Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are intracellular storage polymers that enhance bacterial resistance in environments. While the role of PHAs regulation in thermophiles under high-temperature stimulation is understudied, this work investigates Aeribacillus pallidus BK1, a thermophile with heat resistance up to 155 °C. Our results showed that A. pallidus's PHAs yield was 1.45 g/L. After 90 °C and 121 °C stimulations, the PHAs yield doubled to 3.33 g/L. The PHAs ratios increased from 35.63 % (60 °C) to 75.46 % (90 °C) and 77.15 % (121 °C). RNA-seq analysis revealed a common strategy of activating glucose transporters to enhance glucose uptake at both temperatures. At 90 °C, A. pallidus BK1 prioritized PHAs accumulation over the TCA cycle. At 121 °C, PHAs production was further enhanced by upregulating monomer polymerization and downregulating acetyl-CoA carboxylase expression. These findings offered valuable insights into the high-temperature defense mechanisms of thermophiles and suggested that A. pallidus BK1 holds promise as a bio-production platform for PHAs production under thermal stimulation.
A circular economy process has been developed to convert polyurethane waste into biofertilizing microorganisms through a sequential chemical/biological process. The chemical phase involves the complete depolymerization of polyurethane using ozone attack, generating an aqueous extract (OLE) composed of small, bioavailable molecules such as polyols, isocyanate derivatives, and carboxylic acids. The biological phase utilizes OLE for the generation of biomass with biofertilizing functional activity through Rhodococcus pyridinivorans fermentation. The metabolic-proteomic expression during the biodegradation of OLE involves the synthesis of numerous enzymes such as cutinases, hydrolases, proteases, esterases and oxidoreductases, which participate in the degradation of chemical compounds like benzene derivatives, phenols, or plastic polymers. OLE has been converted into microorganisms with biofertilizing properties, including nitrogen fixation, phytohormone production and siderophores. This process contributes to sustainability by diverting polyurethane waste from landfills, reducing the environmental impact of chemical fertilizers and promoting a more sustainable agricultural system.
To solve the problems of antibiotic pollution, water resources and energy shortage, an osmotic microbial fuel cell (OsMFC) was adopted innovatively to treat antibiotic wastewater containing sulfamethoxazole (SMX), and achieved SMX removal, water production and electricity generation. Substrate concentration was a key factor affecting the performances of OsMFC, which was often ignored by researchers. This study explored the effect of substrate concentration on system performances, clarified the dynamic changes of membrane fouling under different substrate concentrations, and further revealed the response of microbial communities. The results showed that the stable removal efficiency of SMX exceeded 98.8 % due to the efficient interception of forward osmosis (FO) membrane. Compared with the 1.0 g/L NaAc system, the SMX degradation efficiency and maximum output voltage in the 2.0 g/L NaAc system were only increased by 3.9 % and 6.3 %, respectively. However, the initial water flux decreased by 30.1 % in the 7th cycle due to more serious FO membrane fouling. In addition, there were significant differences in the dynamic formation process of FO membrane fouling. Higher substrate concentration increased the relative abundance of Desulfobacterota and Geobacter. Functional prediction analysis showed that increasing substrate concentration promoted carbohydrate metabolism pathways and relative abundance of sulfur respiration functional groups, thereby improving COD and SMX removal rates. However, the biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites was significantly improved, resulting in increased contents of EPS and SMP, which aggravated membrane pollution. Overall, the system performed better when the substrate concentration was 1.0 g/L. This study would provide certain guidance for the performance optimization and membrane fouling mitigation of OsMFC, thereby promoting its practical application in antibiotic wastewater treatment.
This study evaluated three blue hydrogen production processes - solar-grid powered, wind-powered, and thermal power grid (TPG) - considering the context of Hong Kong, SAR, China. A process sustainability analysis was performed based on energy, economic, and environmental (3E) factors. The energy efficiency analysis indicates that the TPG system is the most energy-efficient with 64% efficiency, followed by the wind power system at 63% and the hybrid solar-grid powered system at 60%. The economic analysis results indicate that the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCH) is 2.165 $/kg for the TPG system, 2.132 $/kg for the hybrid solar-grid powered system, and 2.060 $/kg for the wind power system. The environmental assessment suggests that wind powered are eco-friendly with a unit point total (µPt) of 1.11, compared to the solar-grid 1.50 µPt and TPG system's 1.70 µPt. Therefore, 3E analysis proposes wind powered process is more sustainable for blue H2 production.