Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate
The hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of biomass presents a sustainable approach for waste management and production of value-added materials such as hydrochar, which holds promise as an adsorbent and support matrix for bacterial immobilization applied, e.g., for bioremediation processes of sites con...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu Simone Bertoldi Matthias Schmidt Hermann J. Heipieper Irina Volf Christian Eberlein |
| author_facet | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu Simone Bertoldi Matthias Schmidt Hermann J. Heipieper Irina Volf Christian Eberlein |
| author_sort | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of biomass presents a sustainable approach for waste management and production of value-added materials such as hydrochar, which holds promise as an adsorbent and support matrix for bacterial immobilization applied, e.g., for bioremediation processes of sites contaminated with phthalate ester plasticizers such as diethyl phthalate (DEP). In the present study, hydrochar was synthesized from vine shoots (VSs) biomass employing the following parameters during the HTC process: 260 °C for 30 min with a 1:10 (<i>w</i>/<i>v</i>) biomass-to-water ratio. The resulting vine shoots hydrochar (VSs-HC) was characterized for porosity, elemental composition, and structural properties using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Raman spectroscopy. Elemental analysis confirmed the presence of key elements in the VSs structure, elements essential for char formation during the HTC process. The VSs-HC exhibited a macroporous structure (>0.5 μm), facilitating diethyl phthalate (DEP) adsorption, bacterial adhesion, and biofilm formation. Adsorption studies showed that the VSs-HC achieved a 90% removal rate for 4 mM DEP within the first hour of contact. Furthermore, VS-HC was tested as a support matrix for a bacterial consortium (<i>Pseudomonas</i> spp. and <i>Microbacterium</i> sp.) known to degrade DEP. The immobilized bacterial consortium on VSs-HC demonstrated enhanced tolerance to DEP toxicity, degrading 76% of 8 mM DEP within 24 h, compared with 14% by planktonic cultures. This study highlights VSs-HC’s potential as a sustainable and cost-effective material for environmental bioremediation, offering enhanced bacterial cell viability, improved biofilm formation, and efficient plasticizer removal. These findings provide a pathway for mitigating environmental pollution through scalable and low-cost solutions. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1420-3049 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| series | Molecules |
| spelling | doaj-art-7dd9370a22074623945fcbb748c63eeb2025-08-20T02:59:00ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-03-01305116710.3390/molecules30051167Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl PhthalateEmanuel Gheorghita Armanu0Simone Bertoldi1Matthias Schmidt2Hermann J. Heipieper3Irina Volf4Christian Eberlein5Department of Environmental Engineering and Management, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection “Cristofor Simionescu”, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University, 73A Prof. D. Mangeron Blvd., 700050 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), 04318 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment Technical Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), 04318 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), 04318 Leipzig, GermanyDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Management, Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Protection “Cristofor Simionescu”, “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University, 73A Prof. D. Mangeron Blvd., 700050 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Molecular Environmental Biotechnology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), 04318 Leipzig, GermanyThe hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of biomass presents a sustainable approach for waste management and production of value-added materials such as hydrochar, which holds promise as an adsorbent and support matrix for bacterial immobilization applied, e.g., for bioremediation processes of sites contaminated with phthalate ester plasticizers such as diethyl phthalate (DEP). In the present study, hydrochar was synthesized from vine shoots (VSs) biomass employing the following parameters during the HTC process: 260 °C for 30 min with a 1:10 (<i>w</i>/<i>v</i>) biomass-to-water ratio. The resulting vine shoots hydrochar (VSs-HC) was characterized for porosity, elemental composition, and structural properties using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), and Raman spectroscopy. Elemental analysis confirmed the presence of key elements in the VSs structure, elements essential for char formation during the HTC process. The VSs-HC exhibited a macroporous structure (>0.5 μm), facilitating diethyl phthalate (DEP) adsorption, bacterial adhesion, and biofilm formation. Adsorption studies showed that the VSs-HC achieved a 90% removal rate for 4 mM DEP within the first hour of contact. Furthermore, VS-HC was tested as a support matrix for a bacterial consortium (<i>Pseudomonas</i> spp. and <i>Microbacterium</i> sp.) known to degrade DEP. The immobilized bacterial consortium on VSs-HC demonstrated enhanced tolerance to DEP toxicity, degrading 76% of 8 mM DEP within 24 h, compared with 14% by planktonic cultures. This study highlights VSs-HC’s potential as a sustainable and cost-effective material for environmental bioremediation, offering enhanced bacterial cell viability, improved biofilm formation, and efficient plasticizer removal. These findings provide a pathway for mitigating environmental pollution through scalable and low-cost solutions.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1167agricultural biomass valorizationbio-based adsorbentsupport matriximmobilized bacterial cellsplasticizersmicrobial biodegradation |
| spellingShingle | Emanuel Gheorghita Armanu Simone Bertoldi Matthias Schmidt Hermann J. Heipieper Irina Volf Christian Eberlein Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate Molecules agricultural biomass valorization bio-based adsorbent support matrix immobilized bacterial cells plasticizers microbial biodegradation |
| title | Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate |
| title_full | Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate |
| title_fullStr | Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate |
| title_short | Hydrochar from Agricultural Waste as a Biobased Support Matrix Enhances the Bacterial Degradation of Diethyl Phthalate |
| title_sort | hydrochar from agricultural waste as a biobased support matrix enhances the bacterial degradation of diethyl phthalate |
| topic | agricultural biomass valorization bio-based adsorbent support matrix immobilized bacterial cells plasticizers microbial biodegradation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/5/1167 |
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