Phenanthrene Degradation Rates Research Articles

Unraveling the mechanism of interaction: accelerated phenanthrene degradation and rhizosphere biofilm/iron plaque formation influenced by phenolic root exudates.

Phenolic root exudates (PREs) secreted by wetland plants facilitate the accumulation of iron in the rhizosphere, potentially providing the essential active iron required for the generation of enzymes that degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, thereby enhancing their biodegradation. However, the underlying mechanisms involved are yet to be elucidated. This study focuses on phenanthrene (PHE), a typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pollutant, utilizing representative PREs from wetland plants, including p-hydroxybenzoic, p-coumaric, caffeic, and ferulic acids. Using hydroponic experiments, 16S rRNA sequencing, and multiple characterization techniques, we aimed to elucidate the interaction mechanism between the accelerated degradation of PHE and the formation of rhizosphere biofilm/iron plaque influenced by PREs. Although all four types of PREs altered the biofilm composition and promoted the formation of iron plaque on the root surface, only caffeic acid, possessing a similar structure to the intermediate metabolite of PHE (catechol), could accelerate the PHE degradation rate. Caffeic acid, notable for its catechol structure, plays a significant role in enhancing PHE degradation through two main mechanisms: (a) it directly boosts PHE co-metabolism by fostering the growth of PHE-degrading bacteria, specifically Burkholderiaceae, and by facilitating the production of the key metabolic enzyme catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (C12O) and (b) it indirectly supports PHE biodegradation by promoting iron plaque formation on root surfaces, thereby enriching free iron for efficient microbial synthesis of C12O, a crucial factor in PHE decomposition.

Dynamics of microbial community and functional genes during bioremediation of PAHs-contaminated soil by two biostimulants

Biostimulation is a favored approach in bioremediation strategies for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). However, the addition of some biostimulants can instead be counterproductive to the soil. In this study, rhamnolipid and leaf litter were added as aids to PAHs biodegradation in soil. Quantitative Real-time PCR (qPCR) and 16 S ribosomal RNA (16 S rRNA) techniques were used to investigate the structural-functional response of soil microbial communities and changes in PAHs functional genes during 82 days of the degradation process. The study reveals that rhamnolipid and leaf litter increase the degradation rate of Benzo(a)pyrene by 20.49% and 11.64%, respectively, while having little effect on the degradation rate of phenanthrene. During the degradation process, each biostimulant increases the number of different bacterial genera capable of degrading PAHs, which influences both the structure and function of the microbial community and alters microbial diversity. Additionally, functional gene abundance was enhanced during degradation and showed an inverse relationship with residual PAHs concentration in the soil. These results indicate that different biostimulants have varying effects on microorganisms. This study enhances the understanding of useing of two biostimulants to degrade soil PAHs.

A novel remediation strategy of mixed calcium peroxide and degrading bacteria for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contaminated water

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of toxic organic pollutants commonly detected in the aqueous phase. Traditional biodegradation is inefficient and advanced oxidation technologies are expensive. In the current study, a novel strategy was developed using calcium peroxide (CP) and PAH-degrading bacteria (PDB) to effectively augment PAH degradation by 28.62–59.22%. The PDB consisted of the genera Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, and Comamonas. Applying the response surface model (RSM), the most appropriate parameters were identified, and the predictive degradation rates of phenanthrene (Phe), pyrene (Pyr), and ΣPAHs were 98%, 76%, and 84%, respectively. The constructed mixed system could reduce 90% of Phe and more than 60% of ΣPAHs and will perform better at pH 5–7 and lower salinity. Because PAHs tend to bind to dissolved organic matter (DOM) with larger molecular weights, humic acid (HA) had a larger negative effect on the PAH-degradation efficiency of the CP-PDB mixed system than fulvic acid (FA). The proposed PAH-degradation pathways in the mixed system were based on the detection of intermediates at different times. The investigation constructed and optimized a novel environmental PAH-degradation strategy. The synergistic application of PDB and oxidation was extended for organic contaminant degradation in aqueous environments.

Optimisation of PAHs biodegradation by Klebsiella pneumonia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa through response surface methodology

ABSTRACT Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with Box–Behnken Design (BBD) is used to optimise the Phenanthrene (PHE) degradation process by Klebsiella pneumoniae (K bacteria) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P bacteria). Wherein substrate concentration, temperature, and pH at three levels are used as independent variables, and degradation rate of PHE as dependent variables (response). The statistical analysis, via ANOVA, shows coefficient of determination R2 as 0.9848 with significant P value 0.0001 fitting in second-order quadratic regression model for PAHs removal by Klebsiella pneumonia, and R 2 as 0.9847 with significant P value 0.0001 by P bacteria. According to the model analysis, temperature (P < 0.0006) is the most influential factor for PHE degradation efficiency by K bacteria, while pH (P < 0.0001) is the most influential factor for PHE degradation by P bacteria. The predicted optimum parameters for K bacteria, namely, temperature, substrate concentration, and pH are found to be 34.00℃, 50.80 mg/L, and 7.50, respectively, and those for P bacteria are 33.30℃, 52.70 mg/L, and 7.20, respectively. At these optimum conditions, the observed PHE removal rates by two bacteria are found to be 83.36% ± 2.1% and 81.23% ± 1.6% in validation experiments, respectively. Thus RSM can optimise the biodegradation conditions of both bacteria for PHE.

Insight into the interactions between surfactants and microorganisms for the biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Enhancing efficiency, cellular response, and elucidating mechanisms

The response mechanisms of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)-degrading strains to Tween 80 concentrations are key elements of microbial remediation efficacy. The degradation characteristics, cell morphology, and microbial metabolic activities of three strains (Arthrobacter (SZ-3), Pseudomonas putida (B6-2), and Klebsiella (CW-D3T)) at different Tween 80 concentrations (0∼2000 mg/L) were investigated. The results showed that the three PAHs degrading strains grow well with the maximum cell activity of 8.75–8.81 log CFU/ml and the electron transfer system activity (ETSA) of 0.341–0.655 μg O2 g−1min−1 at a Tween 80 concentrations range of 1000–2000 mg/L. The best degradation of PAHs by SZ-3 was achieved at a Tween 80 concentration of 500 mg/L. The degradation rates of phenanthrene (PHE), fluoranthene (FLU), and pyrene (PYR) were 91.42%, 54.62%, and 50.76%, respectively. For strains B6-2 and CW-D3T, the highest degradation rates for PHE were achieved at a Tween 80 concentration of 500 mg/L, and the highest degradation rates for FLU and PYR were reached in the absence of Tween 80. The changes of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase were consistent with the PAHs degradation efficiency. The cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) of SZ-3 and CW-D3T increased with the increase of Tween 80, while that of B6-2 decreased. In addition, the detection of PAHs metabolites showed that SZ-3 had two metabolic pathways, salicylic acid, and phthalic acid. B6-2 metabolized PAHs mainly through the phthalic acid pathway, and CW-D3T mainly through the salicylic acid pathway. Tween 80 did not affect the metabolic pathway of PAHs by each strain.

Metal ion endogenous cycles of CoFe2O4-x induced boosted photocatalytic/PMS degradation toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

The rational design of photocatalytic nanomaterials with unique structures is critical for remediating environmental problems and thus reducing ecological risks. In this work, we employed H2 temperature-programmed reduction to modify MFe2O4 (M = Co, Cu, and Zn) photocatalysts for obtaining additional oxygen vacancies. After activation of PMS, naphthalene and phenanthrene degradation rates in the soil phase were increased by 3.24-fold and 1.39-fold, respectively, and 1.38-fold for naphthalene in the aqueous phase by H-CoFe2O4-x. The extraordinary photocatalytic activity is attributed to the oxygen vacancies on the H-CoFe2O4-x surface, which promote electron transfer and thus enhance the redox cycle from Co(III)/Fe(III) to Co(II)/Fe(II). In addition, oxygen vacancies are used as electron traps to hinder the recombination of photogenerated carriers and accelerate the generation of hydroxyl and superoxide radicals. Quenching tests showed that the addition of p-benzoquinone resulted in the greatest decrease in the degradation rate of naphthalene (inhibition of about 85.5%), demonstrating that O2˙- radicals are the main active species in the photocatalytic degradation of naphthalene. H-CoFe2O4-x showed improved degradation performance in synergy with PMS (82.0%, kapp = 0.00714 min-1) while maintaining excellent stability and reusability. Hence, this work provides a promising approach for the design of efficient photocatalysts to degrade persistent organic pollutants in soil and aqueous environments.

Exploration of bacterial community-induced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degradation and humus formation during co-composting of cow manure waste combined with contaminated soil

To solve polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution, composting was chosen as a remediation method. During composting, the dissipation of PAHs was carried out by resource utilization of organic solid waste and its degradation by bacteria. This study was conducted by co-composting with contaminated soil and cow manure. The results showed that the degradation rates of naphthalene (Nap), phenanthrene (Phe), and benzo[α]pyrene (BaP) could reach 82.2%, 79.4%, and 59.6% respectively during composting. Cluster analysis indicated that polyphenol oxidase (PPO), laccase, and protease were important drivers of PAHs transformation. The content of humic substances (HS) was 106.67 g/kg in PAH treatment, which was significantly higher than that in the control group at 65 days. The phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states (PICRUSt) and network analysis was used to infer the degradation mechanism of PAHs by microorganisms. The degradation of PAHs by PPO was found to have a significant contribution to the formation of HS. It was shown that PAHs and metabolic intermediates were more inclined to be oxidized and decomposed by PPO to form quinone, which in turn condensed with amino acids to form HS. Composting could promote the degradation of PAHs while improving the quality of compost, achieving a win-win situation.

Synergistic PAH biodegradation by a mixed bacterial consortium: based on a multi-substrate enrichment approach.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in the environment involves multiple PAHs and various intermediates produced during the microbial metabolic process. A multi-substrate enrichment approach was proposed to develop a mixed bacterial community (MBC) from the activated sludge of a coking wastewater plant. The degradation performance of MBC was evaluated under different initial concentrations of PAHs (25-200mg/L), temperature (20-35°C), pH (5.0-9.0), salinity (0-10g/L NaCl), and coexisting substrates (catechol, salicylic acid, and phthalic acid). The results showed that the degradation rates of phenanthrene and pyrene in all treatments were up to (99 ± 0.71)% and (99 ± 0.90)% after incubation of 5days, respectively, indicating excellent biodegradation ability of PAHs by MBC. Furthermore, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing analysis revealed that Pseudomonas was dominant, while Burkholderia had the largest proportion in acidic (pH = 5.0) and saline (10g/L NaCl) environments. However, the proportion of dominant bacteria in MBC was markedly affected by intermediate metabolites. It was shown that MBC had a higher degradation rate of PAHs in the coexisting matrix due to the timely clearance of intermediates reducing the metabolic burden. Overall, our study provided valuable information to help design an effective strategy for the bioremediation of PAHs in complex environments.

Facile one-step preparation of Co and Ce doped TiO2 in visible light PMS activation for PAHs degradation

In this work, Co and Ce doped TiO2 (CoCeTi) with low content of Co and Ce was successfully prepared by a facile one-step sol-gel solvothermal process for activating Peroxymonosulfate (PMS) to degrade Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The phenanthrene degradation rate was 98.2% effectively in 15 min by CoCeTi (50.0 mg/L) activation PMS (0.50 mmol/L) under visible light. SO4•−, O2•–, h+ and 1O2 were verified as the dominant reactive species for PAHs degradation. The collective effect of CoCeTi, PMS and visible light irradiation has been discussed. The possible phenanthrene degradation pathway was proposed through intermediates analysis. CoCeTi composed of Co3O4, CeO2 and TiO2 was confirmed. Outstandingly, CoCeTi/PMS/visible light system has very low cobalt (0.036 mg/L) and cerium (0.27 mg/L) leaching. Due to CoCeTi having good activated PMS properties and other excellent characteristics, it has potential application for PAHs or other organic pollutants degradation.

Resilience of the wheat root-associated microbiome to the disturbance of phenanthrene

The microbial communities are of high importance to the restoration of ecological function and plant health, while little information about the influence of exogenous pollutants on the resilience and temporal dynamics of root microbial communities is available. In this study, a greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of exogenous phenanthrene in terms of time and pollution disturbance on the wheat root-associated microbial communities. It was found that a high phenanthrene degradation rate of 86 % was achieved in the rhizosphere of wheat after the first-week planting. Compared to phenanthrene pollution, temporal changes had more significant impacts on the wheat root microbial communities. Obvious change of microbes influenced by PHE had been revealed at the initial three-week planting even most of PHE has been degraded, and the enriched microbes in the rhizosphere were affiliated to Altererythrobacter, Massilia, Mycobacterium, Ramlibacter, Sphingobium, Novosphingobium and Romboutsia. However, at the later stage after four-week incubation, the wheat root-associated microbial communities gradually recovered to the state without pollution. The results of this study were helpful to deepen the understanding of the response of root-associated microbial resilience to the exogenous phenanthrene pollution, and would benefit the stability and balance of agricultural ecology facing exogenous organic pollutants.

Sunlight-mediated photocatalytic removal of phenanthrene from wastewater using carbon-doped zinc oxide (C-ZnO) nanoparticles.

In an effort for efficient solar energy harvesting, carbon-doped zinc oxide (C-ZnO) nanoparticles with intriguing properties were synthesized by sonicated sol-gel technique with the aid of activated charcoal. Compared to pure ZnO, the incorporation of carbon has drastically promoted the photocatalytic activity of C-ZnO towards the degradation of phenanthrene under illumination of both UV and sunlight. The characterization of the as-synthesized nanoparticles by scanning electron microscope (SEM), UV-vis spectra, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the carbon doping of C-ZnO. The highest degradation rate of phenanthrene was obtained at pH 7 and C-ZnO loading of 0.5g L-1. Finally, the kinetic studies of the photocatalytic degradation of phenanthrene by using C-ZnO were well-fitted with the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model and followed the pseudo-first-order rate expression.

Photocatalytic degradation mechanism of phenanthrene over visible light driven plasmonic Ag/Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction nanocomposite

Visible light driven plasmonic Ag/Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 heterojunction nanocomposite with regular morphology was prepared via a modified facile method. The two-dimensional ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheet is uniformly wrapped on the surface of Ag3PO4 nanopolyhedron. A charge transfer bridge was built between Ag3PO4 nanopolyhedron and g-C3N4 nanosheet due to the reduction of Ag nanoparticles. This structure can inhibit the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and promote the transfer of photogenerated carriers, so as to produce more active species for participating in the photocatalytic reaction. In addition, the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of appropriate Ag nanoparticles enhanced the absorption and utilization of visible light. Compared with Ag3PO4 and Ag/Ag3PO4, Ag/Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 showed higher photocatalytic activity. Under visible light irradiation, the degradation rate of phenanthrene (PHE) was 0.01756 min−1, which was 3.14 times and 2.38 times that of Ag3PO4 and Ag/Ag3PO4, respectively. After four cycles of photocatalytic reaction, the Ag/Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst still maintained high photocatalytic activity. The active sites of PHE were predicted by Gaussian simulation calculation and combined with intermediate products identification of GC-MS, the possible degradation pathway of PHE was speculated. This research has reference significance for the construction of plasmonic heterojunction photocatalyst in the field of environmental pollution remediation.

Isolation, identification, and degradation characteristics of three effective PAHs degradation strains

Isolating dominant strains for the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is of great practical significance for the restoration of ecosystem polluted by PAHs. A total of 11 strains with capacity of degrading PAHs were obtained from soil polluted by PAHs around a coking plant, by enrichment culture, acclimation, and plate isolation. Three of them with effective PAH-degrading capability were identified and screened out by morphological observation, physiobiochemical characterization, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and respectively, named as DJ-3, DJ-8 and DJ-10. Based on the results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing, DJ-3, DJ-8, and DJ-10 were identified as Pseudomonas sp. Klebsiella sp., and Bacillus sp. The degradation rate of phenanthrene (200 mg·L-1), pyrene (200 mg·L-1), and naphthol (160 mg·L-1) by three strains (DJ-3, DJ-8 and DJ-10) after seven-day incubation were 48.9%-65.9%, 38.9%-43.1%, and 57.6%-64.9%, respectively. The degradation rates of mixed PAHs sample (1200 mg·L-1) by three strains were 49.1%, 44.5%, and 53.9%, which were significantly higher than other eight strains, indicating that they were highly effective in PAHs degradation. There was no antagonistic relationship among the three strains. This study would lay a foundation for building efficient PAHs degrading strains and improve the in situ bioremediation of PAHs contaminated soil.

Synergistic degradation of phenanthrene by constructed Pseudomonas spp. consortium compared with pure strains

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are highly persistent compounds as well as they have a toxic impact to all living organisms. Removal of these xenobiotic compounds by mixed bacteria is achieving a maximum degradation rate over the pure strains. So, this study substantiates the application of constructed bacterial consortium for degradation of 400 mg/L phenanthrene within 30 days of incubation at 30 °C. The consortium consisted of two bacterial species Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes (B1) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (B2). It exhibited a significantly higher phenanthrene degradation efficiency (97.5%) compared to pure strains B1 and B2 (52.5 and 47.6%), respectively. The phenanthrene degradation rate by the individual strains was enhanced in the presence of salicylic and phthalic acids as intermediates pathway. On the other side, the degradation rate was reduced in the presence of catechol suggesting a feedback inhibition of catabolic enzymes. The ring-cleavage dioxygenases were induced in all treatments. However, the induction of ortho cleavage dioxygenase (2.44 U/mg protein) was higher than meta cleavage dioxygenase (0.42 U/mg protein). Six main metabolites were detected by GC–MS analysis. Among them, four metabolites were detected in the extract of phenanthrene growing consortium suggesting three main pathways, phthalate, salicylic and benzocoumarin by the constructed consortium. Therefore, this study provides a measuring of phenanthrene degradation efficacy by bacterial consortium and paved the way to increase the potential of using the consortium for successful removal of PAHs from the polluted environment.

Co-metabolic Effect of Glucose on Methane Production and Phenanthrene Removal in an Enriched Phenanthrene-Degrading Consortium Under Methanogenesis.

Anaerobic digestion is used to treat diverse waste classes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a class of refractory compounds that common in wastes treated using anaerobic digestion. In this study, a microbial consortium with the ability to degrade phenanthrene under methanogenesis was enriched from paddy soil to investigate the cometabolic effect of glucose on methane (CH4) production and phenanthrene (a representative PAH) degradation under methanogenic conditions. The addition of glucose enhanced the CH4 production rate (from 0.37 to 2.25mg⋅L−1⋅d−1) but had no influence on the degradation rate of phenanthrene. Moreover, glucose addition significantly decreased the microbial α-diversity (from 2.59 to 1.30) of the enriched consortium but showed no significant effect on the microbial community (R2=0.39, p=0.10), archaeal community (R2=0.48, p=0.10), or functional profile (R2=0.48, p=0.10). The relative abundance of genes involved in the degradation of aromatic compounds showed a decreasing tendency with the addition of glucose, whereas that of genes related to CH4 synthesis was not affected. Additionally, the abundance of genes related to the acetate pathway was the highest among the four types of CH4 synthesis pathways detected in the enriched consortium, which averagely accounted for 48.24% of the total CH4 synthesis pathway, indicating that the acetate pathway is dominant in this phenanthrene-degrading system during methanogenesis. Our results reveal that achieving an ideal effect is diffcult via co-metabolism in a single-stage digestion system of PAH under methanogenesis; thus, other anaerobic systems with higher PAH removal efficiency should be combined with methanogenic digestion, assembling a multistage pattern to enhance the PAH removal rate and CH4 production in anaerobic digestion.

Remediation of phenanthrene contaminated soil through persulfate oxidation coupled microbial fortification

The technology of chemical oxidation coupled microbial remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contaminated soil was efficient and friendly, but the research on the compatibility of chemical oxidation and the bioremediation is insufficient. This study was to explore the compatibility of persulfate oxidation coupled microbial degradation and promote the remediation of phenanthrene contaminated soil. The results showed that the addition of persulfate with the participation of Fe2+ caused the soil environment to be acidic and the soil pH with the lower concentrations (20, 50 mmol/L) of persulfate returned to neutral after 14 days. The content of fulvic-like and humic-like increased after adding persulfate at the same time. Persulfate inhibited the activity of soil dehydrogenase and polyphenol oxidase, simultaneously, the oxidation species generated during the persulfate oxidation process and the acidic environment (pH=4.13) led the soil microbial abundance and diversity to decrease significantly. Besides, the phenanthrene degradation bacterial consortium was screened through a gradual domestication process, which derived from activated sludge in the coking plant wastewater aeration tank of Xuzhou Weitian Chemical Co., Ltd. The efficient degrading bacteria were identified as Pantoea (95%) using high-throughput sequencing, with the 84% degradation rate of phenanthrene after the 7th day. Comparing persulfate oxidation, the removal rate of phenanthrene in the soil was increased by 33% after 63 days of the combined remediation. Adding 20 mmol/L persulfate and inoculating domesticated high-efficiency degrading bacteria Pantoea was recommended in the remediation of PAHs contaminated soil.

Microbial community structure and co-occurrence are essential for methanogenesis and its contribution to phenanthrene degradation in paddy soil

Although polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation under methanogenesis is an ideal approach to remediating PAH-polluted soil, the contribution of methanogenesis to soil PAH elimination and the relationships between microbial ecological characteristics and PAH degradation during this process remain unclear. Here, we conducted a short-term (60 days) incubation using a paddy soil amended with phenanthrene and examined the effects of a specific methanogenic inhibitor (2-bromoethanesulfonate, BES) on this process. As treatment assessments, the methane production activity (MPA), phenanthrene degradation rate (PDR), and microbial ecological characteristics were determined. The results indicated that BES significantly inhibited both soil MPA and PDR, and we detected a positive relationship between MPA and PDR. Furthermore, BES significantly altered the soil microbial community structure, and it was the microbial community structure but not α-diversity was significantly correlated with soil MPA and PDR. BES decentralized the co-occurrence of bacterial genera but intensified the co-occurrence of methanogens. Moreover, certain bacterial taxa, including Bacteroidetes-vadinHA17, Gemmatimonas, and Sporomusaceae, were responsible for the MPA and PDR in this paddy soil. Collectively, these findings confirm the role of methanogenesis in PAH elimination from paddy soil, and reveal the importance of microbial co-occurrence characteristics in the determination of soil MPA and pollutant metabolism.

Bioaugmentation treatment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-polluted soil in a slurry bioreactor with a bacterial consortium and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to verify the effect of bioaugmentation by the bacterial consortium YS with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPCD) in a soil slurry. The bacterial consortium YS was enriched from a petroleum-polluted soil using pyrene as sole carbon resource. After 3 weeks, the degradation rate of phenanthrene in CK increased from 22.58% to 55.23 and 78.21% in bioaugmentation (B) and HPCD + bioaugmentation (MB) respectively. The degradation rate of pyrene in CK increased from 17.33% to 51.10% and 60.32% in B and MB respectively in the slurry. The augmented YS persisted in the slurry as monitored by 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing and outcompeted some indigenous bacteria. Enhanced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) degradation was observed in the addition of HPCD due to the enhanced bioavailability of phenanthrene and pyrene. Additionally, the amount of PAH-degrading bacteria and enzymatic activity in bioaugmentation with HPCD were higher than that in the CK group. The results indicated that bioaugmentation with a bacterial consortium and HPCD is an environmentally friendly method for the bioremediation of PAH-polluted soil.

Enhanced Electrochemical Treatment of Phenanthrene-polluted Soil using Microbial Fuel Cells

In this study, tubular microbial fuel cells (MFCs) were inserted into phenanthrene-contaminated water-logged soil in order to evaluate their treatment efficiency and overall system performance within 60 days’ incubation period. At day 10, phenanthrene degradation rates were found to decrease with increasing distance from the anodes from 50-55 % at 2 cm to 38-40 % at 8 cm. Bromate (used as a catholyte) removal in both MFCs was about 80-95 % on average which is significantly higher than the open circuit controls (15-40 %) over the 60day period. Total chemical oxygen demand removal (72.8 %) in MFCs amended with surfactants was significantly higher than MFCs without surfactant (20 %). This suggests that surfactant addition may have enhanced bioavailability of not only phenanthrene, but other organic matter present in the soil. The outcomes of this work has demonstrated the simultaneous removal of phenanthrene (86%) and bromate (95%) coupled with concomitant bioelectricity generation (about 4.69 mWm-2) using MFC systems within a radius of influence (ROI) up to 8 cm. MFC technology may be used for in situ decontamination of soils due to its potential detoxification capacity and could be deployed directly as a prototype-MFC design in field applications.

Interaction effect of phenanthrene degradation on nitrogen transformation in heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification systems

The heterotrophic nitrification and aerobic denitrification (HNAD) system plays an important role in treatment of nitrogen pollution in water, and nitrogen transformation is closely related to carbon source. In this study, in order to explore the interaction between nitrogen conversion and phenanthrene degradation under the HNAD system, different concentrations of phenanthrene (0, 3, 6, 9 mg/L) were used as the typical and only carbon source of microorganisms, and different concentrations of ammonium nitrogen (0, 25, 50, 75 mg/L) and nitrate nitrogen (0, 25, 50, 75 mg/L) were used as nitrogen sources of microorganisms. The results showed that with the increase of phenanthrene concentration, the degradation rate of ammonia nitrogen gradually increased, which was higher than that of the control by 24.9%. With the increase of phenanthrene concentration, the inhibition effect was more obvious, and the denitrification effect was weakened. The addition of ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen accelerated the degradation of phenanthrene. As the increase of the concentration of ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen, the degradation rate of phenanthrene gradually increased. The degradation rate of phenanthrene can reach 100% and 98.8% when the concentration of ammonia nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen was the highest. This may be related to the fact that a large amount of inorganic nitrogen can promote the assimilation of microorganisms and accelerate the co-metabolism of phenanthrene degradation by microorganisms. In short, there was an obvious interaction effect between the degradation of organic carbon source and the conversion of nitrogen in the HNAD system.