Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Hydrothermal carbonization of livestock mortality for the reduction of pathogens and microbially-derived DNA

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC), utilizing high temperature and pressure, has the potential to treat agricultural waste via inactivating pathogens, antibiotic resistance genes (ARG), and contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) in a environmental and economical manner. Livestock mortality is one facet of agricultural waste that can pose a threat to the surrounding environment. While several methods are utilized to treat livestock mortality, there remains a paucity of data on the elimination of microbially-derived DNA in these treatment practices. This DNA, most notably ARGs, if it survives treatment can be reintroduced in agricultural environments where it could potentially be passed to pathogens, posing a risk to animal and human populations. HTC treatments have been successfully utilized for the treatment of CECs, however very little is understood on how ARGs survive HTC treatment. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by examining the survivability of microbially-derived DNA in the HTC treatment of livestock mortality. We examined three treatment temperatures (100°C, 150°C, and 200° C) at autogenic pressures at three treatment times (30, 60, and 240 min). We examined the amplification of a plasmid-borne reporter gene carried by Escherichia coli DH10B introduced to both beef bone and tissue. Results indicate that while all three temperatures, at all treatment times, were suitable for complete pathogen kill, only temperatures of 150°C and 200°C were sufficient for eliminating microbial DNA. These results serve as the basis for future potential HTC treatment recommendations for livestock mortality when considering the elimination of pathogens and ARGs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Sander J E, Warbington M C, Myers L M. Selected methods of animal carcass disposal. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2002, 220(7): 1003–1005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kim H S, Kim K. Microbial and chemical contamination of groundwater around livestock mortality burial sites in Korea: A review. Geosciences Journal, 2012, 16(4): 479–489

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. McLaughlin M R, Brooks J P, Adeli A, Miles D M. Using broiler litter and swine manure lagoon effluent in sawdust-based swine mortality composts: Effects on nutrients, bacteria, and gaseous emissions. Science of the Total Environment, 2015, 532: 265–280

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Libra J A, Ro K S, Kammann C, Funke A, Berge N D, Neubauer Y, Titirici M M, Fühner C, Bens O, Kern J, Emmerich K H. Hydrothermal carbonization of biomass residuals: A comparative review of the chemistry, processes and applications of wet and dry pyrolysis. Biofuels, 2011, 2(1): 71–106

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Rizzo L, Manaia C, Merlin C, Schwartz T, Dagot C, Ploy M C, Michael I, Fatta-Kassinos D. Urban wastewater treatment plants as hotspots for antibiotic resistant bacteria and genes spread into the environment: A review. Science of the Total Environment, 2013, 447: 345–360

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Nielsen K M, Johnsen P J, Bensasson D, Daffonchio D. Release and persistence of extracellular DNA in the environment. Environmental Biosafety Research, 2007, 6(1–2): 37–53

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Singer R S, Williams-Nguyen J. Human health impacts of antibiotic use in agriculture: A push for improved causal inference. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 2014, 19: 1–8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Berge N D, Ro K S, Mao J, Flora J R, Chappell M A, Bae S. Hydrothermal carbonization of municipal waste streams. Environmental Science & Technology, 2011, 45(13): 5696–5703

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Oliveira I, Blohse D, Ramke H G. Hydrothermal carbonization of agricultural residues. Bioresource Technology, 2013, 142: 138–146

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ro K S, Novak J M, Johnson M G, Szogi A A, Libra J A, Spokas K A, Bae S. Leachate water quality of soils amended with different swine manure-based amendments. Chemosphere, 2016, 142: 92–99

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Sun K, Kang MJ, Ro K S, Libra J A, Zhao Y, Xing B S. Variation in sorption of propiconazole with biochars: The effect of temperature, mineral, molecular structure, and nano-porosity. Chemosphere, 2016, 142: 56–63

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Sun K, Ro K, Guo M X, Novak J, Mashayekhi H, Xing B S. Sorption of bisphenol a, 17 alpha-ethinyl estradiol and phenanthrene on thermally and hydrothermally produced biochars. Bioresource Technology, 2011, 102(10): 5757–5763

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Changi S M, Faeth J L, Mo N, Savage P E. Hydrothermal reactions of biomolecules relevant for microalgae liquefaction. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 2015, 54(47): 11733–11758

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Suyama T, Kawaharasaki M. Decomposition of waste DNA with extended autoclaving under unsaturated steam. BioTechniques, 2013, 55(6): 296–299

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Ducey T F, Shriner A D, Hunt P G. Nitrification and denitrification gene abundances in swine wastewater anaerobic lagoons. Journal of Environmental Quality, 2011, 40(2): 610–619

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Lee C L, Ow D S, Oh S K. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction for determination of plasmid copy number in bacteria. Journal of Microbiological Methods, 2006, 65(2): 258–267

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Woody J M, Walsh R A, Doores S, Henning W R, Wilson R A, Knabel S J. Role of bacterial association and penetration on destruction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in beef tissue by high pH. Journal of Food Protection, 2000, 63(1): 3–11

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Rahn O. Physical methods of sterilization of microorganisms. Bacteriological Reviews, 1945, 9(1): 1–47

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Liao C H, Shollenberger L M. Survivability and long-term preservation of bacteria in water and in phosphate-buffered saline. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 2003, 37(1): 45–50

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Greer S, Zamenhof S. Studies on depurination of DNA by heat. Journal of Molecular Biology, 1962, 4(3): 123–141

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Nicholson W L, Munakata N, Horneck G, Melosh H J, Setlow P. Resistance of Bacillus endospores to extreme terrestrial and extraterrestrial environments. Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, 2000, 64(3): 548–572

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Leclercq S O, Wang C, Sui Z, Wu H, Zhu B, Deng Y, Feng J. A multi-player game: Species of Clostridium, Acinetobacter, and Pseudomonas are responsible for the persistence of antibiotic resistance genes in manure-treated soils. Environmental Microbiology, 2016, 18(10): 3494–3508

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Liu Y Y, Wang Y, Walsh T R, Yi L X, Zhang R, Spencer J, Doi Y, Tian G B, Dong B L, Huang X H, Yu L F, Gu D X, Ren H W, Chen X J, Lv L C, He D D, Zhou H W, Liang Z S, Liu J H, Shen J Z. Emergence of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance mechanism MCR-1 in animals and human beings in China: A microbiological and molecular biological study. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2016, 16(2): 161–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Perreten V, Strauss C, Collaud A, Gerber D. Colistin resistance gene MCR-1 in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli in South Africa. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2016, 60(7): 4414–4415

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Considine K M, Kelly A L, Fitzgerald G F, Hill C, Sleator R D. High-pressure processing- Effects on microbial food safety and food quality. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 2008, 281(1): 1–9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Taylor D M. Inactivation of prions by physical and chemical means. Journal of Hospital Infection, 1999, 43(Suppl): S69–S76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Brown P, Cardone F, Meyer R, Pocchiari M. High-pressure inactivation of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy agents (prions) in processed meats: Principles, technology, and applications. In: Balasubramaniam V M, Barbosa-Canovas G V, Lelieveld H L M, eds. High pressure processing of food. New York, N.Y.: Springer, 2016, 317–330

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  28. Taylor D. Inactivation of the BSE agent. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 2002, 325(1): 75–76

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Verbyla ME, Mihelcic J R. A review of virus removal in wastewater treatment pond systems. Water Research, 2015, 71: 107–124

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Wilkinson K G. The biosecurity of on-farm mortality composting. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2007, 102(3): 609–618

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Glanville T D, Ahn H, Akdeniz N, Crawford B P, Koziel J A. Performance of a plastic-wrapped composting system for biosecure emergency disposal of disease-related swine mortalities. Waste Management (New York, N.Y.), 2016, 48: 483–491

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Bagge E, Sahlstrom L, Albihn A. The effect of hygienic treatment on the microbial flora of biowaste at biogas plants. Water Research, 2005, 39(20): 4879–4886

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Guardabassi L, Dalsgaard A, Sobsey M. Occurrence and survival of viruses in composted human faeces. Danish Environmental Protection Agency, Sustainable Urban Renewal and Wastewater Treatment, Report No. 32, 2003, 1–58

    Google Scholar 

  34. Laxminarayan R, Van Boeckel T, Teillant A. The economic costs of withdrawing antimicrobial growth promoters from the livestock sector. OECD Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries Papers No. 78. Paris, France: OECD Publishing, 2015, 1–41

    Google Scholar 

  35. Durso LM, Cook K L. Impacts of antibiotic use in agriculture: What are the benefits and risks? Current Opinion in Microbiology, 2014, 19: 37–44

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. You Y, Silbergeld E K. Learning from agriculture: Understanding low-dose antimicrobials as drivers of resistome expansion. Frontiers in Microbiology, 2014, 5(284): 1–10

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  37. Sharma V K, Johnson N, Cizmas L, McDonald T J, Kim H. A review of the influence of treatment strategies on antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. Chemosphere, 2016, 150: 702–714

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Prasse C, Stalter D, Schulte-Oehlmann U, Oehlmann J, Ternes T A. Spoilt for choice: A critical review on the chemical and biological assessment of current wastewater treatment technologies. Water Research, 2015, 87: 237–270

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Mel Johnson, Christopher Donaldson, and Hannah Rushmiller for their technical expertise.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Florence, SC, 29501, USA

    Thomas F. Ducey & Kyoung S. Ro

  2. South Carolina Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics, Hartsville, SC, 29550, USA

    Jessica C. Collins

  3. U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Clay Center, NE, 68933, USA

    Bryan L. Woodbury

  4. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Great Plains Veterinary Education Center, Lincoln, NE, 68588, USA

    D. Dee Griffin

Authors
  1. Thomas F. Ducey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jessica C. Collins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kyoung S. Ro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Bryan L. Woodbury
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D. Dee Griffin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas F. Ducey.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ducey, T.F., Collins, J.C., Ro, K.S. et al. Hydrothermal carbonization of livestock mortality for the reduction of pathogens and microbially-derived DNA. Front. Environ. Sci. Eng. 11, 9 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-017-0930-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-017-0930-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation