Toward the bioremediation of dioxin-polluted soil: structural and functional analyses of in situ microbial populations by quinone profiling and culture-dependent methods

Abstract

In order to obtain basic information toward the bioremediation of dioxin-polluted soil, microbial communities in farmland soils polluted with high concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were studied by quinone profiling as well as conventional microbiological methods. The concentration of PCDD/Fs in the polluted soils ranged from 36 to 4,980 pg toxicity equivalent quality (TEQ) g(-1) dry weight of soil. There was an inverse relationship between the levels of PCDD/Fs and microbial biomass as measured by direct cell counting and quinone profiling. The most abundant quinone type detected was either MK-6 or Q-10. In addition, MK-8, MK-8(H2), and MK-9(H8) were detected in significant amounts. Numerical analysis of quinone profiles showed that the heavily polluted soils (> or = 1,430 pg TEQ g(-1)) contained different community structures from lightly polluted soils (< or = 56 pg TEQ g(-1)). Cultivation of the microbial populations in the heavily polluted soils with dibenzofuran or 2-chlorodibenzofuran resulted in enrichment of Q-10-containing bacteria. When the heavily polluted soil was incubated in static bottles with autoclaved compost as an organic nutrient additive, the concentrations of PCDD/Fs in the soil were decreased by 22% after 3 months of incubation. These results indicate that dioxin pollution exerted a significant effect on microbial populations in soil in terms of quantity, quality, and activity. The in situ microbial populations in the dioxin-polluted soil were suggested to have a potential for the transformation of PCDD/Fs and oxidative degradation of the lower chlorinated ones thus produced.