Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Biopreparation in Combination with the Polymer γ-PGA for the Biodegradation of Petroleum Contaminants in Soil.

Katarzyna Wojtowicz,Joanna Brzeszcz,Tomasz Skalski,Teresa Steliga,Piotr Kapusta

doi:10.3390/ma15020400

Abstract

Biodegradation is a method of effectively removing petroleum hydrocarbons from the natural environment. This research focuses on the biodegradation of aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoaromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and all three xylene isomers (BTEX) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as a result of soil inoculation with a biopreparation A1 based on autochthonous microorganisms and a biopreparation A1 with the addition of γ-PGA. The research used biopreparation A1 made of the following strains: Dietzia sp. IN133, Gordonia sp. IN138 Mycolicibacterium frederiksbergense IN53, Rhodococcus erythropolis IN119, Rhodococcus sp. IN136 and Pseudomonas sp. IN132. The experiments were carried out in laboratory conditions (microbiological tests, respirometric tests, and in semi-technical conditions (ex-situ prism method). The biodegradation efficiency was assessed on the basis of respirometric tests, chromatographic analyses and toxicological tests. As a result of inoculation of AB soil with the biopreparation A1 within 6 months, a reduction of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) (66.03%), BTEX (80.08%) and PAHs (38.86%) was achieved and its toxicity was reduced. Inoculation of AB soil with the biopreparation A1 with the addition of γ-PGA reduced the concentration of TPH, BTEX and PAHs by 79.21%, 90.19%, and 51.18%, respectively, and reduced its toxicity. The conducted research has shown that the addition of γ-PGA affects the efficiency of the biodegradation process of petroleum pollutants, increasing the degree of TPH biodegradation by 13.18%, BTEX by 10.11% and PAHs by 12.32% compared to pure biopreparation A1.

Highlights

Oil mining exploits valuable, non-renewable resources of natural gas and crude oil, and contributes to the degradation of the biologically active surface of the earth
Based on the conducted respirometric tests, the method of AB soil inoculation with the use of A1 biopreparation A1 and biopreparation A1 with the addition of γ-PGA in the volume ratio of 1:1 solution was selected for further studies of the biodegradation process of petroleum hydrocarbons carried out by the ex-situ prism method
Biodegradation studies carried out by the ex-situ prism method with the use of 2 inoculation methods have shown that the addition of γ-PGA increases the efficiency of decomposition of TPH, BTEX and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Summary

Introduction

Non-renewable resources of natural gas and crude oil, and contributes to the degradation of the biologically active surface of the earth. An important parameter determining the changes taking place in the deposited waste is the presence of petroleum pollutants, which age as a result of the course of many processes, including evaporation, dissolution, transport of water-soluble substances, and biodegradation. The neutralization of old petroleum pollutants in the areas of liquidated mines and in the areas of old waste pits is one of the key ecological problems faced by the oil and gas mining industry. The excess of organic carbon in relation to nitrogen and phosphorus content causes an acute shortage of these components for microorganisms and plants, degradation of the physicochemical properties of soil colloids (sorption capacity, ion exchange), and causes visible and unfavorable changes in the pH of the environment [2,3]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion