Oil sands tailings ponds harbour a small core prokaryotic microbiome and diverse accessory communities

Wilson, Sandra L.; Li, C.; Ramos-Padrón, Esther; Nesbø, Camilla; Soh, Jung; Sensen, Christoph Wilhelm; Voordouw, Gerrit; Foght, Julia M.; Gieg, Lisa M.

doi:10.1016/j.jbiotec.2016.06.030

Cited by 26 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…, Table S2). Indeed, OSPW are known to harbour a core microbiome including Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes (Wilson et al , ). The dominant OTUs present in A1CA‐amended enrichments (Fig A) at day 0 were Bacillus (28.5%) Pseudomonas (12.8%), Cellvibrio (4.2%), Arthrobacter (3.4%) and Flavobacterium (3.1%).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diamondoids are not forever: microbial biotransformation of diamondoid carboxylic acids

Folwell

McGenity

Whitby

2019

Microbial Biotechnology

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Summary Oil sands process‐affected waters (OSPW) contain persistent, toxic naphthenic acids (NAs), including the abundant yet little‐studied diamondoid carboxylic acids. Therefore, we investigated the aerobic microbial biotransformation of two of the most abundant, chronically toxic and environmentally relevant diamondoid carboxylic acids: adamantane‐1‐carboxylic acid (A1CA) and 3‐ethyl adamantane carboxylic acid (3EA). We inoculated into minimal salts media with diamondoid carboxylic acids as sole carbon and energy source two samples: (i) a surface water sample (designated TPW) collected from a test pit from the Mildred Lake Settling Basin and (ii) a water sample (designated 2 m) collected at a water depth of 2 m from a tailings pond. By day 33, in TPW enrichments, 71% of A1CA and 50% of 3EA was transformed, with 50% reduction in EC20 toxicity. Similar results were found for 2 m enrichments. Biotransformation of A1CA and 3EA resulted in the production of two metabolites, tentatively identified as 2‐hydroxyadamantane‐1‐carboxylic acid and 3‐ethyladamantane‐2‐ol respectively. Accumulation of both metabolites was less than the loss of the parent compound, indicating that they would have continued to be transformed beyond 33 days and not accumulate as dead‐end metabolites. There were shifts in bacterial community composition during biotransformation, with Pseudomonas species, especially P. stutzeri, dominating enrichments irrespective of the diamondoid carboxylic acid. In conclusion, we demonstrated the microbial biotransformation of two diamondoid carboxylic acids, which has potential application for their removal and detoxification from vast OSPW that are a major environmental threat.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diamondoids are not forever: microbial biotransformation of diamondoid carboxylic acids

Folwell

McGenity

Whitby

2019

Microbial Biotechnology

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“…Such processing and age differences contribute to the distinct endogenous microbiota in the ponds, both taxonomically ( Fig. 4 and Wilson et al, 2016) and numerically (Table 1). In fact, the shorter lag phase before onset of methanogenesis and the maximum rate of methane production in Syncrude and Suncor microcosms ( Supplementary Figs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oil sands tailings ponds are biologically active and contain complex, predominantly anaerobic, communities of microorganisms (An et al, 2013;Ramos-Padrón et al, 2011;Holowenko et al, 2000;Penner and Foght, 2010). Each tailings pond appears to have a unique microbiota reflecting the ore source, bitumen extraction process and tailings operations (Wilson et al, 2016). The diverse bacterial communities in tailings ponds include nitrate-, iron-, sulfatereducing, and hydrocarbon-degrading genera, and the Archaea are almost exclusively methanogens (reviewed by Foght et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The diverse bacterial communities in tailings ponds include nitrate-, iron-, sulfatereducing, and hydrocarbon-degrading genera, and the Archaea are almost exclusively methanogens (reviewed by Foght et al, 2017). Analysis of metagenomic data has also been used to correlate community composition with microbial activity in tailings ponds (An et al, 2013;Wilson et al, 2016). It is presumed that certain hydrocarbons, predominantly from fugitive processing diluent, are the major microbial substrate in the tailings ponds, being biodegraded anaerobically to carbon dioxide and methane in situ.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbially-mediated de-watering and consolidation (“Biodensification”) of oil sands mature fine tailings, amended with agri-business by-products

Cárdenas-Manríquez

Young

Semple

et al. 2020

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Oil sands surface mining operations in northeastern, Alberta, Canada produce enormous volumes of fluid fine tailings, an aqueous suspension of fine clays, sand, unrecovered bitumen, and diluent hydrocarbons. The tailings are deposited and retained on-site in large settling basins where the colloidal solids sediment and consolidate very slowly by gravity and pore water collects at the surface for re-use. Tailings ‘biodensification’, mediated by indigenous microbes that produce methane and/or carbon dioxide, is a phenomenon observed in situ and in vitro whereby tailings with active anaerobic microbial communities consolidate and de-water faster than predicted by gravitational (self-weighted) consolidation alone. To exploit this phenomenon, we used organic amendments to stimulate endogenous anaerobic tailings microorganisms. Tailings from three different operators were amended with agri-business by-products, placed in 100-mL microcosms and 1.5-L settling columns, and monitored for methanogenesis, pore water recovery, and solids densification. Several amendments increased methane production and accelerated biodensification compared to unamended and negative controls. Hydrolyzed canola, blood meal, bone meal and glycerol generally accelerated biodensification, stimulated methane production and supported growth of methanogens and fermentative microbes. Amendment altered the chemistry of the tailings, generally decreasing pH, increasing conductivity and magnesium, potassium, sodium, and bicarbonate concentrations. Biodensification is a potential engineered technology for accelerating water recovery and reducing the volume of stored oil sands tailings.

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“…Among the methanogenic community, Methanosaeta was found dominant and was shared by most samples. However, the majority of OTUs was identified as part of a diverse accessory microbiome potentially involved in nutrient cycling and the transformation of organic fractions of tailings [46]. The quantity and type of diluent is the main driver of anaerobic microbial activities in tailings ponds that receive FTT [4].…”

Section: Microbial Community Composition and Abundance In Fttmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Deep Look into the Microbiology and Chemistry of Froth Treatment Tailings: A Review

et al. 2021

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In Alberta’s Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR), over 1.25 billion m3 of tailings waste from the bitumen extraction process are stored in tailings ponds. Fugitive emissions associated with residual hydrocarbons in tailings ponds pose an environmental concern and include greenhouse gases (GHGs), reduced sulphur compounds (RSCs), and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Froth treatment tailings (FTT) are a specific type of tailings waste stream from the bitumen froth treatment process that contains bioavailable diluent: either naphtha or paraffins. Tailings ponds that receive FTT are associated with the highest levels of biogenic gas production, as diverse microbial communities biodegrade the residual diluent. In this review, current literature regarding the composition, chemical analysis, and microbial degradation of FTT and its constituents is presented in order to provide a more complete understanding of the complex chemistry and biological processes related to fugitive emissions from tailings ponds receiving FTT. Characterizing the composition and biodegradation of FTT is important from an environmental perspective to better predict emissions from tailings ponds and guide tailings pond management decisions.

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Oil sands tailings ponds harbour a small core prokaryotic microbiome and diverse accessory communities

Cited by 26 publications

References 48 publications

Diamondoids are not forever: microbial biotransformation of diamondoid carboxylic acids

Diamondoids are not forever: microbial biotransformation of diamondoid carboxylic acids

Microbially-mediated de-watering and consolidation (“Biodensification”) of oil sands mature fine tailings, amended with agri-business by-products

A Deep Look into the Microbiology and Chemistry of Froth Treatment Tailings: A Review

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