Dolomitic limestones are carbonate rocks with an inherent high intrinsic bioreceptivity, being especially prone to microbial colonization. Nonetheless, fungal dolomitic limestone bioreceptivity and biodeterioration still remains scarcely characterized. As such, the aims of this work were to: evaluate the biodeteriorative abilities of previously isolated fungi thriving at the Old Cathedral of Coimbra;

The History of Humanity can be traced by our Cultural Heritage. However, we are not the only ones who can appreciate our tangible legacies. Biodeterioration is well recognized in the field of cultural heritage conservation. Over the last few decades, it has been the object of both modest and ambitious studies, some aiming to identify one single agent, others trying to understand entire communities

Biofouling significantly reduces the performance efficiency of membrane bioreactors due to the colonization and accumulation of a matrix of microorganisms. In order to investigate the effect of ultrasonic frequency on biofilm formation and bacterial ecology at different frequencies, four microfiltration membrane modules were subjected at 0, 20, 30 and 40 kHz in pilot-scales. The results of massive

The enantioselective catabolism of the two enantiomers of the aryloxyphenoxypropionate (AOPP) herbicide, quizalofop-ethyl (QE), in environment by microorganisms is of great interest. In this study, Sphingobium sp. strain QE-1, capable of transforming both enantiomers of QE, was successfully isolated. A novel gene qeH, encoding an esterase capable of initially transforming (R)/(S)-QE to (R)/(S)-quizalofop

5-chloro-2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (CMIT)/2-methyl-4-methyl-isothiazolin-3-one (MIT) biocides or preservation agents are chemically stabilized with MgCl2, Mg(NO3)2 or CuSO4. The role of these stabilization agents in cell inactivation was investigated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa MDC isolated from a water-based paint tank biofilm. 10 ppm/active ingredient (ai) of CMIT/MIT commercial formulation or

The research objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of selected rhizosphere strains in accelerating the biodegradation of plastics in cultivated soil. The study was a continuation of experiments conducted in compost soil. The experiments confirmed the ability of the two bacteria and fungi strains in biodegradation of polylactide (PLA) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The combination

This study offers a Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for the recovery of long-term oil-polluted soils. An NPK-type substituted organic fertilizer (SOF) was formulated using available nature-based materials, and its effect on bacterial diversity, richness and community composition investigated during the remediation of a long-term crude oil-impacted soil. Results obtained were compared to a control and

The growing uses of functional polymers in different domains and the well-established remanence of synthetic polymers underline the necessity to study their microbial biodegradation. A phylloplane bacterial collection was screened for its potential to overcome documented factors limiting polymer biodegradation, i.e. low cleavable long chain linear polymers and low bioavailable hydrophobic compounds

The aim of this study was to visualize non-enzymatic oxidative degradation damages in the initial decay stage of the brown rot fungus Rhodonia placenta degradation in furfuryl alcohol (FA) modified wood cell walls and untreated wood cell walls of radiata pine (Pinus radiata) sapwood. A decay test with small wood blocks (1.5 × 1.5 × 5 mm³) of untreated and furfurylated radiata pine selected from two

A perspective is provided on mechanisms for microbially influenced corrosion by sulfate-reducing bacteria and metal-oxidizing bacteria. The authors discuss the confusion introduced by cross-disciplinary discussions of MIC mechanisms and the divergent terminologies used by microbiologists and electrochemists, e.g. “anaerobic” and “direct electron transfer.” Examination of the cathodic depolarization

Enhanced monitored natural attenuation was conducted with molasses injections to an in situ trichloroethylene (TCE)-contaminated groundwater site. Three pilot-scale wells were conducted for monitoring and substrate injections. At most 97.0% of the TCE was effectively degraded after about 600 days. TCE detected in the injection wells attained Tier 2 Groundwater Regulation in Taiwan for non-drinking

The aim of the study was to optimise operating parameters of a diode laser (810 nm), that could be used to effectively disinfect very small, microbiologically contaminated spots on historical cellulosic objects from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, and thus limit unnecessary treatment of whole objects. The scope included: assessment of microbiological contamination of the historical materials using

Microorganisms with diverse metabolic functions inhabit petroleum reservoir systems utilizing multiple electron acceptors, but current understanding about the composition and diversity of functional microbial community in offshore oilfields is still scarce. In this study, the diversity, phylogenetic distribution and abundance of microbes involved in the sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) metabolisms in production

Bioremediation is an attractive strategy of utilizing bacteria to remove crude oil contaminants. In this study, two salt-tolerant crude oil-degrading and biosurfactant-producing bacteria, Dietzia sp. CN-3 and Acinetobacter sp. HC8–3S, were functionally combined to construct a bacterial consortium. The consortium achieved 95.8% degradation efficiency of crude oil in 10 days and various n-alkanes, cycloalkanes

Chlorothalonil, a commonly used chlorinated benzonitrile fungicide, is often detected in various environments, including marine ecosystems, and poses a threat to human health and environmental safety. Although the biodegradation of chlorothalonil via several catabolic pathways has been reported by various kinds of microorganisms, the degradation of chlorothalonil by marine strains, as well as their

The synthetic fiber manufacturing wastewater (FMW) contained large amounts of tetrahydrofuran (THF), 3-buten-1-ol (BDO) and 1,4-butanediol (BTO) and showed a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 7,992 ± 2,252 mg L−1. Ratio of the biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and COD of the FMW stream was analyzed as only 0.094, which reflected the low aerobically biodegradable property. For complementing existed

The performance of constructed wetland microbial fuel cells (CWMFC) was enhanced by synergy with zero-valent iron-activated carbon (ZVI/AC) micro-electrolysis reactions. The experimental group (“Group-ZVI”) removed 12.7% more chemical oxygen demand (COD; 79%) than the control group (“Group-CK”) through ZVI micro-electrolysis oxidation reactions. The presence of ZVI significantly increased the average

Composting, as a controlled decomposition, is the aerobic biodegradative process of organic residues. Denitrification is a facultative respiratory biochemistry pathway mediated by denitrifying microbes, which convert nitrate to nitrogen gas or nitrous oxide, and constitutes one of the main branches of nitrogen cycle during composting. Still, lots of details about denitrification during composting have

The microbial community composition in subsurface oil reservoirs is responsible for the biogeochemical reactions of hydrocarbon transformation. In this study, the composition, major functions and gene expression activity of the microorganisms in production water from an oil reservoir were analyzed prior to and after injection nutrients using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, functional gene

This study investigated the effect of salinity on ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria (AOA and AOB) by operating two bioreactors under the salinity level of 2.5‰ and 35‰, respectively. Both bioreactors achieved more than 95% of nitrification efficiency, but distinct AOA and AOB populations were enriched in the two bioreactors. For AOB, Nitrosomonas marina-like AOB and Nitrosomonas oligotropha-like

Bisphenol A (BPA) as an endocrine-disrupting chemical has been widely detected in the aquatic environment, including Taihu Lake, China. Adsorption and bacterial removal in sediments play important roles in the fate of BPA in the aquatic environment, which might be influenced by the properties of the sediment. In this study, two types of sediments from Gonghu Bay and Meiliang Bay in the northern Taihu

Mangrove is a complex ecosystem often affected by anthropogenic activities and receiving various antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). In this study, profiles of antibiotics and ARGs of seven National Mangrove Reserves in south China were investigated. Fourteen antibiotics belonging to five categories were detected by LC-MS and twelve gene families of ARGs were evaluated by GeoChip assay

In this study, the microbial community for denitrification in the down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor was estimated by batch experiment and microbial community analysis. Sludge retained from the DHS reactor, which conducts single-stage nitrification-denitrification, was collected into a series of vials as seed sludge for the batch experiment. Nitrate, nitrite, and nitrous oxide were added as nitrogen

The aim of the study was to determine microbial and metabolites diversity on the samples of damaged mediaeval beeswax seals from the Archdiocese Archive of Gniezno, Poland. We employed high-throughput sequencing on the Illumina platform and 109Ag SALDI metabolome analysis for the first time to assess biodeterioration of the beeswax seals. Bacteria belonged to the genera Mesorhizobium, Delftia, Ralstonia

The performance of a single-stage semi-pilot scale reactor in anaerobically digesting food waste was examined and its microbial community composition investigated using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Highest biogas yield (1.01 L/g VSadded), highest removal efficiency for chemical oxygen demand (COD) (95.84%) and volatile solid (VS) (92.7%) were achieved during 124-day HRT. When the hydraulic

In the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Oświęcim, Poland (A-BSM) a new research has been started on the use of vaporised hydrogen peroxide (VHP) as a disinfecting agent. The aims of the study were: to identify microorganisms inhabiting historical cardboard using molecular methods (MALDI-TOF MS, 16S rRNA genes sequencing and next-generation sequencing on Illumna platform); to establish the effectiveness

Fungal stains affect documents and artworks on paper all over the world, diminishing their chemical stability and compromising their readability. The present paper studies the suitability of agarose and gellan gum hydrogels to remove fungal stains from paper, using paper impregnated with alizarin as a model system to simulate the most common colorant molecules produced by fungi - polyketide quinones

Two subterranean ancient Chinese tombs of over 1700 years old, one from the Jin Dynasty and another from the Han Dynasty, were investigated in relation to black spots associated with microbiological deterioration of brick mural paintings within. The objectives of this study were to characterize the diversity of culturable fungal communities and assess the biodeteriorative potential of the isolated

An Achromobacter species strain AC15 was isolated from mangrove soil and identified as a potent producer of biosurfactant. It could utilize high concentrations of pyrene as the sole source of carbon and energy. Results showed that AC15 degraded about 40% of the pyrene, which was provided at an initial concentration of 300 mg L−1, and reduced surface tension of the culture medium from 67.2 to 33.2 mN m−1