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Bioremediation of a Benzo[a]Pyrene-Contaminated Soil Using a Microbial Consortium with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium sp.

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Abstract

Many studies have been conducted regarding the degradation of PAHs. One of the technologies that has been widely used is bioremediation due to its relatively low cost and greater efficiency for those compounds with structural complexity. Biotechnology has been used in several countries for many years and consists in the use of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) to transform contaminants into inert substances, which is a result of the microbial activity from biochemical processes. This study aimed to develop a bioremediation methodology for the pollutant benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), which belongs to the group of PAHs. The potential use of a microbial consortium with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium sp. for bioremediation was assessed. To confirm the pollutant reduction, quantifications of the samples were performed via gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The contamination was prepared with a soil previously contaminated with B[a]P at the concentration of 3.74 mg kg−1. The microbial consortium was added (16 μL g−1), and samples were incubated for 42 days in an oven at 35 °C. The microbial growth curves showed representative differences between the samples in the presence and absence of the pollutant, demonstrating the possibility of bioremediation process. The final quantification of soil showed a mean concentration of 1.29 mg kg−1, showed that 65.51 ± 0.95 % of the pollutant was degraded, which is an important and representative performance.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the National Council for Scientific and Technologic Development (CNPq), the Finep Technological Innovation and the Research Support Foundation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS) for granting the master’s scholarship and financial support for the implementation of this work. The authors also would like to thank the Mineral Processing Laboratory (LAPROM) and the Coal Network for the laboratories available to develop this study, and Microbiology Center of the Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA) for providing the microbial consortia.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Mineral Processing Laboratory, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, CP 15021, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

      Dafne Q. Waszak & Carlos H. Sampaio

    2. Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Rua Sarmento Leite, 245, CEP: 900500-170, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

      Ana Cristina B. da Cunha & Cristine S. Goebel

    3. Chromatography Laboratory, Center for Technology and Innovation, Braskem S/A, BR 386, KM 419, III Polo Petroquímico, Via Oeste - Lote 5, CEP: 95853000, Triunfo, RS, Brazil

      Marcio R. A. Agarrallua

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    1. Dafne Q. Waszak
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    2. Ana Cristina B. da Cunha
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    4. Cristine S. Goebel
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    Correspondence to Dafne Q. Waszak.

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    Ana Cristina B. da Cunha contributed equally to this work.

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    Waszak, D.Q., da Cunha, A.C.B., Agarrallua, M.R.A. et al. Bioremediation of a Benzo[a]Pyrene-Contaminated Soil Using a Microbial Consortium with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium sp.. Water Air Soil Pollut 226, 319 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-015-2582-4

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