Characterization of methanotrophic community and activity in landfill cover soils under dimethyl sulfide stress

Jing Wang; Chen Wang; Yi-Xuan Chu; Guangming Tian; Ruo He

doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2023.02.017

Characterization of methanotrophic community and activity in landfill cover soils under dimethyl sulfide stress

Waste Manag. 2023 Apr 15:161:263-274. doi: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.02.017. Epub 2023 Mar 12.

Authors

Jing Wang¹, Chen Wang², Yi-Xuan Chu³, Guangming Tian², Ruo He⁴

Affiliations

¹ Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
² Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
³ Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Hangzhou 310023, China.
⁴ Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Solid Waste Treatment and Recycling, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Hangzhou 310012, China; Department of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: heruo@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 36917925
DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2023.02.017

Abstract

Landfill cover soil is the environmental interface between landfills and the atmosphere and plays an important role in mitigating CH₄ emission from landfills. Here, stable isotope probing microcosms with CH₄ or CH₄ and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) were carried out to characterize activity and community structure of methanotrophs in landfill cover soils under DMS stress. The CH₄ oxidation activity in the landfill cover soils was not obviously influenced at the DMS concentration of 0.05%, while it was inhibited at the DMS concentrations of 0.1% and 0.2%. DMS-S was mainly oxidized to sulfate (SO₄^2-) in the landfill cover soils. In the landfill cover soils, DMS could inhibit the expression of bacteria and decrease the abundances of pmoA and mmoX genes, while it could prompt the expression of pmoA and mmoX genes. γ-Proteobacteria methanotrophs including Methylocaldum, Methylobacter, Crenothrix and unclassified Methylococcaceae and α-Proteobacteria methanotrophs Methylocystis dominated in assimilating CH₄ in the landfill cover soils. Of them, Methylobacter and Crenothrix had strong tolerance to DMS or DMS could promote the growth and activity of Methylobacter and Crenothrix, while Methylocaldum had weak tolerance to DMS and showed an inhibitory effect. Metagenomic analyses showed that methanotrophs had the genes of methanethiol oxidation and could metabolize CH₄ and methanethiol simultaneously in the landfill cover soils. These findings suggested that methanotrophs might metabolize sulfur compounds in the landfill cover soils, which may provide the potential application in engineering for co-removal of CH₄ and sulfur compounds.

Keywords: Landfill cover soil; Methane oxidation; Methanotrophs; Methyl sulfide; Microbial community; Stable isotope probing.

MeSH terms

Methane / chemistry
Methylococcaceae* / genetics
Methylococcaceae* / metabolism
Oxidation-Reduction
Soil Microbiology
Soil* / chemistry
Sulfur Compounds
Waste Disposal Facilities

Substances

methylmercaptan
dimethyl sulfide
Soil
Methane
Sulfur Compounds