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Biostimulation of the autochthonous microbial community for the depletion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in contaminated sediments

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Abstract

In this study, the effect of the biostimulation of the autochthonous microbial community on the depletion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in historically contaminated sediments (6.260 ± 9.3 10−3 μg PCB/ g dry weight) has been observed. Biostimulation consisted of (1) the amendment of an electron donor to favor the dehalogenation of the high-chlorinated PCBs and (2) the vegetation of sediments with Sparganium sp. plants to promote the oxidation of the low-chlorinated PCBs by rhizodegradation. The effects of the treatments have been analyzed in terms of both PCB depletion and changes of the autochthonous bacterial community structure. The relative abundance of selected bacterial groups with reference to untreated sediments has been evaluated by quantitative real-time PCR. The amendment of acetate determined the enrichment of anaerobic dechlorinators like Dehalococcoides sp. Vegetation with Sparganium sp. plants determined the enrichment of either (3) the dechlorinators, Dehalococcoides and the Chloroflexi o-17/DF-1 strains or (4) the Acidobacteria, β-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, α-Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Firmicutes. The combination of the two biostimulation strategy determined the 91.5 % of abatement of the initial PCB content.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Luca Ghini 5-56123, Pisa, Italy

    Simona Di Gregorio & Roberto Lorenzi

  2. Institute of Applied Research (affiliated with University of Haifa), The Galilee Society, P.O. Box 437, Shefa-Amr, 20200, Israel

    Hassan Azaizeh

  3. Tel Hai College, Upper Galilee, 12210, Israel

    Hassan Azaizeh

Authors
  1. Simona Di Gregorio
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  2. Hassan Azaizeh
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  3. Roberto Lorenzi
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Correspondence to Simona Di Gregorio.

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Responsible editor: Robert Duran

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Di Gregorio, S., Azaizeh, H. & Lorenzi, R. Biostimulation of the autochthonous microbial community for the depletion of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in contaminated sediments. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 3989–3999 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1350-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-012-1350-x

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