Impact of Biosolids on Indigenous Soil Denitrifying Bacteria
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 9
Abstract
A major drawback to land application of biosolids is the potential environmental release of nonregulated organic contaminants that accumulate in the biosolids during the wastewater treatment process. In particular, because some of the substances found in biosolids are designed to kill microorganisms (i.e., are disinfectants), there is a risk that these compounds could disrupt microbial ecology and negatively impact nutrient cycling, impacting soil and plant health in the long term. This study takes samples from four agricultural fields receiving liquid biosolids over a 150-day period, measures initial triclosan concentrations, and characterizes impacts by assessing changes in the denitrifying microbial community structure and function. Overall, a decrease in denitrification activity and denitrifier abundance is observed after 100 days following application. Although these data suggest that biosolids may affect denitrification, the effects cannot be attributed to biosolids application nor to the triclosan contained within the biosolids.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. CBET 0854167. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NSF. The authors thank Dr. Heather Stapleton’s lab at Duke University, particularly Dr. Elizabeth Davis and Thomas (Mingliang) Fang for providing the analytical support. The authors also thank Dr. Emily Bernhardt’s lab at Duke University, particularly Brooke Hassett for providing help with the DEA assay.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 144 • Issue 9 • September 2018
Copyright
©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 28, 2017
Accepted: Apr 6, 2018
Published online: Jul 16, 2018
Published in print: Sep 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Dec 16, 2018
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