Nitrogen addition enhanced the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dissipation through increasing the abundance of related degrading genes in the soils

Abstract

High concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soils cause significant threats to human health. Since nitrogen plays a crucial role in controlling microbial composition and functions in terrestrial ecosystems, bio-stimulation based on nitrogen has been used in PAHs contaminated environments remediation. Recent studies show that microbial community composition and organic pollutants dissipation correlate with nitrogen addition. Here, we investigated the effect of nitrogen addition on the abundance of microbial community, degrading genes, and their relationship to PAHs dissipation. After a 32-day experiment, PAHs residues in nitrogen treatment soil were reduced by 23.23%−34.21%. The application of 80 mg·kg−1 nitrate and ammonium nitrogen resulted in higher PAHs removal efficiency, and the dissipation rate of PAHs was 59.61% and 62.09%, respectively. Nitrogen application could improve the abundance and the diversity of soil microbial community. Degrading genes involved in PAH detoxification were enhanced after nitrogen addition, particularly those encoding ring-hydroxylating and catechol dioxygenases such as nahAc and nidA, thus, accelerating PAH dissipation in the soil. The results will facilitate the development of beneficial microbiome-based remediation strategies and improve agricultural production safety in PAHs-contaminated soils.