgestellt. Das Löslichkeitsverhalten von Schwermetallen in gealterten Aschen hängt meist vom pH-Wert in den standardisierten Auslaugtests ab. Das davon abweichende Verhalten von Antimon wird detailliert beschrieben.
Assessing co-selection of biocide and antibiotic resistance in wastewater microbial communities
(2022)
Biocides are used for a wide range of purposes, including disinfectants or preservatives. Biocides play a major role in the prevention of microbial infections in healthcare and animal husbandry. The use of biocides often leads to the discharge of active biocidal substances into wastewater streams, causing the exposure of wastewater microbial communities to subinhibitory concentrations. In turn, it is known that wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are hotspots for antibiotic resistant bacteria. Since similar mechanisms confer resistance to biocides and antibiotics, exposure to biocides can result in co-selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria in WWTP due to biocides. Here, we investigate the magnitude and the drivers of co-selection of antibiotic resistance in natural wastewater microbial communities upon biocide exposure. Microbial communities will be sampled at the WWTP Ruhleben in Berlin and characterized regarding their biocide and antibiotic resistance. Changes in the resistance level after exposure to different biocides will be determined by enumerating resistant and non-resistant E. coli and heterotrophic bacteria on selective plates with and without several biocides and antibiotics. Moreover, we are establishing a synthetic community comprising about 100 environmental E. coli isolates each with different antimicrobial resistance traits. Each isolate will be tagged with a unique DNA-barcode. All isolates will be pooled and exposed to different biocides at various concentrations. The barcode labeling enables us to determine the abundance of each isolate at the beginning and end of the experiment by transposon-tag sequencing. The project results will inform risk assessment of the effects of biocidal residues on antimicrobial resistance selection in WWTP.
The project is part of the BIOCIDE consortium funded within the call on Aquatic pollutants by JPI-AMR, JPI-OCEANS and JPI-WATER.
Question
Disinfectants and antimicrobial surfaces (AMCs) are important tools to prevent the spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. However, concerns have been raised about the possibility for the evolution and selection of resistance against disinfectants and AMCs. In turn, resistance against disinfectants and AMCs can be associated to antibiotic resistance due to cross-resistance - a single mechanism conferring resistance to a disinfectant and an antibiotic- and co-resistance - two distinct mechanisms physically linked on e.g. a plasmid. The risk for resistance and cross-resistance during use of biocides (including disinfectants and AMCs) must be evaluated during authorization according to the EU biocidal product regulation. However, to date there is a lack of standardized methods that support risk assessment during the authorization process.
Methods
We used adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) experiments which are based on repeated exposure of bacteria to disinfectants or AMCs. The experiments are followed by phenotypic (antimicrobial susceptibility testing) and genotypic (whole genome sequencing) characterization of the evolved strains. The basic idea of these experiments is to expose bacteria to lethal conditions and select for mutants with increased survival. This approach is fundamentally different to other ALE experiments, which commonly select for increased growth at subinhibitory concentrations. However, selection for increased survival represents a selective pressure that more realistically reflects selection under in-use conditions of disinfectants and AMCs.
Results
First, we studied adaptation of E. coli during repeated disinfection with benzalkonium chloride in a suspension assay. The experiments showed a 2000-fold increase in survival within 5 exposure cycles. The adaptive changes are linked to highly parallel mutations in genes related to lipid A biosynthesis, less negative cell surface charge, reduced growth rate and increased competitive ability in the presence of certain antibiotics. We use the same approach to develop standardizable ALE experiments based upon accepted standards that are used to determine the efficacy of disinfectants (EN 13697) and antimicrobial surfaces (ISO 22196). The results highlight pronounced adaptation of different test strains towards surface disinfection (benzalkonium chloride and isopropanol) and AMCs (copper).
Conclusion
Bacteria can adapt with increased survival towards lethal stress imposed by disinfectants and AMCs. The adaptive ability of bacteria to disinfectants and AMCs can be determined in a standardized manner.
In Deutschland ist ab 2029 eine Phosphorrückgewinnung aus Klärschlamm verpflichtend. Ausgenommen sind Klärschlämme mit weniger als 20 g P/kg TM. Für die Phosphorbestimmung sind verschiedene Methoden nach Klärschlammverordnung als gleichwertig zugelassen: Der Königswasseraufschluss in der Mikrowelle und am Rückfluss sowie die Messung an ICP-OES, ICP-MS und die photometrische Bestimmung mittels Ammoniummolybdaten. An der BAM wurden die unterschiedlichen Methodenkombinationen aus Aufschluss- und Messmethode an 15 Klärschlämmen überprüft und in einem Ringversuch mit einem Klärschlamm getestet. Die Ergebnisse werden in diesem Vortrag zusammengefasst. Als Folge der Untersuchungen wird für die Phosphorbestimmung in Klärschlamm die ICP-OES-Messung nach Königswasseraufschluss in der Mikrowelle empfohlen.
Die passive Probenahme von VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) mit Tenax® TA und Thermodesorption GC/MS Analytik ist eine einfache, kosteneffiziente und repräsentative Methode zur Bestimmung der VOC-Konzentrationen in der Innenraumluft. In der Theorie ist die Stoffaufnahme in den Passivsammler nur abhängig vom Diffusionskoeffizienten der Substanz in Luft und der Geometrie des Sammlers (ideale Adsorption). Um sie zu charakterisieren, wird die Aufnahmerate (UR), definiert als Quotient der Massenaufnahme und dem Produkt aus Konzentration und Expositionszeit, verwendet. Viele effektive Aufnahmeraten (UR,eff) unterscheiden sich beträchtlich von idealen (theoretischen) Werten (UR,id). Literaturwerte sind in nationalen und internationalen Normen lediglich für bestimmte Expositionszeiten vorgegeben, während detaillierte Informationen über den zugehörigen Konzentrationsbereich fehlen. Außerdem ist die Anzahl der insgesamt in der Literatur beschriebenen Substanzen begrenzt. Das Ziel der vorgestellten Studie ist es diesen Fundus an Aufnahmeraten zu begutachten und zu prüfen und ihn durch die Bestimmung eigener qualitätsgesicherter Laborwerte zu ergänzen. Die bestimmten Aufnahmeraten werden als akkurat bezüglich ihrer relativen Standardabweichung und Vergleichbarkeit zu Literaturwerten betrachtet und können für Expositionszeiten von 7 Tagen bei Konzentrationen von 50 100 µg/m³ (ca. 100 300 ppm min) empfohlen werden. Die Sieben Tage Aufnahmeraten aus ISO16017 2 und ASTM D6196 sind nicht generell für diesen Zweck geeignet, wie exemplarisch für Benzol gezeigt wurde.
Results:
- Four types of inks were measured iron gall (vitriolic and non vitriolic), carbonic, mixed and vegetable inks.
- We need to start analyzing systematically the organic part of the inks.
- Great variety in the composition of the inks.
- No correlation between the type of ink used and any other criteria apart from a personal preference.
- Inks purchased by (some) scribes.
- Reconstruction of the chronology of writing and signing of certain legal documents.
- Comparison with documents written by the Muslim court.
BIOCIDE
(2022)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem with the environment being an important compartment for the evolution, selection and transmission of AMR. These processes are impacted by pollution with antibiotics. However, biocides used as disinfectants and material preservatives are major pollutants by far excceding the market for antibiotics in terms of mass. Our work shows that biocides have the potential to affect evolutionary processes towards AMR by increasing the rates of de-novo mutation and conjugation. These effects depend on the species and biocidal substance. Importantly, chlorhexidine and quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) affect rates of mutation and conjugation at environmentally relevant concentrations in E. coli. Moreover, our results show a connection between the RpoS-mediated general stress and the RecA-linked SOS response with increased rates of mutation and conjugation, but not for all biocides. Furthermore, our work highlights the potential of biocides to contribute to selection and transmission of AMR. We show that the application of biocides, especially QAC disinfectants, leads to the rapid evolution of tolerance (i.e. increased survival) in adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) experiments. The evolved tolerant strains have a selective advantage in the presence of environmentally-relevant concentrations of antibiotics, which could lead to the stabilization of biocide tolerance in environments where biocides and antibiotics co-occur (e.g. wastewater, animal stables). ALE experiments with biocide tolerant strains indicate a decreased evolvability of resistance to antibiotics. Taken together, our work shows the importance of assessing the contribution of biocides on evolution, selection and transmission of AMR in the environment.
Biocides used as material preservatives are in contact with various environments during direct application or passive leaching from protected materials. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem and the environment is an important compartment for the evolution and transmission of AMR. Soil is an environment with a large reservoir of natural microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. Those natural microbial communities are frequently exposed to biocides used as material preservatives. Previous studies have shown that antibiotics, metals and pesticides affect the underlying processes of resistance evolution and spread; namely de novo mutagenesis and horizontal gene transfer by conjugation and transformation in microbial communities. However, it is unknown if active substances used in material preservatives are involved in these processes. We show that biocides used as material preservatives affect rates of mutation and conjugation in microorganism in a species- and substance-dependent manner, while rates of transformation are not directly affected. Our data highlights the importance of assessing the contribution of material preservatives on AMR evolution and spread in the environment.
This 6 minute long MP4-video presents some key results of the European research project "BioCombs4Nanofibers" to the broader public. Inspired by nature, some concepts of certain types of spiders are transferred to technology in order to develop bacteria-repellent surfaces through laser surface nanostructuring.
Funding notice: This study was funded by the European Union's research and innovation program under the FET Open grant agreement No. 862016 (BioCombs4Nanofibers, http://biocombs4nanofibers.eu).
Permanente und nachhaltige Deckung von Grundbedürfnissen der Nahrungs- und Materialversorgung, aber auch das Ausnutzen von Arbeitshilfen, der Gebrauch von Versuchstieren in der Wissenschaft und die Freude an tierischer Begleitung in der Freizeit waren Beweggründe für die Domestikation von Tieren. Haustiere gehen auf eine zu ihrer Art gehörige Stammform einer Wildtierart zurück. Haustier und Wildtier sind somit Angehörige einer biologischen Spezies. Bei der Domestikation von Tieren spielte zwischenartliche Introgression keine Rolle. Die Domestikation von Haustieren durch Separation von kleinen Gruppen von Wildtieren erfolgte nur wenige Male an wenigen Orten (primäre Domestikationszentren). Haustiere bilden artübergreifend auffällig ähnliche morphologische und ethologische Merkmale aus (Domestikationssyndrom). Domestikation bei Wirbeltieren erfolgt primär über Selektion auf zutrauliches und zahmes Verhalten und unterliegt einem sehr komplexen pleiotropen Netzwerk von Regelkreisen. Die Domestikation ist ein koevolutiver Prozess und das Resultat eines bilateralen wechselseitigen Zusammenfindens von Prädispositionen und reziproken Valenzen der jeweiligen Partner von Haustier und Mensch.
11 laser printers from 5 manufacturers were purchased in 2017 and tested for their UFP emissions. Size resolved sampling of the emitted particles was done with a 13 stage (30 nm to 10 µm) low pressure cascade impactor. The sampled particles were analysed for their chemical composition by thermal extraction (vaporization at 290°C) followed by GC-MS analysis. High boiling cyclic siloxanes (D10 to D16) were detected as constituents of UFP from laser printers. In comparison to measurements in 2008, aliphatic long-chain alkanes (C22 to C34) were detected additionally as chemical constituents of UFP from most of the tested printers and their amounts were higher than for cyclic siloxanes. Printers of one manufacturer showed very low UPF emissions compared to the other manufacturers.
11 laser printers from 5 manufacturers were purchased in 2017 and tested for their UFP emissions. Size resolved sampling of the emitted particles was done with a 13 stage (30 nm to 10 µm) low pressure cascade impactor. The sampled particles were analysed for their chemical composition by thermal extraction (vaporization at 290°C) followed by GC-MS analysis. High boiling cyclic siloxanes (D10 to D16) were detected as constituents of UFP from laser printers. In comparison to measurements in 2008, aliphatic long-chain alkanes (C22 to C34) were detected additionally as chemical constituents of UFP from most of the tested printers and their amounts were higher than for cyclic siloxanes. Printers of one manufacturer showed very low UPF emissions compared to the other manufacturers.
Through the application of scientific methods of analysis to a corpus of medieval manuscripts found in the Cairo Genizah, this work aims to gain a better understanding of the writing materials used by Jewish communities at that time, shedding new light not only on the production of manuscripts in the Middle Ages, but also on the life of those Jewish communities.
The exposure to antimicrobial substances drives the evolution of antimicrobial resistance. Biocides are antimicrobials used as disinfectants, antiseptics and preservatives. They find application on a large scale in the industrial and medical sector, but also in private households. In terms of mass, the worldwide use of biocides exceeds that of antibiotics. Thus, despite their important role in preventing the spread of pathogens, due to their ubiquity, biocides are suspected to be drivers of the antimicrobial resistance crisis. In our work at BAM we try to understand how biocides contribute to the emergence of AMR, what the underlying adaptation principles and mechanisms are and how they compare to those found for antibiotics. Within our group, I mainly focus on the following two questions: How does phenotypic heterogeneity in bacteria affect the ability to survive treatment with biocides? And what are the consequences of phenotypic heterogeneity for the evolution of resistance to biocides and antibiotics?
I will share published and unpublished results which demonstrate that phenotypic heterogeneity can enable the survival of biocide treatment and, through this, facilitate the evolution of AMR. On the other hand, we find that adaptation to a biocide can unexpectedly impair the ability to evolve resistance against an antibiotic.
We investigated the selection dynamics between a benzalkonium chloride (BAC)-tolerant Escherichia coli strain (S4) and a sensitive wild type under four conditions: in the absence of antibiotics and in the presence of three different sub-inhibitory concentrations of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in liquid cultures. The wild type was selected over the BAC-tolerant strain in the absence of antibiotics, while the opposite was observed at all ciprofloxacin concentrations investigated.Furthermore, we assessed the evolvability of resistance of the two strains to inhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin by performing a serial dilution evolution experiment with gradually increasing ciprofloxacin concentrations. The wild type had a higher probability to develop resistance to ciprofloxacin than the tolerant strain. By the end of the evolution experiment both strains evolved to grow at the highest ciprofloxacin concentration investigated, which was 2048 ×MIC of the wild type.
In industrialised countries more than 80% of the time is spent indoors. Products, such as building materials and furniture, emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are therefore ubiquitous in indoor air. VOC in combination may, under certain environmental and occupational conditions, result in reported sensory irritation and health complaints. Emission concentrations can become further elevated in new or refurbished buildings where the rate of air exchange with fresh ambient air may be limited due to improved energy saving aspects. A healthy indoor environment can be achieved by controlling the sources and by eliminating or limiting the release of harmful substances into the air. One way is to use (building) materials proved to be low emitting. Meanwhile, a worldwide network of professional commercial and non-commercial laboratories performing emission tests for the evaluation of products for interior use has been established. Therefore, comparability of test results must be ensured. A laboratory’s proficiency can be proven by internal and external validation measures that both include the application of suitable emission reference materials (ERM). For the emission test chamber procedure according to EN 16516, no artificial ERM is commercially available. The EU-funded EMPIR project MetrIAQ aims to fill this gap by developing new and improved ERMs. The goal is to obtain a material with a reproducible and temporally constant compound release (less than 10% variability over 14 days). Different approaches, such as the impregnation of porous materials, are being tested. The generation as well as results of the most promising materials will be presented.
Nonporous corundum powder was functionalized covalently with protein binders to isolate and enrich specific proteins from complex matrices.The common crosslinker glutaraldehyde was compared with a hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) of around 10 kDa. The latter was oxidized with periodate to generate aldehyde groups that can covalently react with the amines of the surface and the amino groups from the protein via a reductive amination process. The amount of bound protein was quantified via aromatic amino acid analysis (AAAA). As a proof of concept, IgG was extracted with protein A from crude human plasma. The advantages of corundum include the very low price, extremely high physical and chemical stability, pressure resistance, favorable binding kinetics, convenient handling, and flexible application.
Im Rahmen des Projekts wurde 1.) eine vollständige Bewertung des Stands der Technik in der EU bei der Behandlung von Rostasche vorgenommen und 2.) eine Optimierung der Nutzung der Feinfraktion in Labor- und Feldmaßstab untersucht.
Das Konsortium bestand aus zwei Universitäten aus Deutschland und Italien, der BAM als Forschungseinrichtung des Bundes und zwei Industriepartnern aus Deutschland und Schweden mit unterschiedlichen und spezifischen Fachkompetenzen.
Im Vortrag werden die Ergebnisse des weitgehend abgeschlossenen Projekts BASH-TREAT vorgestellt.
Data for the publication "The role of extracellular polymeric substances of fungal biofilms in mineral attachment and weathering" (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41529-022-00253-1). It includes:
- The Summary of the EPS concentration, EPS sugar components and EPS linkages.
- The Summary of the XPS analysis of freeze-dried biofilm samples of all strains.
- The Summary of the pH, Mg, SI and Fe concentration, biomass and olivine dissolution rate for each time point of all dissolution experiments.
Deciphering microbiological influenced corrosion processes on steel with single cell-ICP-ToF-MS
(2022)
Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a highly unpredictable process dictated by the environment, microorganisms, and the respective electron source. Interaction pathways between cells and the metal surface remain unclear. The development of this novel single cell-inductively coupled plasma-time of flight-mass spectrometry analytical method and a MIC-specific staining procedure facilitate the investigation of steel-MIC interactions. With this it is possible to analyze the multi-elemental fingerprint of individual cells. The detection method revealed elemental selectivity for the corrosive methanogenic archaeal strain Methanobacterium-affiliated IM1. The interface between material and environmental analysis thus receives special attention, e.g., when considering MIC on solid steel. Hence, the possible uptake of individual elements from different steel samples is investigated. Results showed the cells responded at a single-cell level to the different types of supplemented elements and displayed the abilities to interact with chromium, vanadium, titanium, cobalt, and molybdenum from solid metal surfaces. The information obtained will be used in the future to elucidate underlying mechanisms and develop possible material protection concepts, thus combining modern methods of analytical sciences with materials research.
References.
Der fabelhafte Möglichmacher
(2022)
Axial passive sampling of VOCs with Tenax® TA and thermal desorption GC-MS analysis is an accepted alternative to active sampling in occupational hygiene. In theory, the uptake into the passive sampler is only dependent on the diffusion coefficient of the analyte in air and the geometry of the sampler (ideal adsorption). For characterization, the uptake rate (UR) is used defined as the ratio of the mass adsorbed and the product of ambient concentration and exposure time. Various reported effective uptake rates (UR,eff) differ to an increasing degree from ideal values (UR,id) with increasing exposure doses (denominator of the given definition of UR), (Tolnai, 2001). In national and international standards, uptake rates are essentially sorted by the applicable exposure time, while detailed information about the corresponding concentration range is lacking. Moreover, especially for long exposure periods as applied in indoor air monitoring, the number of itemized substances is limited. Therefore it is the aim of this contribution to review and expand uptake rate data by comparison of literature and own laboratory values of assured quality. Passive samplers were exposed to nine single compound atmospheres of known concentrations for seven days. Concentrations were checked twice a day via active sampling.The determined uptake rates are considered accurate in terms of RSD and comparability to literature values and can be recommended for exposure times of seven days at 50 – 100 μg m-3 (approximately 100 – 300 ppm min). Seven-day uptake rates in ISO16017-2 and ASTM D6196 are not generally suited for this purpose, as has been exemplarily shown for benzene. Thus, it is crucial for optimization of the method to produce more reliable uptake rate data, including specific information about applicable exposure times and concentrations, which will be promoted in the course of this ongoing study.
Several aspects were explored towards the standardization of a suitable procedure. The use of gaseous standards is necessary and a standard gas mixture containing 60 substances was successfully generated and employed for further investigations. The suitability of different chromatography columns was addressed: The use of PLOT (Porous Layer Open Tubular) columns is well suitable for VVOC analysis. The recoveries of the 60 analytes on several adsorbents and their combinations were determined: A combination of a graphitized carbon black and a carbon molecular sieve showed great results for all analytes. Carbon molecular sieves adsorb water which can impair the analysis. Different options such as purging, the use of a drying system or splitting were investigated for water removal. This contribution will present experimental results supporting the standardization of a method for VVOC analysis.
Since 1997, the Committee for Health-related Evaluation of Building Products (AgBB) has been developing the basis for building regulations for protection against indoor health risks that may arise when building products are used. In 2009, the AgBB decided to include relevant VVOCs in the assessment procedure. The ISO 16000-6 (2021) states that the use of the thermal desorption gas chromatography technique is appropriate for VVOCs, if adaptations are considered. However, a suitable method for the trustworthy quantification of VVOC emissions from building products and in the indoor air is still missing.
This webinar will present the results of a research project on the development of a procedure for VVOC analysis:
• identification of the gaps towards standardization
• investigations on gas standards and the suitability of chromatography columns
• investigations on sorbent combinations and water management
• validation of the method and screening of VVOC emissions from building products.
DHN (1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene) melanin is produced by different Ascomycetes via slightly differing biosynthetic routes. The polyketide synthases (PKS) release the heptaketide YWA1, the hexaketide AT4HN or the pentaketide T4HN. The first two products are deacetylated by ‘yellowish-green’ hydrolases to T4HN, and T4HN is further converted by a core set of enzymes to DHN. Final polymerization steps are accomplished by multicopper oxidases (MCOs). The involved genes are tightly clustered, partially clustered or widely distributed in the genomes of DHN melanin-producing fungi. DHN melanogenesis is often regulated in a spatial and temporal fashion resulting e.g. in melanized reproduction, survival and/or infection structures. In contrast, a polyphyletic group of Ascomycetes (microcolonial fungi/ black yeast) dwelling in hostile habitats such as bare rock surfaces in hot and cold deserts, exhibits constitutive melanogenesis. Here, we report on the identification and functional characterization of the DHN melanogenic genes of Knufia petricola as a representative of the Chaetothyriales, the sister order of the Eurotiales. Orthologs for all melanogenic genes were identified in the genome of K. petricola A95, including one gene encoding the polyketide synthase (KpPKS1), two genes encoding ‘yellowish-green’ hydrolases (KpYGH1,2), two genes encoding THN reductases (KpTHR1,2) and one gene encoding a scytalone dehydratase (KpSDH1). Ten genes encoding MCOs were identified, all MCOs are predicted to be secreted. The genes are not clustered in the genome but are highly expressed. Gene functions are studied by generation of single, double, and multiple deletion mutants in K. petricola and by heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae for reconstruction of the synthesis pathway.
Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit zerstörungsfreien Untersuchungen an den Farbmitteln früher Bauhauszeichnungen. Mit welchen Farbmitteln wurden diese Zeichnungen gestaltet? Wurden hier neueste Zubereitungen genutzt, von denen viele im ersten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts gerade auf den Markt kamen, oder fanden – der ebenfalls am Bauhaus propagierten Materialökonomie folgend – althergebrachte Materialien Verwendung, die günstiger zu beschaffen waren? Weitere Fragen widmen sich dem Themenkomplex Original, Kopie und Nachahmung sowie der Auffindung von Fälschungen. Restauratorische, konservatorische und kuratorische Fragestellungen und Entscheidungen sind grundsätzlich damit verknüpft. Zwölf exemplarisch vorgestellte Zeichnungen ermöglichen einen guten Über blick über die verwendeten Farbmittel des frühen Bauhauses von 1919 bis 1925. Trotz der Vielfalt der betrachteten Studien, Entwürfen und Arbeitsblättern, ergibt sich ein homogenes Gesamtbild. Bis auf wenige Ausnahmen dominieren anorganische Pigmente die Farbmittelpalette. Dieser Befund wird durch eine weitaus größere Stichprobe materialtechnologisch untersuchter Zeichnungen aus dem Bestand des Bauhaus-Museums Weimar bestätigt
Die Klassik-Stiftung Weimar besitzt eine umfangreiche Sammlung niederländischer und flämischer Zeichnungen vom 15. bis 19. Jahrhundert. Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojektes »Kennerschaft heute« wurde der Bestand der über 1.500 Zeichnungen erstmals wissenschaftlich erschlossen. Das Handbuch führt anhand bedeutender Werkgruppen, darunter Zeichnungen von Lucas van Leyden, Dirck Vellert, Roelant Savery und Rembrandt, den Reichtum der Weimarer Sammlung vor Augen, die zum großen Teil auf die Sammelleidenschaft von Johann Wolfgang Goethe zurückgeht. Im Zentrum des Buches steht aber die Zusammenarbeit von traditioneller Stilkritik und naturwissenschaftlicher Materialanalyse. In zwölf Fallbeispielen wird die Notwendigkeit einer methodischen Neuausrichtung der Kennerschaft darlegt. Einen Schwerpunkt der Untersuchungen bildet hierbei das große Konvolut an Zeichnungen von Rembrandt und seinen Schülern, das erstmals systematisch auf die verwendeten Zeichenmaterialien und Papiere untersucht wird.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of organofluorine surfactants used in the formulations of thousands of consumer goods, including aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) used to suppress aviation fires in training scenarios, non-stick cookware, fast-food wrappers, water-repellent fabrics, medical equipment, and plastic and leather products. As a result of the perpetual use of PFAS containing products, effluents and sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been observed to be an important pathway for PFAS into the environment. In Germany, phosphorus and other nutrients from sewage sludge and wastewater should be recycled in WWTPs of cities with a large population. However, it is not clear if PFAS contamination from wastewater and sewage sludge end up in novel wastewater-based fertilizers. Normally, PFAS are analyzed using PFAS protocols typically with time-consuming extraction steps and LC-MS-MS quantification. However, for screening of PFAS contaminations in sewage sludge or wastewater-based fertilizers also passive sampler based on the Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) technique can be used for the PFAS extraction. Afterwards, combustion ion chromatography (CIC) can be applied to analyse the “total” amount of PFAS on the passive sampler. Here, we show results from the DGT method in comparison to those of the extractable organic fluorine (EOF) method for a variety of wastewater-based fertilizers. Additionally, we analysed the adsorption of PFAS on the weak anion exchanger (WAX) based DGT passive sampler binding layer by infrared and fluorine K-edge X-ray adsorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy.
Biocides used as material preservatives are in contact with various environments during direct application or passive leaching from protected materials [1]. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem and the environment is an important compartment for the evolution and transmission of AMR [2,3]. Soil is an environment with a large reservoir of natural microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. Those natural microbial communities are frequently exposed to biocides used as material preservatives. Previous studies have shown that antibiotics, metals and pesticides affect the underlying processes of resistance evolution and spread; namely de novo mutagenesis and horizontal gene transfer by conjugation and transformation in microbial communities. However, it is unknown if active substances used in material preservatives are involved in these processes. We show that biocides used as material preservatives affect rates of mutation and conjugation in microorganism in a species- and substance-dependent manner, while rates of transformation are not directly affected. Our data highlights the importance of assessing the contribution of material preservatives on AMR evolution and spread in the environment.
Biocides used as material preservatives are in contact with various environments during direct application or passive leaching from protected materials. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health problem and the environment is an important compartment for the evolution and transmission of AMR. Soil is an environment with a large reservoir of natural microbial communities and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. Those natural microbial communities are frequently exposed to biocides used as material preservatives. Previous studies have shown that antibiotics, metals and pesticides affect the underlying processes of resistance evolution and spread; namely de novo mutagenesis and horizontal gene transfer by conjugation and transformation in microbial communities. However, it is unknown if active substances used in material preservatives are involved in these processes. We show that biocides used as material preservatives affect rates of mutation and conjugation in microorganism in a species- and substance-dependent manner, while rates of transformation are not directly affected. Our data highlights the importance of assessing the contribution of material preservatives on AMR evolution and spread in the environment.
Im Rahmen des Projekts konnte gezeigt werden, dass Geokunststoffe bei ausreichender Stabilisierung Einsatzdauern von über 100 Jahren besitzen. Es werden keine Stoffe freigesetzt, die für Wasserorganismen schädlich sind. An den Ostseestränden im Gebiet Kaliningrad werden nennenswerte Mengen von Kunststoffresten gefunden, die zum Teil aus Küstenschutzbauwerken stammen. Ursache ist hier jedoch eine verfehlte Materialauswahl. Hauptsächlich stammen die Kunststoffreste am Strand jedoch aus unsachgemäße Abfallbehandlung.
Der Vortrag liefert eine Zusammenfassung der wichtigsten Ergebnisse des extraWERT-Vorhabens mit Schwerpunkt auf den Umsetzungsfragen zur Klärschlammverordnung. Bei diesen Punkten handelt es sich um die Untersuchung von monatlichen Phosphorschwankungen in kommunalem Klärschlamm und die Gleichwertigkeit verschiedener Verfahren zur Phosphorbestimmung in Klärschlamm.
Die Zementindustrie und weitere energieintensive Industrien wie etwa die Stahlindustrie stehen vor dem Hintergrund der Transformation unserer Gesellschaft zur Klimaneutralität vor erheblichen Herausforderungen. Ziel dieser Branchen ist perspektivisch die vollständige Vermeidung klimaschädlicher Emissionen – mit besonderem Fokus auf Kohlendioxid. Neben der Umstellung auf regenerative Energieträger, sind im Speziellen für die Zementindustrie die erheblichen Anteile an CO2-Emissionen durch die Entsäuerung von Kalkstein zukünftig zu vermeiden. Da die hervorragenden Bindemitteleigenschaften des bisher hauptsächlich in Zementen eingesetzten Portlandklinkers jedoch auf Calciumverbindungen wie Tri- und Di-calciumsilikaten basieren, stellt die Substitution des Kalks derzeit für die Zementindustrie die größte Herausforderung dar. Neben vollständig neuen Bindemittelsystemen ohne Verwendung von Kalk und CCS/CCU-Technologien zur Vermeidung der CO2-Emissionen bei Verwendung von Kalk, können Abfälle und Nebenprodukte wie etwa Betonbrechsand, verschiedene Schlacken und weitere Massenreststoffe sinnvoll zur Einsparung von Rohstoffen und zur Vermeidung von CO2-Emissionen eingesetzt werden. Es gilt diese Potentiale von Sekundärrohstoffen branchenübergreifend zu identifizieren und Synergien zwischen den Branchen nutzbar zu machen. Hierbei werden neben der chemischen Zusammensetzung der Abfälle und Nebenprodukte auch die Verfügbarkeit und der Massenstrom relevante Kriterien sein. Die potenziellen Sekundärrohstoffe und deren Gemische mit chemisch ähnlicher Zusammensetzung wie die bisher verwendeten Bindemittel, können durch verschiedene technische Ansätze wieder in reaktive Bindemittel umgewandelt und damit nutzbar gemacht werden. Eine gezielte Umwandlung der nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen in neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften, kann u. a. durch Schmelzprozesse erzielt werden. In Schmelzen können bei hohen Temperaturen die bestehenden, nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen zerstört und neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften erzeugt werden. Hohe Freiheitsgrade durch gezielte Einstellung der stofflichen Zusammensetzung der Schmelze, durch Stoffseparationen und durch geregelte Abkühlregimes können eine maßgeschneiderte Erzeugung neuer Bindemitteltypen ermöglichen. Aufgrund der hohen erforderlichen Temperaturen von Schmelzprozessen ist die Umsetzung dieser neuen Verfahren nach Möglichkeit in bestehenden pyrometallurgischen Produktionsrouten wie etwa der Stahlproduktion vorzunehmen. So kann etwa der Einsatz von Betonbrechsand als Schlackebildner in der Stahlproduktion zielführend sein, wenn die Schlacke wieder zu einem Bindemittel prozessiert wird und in Zementen Verwendung findet. Eine stoffliche Kreislaufführung wäre hiermit gegeben, wobei der Einsatz von Kalkstein als Schlackebildner oder Rohstoff für die Zementproduktion, und damit die entsprechenden CO2-Emissionen, vermieden werden. Die Entwicklung neuartiger Bindemittelsysteme auf Basis von Sekundärrohstoffen sollte von erforderlichen Anpassungen und neuen Entwicklungen in der Regelsetzung und Normung begleitet werden. Vor allem muss gewährleistet sein, dass die mit neuen Bindemitteln hergestellten Betone den hohen Anforderungen an Dauerhaftigkeit und Umweltverträglichkeit genügen. Des Weiteren sollte mit den etablierten Methoden, wie etwa der Lebenszyklusanalyse, untersucht werden, inwiefern und in welchem Umfang die neuen technischen Entwicklungen zu Nachhaltigkeit und Klimaschutz beitragen.
Die Zementindustrie erzeugt etwa 6-7% der globalen CO2-Emissionen und steht damit als Industriezweig vor dem Hintergrund einer anvisierten Klimaneutralität vor gewaltigen Herausforderungen. Der Prozess der Klinkerherstellung wurde über die vergangenen Jahrzehnte bereits kontinuierlich optimiert. Seit 1990 ist es der deutschen Zementindustrie gelungen, die spezifischen CO2-Emissionen der Zementproduktion u. a. durch den Einsatz alternativer, nicht fossiler Brennstoffe und durch Absenkung des Klinkergehalts im Zement um 20 % zu senken. Weitere konventionelle Minderungsstrategien versprechen jedoch nur noch wenig zusätzliche Reduktion. Im Falle des Portlandklinkers besteht die Schwierigkeit darin, dass zwei Drittel der CO2-Emissionen rohstoffbedingt durch die Entsäuerung des Kalksteins (CaCO3) anfallen, die durch die beschriebenen Maßnahmen nicht weiter abgesenkt werden können. Vielmehr wird es erforderlich sein, noch zu entwickelnde oder zu optimierende Technologien anzuwenden und ggf. alle relevanten Ebenen wie Produktion, Weiterverarbeitung und Anwendung von Zement und Beton neu zu denken. Neben technologischen Ansätzen zur CO2-Abscheidung mit nachfolgender langfristiger Speicherung (Carbon Capture and Storage – CCS) oder Verwertung (Carbon Capture and Utilisation – CCU) werden auch alternative Rohstoffe für die Zementproduktion und alternative Bindemittel in Betracht zu ziehen sein.
For the European sewage sludge ash monitoring ash samples from sewage sludge incineration plants were requested from all over Europe. First results of the received samples regarding main and trace element contents were presented at ESPC4. Moreover, a list of all known European facilities for sewage sludge monoincineration was presented.
extraWERT Forschungsvorhaben
(2022)
Die novellierte AbfKlärV (2017) beinhaltet die Verpflichtung zum P-Recycling ab einem P-Gehalt im Klärschlamm von 20 g/kg. Im Vortrag werden Ergebnisse des Forschungsvorhabens extraWERT zu diesem Themenkomplex vorgestellt. Es werden Untersuchungen zu P-Gehalten deutscher Klärschlämme und zu den zulässigen Analysemethoden dafür vorgestellt.
Kunststoff- und Kunststoffrasenflächen kommt bei intensiv genutzten Flächen als Allwetterbeläge eine große Bedeutung zu. Sie leisten einen wichtigen Beitrag zur Absicherung eines ganzjähriger Sportangebote.
Gerade Kunststoffrasen ist aber in den letzten Jahren häufig in die Kritik geraten, insbesondere durch gefährliche Inhaltsstoffe und andere negative Einflüsse auf die Umwelt. Dies hat bei Bauherren zu einer Verunsicherung geführt und Fragen aufgeworfen, die erst teilweise beantwortet sind. Die Diskussionen rund um diesen Allwetterbelag haben bereits dazu geführt, dass von Seiten der Industrie viel verändert wurde und neue innovative Lösungen gefunden werden.
Der Fachbericht stellt eine Handreichung für Fachleute und interessierte Laien dar, um mehr Klarheit besonders hinsichtlich der Umweltanforderungen zu erzielen.
Basic oxygen furnace slag (BOFS) is a by-product of steelmaking of which about 10.4 Mt are produced annually in the EU. BOFS is mostly used in road construction, earthwork and hydraulic engineering. However, in this use, the iron bound in BOFS is lost and the opportunity to produce higher value products from BOFS is forgone.
In recent decades, many researchers have investigated a thermochemical process to reduce iron oxides to metallic iron in molten BOFS. The metallic iron formed separates from the reduced slag due to its higher density and can be recovered. An advantage of this process is that simultaneously the chemical composition of the reduced slag is adapted to that of the Portland cement clinker and the hydraulic reactive mineral alite is formed.
In this study, BOFS was reduced in a small-scale electric arc furnace using petrol coke as reducing agent, and the hydraulic properties of the reduced, low-iron BOFS were investigated. Despite a chemical and mineralogical composition similar to that of Portland cement clinker, the reduced BOFS produced less heat of hydration, and its reaction was delayed compared to Portland cement. However, the addition of gypsum, as is also done in cement production from Portland cement clinker, has been found to accelerate the hydration rate of reduced BOFS.
Further research to improve the hydraulic properties of the reduced slag is essential. If successful, the production of a hydraulic binder and crude iron from BOFS could have economic and ecological benefits for both the cement and steel industry.
Rock-inhabiting fungi are known to colonise air-exposed substrates like minerals, photovoltaic panels building facades and monuments, withstanding the various stresses these extreme habitats are known for. Here we show how both colonisation and stress resistance are linked to the properties of the fungal cell surface. By deleting genes involved in the synthesis of melanin and carotenoid pigments of the model rock-inhabiting fungus Knufia petricola via CRISPR-Cas and comparing the behaviour of the gene-deletion mutants with the wild type (WT), we studied the role of these genes in mineral colonisation and stress sensitivity. The extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) of biofilms of the WT and mutants were extracted, quantified and chemically characterised. We observed that the absence of melanin affected the quantity and composition of the produced EPS: melanin-deficient mutants synthesised more EPS containing fewer pullulan-related glycosidic linkages. Moreover, in mineral dissolution experiments, these mutants showed a lower ability to colonise the mineral olivine. We hypothesise that not melanin, but the pullulan-related linkages enabled the melanin-producing strains to attach more strongly to the mineral. Moreover, ICP-OES analysis of the aqueous mineral-derived solutes showed that biofilms of the K. petricola mutants which could attach were able to dissolve the olivine faster than those that could not. The same mutants were also characterised by their sensitivity to desiccation stress: only the mutant deficient in both melanin and carotenoid synthesis was more sensitive to desiccation compared to the WT, indicating that a combination of both pigments is critical to withstand desiccation. Overall, these results show the critical role of the cell surface in the specific capacities of rock-inhabiting fungi.
Fungi that share light-flooded habitats with phototrophs may profit from their excess photosynthetic products. But to cope with sunlight-associated stresses [e.g. high temperatures, UV radiation with associated DNA damage, accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), desiccation and osmotic stresses] it is important for fungi to accurately sense and respond to changes in light. The genomes of black [dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin-containing] fungi from phyllosphere and exposed solid surfaces contain multiple photoreceptors (PRs). The plant pathogen Botrytis cinerea (Leotiomycetes) has a highly sophisticated photosensory and signalling system that helps to avoid light and to locate susceptible hosts. Rock-inhabiting Dothideomycetes and Eurotiomycetes including Knufia petricola possess equal numbers of PRs along with the same set of protective pigments. This similarity between black fungi from plant and rock surfaces suggests that photoperception and -regulation are important for fungi that receive nutrients through cooperation with phototrophs.
The exposure to antimicrobial substances drives the evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Biocides are antimicrobials used as disinfectants, antiseptics and preservatives. They find application on a large scale in the industrial and medical sector, but also in private households. In terms of mass, the worldwide use of biocides exceeds that of antibiotics. Thus, despite their important role in preventing the spread of pathogens, due to their ubiquity, biocides are suspected to be drivers of the antimicrobial resistance crisis. In our work we try to understand how biocides contribute to the emergence of AMR, what the underlying adaptation principles and mechanisms are and how they compare to those found for antibiotics.
Here, I present results which demonstrate that phenotypic heterogeneity in E. coli, namely the formation of tolerant persister cells, can enable the survival of disinfection and consequentially facilitate the evolution of AMR. Using experimental evolution that selects for tolerance, we find that mutations in lipid A biosynthesis arise following periodic treatment with benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a widely used disinfectant. BAC tolerance is associated with additional, diverse mutations as well as changes in the susceptibility to antibiotics from different classes and changes in motility and biofilm formation, suggesting extensive regulatory re-wiring in the evolved clones. Remarkably, we find that fitness costs (growth rate reduction) incurred by BAC tolerance are alleviated in the presence of antibiotics. These findings demonstrate the complexity underlying the adaptation to antimicrobials and highlight the links between persistence to disinfectants and resistance evolution to antimicrobials.
Nonporous corundum powder, known as an abrasive material in the industry, was functionalized covalently with protein binders to isolate and enrich specific proteins from complex matrices. The materials based on corundum were characterized by TEM, ESEM, BET, DLS, and zeta potential measurements. The strong Al-O-P bonds between the corundum surface and amino phosphonic acids are used to introduce functional groups for further conjugations. The common cross-linker glutaraldehyde was compared with a hyperbranched polyglycerol (PG) of around 10 kDa. The latter is oxidized with periodate to generate aldehyde groups that can covalently react with the amines of the surface and the amino groups from the protein via a reductive amination process. The amount of bound protein was quantified via aromatic amino acid analysis (AAAA). This work shows that oxidized polyglycerol can be used as an alternative to glutaraldehyde. With polyglycerol, more of the model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) could be attached to the surface under the same conditions, and lower nonspecific binding (NSB) was observed. As a proof of concept, IgG was extracted with protein A from crude human plasma. The purity of the product was examined by SDS-PAGE. A binding capacity of 1.8 mg IgG per g of corundum powder was achieved. The advantages of corundum are the very low price, extremely high physical and chemical stability, pressure resistance, favorable binding kinetics, and flexible application.
Die Zementindustrie und weitere energieintensive Industrien wie etwa die Stahlindustrie stehen vor dem Hintergrund der Transformation unserer Gesellschaft zur Klimaneutralität vor erheblichen Herausforderungen. Ziel dieser Branchen ist perspektivisch die vollständige Vermeidung klimaschädlicher Emissionen – mit besonderem Fokus auf Kohlendioxid. Neben der Umstellung auf regenerative Energieträger, sind im Speziellen für die Zementindustrie die erheblichen Anteile an CO2-Emissionen durch die Entsäuerung von Kalkstein zukünftig zu vermeiden. Da die hervorragenden Bindemitteleigenschaften des bisher hauptsächlich in Zementen eingesetzten Portlandklinkers jedoch auf Calciumverbindungen wie Tri- und Di-calciumsilikaten basieren, stellt die Substitution des Kalks derzeit für die Zementindustrie die größte Herausforderung dar. Neben vollständig neuen Bindemittelsystemen ohne Verwendung von Kalk und CCS/CCU-Technologien zur Vermeidung der CO2-Emissionen bei Verwendung von Kalk, können Abfälle und Nebenprodukte wie etwa Betonbrechsand, verschiedene Schlacken und weitere Massenreststoffe sinnvoll zur Einsparung von Rohstoffen und zur Vermeidung von CO2-Emissionen eingesetzt werden. Es gilt diese Potentiale von Sekundärrohstoffen branchenübergreifend zu identifizieren und Synergien zwischen den Branchen nutzbar zu machen. Hierbei werden neben der chemischen Zusammensetzung der Abfälle und Nebenprodukte auch die Verfügbarkeit und der Massenstrom relevante Kriterien sein. Die potenziellen Sekundärrohstoffe und deren Gemische mit chemisch ähnlicher Zusammensetzung wie die bisher verwendeten Bindemittel, können durch verschiedene technische Ansätze wieder in reaktive Bindemittel umgewandelt und damit nutzbar gemacht werden. Eine gezielte Umwandlung der nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen in neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften, kann u. a. durch Schmelzprozesse erzielt werden. In Schmelzen können bei hohen Temperaturen die bestehenden, nicht reaktiven mineralischen Phasen zerstört und neue mineralische Phasen mit guten Bindemitteleigenschaften erzeugt werden. Hohe Freiheitsgrade durch gezielte Einstellung der stofflichen Zusammensetzung der Schmelze, durch Stoffseparationen und durch geregelte Abkühlregimes können eine maßgeschneiderte Erzeugung neuer Bindemitteltypen ermöglichen. Aufgrund der hohen erforderlichen Temperaturen von Schmelzprozessen ist die Umsetzung dieser neuen Verfahren nach Möglichkeit in bestehenden pyrometallurgischen Produktionsrouten wie etwa der Stahlproduktion vorzunehmen. So kann etwa der Einsatz von Betonbrechsand als Schlackebildner in der Stahlproduktion zielführend sein, wenn die Schlacke wieder zu einem Bindemittel prozessiert wird und in Zementen Verwendung findet. Eine stoffliche Kreislaufführung wäre hiermit gegeben, wobei der Einsatz von Kalkstein als Schlackebildner oder Rohstoff für die Zementproduktion, und damit die entsprechenden CO2-Emissionen, vermieden werden. Die Entwicklung neuartiger Bindemittelsysteme auf Basis von Sekundärrohstoffen sollte von erforderlichen Anpassungen und neuen Entwicklungen in der Regelsetzung und Normung begleitet werden. Vor allem muss gewährleistet sein, dass die mit neuen Bindemitteln hergestellten Betone den hohen Anforderungen an Dauerhaftigkeit und Umweltverträglichkeit genügen. Des Weiteren sollte mit den etablierten Methoden, wie etwa der Lebenszyklusanalyse, untersucht werden, inwiefern und in welchem Umfang die neuen technischen Entwicklungen zu Nachhaltigkeit und Klimaschutz beitragen.
Die Bewertung der Dauerhaftigkeit von Holz und Holzprodukten ist ein zentrales Thema im Holzschutz. Es wird zwischen einer natürlichen und einer herbeigeführten Dauerhaftigkeit unterschieden. Die Norm DIN EN 350 trägt beiden Richtungen Rechnung. Die Anwendung der Norm wird in vielen Fällen aber nicht korrekt durchgeführt. Schwachstellen werden diskutiert.
Black fungi also called black yeasts, rock-inhabiting fungi or microcolonial fungi are a group of Ascomycetes [Eurotiomycetes, Arthoniomycetes and Dothideomycetes] that exhibit high stress tolerance, yeast‑like or meristematic growth, and constitutive 1,8-dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) melanin formation. They dominate a range of hostile natural and man‑made environments – from desert rocks and salterns to dishwashers, roofs, and solar panels. Due to their slow growth and the lack of sexual cycles and genetic tools, the underlying mechanisms of black fungi’s phenotypic traits have remained largely unexplored. We consider the rock inhabitant K. petricola [Eurotiomycetes, Chaetothyriales] a suitable model for studying the phenotypic characteristics of black fungi. With K. petricola the regulation of pigment synthesis, general stress responses and the unusual modes of cell division can be dissected by advanced reverse and forward genetics approaches. The genome of K. petricola strain A95 was sequenced using a combination of short high quality Illumina reads and long PacBio reads. The final assembly consists of twelve contigs: five complete chromosomes and six contigs with one telomer each. Gene annotation supported by transcriptomics and proteomics data was manually curated. Recently, we developed a set of genetic tools to manipulate the genome for analyzing gene functions and studying the cell biology. This set includes CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing and live-cell imaging using genetically encoded fluorescent proteins, as well as protocols for -omics approaches and for simulation of mineral weathering in the laboratory. Mutants defective in DHN melanogenesis, carotenogenesis or both processes are currently studied to elucidate the role of these protective pigments in tolerance of natural and man-made stresses, weathering of olivine, penetration of marble, and adhesion to surfaces. Further, the established protocols and knowledge gained from K. petricola form a starting point for making other extremotolerant black fungi accessible to genetic manipulation.
Die Normenreihe DIN 68800 ist Ende der 2000er Jahre komplett überarbeitet worden. Der Kommentar bietet den interessierten Kreisen der Bauaufsicht, des Holzbaus, der Holzschutzmittelindustrie, der Wissenschaft, den Prüfinstituten, der Sägeindustrie, den Umweltverbänden, den Verbrauchern, den Schädlingsbekämpfern und Architekten wertvolle Hilfen bei der Anwendung und Interpretation der Norm.
Larvae and adults of Korynetes caeruleus (de Geer 1775) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) were collected from old churches and reared in the laboratory on Anobium punctatum (de Geer 1774) (Coleoptera, Ptinidea, formerly Anobiidae). Breeding success of K. caeruleus was low, but basic parameters of this species’ developmental cycle were identified. At 21 °C and 75 % relative humidity and a four-month cold period at 4 °C, the development of K. caeruleus from egg to adult appearance lasted 2 years. The pupal stage may be reached and completed after one and a half years. Feeding on larvae of A. punctatum by larvae of K. caeruleus was observed and consisted of a combination of sucking haemolymph and consuming body parts. The sickle-like mandibles of larvae of K. caeruleus penetrate the cuticle of prey larvae followed by pumping and sucking body movements. Adult beetles of A. punctatum were not attacked by K. caeruleus larvae. Feeding behavior of adult K. caeruleus was not investigated.
Warum eine Kreislaufwirtschaft ohne Abfallverbrennung nicht funktionieren wird, beschreibt die Dechema im Positionspapier „Abfallverbrennung in der Zukunft“. Experten der Fachgruppe „Abfallbehandlung und Wertstoffrückgewinnung“ von ProcessNet, einer gemeinsamen Initiative der Dechema und der VDI-Gesellschaft Verfahrenstechnik und Chemieingenieurwesen, haben es erstellt.
Sunlight is an important environmental factor is almost all ecosystems by being a source of energy, information, and stress. All organisms must protect themselves from the harmful effects of light such as UV radiation, ROS accumulation, heat, and desiccation. Finally, light qualities and quantities can be used for decision making, timing and as guide for directed growth when they are sensed and transduced into intracellular signals. Botrytis cinerea and other plant pathogens infecting the sun-exposed parts of the plant must cope with the high light conditions the host plant seeks. Further they experience an altered light spectrum (‘green gap’) when they colonize shaded parts of the plant; it is depleted for blue and red light that is absorbed by the plant chlorophyll and enriched for green and far-red light that is reflected or transmitted by the plant tissue. As these ambient light conditions trigger the shade avoidance response in the plant, the pathogens may trigger their own ‘shading response’ such as the upregulation of virulence determinants and inoculum production. B. cinerea maintains a highly sophisticated light signaling machinery that senses different light qualities to trigger a variety of responses, that are protection, morphogenesis, positive and negative tropisms, and entrainment. These characteristics render B. cinerea a valuable model to enlighten the role of light in parasitic fungus-plant interactions and beyond. The vegetative mycelium – the core of all infection and developmental programs – is not visibly pigmented and thus considered to be sensitive to biotic and abiotic stresses. However, the vegetative hyphae have a very limited half-life and are usually restricted to the invasive growth phase in which they are protected from light by the plant tissue. Fast colonization of host tissues and by this proper nutrient acquisition enables the rapid formation of long-lasting reproduction structures (melanized conidiophores with conidia, sclerotia) on the surfaces of rotted plant tissues. Depending on the light and temperature conditions, conidiation or sclerotial development is initiated. Taken together, B. cinerea uses light-regulated signaling networks to avoid light whenever possible; for example, by minimizing the half-life of sensitive cells that are hiding in plant tissues and by scheduling critical steps such as conidiogenesis, conidial germination and penetration of plant tissues for the night.
Die Publikation befasst sich mit einer einzigartigen Sammlung mexikanischer und südamerikanischer Handschriften, die zu Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts ins Leben gerufen wurde, als Alexander von Humboldt der Königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin Fragmente indigener mexikanischer Bilderhandschriften aus dem 16. Jahrhundert schenkte. Sie sind heute auch unter der Bezeichnung Humboldt-Fragmente bekannt und stellen den bedeutendsten Teil der Sammlung dar, die im Laufe der Zeit durch den Ankauf verschiedener Arten von Handschriften aus Mittelamerika, vorwiegend in indigenen Sprachen und lateinischer Schrift, erweitert wurde.
In den zwei Jahren von April 2017 bis März 2019 verfolgten die Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz (SBB-PK) und die Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung (BAM) ein gemeinsames, von der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) großzügig gefördertes wissenschaftliches Projekt: Materialanalysen und kulturgeschichtliche Untersuchungen mexikanischer Handschriften aus der Kolonialzeit in Berlin und Krakau.
Die Hauptziele des Projekts bestanden darin, die Provenienz der Manuscripta americana zu ermitteln und, da sie einen hohen Grad an Fragmentierung aufweisen, festzustellen, wie sie untereinander und mit Objekten außerhalb der Sammlung in Beziehung stehen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden ethno-kulturhistorische und naturwissenschaftliche Methoden kombiniert. Dank einer guten Zusammenarbeit mit der Jagiellonen-Bibliothek konnten wir die Manuscripta americana sowohl in Berlin als auch in Krakau sehen und studieren und sie wissenschaftlich vermessen.
Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a highly unpredictable process dictated by the environment, microorganisms, and the respective electron source. Interaction pathways between cells and the metal surface remain unclear. The development of this novel single cell-inductively coupled plasma-time of flight-mass spectrometry analytical method and a MIC-specific staining procedure facilitate the investigation of steel-MIC interactions. With this it is possible to analyze the multi-elemental fingerprint of individual cells. The detection method revealed elemental selectivity for the corrosive methanogenic archaeal strain Methanobacterium-affiliated IM1. The interface between material and environmental analysis thus receives special attention, e.g., when considering MIC on solid steel. Hence, the possible uptake of individual elements from different steel samples is investigated. Results showed the cells responded at a single-cell level to the different types of supplemented elements and displayed the abilities to interact with chromium, vanadium, titanium, cobalt, and molybdenum from solid metal surfaces. The information obtained will be used in the future to elucidate underlying mechanisms and develop possible material protection concepts, thus combining modern methods of analytical sciences with materials research.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of anionic, cationic, or zwitterionic organofluorine surfactants used in the formulations of thousands of products and consumer goods, including aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) used to suppress aviation fires in training scenarios, non-stick cookware, fast-food wrappers, water-repellent fabrics, medical equipment. Because PFAS have been extensively used in a variety of AFFF products they can be found in soils from industrial and military installations. Current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Only a subsequent, high-energy consuming pyrolysis process guarantees the total destruction of all fluorinated organic contaminants. Both approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem. Previously, mechanochemical treatment of polychlorinated organic compounds in soils showed an efficient dechlorination. Thus, we investigated mechanochemical treatment of PFAS contaminated soils with various additives in a ball mill and analyzed the PFAS defluorination with gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), respectively, as well es the fluoride mineralization by ion chromatography (IC) and fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy.
Die Umweltverträglichkeit von Bauprodukten, die in Kontakt mit Regen- oder Sickerwasser kommen, wurde durch Kombination normierter Elutions- (DSLT, Perkolationstest) und Ökotoxizitätstests (Algen, Daphnien, Fischeier, Leuchtbakterien) sowie Gentoxizitätstests (Ames, umu) untersucht. Ziel des Projektes war es einerseits, einen Beitrag zur Harmonisierung der Prüfmethoden unter CEN/TC 351 zu leisten und andererseits potentielle Produktgruppen, die sich für die Umweltzeichenvergabe des Blauen Engels eignen würden, zu erkennen. Durch umfangreiche qualitative und quantitative chemische Analysen (u. a. GC-MS- sowie LC-MS-Screening) wurden einige der freigesetzten Stoffe identifiziert und anhand von Literaturdaten ökotoxikologisch charakterisiert. Insgesamt wurden 34 Bauprodukte (Dachbahnen, Lacke, Wood-Plastic-Composites, Pflasterfugenmörtel, Korkgranulate, Schaumglasschotter, Wegedecken, Dichtmassen) untersucht. Hierbei wurden insbesondere bei den Fugenmörteln und Korkgranulaten sehr hohe
Ökotoxizitäten (bis LID = 16384 bei den Fugenmörteln und LID = 24578 bei den Korkgranulaten) beobachtet. Algen- und Leuchtbakterientests waren in der Regel deutlich empfindlicher als der Daphnien- und Fischeitest. Die untersuchten Dachbahnen, Lacke, Wood-Plastic-Composites und Schaumglasschotter zeigten hingegen keine oder nur sehr geringe Ökotoxizitäten. Zur Qualitätssicherung und Validierung wurde ein Europäischer Ringversuch gemäß den Vorgaben der DIN ISO 5725 organisiert, durchgeführt und ausgewertet. Hierzu wurde ein Fugenmörtel als flächiges Produkt im DSLT und als gebrochenes körniges Produkt im Perkolationstests eluiert und die Eluate nachfolgend in den 29 teilnehmenden Laboren hinsichtlich ihrer Ökotoxizität untersucht. Hierbei wurden insgesamt plausible Ergebnisse und gute (<50 %) bis sehr gute (<20 %) Reproduzierbarkeiten erzielt. Es wird empfohlen, für die Produktgruppen Dachbahnen, Kunstrasen und Sportböden sowie Fugenmörtel Vergabekriterien für den Blauen Engel zu entwickeln
Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion of Cast Iron Containers for High-Level Nuclear Waste Disposal
(2022)
Ductile and corrosion resistant cast iron is investigated as a potential container material to store high-level nuclear waste (HLW) in deep geological repositories (DGR) in claystone bedrock. The dynamic corrosion process is dependent on the conditions present in the DGR which are influenced and/or controlled by geochemical parameters (e.g., redox potential, pH, presence of and ionic concentration in (pore-)water), physical parameters (e.g., pressure), and the influence of metabolically active microorganisms. Cast iron corrosion will occur at the intersection of container and its decontaminable coating with the bentonite backfill material which contains natural microbial populations.
The conditions in a DGR are simulated in microcosm experiments to investigate the impact of microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC); the microcosms contain: B27 bentonite, synthetic pore water, N2 or N2-CO2 atmosphere, cast iron coupons, as well as the bacterium Desulfosporosinus burensis (isolated from repository depth in Buré, France). Three coupon configurations will be used: untreated, coated with decontaminable coating, and coated with decontaminable coating which has been damaged to simulate possible damages. The microcosms will be examined for bio- and geochemical parameters, such as pH, redox potential, mineral phases, sulphate concentration, Fe(II):Fe(III), changes in microbial populations, and the corrosion process for formation of corrosion products, and potential microbial influence, after a 270-day incubation period at 25°C under anaerobic conditions. In subsequent experiments, the sorption behavior of lanthanides and actinides onto the membranes of viable cells and spores of D. burensis, as well as the surface of corroded cast iron coupons will be investigated.
Dust deposition is an important source of phosphorus (P) to many ecosystems. However, there is little evidence of dust-derived P-containing minerals in soils. Here we studied P forms along a well-described climatic gradient on Hawaii, which is also a dust deposition gradient. Soil mineralogy and soil P forms from six sites along the climatic gradient were analyzed with bulk (X-ray diffraction and P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure)
and microscale (X-ray fluorescence, P K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure, and Raman) analysis methods. In the wettest soils, apatite grains ranging from 5 to 30 μm in size were co-located at the micro-scale with quartz, a known continental dust indicator suggesting recent atmospheric deposition. In addition to colocation with quartz, further evidence of dust-derived P included backward trajectory modeling indicating that dust particles could be brought to Hawaii from the major global dust-loading areas in central Asia and northern Africa. Although it is not certain whether the individual observed apatite grains were derived from long-distance transport of dust, or from local dust sources such as volcanic ash or windblown fertilizer, these observations offer direct evidence that P-containing minerals have reached surface layers of highly-weathered grassland soils
through atmospheric deposition.
In dieser Präsentation wurden dem Beirat Umwelt die High-Lights und der weitere Ausblick des Foresight Process MIC vorgestellt. Im Fokus stehen hierbei insbesondere die neu angelaufenen Projekte:
COST Action Euro-MIC
MIC im Endlager
Hydrogen: MIC & Wasserstoffversprödung
Biorezeptivität von Betonoberflächen
Mitigation schwarze Pilze
WIPANO ResTest
Rock-inhabiting black fungi are adapted to survive extreme stresses such as radiation and lack of water and are thus able to colonise arid material surfaces like solar panels and marble monuments. Black fungi can typically grow as one of two cell types: depending on the environmental conditions, they are able to form yeast-like cells or hyphal filaments. Knufia petricola is one member of the rock-inhabiting black fungi which functions as a model reference species. As there is no mathematical model for biofilm formation of RIF, we are going to develop a model for K. petricola which describes fungal growth on the level of individual cells adn biofilm formation.
Healthy and energy efficient buildings must be free from disturbing odours. Odour emissions from building materials can be measured with the well-known and accepted standard ISO 16000-28 “Indoor air – Part 28: Determination of odour emissions from building products using test chambers”. For commonly used emission test chambers the sample air is collected in containers (bags) and presented to a group of panel members for the purpose of evaluating the odour. A standard sets requirements for the on-demand presentation in detail. These include the validation procedure for container materials, pre-treatment of bags, details on storage of filled bags and how to carry out the measurements. However, although these measures are proven in practice, incorrect measurements are still possible. Also errors can occur due to a very complex measurement procedure. So, there is a great need for research into how the odour samples are presented.
The proposal planned to be presented will introduce a new development in sample provision by using an adapter which enables collection and provision of sample air without storage or transport of bags. The adapter is a sample container which is permanently positioned on the emission test chamber´s outlet and continuously filled with sample air flowing through it. The flow is briefly interrupted at the time when a sample is taken by a panel member for the test.
The size of the container is sufficient to provide enough sample air for evaluation by at least one panel member via a funnel. Since sampling and presentation are technically connected, it means you can almost do away with storage or transportation and thus it can be presented almost unchanged to the panelmembers. The aim is to reduce measurement errors in the odour samples provision process and the improvement of measurement reproducibility. The paper presents the construction of the adapter as well as the results of emission and odour tests carried out so far.
Plants and microorganisms, besides the climate, drive nitrogen (N) cycling in ecosystems. Our objective was to investigate N losses and N acquisition strategies along a unique ecosystem-sequence (ecosequence) ranging from arid shrubland through Mediterranean woodland to temperate rainforest. These ecosystems differ in mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperate, and vegetation cover, but developed on similar granitoid soil parent material, were addressed using a combination of molecular biology and soil biogeochemical tools. Soil N and carbon (C) contents, δ15N signatures, activities of N acquiring extracellular enzymes as well as the abundance of soil bacteria and fungi, and diazotrophs in bulk topsoil and rhizosphere were determined. Relative fungal abundance in the rhizosphere was higher under woodland and forest than under shrubland. This indicates toward plants' higher C investment into fungi in the Mediterranean and temperate rainforest sites than in the arid site. Fungi are likely to decompose lignified forest litter for efficient recycling of litter-derived N and further nutrients. Rhizosphere—a hotspot for the N fixation—was enriched in diazotrophs (factor 8 to 16 in comparison to bulk topsoil) emphasizing the general importance of root/microbe association in N cycle. These results show that the temperate rainforest is an N acquiring ecosystem, whereas N in the arid shrubland is strongly recycled. Simultaneously, the strongest 15N enrichment with decreasing N content with depth was detected in the Mediterranean woodland, indicating that N mineralization and loss is highest (and likely the fastest) in the woodland across the continental transect. Higher relative aminopeptidase activities in the woodland than in the forest enabled a fast N mineralization. Relative aminopeptidase activities were highest in the arid shrubland. The highest absolute chitinase activities were observed in the forest. This likely demonstrates that (a) plants and microorganisms in the arid shrubland invest largely into mobilization and reutilization of organically bound N by exoenzymes, and (b) that the ecosystem N nutrition shifts from a peptide-based N in the arid shrubland to a peptide- and chitin-based N nutrition in the temperate rainforest, where the high N demand is complemented by intensive N fixation in the rhizosphere.
One criterion to evaluate the odour of a sample is perceived
intensity П which is evaluated with the aid of a comparative scale. The procedure is well accepted but also time consuming and extensive. The study should help simplify the testing procedure by asking the panel members to only indicate whether a sample is perceived as less to equally intense or of greater intensity in comparison to a given acetone concentration of 7 pi on the comparative scale. In Germany a value of 7 pi is required for products to be suitable for the indoor use. The results show that the simplified test is basically suitable.
Klärschlammaschen können eine hohe Phosphatkonzentration aufweisen und stellen damit einen geeigneten Sekundärrohstoff für die Produktion von Phosphatdüngemitteln dar. Bisher wird dieses Potential der Klärschlammaschen für die Phosphor-Rückgewinnung jedoch kaum genutzt, da die in den Aschen enthaltenen Phosphate für Pflanzen kaum verfügbar und die Aschen teilweise mit toxischen Schwermetallen belastet sind.
Im AshDec®-Verfahren wird die Klärschlammaschen im Drehrohrofen im Temperaturbereich 800-1000°C unter Zugabe von Alkali-Additiven (bsp. Na2CO3) thermochemisch behandelt, um ein wirksames und schadstoffarmes Phosphatdüngemittel herzustellen. Aktuell bereitet die Firma Emter GmbH den Bau der ersten großtechnischen AshDec®-Anlage mit einer Kapazität von 30.000 Jahrestonnen Klärschlammasche am Standort ihrer Klärschlammverbrennungsanlage (Altenstadt / Oberbayern) vor. Die erste Ausbaustufe dieser Anlage wird durch das BMBF-Projekt R-Rhenania im Rahmen der Förderinitiative RePhoR begleitet.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms and which include more than 4730 compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. As a result of the perpetual use of PFAS containing products, effluents and sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been observed to be an important pathway for PFAS into the environment. In Germany, phosphorus and other nutrients from sewage sludge and wastewater should be recycled in WWTPs of cities with a large population. However, it is not clear if PFAS contamination from wastewater and sewage sludge end up in novel wastewater-based fertilizers. Normally, PFAS are analyzed using PFAS protocols typically with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) quantification. To get a better overview of the amount of “total PFAS,” we applied sum parameter methods based on combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to screen the PFAS contaminations in various sewage sludge and wastewater-based fertilizers. Furthermore, current decontamination strategies of PFAS-burdened soils mainly consist of adsorption methods using adsorbents for fixation of PFAS in the ground. A second option is the utilization of a “pump and treat” process, cycling polluted soils through a washing plant leading to the concentration of the pollutants in the fine fraction. Only a subsequent, high-energy consuming pyrolysis process guarantees the total destruction of all fluorinated organic contaminants. Both approaches are cost-intensive and not intended for the direct decomposition of all PFAS contaminants. Hence, there is a great demand for innovative developments and chemical treatment technologies, dealing with new strategies of tackling the PFAS problem.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of more than 4700 anionic and cationic anthrophonic substances which have been used extensively in a variety of products and industries due to their inert chemical stability and resistance to degradation by heat or acids. As a result of continuous use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil and groundwater resources. However, because of the continuous use of fluorinated consumer products, also effluents and sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been shown to be an important source of PFAS contamination into the aquatic environment. Resulting from recent stricter regulations and restrictions in the last years on the use of long chain (≥C8) PFAS, there is a significant shift in the chemical industry towards production of short (C4-C7) and ultrashort (C1-C3) chain alternatives. With the amendment of the Sewage Sludge Ordinance in 2017 the German legislation banned sewage sludge application on agricultural land, and by 2029/2032 sewage sludge will be completely prohibited from agricultural application. While environmental exposure of organic pollutants like PFAS, pesticides and pharmaceuticals are no longer desirable, phosphorus (P) from sewage sludge must still be used to produce high-quality P-fertilizers for a circular economy. Currently, plant-available P-fertilizers from sewage sludge/wastewater can be produced using a variety of treatment approaches including precipitation, leaching, and thermal treatment. However, the fate of legacy and emerging PFAS compounds during P leaching, precipitation and treatment from sewage sludge and wastewater is for the most parts still unknown.
Per- und polyfluorierte Alkylsubstanzen (PFAS) im Klärschlamm - Analytische Methoden und Grenzwerte
(2022)
Per- und Polyfluoralkylsubstanzen (PFAS) sind eine Gruppe von mehr als 4700 anionischen und kationischen anthrophonen Stoffen, die aufgrund ihrer inerten chemischen Stabilität und ihrer Widerstandsfähigkeit gegen den Abbau durch Hitze oder Säuren in einer Vielzahl von Produkten verwendet werden. Infolge der ständigen Verwendung, vor allem in Feuerlöschschäumen für die Luftfahrt, wurden in Tausenden von Industrie- und Militäranlagen kontaminierte Böden und Grundwasservorkommen gefunden. Aufgrund der ständigen Verwendung von fluorierten Konsumgütern haben sich jedoch auch Abwässer und Klärschlamm aus Kläranlagen als Quelle für die Kontamination der aquatischen Umwelt mit PFAS erwiesen. Infolge der strengeren Vorschriften und Beschränkungen, die in den letzten Jahren für die Verwendung langkettiger (≥C8) PFAS erlassen wurden, findet in der chemischen Industrie eine deutliche Verlagerung hin zur Herstellung kurz- (C4-C7) und ultrakurzkettiger (C1-C3) Alternativen statt. Mit der Novellierung der Klärschlammverordnung im Jahr 2017 hat der deutsche Gesetzgeber die Ausbringung von Klärschlamm auf landwirtschaftlichen Flächen verboten, und bis 2029/2032 wird die Ausbringung von Klärschlamm in der Landwirtschaft vollständig verboten sein. Während die Belastung der Umwelt mit organischen Schadstoffen wie PFAS, Pestiziden und Arzneimitteln nicht mehr erwünscht ist, muss Phosphor (P) aus Klärschlamm weiterhin zur Herstellung hochwertiger P-Dünger für eine Kreislaufwirtschaft genutzt werden. Derzeit können pflanzenverfügbare P-Düngemittel aus Klärschlamm/Abwasser mit verschiedenen Behandlungsmethoden hergestellt werden, darunter Fällung, Auslaugung und thermische Behandlung. Der Verbleib von PFAS bei der Auslaugung, Ausfällung und Behandlung von Klärschlamm und Abwasser ist jedoch noch weitgehend unbekannt.
The exposure to antimicrobial substances drives the evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Biocides are antimicrobials used as disinfectants, antiseptics and preservatives. They find application on a large scale in the industrial and medical sector, but also in private households. In terms of mass, the worldwide use of biocides exceeds that of antibiotics. Thus, despite their important role in preventing the spread of pathogens, due to their ubiquity, biocides are suspected to be drivers of the antimicrobial resistance crisis. In our work we try to understand how biocides contribute to the emergence of AMR, what the underlying adaptation principles and mechanisms are and how they compare to those found for antibiotics.
Here, I present results which demonstrate that phenotypic heterogeneity in E. coli, namely the formation of tolerant persister cells, can enable the survival of disinfection and consequentially facilitate the evolution of AMR. Using experimental evolution that selects for tolerance, we find that mutations in lipid A biosynthesis arise following periodic treatment with benzalkonium chloride (BAC), a widely used disinfectant. BAC tolerance is associated with additional, diverse mutations as well as changes in the susceptibility to antibiotics from different classes and changes in motility and biofilm formation, suggesting extensive regulatory re-wiring in the evolved clones. Remarkably, we find that fitness costs (growth rate reduction) incurred by BAC tolerance are alleviated in the presence of antibiotics. These findings demonstrate the complexity underlying the adaptation to antimicrobials and highlight the links between persistence to disinfectants and resistance evolution to antimicrobials.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are anionic, cationic and zwitterionic synthetic products, in which the hydrogen atoms on the carbon skeleton of at least one carbon atom have been completely replaced by fluorine atoms (see Figure 1) and which include more than 4730 compounds, depending on the definition. As a result of continuous and prolific use, mainly in aviation firefighting foams, thousands of industrial and military installations have been found to contain contaminated soil, groundwater and surface water. Furthermore, because of the continuous contamination through PFAS containing commercial products, effluents and sewage sludge from WWTPs have been shown to be an important source of PFAS discharge into the aquatic environment. In the last few years, legacy PFAS (≥C4) have been found in various environments, including soil, water and wastewater, and their environmental pathways have been partly described. To get a better
overview of the amount of “total PFAS,” sum parameter methods like total oxidizable precursor (TOP) assay and methods based on combustion ion chromatography (CIC) are in development. CIC results in data regarding the sum of absorbable organic fluorine (AOF) or extractable
organic fluorine (EOF), which can also quantify other organically bound fluorine compounds such as fluorinated pesticides and pharmaceutical. Additionally, for research purpose several spectroscopical methods like X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fluorine K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy, particular induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE) spectroscopy and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are available. Therefore, an overview is given on various analytical techniques for PFAS in environmental samples and their application possibilities discussed for different kind of PFAS compounds
Phenotypic heterogeneity in disinfection: sources and consequences for antimicrobial resistance
(2022)
A summary of projects here at BAM which investigate the influence of phenotypic heterogeneity on the outcome of disinfection and the influence on antimicrobial resistance. This presentation was given in the Theory Seminar of the Quantitative and Theoretical Biology group of Prof. Oliver Ebenhöh at HHU Düsseldorf
Micro-(nano-)encapsulation technology involves building of a barrier between the core and the environment and offers a number of benefits to preserve the functional and physicochemical properties of core material. Tremendous progress has been made in synthesizing well-defined capsules to achieve desired properties such as particle size, chemical composition, and controlled release of the payload.
Encapsulation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that could evaporate with a defined rate is of immense interest for application in emission reference materials (ERM). These are urgently needed for quality assurance and quality control purposes (QA/QC) required by test standards for the determination of chemical emissions of construction and other materials for interior use. As such ERMs are hardly available on the market, the EU-funded EMPIR project MetrIAQ [1] was started to fill this gap by developing a material with temporally constant emission of VOCs typically found in indoor air.
Different capsules in a size range between 5 and 50 μm were synthesized through an interfacial polyaddition/polycondensation reaction in direct (water-in-oil) system. As VOC several types of hydrophobic liquid materials were used. After synthesis, the morphology and physicochemical properties of capsules were characterized by electron microscopy, FTIR and DSC/TGA. An encapsulation efficiency up to 90% could be reached. The emission kinetic of volatile agents was studied in emission test chambers at 23 °C and 50% RH for 14 days. First results indicate that variation of the cross-linking grade of the shell material is one important parameter to adjust the desired emission rate. The overall aim is to achieve a consistent emission profile that decreases by less than 10 % over a target period of at least 14 days.
Micro-(nano-)encapsulation technology involves building a barrier between the core and the environment and offers several benefits to preserve the functional and physicochemical properties of core material. Tremendous progress has been made in synthesizing well-defined capsules to achieve desired properties such as particle size, chemical composition, and controlled release of loaded compounds.
Encapsulation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that could evaporate with a defined rate is of immense interest for application in emission reference materials (ERM). These are urgently needed for quality assurance and quality control purposes (QA/QC) required by test standards for the determination of chemical emissions of construction and other materials for interior use. As such ERMs are hardly available on the market, the EU-funded EMPIR project MetrIAQ was started to fill this gap by developing a material with temporally constant emission of VOCs typically found in indoor air.
Die Autoren zeigen dazu die gesetzlichen und energiepolitischen Rahmenbedingungen und Perspektiven auf, widmen sich in aktuellen Beiträgen zur Verfahrenstechnik der thermischen Abfallbehandlung sowohl den thermischen Hauptverfahren als auch der Abgasreinigung und gehen auf das Thema Wertstoffrückgewinnung ein. Ihr Fazit: Durch Anstrengungen, das stoffliche Recycling weiter zu optimieren, können künftig weitere Kreisläufe von Produkten und Materialien hochwertig geschlossen werden. Für manche Abfallströme wird dies aber aus verschiedenen Gründen nicht möglich sein – hier bleibt die thermische Abfallbehandlung unverzichtbar.
Geosynthetic materials are applied in measures for coastal protection. Weathering or any damage of constructions, as shown by a field study in Kaliningrad Oblast (Russia), could lead to the littering of the beach or the sea (marine littering) and the discharge of possibly harmful additives into the marine environment. The ageing behavior of a widely used geotextile made of polypropylene was studied by artificial accelerated ageing in water-filled autoclaves at temperatures of 30 to 80° C
and pressures of 10 to 50 bar. Tensile strength tests were used to evaluate the progress of ageing, concluding that temperature rather than pressure was the main factor influencing the ageing of geotextiles. Using a modified Arrhenius equation, it was possible to calculate the half-life for the loss of 50% of the strain, which corresponds to approximately 330 years.
The diversity of fused filament fabrication (FFF) filaments continues to grow rapidly as the popularity of FFF-3D desktop printers for the use as home fabrication devices has been greatly increased in the past decade. Potential harmful emissions and associated health risks when operating indoors have induced many emission studies. However, the lack of standardization of measurements impeded an objectifiable comparison of research findings. Therefore, we designed a chamber-based standard method, i.e., the strand printing method (SPM), which provides a standardized printing procedure and quantifies systematically the particle emission released from individual FFF-3D filaments under controlled conditions. Forty-four marketable filament products were tested. The total number of emitted particles (TP) varied by approximately four orders of magnitude (1E9 ≤ TP ≤ 1E13), indicating that origin of polymers, manufacturer-specific additives, and undeclared impurities have a strong influence. Our results suggest that TP characterizes an individual filament product and particle emissions cannot be categorized by the polymer type (e.g., PLA or ABS) alone. The user's choice of a filament product is therefore decisive for the exposure to released particles during operation. Thus, choosing a filament product awarded for low emissions seems to be an easily achievable preemptive measure to prevent health hazards.
Generation of experimental uptake rates (UR) for > 70 VOCs (7d /100 μg m-3)
Application in German Environmental Survey – VOC exposure assessment
Assurance of transparency concerning UR generation and uncertainty creates basis for decision making and comparability of measurement results.
Exemplarily the uncertainty u(UR) of toluene UR was modelled and determined statistically with own laboratory data (relative standard deviation of actively sampled test gas atmosphere – RSDa and n = 5 exposed passive samplers – RSDp) in line with EN 838 as well as from variation of literature UR – RSD UR,lit.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing global problem which poses a massive threat to human health. Although human activity contributes to the acceleration of the process, bacteria have a self-driven stabilisation mechanism to protect themselves from such and other external threats: biofilm formation. Nonetheless, it is the adhesion of a single bacterial cell to a surface that triggers the formation of such network of biomolecules and microorganisms, as well as its hazardous consequences. The main objective of this work was to quantify the adhesion force of a single E. coli cell on a Ti substrate via the AFM-related single-cell force spectroscopy, with both the cell and the substrate material being of high clinical relevance. A set of 25 x 25 force displacement curves was acquired with a maximum force of 3.2 nN without dwell time, yielding a topography map and an adhesion force map that showed to be correlated. A mean adhesion force of 0.85 ± 0.175 nN was measured and the presence of cell appendages on the bacterial cell wall was verified through individual force-displacement curves. Bacterial viability was assessed after the measurements via live/dead staining.
Rechtliche Vorgaben der Klärschlammverordnung und deren Auswirkungen auf die Phosphor-Rückgewinnung
(2022)
Im Abfalltechnik-Ausschuss der Bund/Länder-Arbeitsgemeinschaft Abfall (LAGA) wurde eine Vollzugshilfe zur Klärschlammverordnung erarbeitet, die nach Verabschiedung durch die Umweltministerkonferenz Mitte Mai 2020 als LAGA-Merkblatt M-39 veröffentlicht wurde. Im vorliegenden vierten Arbeitsbericht der DWA-Arbeitsgruppe KEK-1.1 werden verschiedene Aspekte der ab dem Jahr 2029 geltenden Regelungen aufgegriffen und damit einige Punkte des LAGA M-39 hinsichtlich der technischen Auswirkungen für den Kläranlagenbetreiber konkret ausgeführt.
Using nanofiber-like cell appendages, secreted proteins and sugars, bacteria can establish initial surface contact followed by irreversible adhesion and the formation of multicellular biofilms. Here, the stabilizing extracellular biofilm matrix together with physiological changes on the single cell level leads to an increased resilience towards harsh environmental conditions, antimicrobials, the host immune response and established cleaning procedures. Persistent microbial adhesion on e.g., medical implants, in water supply networks or food-processing industry is often associated with chronic inflammation, nosocomial and foodborne infections, enhanced biofouling and product contamination. To prevent persistent microbial colonization, antibacterial surface strategies often target the initial steps of biofilm formation and impede adhesion of single cells before a mature biofilm is being formed. While chemical coatings have been widely used, their restricted biocompatibility for eukaryotic cells and attenuated antibacterial-effects due to compound release limit their areas of application and alternative strategies focus on modified surfaces topographies to impede bacterial adhesion. In this work, we used ns-UV laser treatment (wavelength 248 nm and a pulse duration of 20 ns) to generate laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) with different submicrometric periods ranging from ~210 to ~610 nm on commercial poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) foils. Following structurally and chemically analyses, PET samples were subjected to bacterial colonization studies with Escherichia coli TG1, a bacterial test strain with a strong biofilm formation capacity due to the formation of nanofiber-like cell-appendages (pili). Bacterial adhesion tests revealed that E. coli repellence decisively depends on the spatial periods of the LIPSS with the strongest reduction (~91%) in cell adhesion observed for LIPSS periods of 214 nm. Scanning electron microscopy and additional biofilm studies using a pili-deficient E. coli TG1 strain revealed the importance of extracellular appendages in the bacterial repellence observed here, thus, pointing out new antibiotics-free strategies for antibacterial surfaces by impeding nanofiber-mediated bacterial adhesion.
Biocides, including disinfectants and antimicrobial surfaces (AMCs), are important to prevent the spread of pathogens and antimicrobial resistant bacteria via surfaces. However, concerns have been raised about the evolution and selection of resistance against disinfectants and AMCs. In turn, resistance against disinfectants and AMCs can be associated to antibiotic resistance due to cross-resistance and co-resistance. We need to understand the mechanisms and risks of disinfectants and AMCs for resistance and cross-resistance evolution to optimize their application and safeguard their long-term efficacy. We used adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) experiments based on repeated exposure of bacteria to disinfectants. Our results show that repeated disinfection of E. coli with benzalkonium chloride in suspension results in a 2000-fold increase in survival within 5 exposure cycles. Adaption is linked to the initial presence of persister cells highly tolerant to benzalkonium chloride. We used the same approach to develop standardizable ALE experiments to determine resistance evolution to AMCs. The results highlight rapid adaptation of E. coli and P. aeruginosa towards copper surfaces. Moreover, there are multiple situations in the clinic or in the environment in which biocides and antibiotics co-occur and in which combination effects can shape their antimicrobial activity or their selective effects. Our work with P. aeruginosa shows prevalent combination effects of biocides and antibiotics, ranging from synergy to antagonism and resulting in the selection for or against antibiotic resistant strains. The combination effects are dependent on the biofilm mode-of-growth, manifesting in apparent differences in the structural arrangement of antibiotic sensitive and resistant strains in biofilms exposed to combinations. Furthermore, biocides affect rates of mutation and horizontal gene transfer, thereby having a potential facilitating effect on resistance evolution. Taken together, our work shows that the role of biocides as potential drivers of resistance evolution and selection deserves further study and regulative action.