Bioremediation of soil long-term contaminated with PAHs by algal–bacterial synergy of Chlorella sp. MM3 and Rhodococcus wratislaviensis strain 9 in slurry phase

Abstract

Remediation of soil contaminated with pollutants using biological agents is more a sustainable and greener approach as compared to physico-chemical technologies. We recently confirmed that a microalga, Chlorella sp. MM3, and a bacterium, Rhodococcus wratislaviensis strain 9, can degrade high-molecular weight PAHs. In this study, an algal–bacterial system of these two strains was developed by long-term growth on a mixture of phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). In a soil spiked with 50 mg L−1 phenanthrene, 10 mg L−1 of pyrene and 10 mg L−1 of BaP, the algal–bacterial system degraded these PAHs almost completely in slurry phase within 30 days. Also, the algal–bacterial system was able to successfully remediate these three PAHs in a soil long-term contaminated with 245.1 mg kg−1 of 16 PAHs and several heavy metals under slurry phase in 21 days. Use of such appropriate assays as chlorophyll estimation for the microalga and semi-quantitative PCR for the bacterium confirmed survival of both the strains during soil bioremediation. Moreover, the residual toxicity test involving Escherichia coli DH5α that expresses green fluorescent protein indicated the successful bioremediation of PAHs-contaminated soil in slurry phase. For the first time, here we demonstrate the great potential of an algal–bacterial synergy in bioremediation of soil long-term contaminated with PAHs even in the presence of toxic heavy metals.