Abstract
2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), a nitro-aromatic explosive commonly used for defense and several non-violent applications is contributing to serious environmental pollution problems including human health. The current study investigated the remediation potential of a native soil isolate, i.e., Indiicoccus explosivorum (strain S5-TSA-19) isolated from collected samples of an explosive manufacturing site, against TNT. The survivability of I. explosivorum against explosives is indirectly justified through its isolation; thus, it is being chosen for further study. At a TNT concentration of 120 mg/L within an optimized environment (i.e., at 30 °C and 120 rpm), the isolate was continually incubated for 30 days in a minimal salt medium (MSM). The proliferation of the isolate and the concentration of TNT, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium ion were evaluated at a particular time during the experiment. Within 168 h (i.e., 7 days) of incubation, I. explosivorum co-metabolically degraded 100% TNT. The biodegradation procedure succeeded the first-order kinetics mechanism. Formations of additional metabolites like 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT), 2,4-diamino-6-nitrotoluene (2-DANT), and 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT), were also witnessed. TNT seems to be non-toxic for the isolate, as it reproduced admirably in TNT presence. To date, it is the first report of Indiicoccus explosivorum, efficiently bio-remediating TNT, i.e., a nitro-aromatic compound via different degradation pathways, leading to the production of simpler as well as less harmful end products. Further, at the field-scale application, Indiicoccus explosivorum may be explored for the bioremediation of TNT (i.e., a nitro-aromatic compound)-contaminated effluents.
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The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available as they also form part of an ongoing study but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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JL: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Software, Formal analysis, Writing – original draft. SA: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Supervision. JD: Writing – review & editing, Supervision. PKR: Review and editing, Resources, Team Head.
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Lamba, J., Anand, S., Dutta, J. et al. 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) degradation by Indiicoccus explosivorum (S5-TSA-19). Arch Microbiol 204, 447 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-022-03057-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-022-03057-8