Michael D. AitkenProfessor
Dept. of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
160 Rosenau Hall
Gillings School of Global Public Health
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Education
Michael D. Aitken
Excavation
of contaminated soil at a former
manufactured-gas plant site in Salisbury, NC
(photo by Stephen Richardson)
Current Research
Beyond
Parent Compound Disappearance in the Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated
Soil ; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; 4/1/11-3/31/18.
Selected Previous Projects
Covered
anaerobic lagoon and barns
at the Butler Farm, Lillington, NC.
An Integrated System for Energy Recovery and Nitrogen Removal from Swine Waste; Carolina Public Health Solutions; 7/1/09-12/31/11.
Bioavailability and Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Co-PI F. Pfaender); National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; 4/1/06 – 3/31/11.
Who’s Doing What in a Complex Bioreactor? Stable Isotope Probing of Specific Degraders in Engineered Biological Treatment Processes; National Science Foundation.
Factors Influencing the Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soil; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Laboratory Investigation of a Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion System to Treat Municipal Wastewater Sludge (Co-PI with M. Sobsey); Brown and Caldwell, Inc.
Tian, Z., J. Vila, M. Yu, W. Bodnar, and M.D. Aitken (2018) Tracing the Biotransformation of PAHs in Contaminated Soil Using Stable Isotope-Assisted Metabolomics, Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 5:103-109, DOI:10.1021/acs.estlett.7b00554.
Tian, Z., J. Vila, H. Wang, W. Bodnar, and M.D. Aitken (2017) Diversity and Abundance of High-Molecular-Weight Azaarenes in PAH-Contaminated Environmental Samples, Environmental Science & Technology, 51:14047-14054, DOI:10.1021/acs.est.7b03319.
Tian, Z., A. Gold, J. Nakamura, Z. Zhang, J. Vila, D.R. Singleton, L.B. Collins, and M.D. Aitken (2017) Nontarget Analysis Reveals a Bacterial Metabolite of Pyrene Implicated in the Genotoxicity of Contaminated Soil After Bioremediation, Environmental Science & Technology, 51:7091-7100, DOI:10.1021/acs.est.7b01172.
Chibwe, L., C.L. Davie-Martin, M.D. Aitken, E. Hoh, and S.L. Massey Simonich (2017) Identification of Polar Transformation Products and High Molecular Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Contaminated Soil Following Bioremediation,Science of The Total Environment, 599-600:1099-1107, DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.190.
Corteselli, E.M., M.D. Aitken, and D.R. Singleton (2017) Description of Immundisolibacter cernigliae gen. nov., sp. nov., a High-Molecular-Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium Within the Class Gammaproteobacteria, and Proposal of Immundisolibacterales ord. nov. and Immundisolibacteraceae fam. nov., International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 67:925-931, DOI:10.1099/ijsem.0.001714.
Corteselli, E.M., M.D. Aitken, and D.R. Singleton (2017) Rugosibacter aromaticivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., a Novel Bacterium Within the Family Rhodocyclaceae Isolated From Contaminated Soil, Capable of Degrading Aromatic Compounds, International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 67:311-318, DOI:10.1099/ijsem.0.001622.
Singleton, D.R., A.C. Adrion, and M.D. Aitken (2016) Surfactant-Induced Bacterial Community Changes Correlated With Increased Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation in Contaminated Soil, Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology, 100:10165-10177, DOI:10.1007/s00253-016-7867-z.
Singleton, D.R., A.N. Dickey, E.H. Scholl, F.A. Wright, and M.D. Aitken (2016) Complete Genome Sequence of a Bacterium Representing a Deep Uncultivated Lineage Within the Gammaproteobacteria Associated with the Degradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Genome Announcements, 4(5): e01086-16, DOI:10.1128/genomeA.01086-16.
Adrion, A.C., D.R. Singleton, J. Nakamura, D. Shea, and M.D. Aitken (2016) Improving Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Biodegradation in Contaminated Soil Through Low-Level Surfactant Addition After Conventional Bioremediation, Environmental Engineering Science, 33:659-670, DOI:10.1089/ees.2016.0128.
Mishamandani, S., T. Gutierrez, D. Berry, and M.D. Aitken (2016) Response of the Bacterial Community Associated With a Cosmopolitan Marine Diatom to Crude Oil Shows a Preference for the Biodegradation of Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Environmental Microbiology, 18:1817-1833, DOI:10.1111/1462-2920.12988.
Adrion, A.C., J. Nakamura, D. Shea, and M.D. Aitken (2016) Screening Nonionic Surfactants for Enhanced Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons Remaining in Soil after Conventional Biological Treatment, Environmental Science & Technology, 50:3838-3845, DOI:10.1021/acs.est.5b05243.
Chibwe, L, M.C Geier, J. Nakamura, R.L. Tanguay, M.D. Aitken, and S.L. Massey Simonich (2015) Aerobic Bioremediation of PAH Contaminated Soil Results in Increased Genotoxicity and Developmental Toxicity, Environmental Science & Technology, 49:13889-12898, DOI:10.1021/acs.est.5b00499.
Ortega-Calvo, J.J., J. Harmsen, J.R. Parsons, K.T. Semple, M.D. Aitken, C. Ajao, C. Eadsforth, M. Galay-Burgos, R. Nadu, R. Oliver, W.J.G.M. Peijnenburg, J. Römbke, G. Streck, and B. Versonnen (2015) From Bioavailability Science to Regulation of Organic Chemicals, Environmental Science & Technology (Feature article), 49:10255-10264, DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b02412.
Staunton, E.T., S.R. Bunk, G.W. Walters, S.C. Whalen, J. Rudek, and M.D. Aitken (2015) Coupling Nitrogen Removal and Anaerobic Digestion for Energy Recovery from Swine Waste Through Nitrification/Denitrification, Environmental Engineering Science, 32:741-749, DOI:10.1089/ees.2015.0057.
Staunton, E.T. and M.D. Aitken (2015) Coupling Nitrogen Removal and Anaerobic Digestion for Energy Recovery from Swine Waste: 2.Nitritation/Anammox, Environmental Engineering Science, 32:750-760, DOI:10.1089/ees.2015.0063.
Gutierrez, T., J.F. Biddle, A. Teske, and M.D. Aitken (2015) Cultivation-Dependent and Cultivation-Independent Characterisation of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria in Guaymas Basin Sediments, Frontiers in Microbiology, 6:article 605, http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2015.00695.
Rodgers-Vieira, E.A., Z. Zhang, A.C. Adrion, A. Gold, and M.D. Aitken (2015) Identification of Anthraquinone-Degrading Bacteria in Soil Contaminated with Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 81:3775-3781, DOI:10.1128/AEM.00033-15.
Singleton, D.R., A.N. Dickey, E. Scholl, F.A. Wright, and M.D. Aitken (2015) Complete Genome of a Novel Bacterium Within the Family Rhodocyclaceae that Degrades Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Genome Announcements 3(issue 2; online), DOI:10.1128/genomeA.00251-15.
Jones, M.D., E.A. Rodgers-Vieira, J. Hu and M.D. Aitken (2014) Association of Growth Substrates and Bacterial Genera With Benzo[a]pyrene Mineralization in Contaminated Soil, Environmental Engineering Science, 31:689-697, DOI:10.1089/ees.2014.0275.
Gutierrez, T. and M.D. Aitken (2014) Role of Methylotrophs in the Degradation of Hydrocarbons During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, The ISME Journal, 8:2543-2545, DOI:10.1038/ismej.2014.88.
Hu, J., A. Adrion, J. Nakamura, D. Shea and M.D. Aitken (2014) Bioavailability of (Geno)toxic Contaminants in PAH-Contaminated Soil Before and After Biological Treatment, Environmental Engineering Science, 31:176-182, DOI:10.1089/ees.2013.0409.
Mishamandani, S., T. Gutierrez, and M.D. Aitken (2014) DNA-based Stable Isotope Probing Coupled with Cultivation Methods Implicates Methylophaga in Hydrocarbon Degradation. Frontiers in Microbiology, 5:article 76, DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2014.00076.
Gutierrez, T., G. Rhodes, S. Mishamandani, D. Berry, W. Whitman, P. Nichols, K. Semple and M.D. Aitken (2014), Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation of Phytoplankton-Associated Arenibacter spp. and Description of Arenibacter algicola sp. nov., an Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium. Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 80:618-628, DOI:10.1128/AEM.03104-13. .
Dunlevy, S.R., D.R. Singleton and M.D. Aitken (2013) Biostimulation Reveals Functional Redundancy of Anthracene-Degrading Bacteria in Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil, Environmental Engineering Science, 30:697-705, DOI:10.1089/ees.2013.0067.
Gutierrez, T., D.R. Singleton, D. Berry, T. Yang, M.D. Aitken and A. Teske (2013) Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria Enriched by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Identified by Cultivation and DNA-SIP, The ISME Journal, 7:2091-2104.
Singleton, D.R., M.D. Jones, S.D. Richardson and M.D. Aitken (2013) Pyrosequence Analyses of Bacterial Communities During Simulated in situ Bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil, Applied Microbiology & Biotechnology, 97:8381-8391, DOI 10.1007/s00253-012-4531-0.
Gutierrez, T., D. Berry, T. Yang, S. Mishamandani, L. McKay, A. Teske and M.D. Aitken (2013) Role of Bacterial Exopolymers in the Fate of the Oil Released During the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, PLoS ONE, http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067717.
Gutierrez, T., D.H. Green, P.D. Nichols, W.B. Whitman, K.T. Semple and M.D. Aitken (2013) Polycyclovorans algicola gen. nov., sp. nov., an Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Marine Bacterium Found Associated with Laboratory Cultures of Marine Phytoplankton, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 79:205-214, DOI: 10.1128/aem.02833-12.
Gutierrez, T., D.H. Green, P.D. Nichols, W.B. Whitman, K.T. Semple and M.D. Aitken (2012) Algiphilus aromaticivorans gen. nov., sp. nov., an Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium Isolated from a Culture of the Marine Dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum, and Proposal of Algiphilaceae fam. nov., International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, 62:2743-2749, DOI: 10.1099/ijs.0.033324-0.
Hu, J. and M.D. Aitken (2012) Desorption of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Field-Contaminated Soil to a Two-Dimensional Hydrophobic Surface Before and After Bioremediation, Chemosphere, 89:542-547; NIHMSID NIHMS380896; DOI 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.05.046.
Richardson, S.D., M.D. Jones, D.R. Singleton, and M.D. Aitken (2012) Long-Term Simulation of In Situ Biostimulation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil, Biodegradation, 23:621-633.
Singleton, D.R., J. Hu and M.D. Aitken (2012) Heterologous Expression of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Ring-Hydroxylating Dioxygenase Genes from a Novel Pyrene-Degrading Betaproteobacterium, Applied & Environmental Microbiology 78:3552-3559.
Hu, J., J. Nakamura, S.D. Richardson, and M.D. Aitken (2012) Evaluating the Effects of Bioremediation on Genotoxicity of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil Using Genetically Engineered, Higher Eukaryotic Cell Lines, Environmental Science & Technology, 46:4607-4613.
Gutierrez, T., P.D. Nichols, W.B. Whitman, and M.D. Aitken (2012) Porticoccus hydrocarbonoclasticus sp. nov., an Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium Identified in Laboratory Cultures of Marine Phytoplankton, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 78:628-637.
Richardson, S.D. and M.D. Aitken (2011) Desorption and Bioavailability of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soil Subjected to Long-Term in situ Biostimulation, Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry, 30:2674-2681 (DOI: 10.1002/etc.682).
Gutierrez, T, D.R. Singleton, M.D. Aitken, and K.T. Semple (2011) Stable-Isotope Probing of an Algal Bloom to Identify Uncultivated Members of the Rhodobacteraceae Associated with Low-Molecular-Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation, Applied & Environmental Microbiology 77:7856-7860 (DOI 10.1128/aem.06200-11).
Singleton, D.R., S.D. Richardson, and M.D. Aitken (2011) Pyrosequence Analysis of Bacterial Communities in Bioreactors Treating Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soil, Biodegradation, 22:1061-1073 (DOI:10.1007/s10532-011-9463-3).
Jones, M.D., D.W. Crandell, D.R. Singleton, and M.D. Aitken (2011) Stable-Isotope Probing of the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterial Guild in a Contaminated Soil, Environmental Microbiology,13:2623-2632 (DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2011.02501.x).
Jones, M.D., D.R. Singleton, W. Sun, and M.D. Aitken (2011) Multiple DNA Extractions Coupled to Stable-Isotope Probing of Anthracene-Degrading Bacteria in Contaminated Soil, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 77:2984-2991.
Richardson, S.D., B. Lebron, C.T. Miller, and M.D. Aitken (2011) Recovery of Phenanthrene-Degrading Bacteria After Simulated In Situ Persulfate Oxidation in Contaminated Soil, Environmental Science & Technology, 45:719-725.
Zhu, H., D.R. Singleton, and M.D. Aitken (2010) Effects of Nonionic Surfactant Addition on Populations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacteria in Contaminated Soil, Environmental Science & Technology 44:7266-7271.
Zhu, H. and M.D. Aitken (2010) Surfactant-Enhanced Desorption and Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soil, Environmental Science & Technology 44:7260-7265.
Singleton, D.R., L. Guzmán Ramirez, and M.D. Aitken (2009) Characterization of a Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Degradation Gene Cluster in a Phenanthrene-Degrading Acidovorax strain, Applied & Environmental Microbiology 75:2613-2620.
Park, J.Z., L.M. Ball, S.D. Richardson, H. Zhu and M.D. Aitken (2008) Oxidative Mutagenicity of Polar Fractions from Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils, Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 27:2207-2215.
Jones, M.D., D.R. Singleton, D. Carstensen, S.N. Powell, J.S. Swanson, F.K. Pfaender, M.D. Aitken (2008) Effect of Incubation Conditions on the Enrichment of Pyrene-Degrading Bacteria Identified by Stable Isotope Probing in an Aged, PAH-Contaminated Soil, Microbial Ecology 56:341-347 (DOI 10.1007/s00248-007-9352-9).
Singleton, D.R., S.D. Richardson and M.D. Aitken (2008) Effects of Enrichment with Phthalate on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Biodegradation in Contaminated Soil, Biodegradation 19:577-587 (DOI 10.1007/s10532-007-9163-1).
Powell, S.N., D.R. Singleton and M.D. Aitken (2008) Effects of Enrichment with Salicylate on Bacterial Selection and PAH Mineralization in a Microbial Community from a Bioreactor Treating Contaminated Soil, Environmental Science & Technology, 42:4099-4105.
Zhu, H., J.C. Roper, F.K.
Pfaender and M.D. Aitken (2008) Effects of Anaerobic Incubation on the Desorption
of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Contaminated Soils, Environmental
Toxicology & Chemistry, 27:837-844.
Singleton, D.R., M. Hunt,
S.N. Powell, R. Frontera-Suau, and M.D. Aitken (2007), Stable-Isotope Probing
With Multiple Growth Substrates To Determine Substrate Specificity of Uncultivated
Bacteria, Journal of Microbiological Methods, 69:180-187.
Aitken, M.D., M.D. Sobsey, N.A. Van Abel, K.E. Blauth, D.R. Singleton, P.L. Crunk, C. Nichols, G.W. Walters, and M. Schneider (2007) Inactivation of Escherichia coli O157:H7 During Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion of Manure from Dairy Cattle, Water Research, 41:1659-1666.
Singleton, D.R., R. Sangaiah, A. Gold, L.M. Ball, and M.D. Aitken (2006) Identification and Quantification of Uncultivated Proteobacteria Associated with Pyrene Degradation in a Bioreactor Treating PAH-Contaminated Soil, Environmental Microbiology, 8:1736-1745.
Nappier, S.P., M.D. Aitken and M.D. Sobsey (2006) Male-Specific Coliphages as Indicators of Thermal Inactivation of Pathogens in Biosolids, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 72:2471-2475.
Law, A.M.J. and M.D. Aitken (2006) The Effect of Oxygen on Chemotaxis to Naphthalene by Pseudomonas putida G7, Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 93:457-464.
Aitken, M.D., G.W. Walters, P.L. Crunk, J.L. Willis, J.B. Farrell, P.L. Schafer, C. Arnett, and B. Turner (2005) Laboratory Evaluation of Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion to Produce Class A Biosolids. 1. Stabilization Performance of a Continuous-flow Reactor at Low Residence Time, Water Environment Research, 77:3019-3027.
Aitken, M.D., M.D. Sobsey, M. Shehee, K.E. Blauth, V.R. Hill, J.B. Farrell, S.P. Nappier, G.W. Walters, P.L. Crunk, and N. Van Abel (2005) Laboratory Evaluation of Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion to Produce Class A Biosolids. 2. Inactivation of Pathogens and Indicator Organisms in a Continuous-flow Reactor Followed by Batch Treatment, Water Environment Research, 77:3028-3036.
Aitken, M.D., M.D. Sobsey, K.E. Blauth, M. Shehee, P.L. Crunk and G. W. Walters (2005) Inactivation of Ascaris suum and Poliovirus in Biosolids Under Thermophilic Anaerobic Digestion Conditions, Environmental Science & Technology, 39:5804-5809. Electronic reprint
Singleton, D.R., S.N. Powell, R. Sangaiah, A. Gold, L.M. Ball and M.D. Aitken (2005) Stable-isotope Probing of Bacteria Capable of Degrading Salicylate, Naphthalene or Phenanthrene in a Bioreactor Treating Contaminated Soil, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 71:1202-1209.
Zielinska-Park, J., J. Nakamura, J.A. Swenberg and M.D. Aitken (2004) Aldehydic DNA Lesions in Calf Thymus DNA and HeLa S3 Cells Produced by Bacterial Quinone Metabolites of Fluoranthene and Pyrene, Carcinogenesis, 25:1727-1733.
Law, A.M.J. and M.D. Aitken (2003) Bacterial Chemotaxis to Naphthalene Desorbing from a Nonaqueous Liquid, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 69:5968-5973.
Kazunga, C., M.D. Aitken, A. Gold and R. Sangaiah (2001) Fluoranthene-2,3- and -1,5-diones are Novel Products from the Bacterial Transformation of Fluoranthene, Environmental Science & Technology, 35:917-922. Electronic reprint
Walters, G.W. and M.D. Aitken (2001) Surfactant-enhanced Solubilization and Anaerobic Biodegradation of 1,1,1-Trichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)-ethane (DDT) in Contaminated Soil, Water Environment Research, 73: 15-23.
Marx, R.B. and M.D. Aitken (2000) Bacterial Chemotaxis Enhances the Biodegradation of Naphthalene in a Heterogeneous Aqueous System, Environmental Science & Technology, 34:3379-3383. Electronic reprint
Kazunga, C. and M.D. Aitken (2000) Products from the Incomplete Metabolism of Pyrene by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-degrading Bacteria, Applied & Environmental Microbiology, 66:1917-1922.
Kazunga, C., M.D. Aitken and A. Gold (1999) Primary Product of the Horseradish Peroxidase-catalyzed Oxidation of Pentachlorophenol, Environmental Science & Technology, 33:1408-1412. Electronic reprint
Chen, S.H. and M.D. Aitken (1999) Salicylate Stimulates the Biodegradation of High-molecular Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Pseudomonas saccharophila P15, Environmental Science & Technology, 33:435-439. Electronic reprint
The following are working on or have just completed one of the research projects listed above.
You can also see former students' PhD dissertation topics or master's technical report or thesis topics.
Michael D. Aitken
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
CB #7431
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431
Phone: (919) 966-1481
Fax: (919) 966-7911
email: mike_aitken@unc.edu
For information on academic and research programs in the department, application information and other general information about the department, please see the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering site listed below.
Last updated January 2018