Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts
Coal combustion accounts for 40% of the world’s electricity and generates more than a billion tons of coal combustion products (CCP) annually, half of which end up in landfills and impoundments. CCP contain mixtures of chemicals that can be mobile in the environment and impact the quality of surface...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1593892/full |
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| author | Christopher E. Bagwell Josué A. Rodríguez-Ramos Sabrina Hoyle Shelby Phillips Frederick D. Day-Lewis Bruce Hensel |
| author_facet | Christopher E. Bagwell Josué A. Rodríguez-Ramos Sabrina Hoyle Shelby Phillips Frederick D. Day-Lewis Bruce Hensel |
| author_sort | Christopher E. Bagwell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Coal combustion accounts for 40% of the world’s electricity and generates more than a billion tons of coal combustion products (CCP) annually, half of which end up in landfills and impoundments. CCP contain mixtures of chemicals that can be mobile in the environment and impact the quality of surface water and potable groundwater. In this investigation, water samples from 14 coal combustion management sites across 4 physiographic regions in the United States, paired with background and down-gradient groundwater samples, were analyzed for water chemistry and microbiology. The objective was to determine if microbiology data alone, or supported by chemistry data, could reliably differentiate source waters and identify sites where CCP is known or expected to be influencing groundwater. Two percent of the total amplicons showed genus level conservation across CCP management sites, regions, and sample types; corresponding to ubiquitous, facultatively aerobic proteobacterial taxa that are generally recognized for the potential to respire using different terminal electron acceptors. Ordination plots did not reveal significant differences (p > 0.05) in 16S rRNA gene amplicon diversity by CCP management site, water sample types, or physiographic regions. Contrastingly, chemistry distinguished sample types by standard water quality metrics (total dissolved solids, Ca:SO4 ratio), alkali earth metals (K, Na, Li), selenium, boron, and fluoride. A focused evaluation of 16S rRNA gene amplicons for a subset of CCP management sites revealed microbiological features and chemical drivers (F, Ca, temperature) that positively identified the single CCP management site confirmed to have groundwater impacted by CCP leachate. At this site, 9 genera (>0.5% relative abundance) were exclusive to CCP porewater and downgradient groundwater. Inferred metabolisms for these taxa indicates potential for N and S biogeochemical transformations and 1-C metabolism that are consistent with a reducing environment, as evidenced by low ORP and depleted SO42−. This research contributes to a growing understanding of conditions where these data types, analyses, and interpretation methods could be applied for distinguishing influence from CCP on the surrounding environment, as well as practical limitations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-12eda6ccf3c64dd984e4c650f5789a8e |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1664-302X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj-art-12eda6ccf3c64dd984e4c650f5789a8e2025-08-20T01:53:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Microbiology1664-302X2025-05-011610.3389/fmicb.2025.15938921593892Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impactsChristopher E. Bagwell0Josué A. Rodríguez-Ramos1Sabrina Hoyle2Shelby Phillips3Frederick D. Day-Lewis4Bruce Hensel5Environmental and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United StatesEnvironmental and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United StatesEnergy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United StatesEnergy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United StatesEnergy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, United StatesEPRI, Groundwater and Land Management Program, Palo Alto, CA, United StatesCoal combustion accounts for 40% of the world’s electricity and generates more than a billion tons of coal combustion products (CCP) annually, half of which end up in landfills and impoundments. CCP contain mixtures of chemicals that can be mobile in the environment and impact the quality of surface water and potable groundwater. In this investigation, water samples from 14 coal combustion management sites across 4 physiographic regions in the United States, paired with background and down-gradient groundwater samples, were analyzed for water chemistry and microbiology. The objective was to determine if microbiology data alone, or supported by chemistry data, could reliably differentiate source waters and identify sites where CCP is known or expected to be influencing groundwater. Two percent of the total amplicons showed genus level conservation across CCP management sites, regions, and sample types; corresponding to ubiquitous, facultatively aerobic proteobacterial taxa that are generally recognized for the potential to respire using different terminal electron acceptors. Ordination plots did not reveal significant differences (p > 0.05) in 16S rRNA gene amplicon diversity by CCP management site, water sample types, or physiographic regions. Contrastingly, chemistry distinguished sample types by standard water quality metrics (total dissolved solids, Ca:SO4 ratio), alkali earth metals (K, Na, Li), selenium, boron, and fluoride. A focused evaluation of 16S rRNA gene amplicons for a subset of CCP management sites revealed microbiological features and chemical drivers (F, Ca, temperature) that positively identified the single CCP management site confirmed to have groundwater impacted by CCP leachate. At this site, 9 genera (>0.5% relative abundance) were exclusive to CCP porewater and downgradient groundwater. Inferred metabolisms for these taxa indicates potential for N and S biogeochemical transformations and 1-C metabolism that are consistent with a reducing environment, as evidenced by low ORP and depleted SO42−. This research contributes to a growing understanding of conditions where these data types, analyses, and interpretation methods could be applied for distinguishing influence from CCP on the surrounding environment, as well as practical limitations.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1593892/fullcoal combustion products (CCP)microbial communityamplicon sequencingsignaturesgroundwater–surface water interactions |
| spellingShingle | Christopher E. Bagwell Josué A. Rodríguez-Ramos Sabrina Hoyle Shelby Phillips Frederick D. Day-Lewis Bruce Hensel Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts Frontiers in Microbiology coal combustion products (CCP) microbial community amplicon sequencing signatures groundwater–surface water interactions |
| title | Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts |
| title_full | Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts |
| title_fullStr | Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts |
| title_short | Examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts |
| title_sort | examination of coal combustion management sites for microbiological and chemical signatures of groundwater impacts |
| topic | coal combustion products (CCP) microbial community amplicon sequencing signatures groundwater–surface water interactions |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1593892/full |
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