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Performance of Simulated Bioremediation in Real Samples of Soils Contaminated with PAHs

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Abstract

One of the possible ways of recovering the environmental quality of contaminated soils is the bioremediation process, in which soil pollutants are degraded using microorganisms. In this context, the evaluation of the bioremediation process efficiency was evaluated by preparing a consortium of autochthonous microorganisms of the soil from an area contaminated by wood preservatives. Subsequently, biodegradation experiments were performed on microcosm scale, applying bioaugmentation, enrichment and biostimulation techniques in two inoculums. The experiments were monitored by CO2 production and the presence of total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Organic extracts of this soil were prepared before and after being submitted to bioremediation, in which the 16 PAHs considered priority pollutants by USEPA were analyzed, and compared to the responses found for microbial respiration. The initial concentration of the PAHs was 34 mg/Kg. All the treatments achieved a removal rate above 60 %, and the mean degradation was 88 %. Statistical analyses of the results of CO2 production showed a significant difference between all treatments for the control soil, except inoculum 1 (bioaugmented). However, inoculums 1 and 2 present a more efficient performance than the contaminated soil itself. When inoculums 1 and 2 (bioaugmented, biostimulated, and enriched) were compared, inoculum 2 presented a greater evolution of CO2 and a better performance in PAHs degradation. Therefore, it was more efficient in the experiment. Hence, as the best results were obtained with the inoculum whose mixed culture had been enriched, this technique definitely has a greater potential for biodegradation in bioremediation processes with these contaminants.

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Acknowledgments

Our appreciation goes to CAPES for the PhD fellowship, to the Post-Graduate Program in Ecology at UFRGS; to Márcio Olivio Rozin, to Nair Conde Almeida, and Richard Tomasella from UNESP in Rio Claro/SP for helping to set up and implement the respirometry assays and clear technical doubts; to Dr. Carlos E Levy of UNICAMP/SP for the initial identification of the bacteria; to Dr. Derlene Attili de Angelis, also of UNICAMP/SP; and to Prof. Jandyra Fachel, Gilberto P. Mesquita, and Sídia Maria Callegari Jacques for performing the statistical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Pesquisas e Análises Laboratoriais, Fundação Estadual de Proteção Ambiental Henrique Luís Roessler (FEPAM), Avenida Salvador França, 1707, CEP: 90690-000, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Roberta de Souza Pohren & Vera Maria Ferrão Vargas

  2. Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Av. Bento Gonçalves, 9500, CEP 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Roberta de Souza Pohren & Vera Maria Ferrão Vargas

  3. Departamento de Bioquímica e Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Av. 24-A, 1515, CEP 13506-900, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil

    Dilza Aparecida Nalin de Oliveira Leite & Dejanira de Franceschi de Angelis

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  1. Roberta de Souza Pohren
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  2. Dilza Aparecida Nalin de Oliveira Leite
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  3. Dejanira de Franceschi de Angelis
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  4. Vera Maria Ferrão Vargas
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Correspondence to Vera Maria Ferrão Vargas.

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de Souza Pohren, R., de Oliveira Leite, D.A.N., de Franceschi de Angelis, D. et al. Performance of Simulated Bioremediation in Real Samples of Soils Contaminated with PAHs. Water Air Soil Pollut 227, 330 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-016-2939-3

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