Abstract
Soil activation, a concept based on the cultivation of biomass from a fraction of a comtaminated soil for subsequent use as an inoculum for bioaugmentation of the same soil, was studied as a method for the aerobic biodegradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) and polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH) in contaminated soils. A microbial consortium able to degrade PCP and PAH in contaminated soil from wood-preserving facilities was isolated and characterized for PCP degradation and resistance. To obtain an active consortium from the contaminated soil in a fed-batch bioreactor, the presence of soil as a support or source of nutrients was found to be essential. During the 35 days of bioreactor operation, residual PCP in solution remained near zero up to a loading rate of 700mg/l per day. The PCP meneralization rate increased from 70 mg/l per day when no PCP was added to the bioreactor to 700 mg/l per day at the maximum loading rate. The consortium tolerated a PCP concentration of 400 mg/l in batch experiments. Production of a PCP-degrading consortium in a fed-batch slurry bioreactor enhanced the activity of PCP biodegradation by a factor of ten. PAH biodegradation increased, during the same time period, by a factor of 30 and 81 for phenanthrene and pyrene, respectively. Preliminary laboratory-scale results indicated that a significant reduction in the time required for degradation of PCP and PAH in contaminated soil could be achieved using activated soil as an inoculum.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acea MJ, Moore CR, Alexander M (1988) Survival and growth of bacteria introduced into soil. Soil Biol Biochem 20:509–515
Apajalahti JHA, Salkinoja-Salonen M (1984) Absorption of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by bark chips and its role in microbial PCP degradation. Microbiol Ecol 10:359–367
Briglia M, Nurmiaho-Lassila E-L, Vallini G, Salkinoja-Salonen M (1990) The survival of the pentachlorophenol-degrading Rhodococcus chlorophenolicus PCP-1 and Flavobacterium sp. in natural soil. Biodegradation 1:273–281
Brown EJ, Pignatello JJ, Martinson MM, Crawford RL (1986) Pentachlorophenol degradation: a pure bacterial culture and a epilithic microbial consortium. Appl Environ Microbiol 52:92–97
Comeau Y, Greer CW, Samson R (1993) Role of inoculum preparation and density on the bioremediation of 2,4-D contaminated soil by bioaugmentation. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 38:681–687
Crawford RL, Mohn WW (1985) Microbial removal of pentachlorophenol from soil using a Flavobacterium. Enzyme Microb Technol 7:617–620
Fewson CA (1988) Biodegradation of xenobiotics and other persistent compounds: the causes of recalcitrance. TIBTECH 6:148–153
Goldstein RM, Mallory LM, Alexander M (1985) Reasons for possible failure of inoculation to enhance biodegradation. Appl Environ Microbiol 50:977–983
Gonzalez JF, Hu W-S (1991) Effect of glutamate on the degradation of pentachlorophenol by Flavobacterium sp. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 35:100–104
Greer CW, Hawari J, Samson R (1990) Influence of environmental factors on 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid degradation by Pseudomonas cepacia isolated from peat. Arch Microbiol 154:317–322
Grosser RJ, Warshawsky D, Vestal JR (1991) Indigenous and enhanced mineralization of pyrene, benzo[a]pyrene, and carbazole in soils. Appl Environ Microbiol 57:2462–3469
Holm PE, Nielsen PH, Albrechtsen H-J, Christensen TH (1992) Importance of unattached bacteria and bacteria attached to sediment in determining potentials for degradation of xenobiotic organic contaminants in an aerobic aquifer. Environ Microbiol 58:3020–3026
Kearney PC, Kellogg ST (1985) Microbial adaptation to pesticides. Pure Appl Chem 57:389–403
Lamar RT, Dietrich DM (1990) In situ depletion of pentachlorophenol from contaminated soil by Phanerochaete spp. Appl Environ Microbiol 56:3093–3100
Middleton AC, Nakles DV, Linz DG (1990) The influence of soil on bioremediation of PAH-contaminated soils. Remediation (Autumn): 391–406
Mueller JG, Lantz SE, Blattmann BO, Chapman PJ (1991) Bench-scale evaluation of alternative biological treatment processes for the remediation of pentachlorophenol and creosote contaminated materials: slurry-phase bioremediation. Environ Sci Technol 25:1055–1061
O'Reilly KT, Kadakia R, Korus RA, Crawford RL (1988) Utilization of immobilized-bacteria to degrade aromatic compounds common to wood-treatment wastewaters. Water Sci Technol 20:95–100
Oldenhuis R, Kujik L, Lammers A, Janssen DB, Withold B (1989) Degradation of chlorinated and non-chlorinated aromatic solvents in soil suspension by pure bacterial cultures. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 30:211–217
Radehaus PM, Schmidt SK (1992) Characterization of a novel Pseudomonas sp. that mineralizes high concentrations of pentachlorophenol. Appl Environ Microbiol 58:2879–2885
Saber DL, Crawfrod RL (1985) Isolation and characterization of Flavobacterium strains that degrade pentachlorophenol. Appl Environ Microbiol 50:1512–1518
Stanlake GJ, Finn RK (1982) Isolation and characterization of a pentachlorophenol-degrading bacterium. Appl Environ Microbiol 44:1421–1427
Sylvestre P, Hawari J, Mayer R (1991) Sols contaminés par l'industrie de préeservation du bois — extraction et photodéchloration du PCP. In: Proceedings of the 14th International Symposium on Wastewater Treatment, Montreal, Quebec, Environment Canada, Ottawa, Canada, pp 1–24
Topp E, Hanson RS (1990) Degradation of pentachlorophenol by a Flavobacterium species grown in continuous culture under various nutrient limitations. Appl Environ Microbiol 56:541–544
Valo R, Salkinoja-Salonen M (1986) Bioreclamation of chlorophenol-contaminated soil by composting. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 25:68–75
Weissenfels WD (1992) Adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) by soil particles: influence on biodegradability and biotoxicity. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 36:689–696
Wolf DC, Dao TH, Scott HD, Lavy TL (1989) Influence of sterilization methods on selected soil: microbiological, physical, and chemical properties. J Environ Qual 18:39–44
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Issued as NRC 33861
correspondence to: R. Samson
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Otte, MP., Gagnon, J., Comeau, Y. et al. Activation of an indigenous microbial consortium for bioaugmentation of pentachlorophenol/creosate contaminated soils. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 40, 926–932 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174001
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00174001