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Changes in Microbial Populations and Enzyme Activities During the Bioremediation of Oil-Contaminated Soil

Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology volume 83, pages 542–547 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

In the process of bioremediation in the soil contaminated by different oil concentrations, the changes in the microbial numbers (bacteria and fungi) and the enzyme (catalase (CAT), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and lipase) activities were evaluated over a 2-year period. The results showed that the microbial numbers after 2-year bioremediation were one to ten times higher than those in the initial. The changes in the bacterial and the fungal populations were different during the bioremediation, and the highest microbial numbers for bacteria and fungi were 5.51 × 109 CFU g−1 dry soil in treatment 3 (10,000 mg kg−1) in the initial and 5.54 × 105 CFU g−1 dry soil in treatment 5 (50,000 mg kg−1) after the 2-year bioremediation period, respectively. The CAT and PPO activities in the contaminated soil decreased with increasing oil concentration, while the lipase activity increased. The activities of CAT and PPO improved after the bioremediation, but lipase activity was on the contrary. The CAT activity was more sensible to the oil than others, and could be alternative to monitor the bioremediation process.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funds provided by Innovative Program of The Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-446), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (2007AA06A405), National Natural Science Foundation of China (20807029), and National Basic Research Program of China (2004CB418506).

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Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Eco-Remediation of Contaminated Environment and Resources Reuse, Shenyang University, 110044, Shenyang, China

    Xin Lin, Xiaojun Li, Tieheng Sun, Peijun Li, Qixing Zhou, Lina Sun & Xiaojun Hu

  2. Key Laboratory of Terrestrial Ecological Process, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 110016, Shenyang, China

    Xiaojun Li, Tieheng Sun, Peijun Li & Qixing Zhou

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  1. Xin Lin
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  2. Xiaojun Li
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  3. Tieheng Sun
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  4. Peijun Li
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  6. Lina Sun
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Correspondence to Xiaojun Li.

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Lin, X., Li, X., Sun, T. et al. Changes in Microbial Populations and Enzyme Activities During the Bioremediation of Oil-Contaminated Soil. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 83, 542–547 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9838-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-009-9838-x

Keywords

  • Bioremediation
  • Catalase
  • Polyphenol oxidase
  • Lipase
  • Oil
  • Soil