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Microbial responses to the use of NaClO in sediment treatment

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Abstract

Chlorine is often used in algal removal and deodorization of landscape waters, and occasionally used as an emergency treatment of heavily polluted sediments. However, the ecological impact of this practice has not been fully studied and recognized. In this study, NaClO at 0.1 mmol/g based on dry weight sediment was evenly mixed into the polluted sediment, and then the sediment was incubated for 150 days to evaluate its microbial effect. Results showed that NaClO addition enhanced the release of TOC, TN, Cr and Cu from the sediment. The microbial richness in the examined sediment decreased continuously, and the Chao1 index declined from 4241 to 2731, in 150 days. The microbial community composition was also changed. The abundance of Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes increased to 54.8% and 4.2% within 7 days compared to the control, and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) showed gram-negative bacteria and aerobic bacteria enriched after chlorination. The functional prediction with PICRUSt2 showed the functions of the microbial community underwent major adjustments, and the metabolic-related functions such as carbon metabolism, including pyruvate and methane metabolisms were significantly inhibited; besides, 15 out of 22 analyzed key enzymes involved in C cycling and 6 out of 12 key enzymes or genes involved in N cycling were strongly impacted, and the enzymes and genes involved in carbon degradation and denitrification showed remarkable downregulation. It can be concluded that chlorination posed a seriously adverse effect on microbial community structure and function. This study deepens the understanding of the ecological effects of applying chlorine for environmental remediation.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 52091542).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Drinking Water Science and Technology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Kun Li, Tingming Ye & Yaohui Bai

  2. Center for Water and Ecology, State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jianfeng Peng, Weixiao Qi & Huijuan Liu

  3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Kun Li, Tingming Ye & Yaohui Bai

  4. China University of Mining & Technology, Beijing, 100083, China

    Wang Zhang

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  1. Kun Li
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Correspondence to Weixiao Qi.

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Highlights

• Chlorine addition enhanced the release of TOC, TN from the sediment.

• Chlorine has a long-term negative effect on microbial richness.

• Usually enzymes lose activity, and expression of genes was downregulated.

• Carbon degradation and nitrification might be strongly inhibited.

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Li, K., Ye, T., Zhang, W. et al. Microbial responses to the use of NaClO in sediment treatment. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 16, 17 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-021-1451-1

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