Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option
Freshwater is a scarce resource that continues to be at high risk of pollution from anthropogenic activities, requiring remediation in such cases for its continuous use. The agricultural and mining industries extensively use water and nitrogen (N)-dependent products, mainly in fertilizers and explos...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/5/799 |
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| author | Karabelo M. Moloantoa Zenzile P. Khetsha Esta van Heerden Julio C. Castillo Errol D. Cason |
| author_facet | Karabelo M. Moloantoa Zenzile P. Khetsha Esta van Heerden Julio C. Castillo Errol D. Cason |
| author_sort | Karabelo M. Moloantoa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Freshwater is a scarce resource that continues to be at high risk of pollution from anthropogenic activities, requiring remediation in such cases for its continuous use. The agricultural and mining industries extensively use water and nitrogen (N)-dependent products, mainly in fertilizers and explosives, respectively, with their excess accumulating in different water bodies. Although removal of NO<sub>3</sub> from water and soil through the application of chemical, physical, and biological methods has been studied globally, these methods seldom yield N<sub>2</sub> gas as a desired byproduct for nitrogen cycling. These methods predominantly cause secondary contamination with deposits of chemical waste such as slurry brine, nitrite (NO<sub>2</sub>), ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>), and nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O), which are also harmful and fastidious to remove. This review focuses on complete denitrification facilitated by bacteria as a remedial option aimed at producing nitrogen gas as a terminal byproduct. Synergistic interaction of different nitrogen metabolisms from different bacteria is highlighted, with detailed attention to the optimization of their enzymatic activities. A biotechnological approach to mitigating industrial NO<sub>3</sub> contamination using indigenous bacteria from wastewater is proposed, holding the prospect of optimizing to the point of complete denitrification. The approach was reviewed and found to be durable, sustainable, cost effective, and environmentally friendly, as opposed to current chemical and physical water remediation technologies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:15:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e92d42e8612d48a3a6abbb75a3ac364d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T20:15:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-e92d42e8612d48a3a6abbb75a3ac364d2023-11-24T00:03:28ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412022-03-0114579910.3390/w14050799Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation OptionKarabelo M. Moloantoa0Zenzile P. Khetsha1Esta van Heerden2Julio C. Castillo3Errol D. Cason4Department of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, Free State, South AfricaSustainable Crop Production Systems Group, Department of Agriculture, Central University of Technology, Bloemfontein 9301, Free State, South AfricaiWater Pty Ltd., Centre for Water sciences and Management, North West University, Potchefstroom 2520, North West, South AfricaDepartment of Microbiology and Biochemistry, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, Free State, South AfricaDepartment of Animal and Wildlife and Grassland Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, Free State, South AfricaFreshwater is a scarce resource that continues to be at high risk of pollution from anthropogenic activities, requiring remediation in such cases for its continuous use. The agricultural and mining industries extensively use water and nitrogen (N)-dependent products, mainly in fertilizers and explosives, respectively, with their excess accumulating in different water bodies. Although removal of NO<sub>3</sub> from water and soil through the application of chemical, physical, and biological methods has been studied globally, these methods seldom yield N<sub>2</sub> gas as a desired byproduct for nitrogen cycling. These methods predominantly cause secondary contamination with deposits of chemical waste such as slurry brine, nitrite (NO<sub>2</sub>), ammonia (NH<sub>3</sub>), and nitrous oxide (N<sub>2</sub>O), which are also harmful and fastidious to remove. This review focuses on complete denitrification facilitated by bacteria as a remedial option aimed at producing nitrogen gas as a terminal byproduct. Synergistic interaction of different nitrogen metabolisms from different bacteria is highlighted, with detailed attention to the optimization of their enzymatic activities. A biotechnological approach to mitigating industrial NO<sub>3</sub> contamination using indigenous bacteria from wastewater is proposed, holding the prospect of optimizing to the point of complete denitrification. The approach was reviewed and found to be durable, sustainable, cost effective, and environmentally friendly, as opposed to current chemical and physical water remediation technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/5/799bioreactorbioremediationcomplete denitrificationcontaminationnitratenitrogen cycling |
| spellingShingle | Karabelo M. Moloantoa Zenzile P. Khetsha Esta van Heerden Julio C. Castillo Errol D. Cason Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option Water bioreactor bioremediation complete denitrification contamination nitrate nitrogen cycling |
| title | Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option |
| title_full | Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option |
| title_fullStr | Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option |
| title_short | Nitrate Water Contamination from Industrial Activities and Complete Denitrification as a Remediation Option |
| title_sort | nitrate water contamination from industrial activities and complete denitrification as a remediation option |
| topic | bioreactor bioremediation complete denitrification contamination nitrate nitrogen cycling |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/14/5/799 |
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