The Role of Extracellular Polymeric Substances in the Toxicity Response of Anaerobic Granule Sludge to Different Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Inoculum and Substrate
2.2. Metal Oxide NPs and Their Dissolved Metal Ions
2.3. Methanogenic Activity Bioassays and Testing of NPs Toxicity to AGS
2.4. EPS Extraction and Analysis
2.5. Microbial Community Analysis
2.6. Other Analytical Methods and Statistical Analysis
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Effects of NPs Exposure on Methanogenic Activity
3.2. Effect of NPs Exposure on EPS Production
3.3. Possible Effect of NPs on Cytomembrane Integrity
3.4. The Role of EPS on the Diversity and Abundance of Microorganisms in AGS under NPs Exposure
4. Conclusions
- (1)
- The sensitivity of methanogens to each type of metal oxide NP varied with the species. CuO NPs were the most toxic among the studied NPs, since methanogenic activity showed a significant inhibitory effect, consistent over the test period, with the IC50 of 65.7–179 mg/L for CuO NPs and 214 to over 1000 mg/L for ZnO NPs.
- (2)
- The average content of LB-EPS, TB-EPS, and total EPS increased by 69.5%, 38.8%, and 48.4% (calculated based on the test results), respectively, as the concentration of TiO2 NPs increased to 200 mg/L, which provided evidence that AGS prevented the physical restraints caused by TiO2 NPs through secreting more EPS. There is a disparity between the variation trend of LB-EPS and TB-EPS at a ZnO NP exposure concentration of <200 mg/L, which may be explained by the Zn2+ release.
- (3)
- The presence of CuO NPs promoted the ROS generation and LDH leakage of AGS. Thus, the negative impact of NPs was caused not only by the dissolved metal ions, but also by their considerable potential to induce physical restraints or membrane reduction in AGS cells without the presence of sufficient protective effects exerted by EPS.
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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NPs | Supernatant | EPS | Immobilized AGS | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Concentration | LB | TB | ||
TiO2 | 10 | 0.73 ± 0.05 | 7.34 ± 0.25 | 0.62 ± 0.11 | 1.32 ± 0.06 |
50 | 3.35 ± 0.15 | 28.53 ± 1.35 | 5.29 ± 0.24 | 12.84 ± 0.58 | |
200 | 16.60 ± 0.69 | 85.66 ± 3.66 | 31.06±1.32 | 66.68 ± 3.13 | |
ZnO | 10 | 1.14 ± 0.04 | 6.22 ± 0.28 | 1.18 ± 0.45 | 1.46 ± 0.06 |
50 | 6.35 ± 0.29 | 21.88 ± 0.97 | 11.51 ± 0.52 | 10.27 ± 0.49 | |
200 | 16.60 ± 0.72 | 67.69 ± 3.28 | 32.83 ± 1.56 | 82.88 ± 3.72 | |
CuO | 10 | 0.37 ± 0.02 | 7.12 ± 0.33 | 0.95 ± 0.05 | 1.56 ± 0.06 |
50 | 1.36 ± 0.06 | 16.74 ± 0.79 | 9.28 ± 0.46 | 22.64 ± 1.12 | |
200 | 10.08 ± 0.44 | 51.83 ± 2.33 | 20.12 ± 0.97 | 117.98 ± 5.57 |
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Li, H.; Chang, F.; Li, Z.; Cui, F. The Role of Extracellular Polymeric Substances in the Toxicity Response of Anaerobic Granule Sludge to Different Metal Oxide Nanoparticles. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 5371. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095371
Li H, Chang F, Li Z, Cui F. The Role of Extracellular Polymeric Substances in the Toxicity Response of Anaerobic Granule Sludge to Different Metal Oxide Nanoparticles. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(9):5371. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095371
Chicago/Turabian StyleLi, Huiting, Fang Chang, Zhendong Li, and Fuyi Cui. 2022. "The Role of Extracellular Polymeric Substances in the Toxicity Response of Anaerobic Granule Sludge to Different Metal Oxide Nanoparticles" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 9: 5371. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095371