Abstract
The use of organic matter is a highly accepted environmental practice among scientists for the bioremediation of polluted soils. In this manuscript we study under laboratory conditions the bioremediation capacity of a new biostimulant obtained from slaughterhouse sludge in a soil polluted by the oxyfluorfen at a rate of 4 l ha−1 (manufacturer’s rate recommended) over a 90-day period. We determined its effects on dehydrogenase, urease, β-glucosidase and phosphatase activities, the soil microbial community structure and the evolution of the herbicide in soil. Possibly due to the high content of low molecular weight proteins in the biostimulant, the enzymatic activities were stimulated mainly at the beginning of the experiment. Soil biological parameters were inhibited in oxyfluorfen-polluted soil. At the end of the experiment and compared with the control soil, dehydrogenase, urease, β-glucosidase, and phosphatase activities significantly decreased by 47.8%, 50.5%, 36.4%, and 45.5% in the oxyfluorfen-polluted soil. At 5 days into the experiment, the use of the biostimulant in oxyfluorfen-polluted soils decreased soil enzymatic activities and microbial community inhibition. At the end of the incubation period the oxyfluorfen concentration had decreased by 60% in the polluted soil and amended with biostimulants. These results suggested that the use of this biostimulant with higher amounts of low molecular weight proteins and peptides had a positive effect on the remediating oxyfluorfen-polluted soils. Therefore, this study provides the use of a new biostimulant obtained from slaughterhouse sludge by enzymatic hydrolysis processes used in the bioremediation of a soil polluted by the oxyfluorfen herbicide.
Highlights
In the last decades there has been a notable increase in the amount of sludge resulting from slaughterhouse wastewater treatment, a consequence of the increase in meat production. Bouwman et al (2013) suggest that by 2050 meat production will have doubled
According to the authors' knowledge, the main novelty of this manuscript is the first study in which bioremediation tests have been carried out on soils polluted by the oxyfluorfen herbicide using slaughterhouse sludge, both concentrated and in the form of biostimulants after subjecting said sludge concentrated to an enzymatic hydrolysis process
The results obtained in this experiment indicated that slaughterhouse sludge decreased the inhibitory effect of the oxyfluorfen on the soil’s biological properties
Summary
In the last decades there has been a notable increase in the amount of sludge resulting from slaughterhouse wastewater treatment, a consequence of the increase in meat production. Bouwman et al (2013) suggest that by 2050 meat production will have doubled. One of the most widely used bioremediation techniques among the scientific community is the application of organic matter to polluted soil, because it is a very cheap, effective technique that can be performed in situ (Davin et al 2018) In these cases, organic matter reduces the concentration of contaminant in the soil via two different pathways. The microorganisms increase the rate of pollutant degradation and so decrease their soil concentration (Gómez et al 2014; Lipczynska-Kochany 2018; Ortiz-Botella et al 2021) For this organic matter to be able to stimulate these soil microorganisms, there is a delay, while it is mineralized into simpler forms that are more available to the said microorganisms (OrtizBotella et al 2021)
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