Lecture

Nitrogen and Sulfur Cycles in Biogeochemistry

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In course

ENV-202: Microbiology for engineers

"Microbiology for engineers" covers the main microbial processes that take place in the environment and in treatment systems. It presents elemental cycles that are catalyzed by microorganisms and that have a major impact on planet Earth. ...

Description

This lecture covers the nitrogen and sulfur cycles in biogeochemistry, focusing on the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite and the subsequent oxidation of nitrite to nitrate. It explains the role of key enzymes like Ammonia Monooxygenase (AMO) and HydroxylAmine Oxidoreductase (HAO) in these processes, as well as the importance of nitrification and anammox in wastewater treatment. The lecture also delves into microbial transforming networks in various environments, such as oceans, agricultural soil, and rice paddies, highlighting the diverse range of bacteria involved in nitrogen transformations.

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Instructors (4)

Karin Lederballe Meibom

Education PhD | Molecular Biology 1997 – 1997 University of Southern Denmark (Odense University), Denmark Directed by Advisor: Poul Valentin-Hansen Professionals experiences Postdoctoral researcher 2000–2004 Stanford University, USAPostdoctoral researcher 2005–2007 INSERM, Paris, FranceChargee de recherche 2007–2012 INSERM, Paris, FranceScientist Laboratory of Experimental Biophysics 2013–2014 EPFL Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Solenne Anne

Christof Holliger

Expertise BioremediationWastewater treatmentAnaerobic digestionBiogas and biofuelEnvironmental microbiologyMicrobial Ecology Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students Doulaye Koné, Katia Szynalski, Karin Kaufmann, Christian Balsiger, Julien Maillard, Enrique Lara, Benoît Zen-Ruffinen, François-Nicolas de Glutz, Laure Prat, Noam Shani, Samuel Lochmatter, David Gregory Weissbrodt, Elsa Marina Lacroix, Aamani Rupakula Boyanapalli, Géraldine Florence Buttet, Aline Sondra Adler, Mathilde Stéphanie Willemin, Lorenzo

Julien Maillard

2011 - present: Research associate at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, IIE-ENAC, EPFL) 2007 - 2010: Postdoctoral Fellow at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE, IIE-ENAC, EPFL) 2005 - 2006: Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of East Anglia (UEA, Norwich, UK) 2000 - 2004: PhD thesis at the Laboratory for Environmental Biotechnology (LBE) 1995 - 2000: B.sc & M.sc at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology, Zurich (ETHZ)

Rizlan Bernier-Latmani

HIGHER EDUCATION Summer course: Advances in Genome Technology and Bioinformatics Course at the Marine Biology Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA. October 2005. Ph.D. 2001 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA (Advisor, Jim Leckie, Biodegradation of uranyl (UO22 )-complexed citrate and implications for uranyl mobility in the subsurface) M.S. 1995 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University, CA B.S. 1993 Natural Resources with Honors, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT 2013-present Associate professor with tenure, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 2005-2013 Assistant professor tenure track, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne 2001-2005 Post-Graduate Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA (PI: Brad Tebo) 1995-2001 Graduate Research Assistant, Stanford University (Advisor: Jim Leckie) RESEARCH INTERESTS Gemicrobiology, metal-bacteria interactions, biological reduction and oxidation of metals, biological nanoparticle formation; Characterization of microbial communities in terrestrial environments; Using genomic, microscopic and spectroscopic tools to understand metal transformations by microorganisms. ACADEMIC HONORS Rotary Foundation University Professor grant, 2004. Swiss National Science Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship, 2001. Leon B. Reynolds Memorial Scholarship in the School of Engineering at Stanford University, 1995-96. Graduated with Honors from Cornell University, 1993. BIBLIOMETRY http://www.researcherid.com/rid/E-4398-2011 ResearcherID: E-4398-2011

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Environmental science

Pollution: Water pollution

Related concepts (32)

Sulfur cycle

The sulfur cycle is a biogeochemical cycle in which the sulfur moves between rocks, waterways and living systems. It is important in geology as it affects many minerals and in life because sulfur is an essential element (CHNOPS), being a constituent of many proteins and cofactors, and sulfur compounds can be used as oxidants or reductants in microbial respiration. The global sulfur cycle involves the transformations of sulfur species through different oxidation states, which play an important role in both geological and biological processes.

Nitrifying bacteria

Nitrifying bacteria are chemolithotrophic organisms that include species of genera such as Nitrosomonas, Nitrosococcus, Nitrobacter, Nitrospina, Nitrospira and Nitrococcus. These bacteria get their energy from the oxidation of inorganic nitrogen compounds. Types include ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB).

Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, and hydrogen, with the molecular formula . It is a colorless, odorless, and viscous liquid that is miscible with water. Pure sulfuric acid does not occur naturally due to its strong affinity to water vapor; it is hygroscopic and readily absorbs water vapor from the air.

Industrial wastewater treatment

Industrial wastewater treatment describes the processes used for treating wastewater that is produced by industries as an undesirable by-product. After treatment, the treated industrial wastewater (or effluent) may be reused or released to a sanitary sewer or to a surface water in the environment. Some industrial facilities generate wastewater that can be treated in sewage treatment plants.

Lime sulfur

In horticulture, lime sulphur (American spelling lime sulfur) is mainly a mixture of calcium polysulfides and thiosulfate (plus other reaction by-products as sulfite and sulfate) formed by reacting calcium hydroxide with elemental sulfur, used in pest control. It can be prepared by boiling in water a suspension of poorly soluble calcium hydroxide (lime) and solid sulfur together with a small amount of surfactant to facilitate the dispersion of these solids in water.

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