Biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons based pollutants in contaminated soil by exogenous effective microorganisms and indigenous microbiome.

Microbial remediation is an eco-friendly and promising approach for the restoration of sites contaminated by petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs). The degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), semi volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of the soil samples collected from a petrochemical site by indigenous microbiome and exogenous microbes (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ATCC 204508/S288c, Candida utilis AS2.281, Rhodotorula benthica CBS9124, Lactobacillus plantarum S1L6, Bacillus thuringiensis GDMCC1.817) was evaluated. Community structure and function of soil microbiome and the mechanism involved in degradation were also revealed. After bioremediation for two weeks, the concentration of TPHs in soil samples was reduced from 17,800 to 13,100 mg/kg. The biodegradation efficiencies of naphthalene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[a]pyrene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, dibenzo[a,h]anthracene, 1,2,3-trichloropropane, 1,2-dichloropropane, ethylbenzene and benzene in soil samples with the addition of S. cerevisiae were 38.0%, 35.7%, 36.2%, 40.4%, 33.6%, 36.2%, 12.0%, 43.9%, 43.3% and 43.0%, respectively. The microbial diversity and community structure were improved during the biodegradation process. S. cerevisiae supplemented soil samples exhibited the highest relative abundance of the genus Acinetobacter for bacteria and Saccharomyces for yeast. The findings offer insight into the correlation between microbes and the degradation of PHC-based pollutants during the bioremediation process.

The synergy of Fe(III) and NO2- drives the anaerobic oxidation of methane.

The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) driven by NO2- or Fe(III) alone was limited by slow electron delivery and ineffective enrichment of microbes. The flexible coupling between Fe(III) and NO2- potentially cooperated to accelerate AOM. One negative control was fed CH4 and NO2-, and four treatment reactors were supplemented with CH4, NO2- and ferric citrate (FC)/ferric chloride (FCH)/ chelate iron (FCI)/ferric hydroxide (FH) and were anaerobically operated for 1200 days to verify the synergy and promicrobial roles of Fe(III) and NO2- in improving AOM. The changes in gas and ion profiles were observed in the reactors, and microbial development was studied using 16S rRNA gene sequencing with the Illumina platform. The results indicated that the combined Fe(III) and NO2- treatment improved AOM, and their synergy followed the order of FC > FCI > FCH > FH. The biochemical reaction of Fe3+ with NO2- and its secondary process accelerated electron transfer to microbial cells and subsequently enhanced AOM in the reactors. The total organic carbon (TOC) content, NH4+ content, NO3- content, and pH value altered the dominant bacteria the most in the FC reactor, FCI, FCH, and FH groups, respectively. Several dominant bacterial species were enriched, whereas only two archaea were highly concentrated in the FC and FCI groups. Only bacteria were detected in the FCH group, and archaea contributed substantially to the FH group. These findings contribute to an improved understanding of the interactions among nitrogen, iron and CH4 that are paramount to accelerating the process of AOM for engineering applications.

Tea saponin enhanced biodegradation of decabromodiphenyl ether by Brevibacillus brevis.

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE209) is a ubiquitous persistent pollutant and has contaminated the environment worldwide. To accelerate BDE209 elimination and reveal the mechanism concerned, the biosurfactant tea saponin enhanced degradation of BDE209 by Brevibacillus brevis was conducted. The results revealed that tea saponin could efficiently increase the solubility of BDE209 in mineral salts medium and improve its biodegradation. The degradation efficiency of 0.5 mg L(-1) BDE209 by 1 g L(-1) biomass with surfactant was up to 55% within 5d. Contact time was a significant factor for BDE209 biodegradation. BDE209 biodegradation was coupled with bioaccumulation, ion release and utilization, and debromination to lower brominated PBDE metabolites. During the biodegradation process, B. brevis metabolically released Na(+), NH4(+), NO2(-) and Cl(-), and utilized the nutrient ions Mg(2+), PO4(3-) and SO4(2-). GC-MS analysis revealed that the structure of BDE209 changed under the action of strain and nonabromodiphenyl ethers (BDE-208, -207 and -206), octabromodiphenyl ethers (BDE-203, -197 and -196) and heptabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-183) were generated by debromination.

Biodegradation of anthracene by Aspergillus fumigatus.

An anthracene-degrading strain, identified as Aspergillus fumigatus, showed a favorable ability in degradation of anthracene. The degradation efficiency could be maintained at about 60% after 5d with initial pH of the medium kept between 5 and 7.5, and the optimal temperature of 30 °C. The activity of this strain was not affected significantly by high salinity. Exploration on co-metabolism showed that the highest degradation efficiency was reached at equal concentration of lactose and anthracene. Excessive carbon source would actually hamper the degradation efficiency. Meanwhile, the strain could utilize some aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, phenol etc. as sole source of carbon and energy, indicating its degradation diversity. Experiments on enzymatic degradation indicated that extracellular enzymes secreted by A. fumigatus could metabolize anthracene effectively, in which the lignin peroxidase may be the most important constituent. Analysis of ion chromatography showed that the release of anions of A. fumigatus was not affected by addition of anthracene. GC-MS analysis revealed that the molecular structure of anthracene changed with the action of the microbe, generating a series of intermediate compounds such as phthalic anhydride, anthrone and anthraquinone by ring-cleavage reactions.