scholarly journals Persulfate Oxidation Coupled with Biodegradation by Pseudomonas fluorescens Enhances Naphthenic Acid Remediation and Toxicity Reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1502
Author(s):  
Amy-lynne Balaberda ◽  
Ania C. Ulrich
Keyword(s):  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Pseudomonas Fluorescens ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Vibrio Fischeri ◽  
Naphthenic Acid ◽  
Complex Mixture ◽  
Chemical Oxidation ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Persulfate Oxidation ◽  
Synergistic Interactions

The extraction of bitumen from the Albertan oilsands produces large amounts of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) that requires remediation. Classical naphthenic acids (NAs), a complex mixture of organic compounds containing O2− species, are present in the acid extractable organic fraction of OSPW and are a primary cause of acute toxicity. A potential remediation strategy is combining chemical oxidation and biodegradation. Persulfate as an oxidant is advantageous, as it is powerful, economical, and less harmful towards microorganisms. This is the first study to examine persulfate oxidation coupled to biodegradation for NA remediation. Merichem NAs were reacted with 100, 250, 500, and 1000 mg/L of unactivated persulfate at 21 °C and 500 and 1000 mg/L of activated persulfate at 30 °C, then inoculated with Pseudomonas fluorescens LP6a after 2 months. At 21 °C, the coupled treatment removed 52.8–98.9% of Merichem NAs, while 30 °C saw increased removals of 99.4–99.7%. Coupling persulfate oxidation with biodegradation improved removal of Merichem NAs and chemical oxidation demand by up to 1.8× and 6.7×, respectively, and microbial viability was enhanced up to 4.6×. Acute toxicity towards Vibrio fischeri was negatively impacted by synergistic interactions between the persulfate and Merichem NAs; however, it was ultimately reduced by 74.5–100%. This study supports that persulfate oxidation coupled to biodegradation is an effective and feasible treatment to remove NAs and reduce toxicity.

scholarly journals The Effects of Naphthenic Acids on Tryptophan Metabolism and Peripheral Serotonin Signalling

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A493-A493
Author(s):  
Laiba Jamshed ◽  
Genevieve A Perono ◽  
Shanza Jamshed ◽  
Kim Ann Cheung ◽  
Philippe J Thomas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Naphthenic Acid ◽  
Kynurenine Pathway ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Tryptophan Metabolism ◽  
Lipid Homeostasis ◽  
Prostaglandin E ◽  
Serotonin Synthesis ◽  
Active Metabolites ◽  
Glucose And Lipid Homeostasis

Abstract Introduction: Serotonin produced in the periphery has been shown to affect glucose and lipid homeostasis. The availability of the amino acid tryptophan, the precursor of serotonin, affects serotonin availability. In addition, the metabolism of tryptophan via the kynurenine pathway produces physiologically active metabolites which have been shown to be altered under conditions of increased adiposity and dysglycemia. There is now evidence demonstrating some environmental xenobiotics, known to affect glucose and lipid homeostasis, can also alter serotonin production and key components of the kynurenine pathway. Recent evidence suggests that exposure to compounds present in petroleum and wastewaters from oil and gas extraction sites can impact endocrine signaling and result in aberrant lipid accumulation and altered glycemic control. However, whether any of these changes can be causally ascribed to altered serotonin synthesis/signaling or tryptophan metabolism remains unknown. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of exposure to naphthenic acid (NA), a key toxicant found in wastewater from bitumen (thick crude oil present in oil sands deposits) extraction on the enzymes involved in tryptophan metabolism and serotonin production. Methods: McA-RH7777 rat hepatoma cells, were exposed to a technical NA mixture for 48 hours at concentrations within the reported range of NA found in wastewaters from oil extraction. We assessed mRNA expression for key rate-limiting enzymes involved in tryptophan metabolism that lead to either serotonin [Tph1] and/or kynurenine [Ido2 and Tdo2] production, as well as downstream enzymes in the kynurenine pathway [Afmid, Kyat1, Aadat, Kyat3, Kmo, Haao, Acmsd, Qprt]. We also examined the effects of NA on prostaglandin synthesis [Ptgs1, Ptgs2, Ptges] and signalling [Ptger2, Ptger4] as prostaglandins have been shown to be induced by serotonin and are linked to hepatic fat accumulation. Results: NA treatment significantly increased Tph1 and Ido2 expression; this occurred in association with a significant increase in the expression of the inducible prostaglandin synthase Ptgs2 (COX-2), prostaglandin E synthase Ptges, and prostaglandin receptors Ptger2 and Ptger4. Acmsd was the only downstream enzyme in the kynurenine pathway that was significantly altered by NA treatment. Conclusion: These results provide proof-of-concept that compounds associated with oil sands extraction have the potential to perturb key components of serotonin synthesis (Tph1) and tryptophan metabolism (Ido2, Acmsd). Furthermore, we found that the increase in Tph1 expression paralleled expression of Ptgs2. As increased prostaglandin production has been reported in association with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, these data provide a potential mechanism by which exposure to NA and other petroleum-based compounds may increase the risk of metabolic disease.

Biodegradation of naphthenic acids by microbial populations indigenous to oil sands tailings

1994 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 467-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Herman ◽  
Phillip M. Fedorak ◽  
Mike D. MacKinnon ◽  
J. W. Costerton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Organic Acids ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Commercial Mixture ◽  
Oil Sands Tailings ◽  
Chromatographic Peaks

Organic acids, similar in structure to naphthenic acids, have been associated with the acute toxicity of tailings produced by the oil sands industry in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Bacterial cultures enriched from oil sands tailings were found to utilize as their sole carbon source both a commercial mixture of naphthenic acids and a mixture of organic acids extracted from oil sands tailings. Gas chromatographic analysis of both the commercial naphthenic acids and the extracted organic acids revealed an unresolved "hump" formed by the presence of many overlapping peaks. Microbial activity directed against the commercial mixture of naphthenic acids converted approximately 50% of organic carbon into CO2 and resulted in a reduction in many of the gas chromatographic peaks associated with this mixture. Acute toxicity testing utilizing the Microtox test revealed a complete absence of detectable toxicity following the biodegradation of the naphthenic acids. Microbial activity mineralized approximately 20% of the organic carbon present in the extracted organic acids mixture, although there was no indication of a reduction in any gas chromatographic peaks with biodegradation. Microbial attack on the organic acids mixture reduced acute toxicity to approximately one half of the original level. Respirometric measurements of microbial activity within microcosms containing oil sands tailings were used to provide further evidence that the indigenous microbial community could biodegrade naphthenic acids and components within the extracted organic acids mixture.Key words: naphthenic acids, biodegradation, oil sands tailings, toxicity testing.

scholarly journals Metabolomic Analysis of Hexagenid Mayflies Exposed to Sublethal Concentrations of Naphthenic Acid

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah M. Pomfret ◽  
Robert B. Brua ◽  
Danielle Milani ◽  
Adam G. Yates
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Naphthenic Acid ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Aquatic Organisms ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Acid Exposure ◽  
Oil Reserves ◽  
Apoptosis Regulation ◽  
Northeastern Alberta ◽  
Sublethal Concentrations

The oil sands region in northeastern Alberta, Canada contain approximately 165 billion barrels of oil making it the third largest oil reserves in the world. However, processing of extracted bitumen generates vast amounts of toxic byproduct known as oil sands process waters. Naphthenic acids and associated sodium naphthenate salts are considered the primary toxic component of oil sands process waters. Although a significant body of work has been conducted on naphthenic acid toxicity at levels comparable to what is observed in current oil sands process waters, it is also important to understand any impacts of exposure to sublethal concentrations. We conducted a microcosm study using the mayfly Hexagenia spp. to identify sublethal impacts of naphthenic acid exposure on the survival, growth, and metabolome across a concentration gradient (0–100 μg L−1) of sodium naphthenate. Nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomic analyses were completed on both the polar and lipophilic extracted fractions of whole organism tissue. We observed a positive relationship between sodium naphthenate concentration and mean principal component score of the first axis of the polar metabolome indicating a shift in the metabolome with increasing naphthenic acid exposure. Eleven metabolites correlated with increased naphthenic acid concentration and included those involved in energy metabolism and apoptosis regulation. Survival and growth were both high and did not differ among concentrations, with the exception of a slight increase in mortality observed at the highest concentration. Although lethal concentrations of naphthenic acids in other studies are higher (150–56,200 μg L−1), our findings suggest that physiological changes in aquatic invertebrates may begin at substantially lower concentrations. These results have important implications for the release of naphthenic acids into surface waters in the Alberta oil sands region as an addition of even small volumes of oil sands process waters could initiate chronic effects in aquatic organisms. Results of this research will assist in the determination of appropriate discharge thresholds should oil sands process waters be considered for environmental release.

Acute toxicity of aromatic and non-aromatic fractions of naphthenic acids extracted from oil sands process-affected water to larval zebrafish

Chemosphere ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.G. Scarlett ◽  
H.C. Reinardy ◽  
T.B. Henry ◽  
C.E. West ◽  
R.A. Frank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Larval Zebrafish

Biodegradation of cycloalkane carboxylic acids in oil sand tailings

1993 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 576-580 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Herman ◽  
Phillip M. Fedorak ◽  
J. William Costerton
Keyword(s):  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Carboxylic Acids ◽  
Microbial Degradation ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Oil Sand ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Athabasca Oil Sands

The biodegradation of both an n-alkane and several carboxylated cycloalkanes was examined within tailings produced by the extraction of bitumen from the Athabasca oil sands. The carboxylated cycloalkanes examined were structurally similar to naphthenic acids that have been associated with the acute toxicity of oil sand tailings. The biodegradation potential of naphthenic acids was estimated by determining the biodegradation of both the carboxylated cycloalkanes and hexadecane in oil sand tailings. Carboxylated cycloalkanes were biodegraded within oil sand tailings, although compounds with methyl substitutions on the cycloalkane ring were more resistant to microbial degradation. Microbial activity against hexadecane and certain carboxylated cycloalkanes was found to be nitrogen and phosphorus limited.Key words: biodegradation, carboxylated cycloalkanes, oil sand tailings.

scholarly journals Can the toxicity of naphthenic acids in oil sands process-affected water be mitigated by a green photocatalytic method?

FACETS ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 474-487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry N. Madison ◽  
Jessie Reynolds ◽  
Lauren Halliwell ◽  
Tim Leshuk ◽  
Frank Gu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Pimephales Promelas ◽  
Naphthenic Acid ◽  
Ultra Violet ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy

Our study evaluates the efficacy of a “green” (i.e., sustainable, recyclable, and reusable) technology to treat waste waters produced by Canada’s oil sands industry. We examined the ability of a novel advanced oxidative method—ultra-violet photocatalysis over titanium dioxide (TiO2)-coated microparticles—to reduce the toxicity of naphthenic acid fraction components (NAFC) to early life stages of the fathead minnow ( Pimephales promelas). Lengthening the duration of photocatalysis resulted in greater removal of NAFC from bioassay exposure waters; low- and high-intensity treatments reduced NAFC concentrations to about 20 and 3 mg/L (by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, FTIR), respectively. Treatments reduced the acute lethality of NAFC to fathead minnows by over half after low-intensity treatment and three-fold after high-intensity treatment. However, incomplete degradation in low-intensity treatments increased the incidence of chronic toxicity relative to untreated NAFC solutions and cardiovascular abnormalities were common even with >80% of NAFC degraded. Our findings demonstrate that photocatalysis over TiO2 microparticles is a promising method for mitigating the toxicity of oil sands process-affected water-derived NAFC to fish native to the oil sands region, but the intensity of the photocatalytic treatment needs to be considered carefully to ensure adequate mineralization of toxic constituents.

The impact of oil sands process water matrix on the ozonation of naphthenic acids: from a model compound to a natural mixture

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1166-1174
Author(s):  
Rui Qin ◽  
Pamela Chelme-Ayala ◽  
Mohamed Gamal El-Din
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Naphthenic Acid ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Naphthenic Acids ◽  
Process Water ◽  
Slight Reduction ◽  
Water Matrix ◽  
Treatment Train ◽  
Oil Sands Process Water ◽  
The Impact

Oil sands process water (OSPW) contains organics, inorganics, and particles. To understand and improve the ozonation performance, it is crucial to clarify the effect of inorganics and particles on the ozonation of OSPW organic compounds. In this study, OSPW containing only inorganic fraction (OSPW-IF) was obtained after the organics were adsorbed onto granular activated carbon. A model naphthenic acid (NA) compound, cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (CHA), was dissolved in OSPW-IF (CHA-OSPW-IF) and NaHCO3 buffer (CHA-Buffer). Ozonation of CHA-Buffer achieved higher CHA removal and lower utilized ozone dosages compared to CHA-OSPW-IF. Some inorganic ions present in OSPW (i.e., NH4+, HCO3−, and Cl−) caused a slight reduction of CHA degradation. Inorganics in OSPW inhibited the degradation of natural-occurring NAs while a negligible influence of particles on the ozonation of NAs was found. This research suggests that ozonation could be better utilized as an intermediate or post-treatment step in a treatment train for OSPW reclamation.

Effect of Carboxylic Acid Content on the Acute Toxicity of Oil Sands Naphthenic Acids

2009 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Frank ◽  
Katharina Fischer ◽  
Richard Kavanagh ◽  
B. Kent Burnison ◽  
Gilles Arsenault ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carboxylic Acid ◽  
Acute Toxicity ◽  
Acid Content ◽  
Oil Sands ◽  
Naphthenic Acids
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