Abstract
The herbicides 2,4-diclorophenoxiacetic and 4-chloro-2-methylphenoxyacetic acids (2,4-D and MCPA) are widely used in agricultural practices worldwide. Not only are these practices responsible of surface waters contamination, but also agrochemical industries through the discharge of their liquid effluents. In this investigation, the ability of a 2,4-D degrading Delftia sp. strain to degrade the related compound MCPA and a mixture of both herbicides was assessed in batch reactors. The strain was also employed to remove and detoxify both herbicides from a synthetic effluent in a continuous reactor. Batch experiments were conducted in a 2-L aerobic microfermentor, at 28 °C. Continuous experiments were carried out in an aerobic downflow fixed-bed reactor. Bacterial growth was evaluated by the plate count method. Degradation of the compounds was evaluated by UV spectrophotometry, gas chromatography (GC), and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Toxicity was assessed before and after the continuous process by using Lactuca sativa seeds as test organisms. Delftia sp. was able to degrade 100 mg L−1 of MCPA in 52 h. When the biodegradation assay was carried out with a mixture of 100 mg L−1 of each herbicide, the process was accomplished in 56 h. In the continuous reactor, the strain showed high efficiency in the simultaneous removal of 100 mg L−1 of each herbicide. Removals of 99.7, 99.5, and 95.0% were achieved for 2,4-D, MCPA, and COD, respectively. Samples from the influent of the continuous reactor showed high toxicity levels for Lactuca sativa seeds, while toxicity was not detected after the continuous process.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
APHA. (2012). Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater (22nd ed.). Washington: American Public Health Association.
Arias-Barreiro, C. R., Nishizaki, H., Okubo, K., Aoyama, I., & Mori, I. C. (2010). Ecotoxicological characterization of tannery wastewater in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Journal of Environmental Biology, 31(4), 471–475.
Atlas, R. M., & Bartha, R. (2002). Ecología microbiana y microbiología ambiental. España: Segunda edición. Pearson Educación S.A. Madrid.
de Mello, J. M. M., de Lima Brandão, H., de Souza, A. A. U., da Silva, A., & Ulson, S. M. D. A. G. (2010). Biodegradation of BTEX compounds in a biofilm reactor—Modeling and simulation. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 70(1), 131–139.
Don, R. H., & Pemberton, J. M. (1981). Properties of six pesticide degradation plasmids isolated from Alcaligenesparadoxus and Alcaligeneseutrophus. Journal of Bacteriology, 145(2), 681–686.
EPA (1989). Protocols for short term toxicity screening of hazardous waste sites. A.8.7. Lettucerootelongation (Lactuca sativa). EPA 600/3–88/029.
Gallego, A., Gemini, V. L., Fortunato, M. S., Dabas, P., Rossi, S. L., Gómez, C. E., Vescina, C., Planes, E. I., & Korol, S. E. (2008). Degradation and detoxification of cresols in synthetic and industrial wastewater by an indigenous strain of Pseudomonas putida in aerobic reactors. Environmental Toxicology, 23(6), 664–671.
González, S., Müller, J., Petrovic, M., Barceló, D., & Knepper, T. P. (2006). Biodegradation studies of selected priority acidic pesticides and diclofenac in different bioreactors. Environmental Pollution, 144(3), 926–932.
González, A. J., Gallego, A., Gemini, V. L., Papalia, M., Radice, M., Gutkind, G., Planes, E., & Korol, S. E. (2012). Degradation and detoxification of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) by an indigenous Delftia sp. strain in batch and continuous systems. International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation, 66(1), 8–13.
Haugland, R. A., Schlemm, D. J., Lyons, R. P., Sferra, P. R., & Chakrabarty, A. M. (1990). Degradation of the chlorinated phenoxyacetate herbicides 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid by pure and mixed bacterial cultures. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 56(5), 1357–1362.
Hoffmann, D., & Müller, R. H. (2006). 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) utilization by Delftiaacidovorans MC1 at alkaline pH and in the presence of dichlorprop is improved by introduction of the tfdK gene. Biodegradation, 17(3), 263–273.
Ka, J. O., Holben, W. E., & Tiedje, J. M. (1994). Genetic and phenotypic diversity of 2,4-D degrading bacteria isolated from 2,4-D treated field soils. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 60(4), 1106–1115.
Korol, S., Orsingher, M., Santini, P., Moretton, J., & D’Aquino, M. (1989). Biodegradation of phenolic compounds II. Effects of inoculum, xenobiotic concentration and adaptation on Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas phenol degradation. Revista Latinoamericana de Microbiología, 31(2), 117–120.
Marriott, M. W., Smejkal, C. W., & Lappin-Scott, H. M. (2000). Biodegradation of mixtures of chlorophenoxyalkanoic acid herbicides by Alcaligenesdenitrificans. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 25(5), 255–259.
Marrón Montiel, E., Ruiz Ordaz, N., Rubio Granados, C., Juárez Ramírez, C., & Galíndez Mayer, C. J. (2006). 2,4-D degrading bacterial consortium. Isolation, kinetic characterization in batch and continuous culture and application for bioaugmentating an activated sludge microbial community. Process Biochemistry, 41(7), 1521–1528.
Müller, R. H., Jorks, S., Kleinsteuber, S., & Babel, W. (1999). Comamonasacidovorans MC1: a new isolate capable of degrading the chiral herbicides dichlorprop and mecoprop and the herbicides 2,4-D and MCPA. Microbiological Research, 154(3), 241–246.
Önneby, K., Jonsson, A., & Stenström, J. (2010). A new concept for reduction of diffuse contamination by simultaneous application of pesticide and pesticide-degrading microorganisms. Biodegradation, 21(1), 21–29.
Önneby, K., Hakansson, S., Pizzul, L., & Stenström, J. (2014). Reduced leaching of the herbicide MCPA after bioaugmentation with a formulated and stored Sphingobium sp. Biodegradation, 25(2), 291–300.
Smejkal, C. W., Vallaeys, T., Seymour, F. A., Burton, S. K., & Lappin Scott, H. M. (2001). Characterization of (R/S)-mecoprop [2-(2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxy) propionic acid]-degrading Alcaligenessp. CS1 and Ralstonia sp. CS2 isolated from agricultural soils. Environmental Microbiology, 3(4), 288–293.
Tett, V. A., Willetts, A. J., & Lappin Scott, H. M. (1997). Biodegradation of the chlorophenoxy herbicide (R)-(+)-mecoprop by Alcaligenesdenitrificans. Biodegradation, 8(1), 43–52.
Tonso, N., Matheson, V. G., & Holben, W. E. (1995). Polyphasic characterization of a suite of bacterial isolates capable of degrading 2,4-D. Microbial Ecology, 30(1), 3–24.
Wagner, M., & Loy, A. (2002). Bacterial community composition and function in sewage treatment systems. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 13(3), 218–227.
WHO (2003). 2,4-D in drinking-water. Background document for development of WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality. http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/24D.pdf.Accessed 1 August 2016.
Acknowledgements
We thank the University of Buenos Aires for the grant given for this study, supported by UBACYT Program-Projects B022 and CB0120020100100822.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
González, A.J., Fortunato, M.S., Gallego, A. et al. Simultaneous Biodegradation and Detoxification of the Herbicides 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid and 4-Chloro-2-Methylphenoxyacetic Acid in a Continuous Biofilm Reactor. Water Air Soil Pollut 228, 300 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3468-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3468-4