Prospective Approach to the Anaerobic Bioconversion of Benzo- and Dibenzothiophene Sulfones to Sulfide

Abstract

Sulfur recovery from organic molecules such as toxic sulfones is an actual problem, and its solution through the use of environmentally friendly and nature-like processes looks attractive for research and application. For the first time, the possible bioconversion of organic sulfones (benzo-and dibenzothiophene sulfones) to inorganic sulfide under anaerobic conditions with simultaneous biogas production from glucose within a methanogenesis process is demonstrated. Biogas with a methane content of 50.7%–82.1% was obtained without H2S impurities. Methanogenesis with 99.7%–100% efficiency and 97.8%–100% conversion of benzo- and dibenzothiophene sulfones (up to 0.45 mM) to inorganic sulfide were obtained in eight days by using a combination of various anaerobic biocatalysts immobilized in a poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel. Pure cell cultures of sulfate-reducing bacteria and/or H2-producing bacteria were tested as additives to the methanogenic activated sludge. The immobilized activated sludge “enhanced” by bacterial additives appeared to retain its properties and be usable multiple times for the conversion of sulfones under batch conditions.

A New Approach to Assess the Effect of Various Humic Compounds on the Metabolic Activity of Cells Participating in Methanogenesis

“…At the same time, the intensity of all metabolic processes, including the accumulation of any extracellular metabolites in a cell, is reflected in its energy status. It has been previously proved that measuring the ATP level is an efficient tool for assessing the metabolic potential of cells in the processes of cryoimmobilization, xenobiotic destruction, and antibiotic synthesis, including monitoring the cell viability of anaerobic biogas-producing consortia [19][20][21][22]. The time required for preparing a sample for analyzing its ATP concentration is several minutes, and the measurement itself takes no more than 1 min.…”

Suppression of Methane Generation during Methanogenesis by Chemically Modified Humic Compounds

“…Antioxidants 2020, 9, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 17 consortia, artificially immobilized in a macroporous cryogel of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), in their physiological state and metabolic activity are close to natural self-immobilized methanogenic associations [25] and therefore they are interesting to be used as a model of real biosystems in studying the effect of new HC derivatives on consortia and methanogenesis. The aim of this work was to study the effect of specially chemically synthesized quinone derivatives of HC using hydroquinone (HQ), 2-methylhydroquinone (MeHQ), 2-hydroxy-1,4-naphtoquinone (NQ) on the characteristics of the methanogenesis process realized under the action of various anaerobic consortia, including them in an immobilized form, as well as assessment of the toxicity of artificially created HC derivatives using bioluminescent methods.…”

“…Bioluminescent analytical methods can be used to control metabolic effects, which are the response of microbial cells to changes occurring with them and effects associated with the possible toxic influence of the substances used on cells. Among such bioluminescent methods is the determination of the intracellular concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) using firefly luciferase, since ATP is an indicator of cell viability and their metabolic activity [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. At the same time, firefly luciferase itself can also be used as an identifier of compounds capable of reducing the catalytic activity of enzymes involved in various biological processes, since it is known to be inhibited by a number of substances [ 26 , 27 ].…”

“…However, the presence of humic compounds (HC) in these territories, as it turned out, can inhibit the release of increase in the stability of the functioning of microorganisms within such self-organized microbial communities [30]. The cells of methanogenic consortia, artificially immobilized in a macroporous cryogel of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), in their physiological state and metabolic activity are close to natural self-immobilized methanogenic associations [25] and therefore they are interesting to be used as a model of real biosystems in studying the effect of new HC derivatives on consortia and methanogenesis.…”

Kinetic study of biogas production from anaerobic digestion of vinasse waste

“…• anaerobic biofuel production could be speeded using a biocatalyst (Senko et al 2019); and that, • the presence of methanogenic archaea as a biocatalyst improved methane production from swine faeces (Zhu et al 2011;Ziganshin et al 2016).…”