In petroleum-contaminated aquifers, iron (III) serves as an electron acceptor, enabling microbial degradation of organic matter. While previous studies have focused on iron reduction and organic matter degradation under laboratory conditions, research on iron-associated microorganisms in petroleum-contaminated aquifers is limited. To explore the diversity and distribution of such microorganisms in natural settings, this study used metagenomic analysis of an iron-rich, petroleum-contaminated aquifer. Sixteen groundwater samples from both pollution source and background areas were collected for species annotation and functional gene identification. Results show more than 7000 species were identified as iron-reducing microorganisms (IRMs), including several previously well-characterized iron-reducing species (e.g., Geobacter luticola and Geobacter sulfurreducens). However, the majority of IRMs were not found in existing iron-reducing microbial databases. Some of them, such as Sulfurospirillum sp. and Extensimonas perlucida, could be taxonomically classified at the species level, while most were only annotated as unclassified bacteria. In the contamination source zone, these microorganisms proliferated extensively, which led to hydrocarbon degradation predominantly driven by iron reduction in the aquifer. This study enhances our understanding of hydrocarbon-degrading microorganisms and supports the management of petroleum-contaminated sites.

Iron reduction is one of the most crucial biogeochemical processes in groundwater for organic contaminants biodegradation, especially in the iron-rich aquifers. Previous research has posited that the reduction of iron and the biodegradation of organic substances occur synchronously, with their processes adhering to specific quantitative relationships. However, discrepancies between the observed values of iron reduction and organic compound degradation during the reaction and their theoretical counterparts have been noted. To find out the relationship between organic substance biodegradation and iron reduction, this study conducted batch experiments utilizing toluene as a typical organic compound and electron donor, with various iron minerals serving as electron acceptors. Results indicate that toluene degradation follows first-order kinetic equations with different degradation rate constants under different iron minerals, but the generation of the iron reduction product Fe(II) was not uniform. Based on these dynamic relationships, a conceptual model was developed, which categorizes the reactions into two phases: the transformation of toluene to an intermediate-state dominated phase and the mineralization of the intermediate-state dominated phase. This model revealed the relationships between toluene oxidation and Fe(II) formation in the toluene biodegradation through iron reduction. The coupling mechanism of toluene degradation and iron reduction was revealed, which is expected to improve our ability to accurately assess the attenuation of organic contaminants in groundwater.

Although the Chinese people have, through continuous efforts, built the constantly improving Yellow River flood control system, and created a miracle which has been tranquil for over 50 years, the tendency for the downstream watercourse of the Yellow River to uplift every year has not been fundamentally curbed, and the aboveground river is still the “scourge” of the sons and daughters of the Yellow River. By the use of a variety of modern investigation and survey methods, the geological environment characteristics of the downstream of the Yellow River have been identified basically, including the environmental and geological factors affecting the stability of aboveground rivercourse of the lower Yellow River such as the active fracture of the lower Yellow River, crustal uplift, land subsidence, seismic activity, geological conditions of dike foundation engineering, hydrodynamic conditions of rivers, and geomorphology of watercourses. After a comprehensive analysis of the inability mode of aboveground river on the downstream of the Yellow River and its corresponding impact factors, by using the fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, we have evaluated the crustal stability of the aboveground river, dike foundation stability, watercourse landform stability and overall stability. The results of comprehensive results show that the stability of downstream aboveground rivercourse of the Yellow River can be divided into four grades and 11 sections, i e. “basically stable, unstable, very unstable and extremely unstable”. On the basis of the stability segmentation, we consider the influence of integrally the future structural faults, earthquakes, the difference of watercourse between forward and backward heights of dikes, river regime and river type, historical crevasses, foundation soil liquefaction and seepage deformation, and find out 17 most unstable danger points. Finally, from 17 danger points, we select 7 danger points which are most prone to instability including Wuzhi, Zhongmou, Kaifeng, Fengqiu, Dongming, Changyuan and Dong’e. The calculation and analysis of the range and area inundated by 7 danger points, area, and number of people threatened, possible economic loss, and environmental damage, the inability caused by any one of 7 points could bring disastrous consequences to the downstream.