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Monitoring of petroleum hydrocarbon degradative potential of indigenous microorganisms in ozonated soil

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Abstract

This study was performed to investigate the petroleum hydrocarbon (PH) degradative potential of indigenous microorganisms in ozonated soil to better develop combined pre-ozonation/bioremediation technology. Diesel-contaminated soils were ozonated for 0–900 min. PH and microbial concentrations in the soils decreased with increased ozonation time. The greatest reduction of total PH (TPH, 47.6%) and aromatics (11.3%) was observed in 900-min ozonated soil. The number of total viable heterotrophic bacteria decreased by three orders of magnitude in the soil. Ozonated soils were incubated for 9 weeks for bioremediation. The number of microorganisms in the soils increased during the incubation period, as monitored by culture- and nonculture-based methods. The soils showed additional PH-removal during incubation, supporting the presence of PH-degraders in the soils. The highest removal (25.4%) of TPH was observed during the incubation of 180-min ozonated soil during the incubation while a negligible removal was shown in 900-min ozonated soil. This negligible removal could be explained by the existence of relatively few or undetected PH-degraders in 900-min ozonated soil. After a 9-week incubation of the ozonated soils, 180-min ozonated soil showed the lowest TPH concentration, suggesting that appropriate ozonation and indigenous microorganisms survived ozonation could enhance remediation of PH-contaminated soil. Microbial community composition in 9-week incubated soils revealed a slight difference between 900-min ozonated and unozonated soils, as analyzed by whole cell hybridization. Taken together, this study provided insight into indigenous microbial potential to degrade PH in ozonated soils.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 373-1, Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea

    Yeonghee Ahn & Ji-won Yang

  2. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 1 Oryong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-712, Korea

    Haeryong Jung, Rameshwar Tatavarty, Heechul Choi & In S. Kim

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  1. Yeonghee Ahn
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  2. Haeryong Jung
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  3. Rameshwar Tatavarty
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  4. Heechul Choi
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  6. In S. Kim
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Ahn, Y., Jung, H., Tatavarty, R. et al. Monitoring of petroleum hydrocarbon degradative potential of indigenous microorganisms in ozonated soil. Biodegradation 16, 45–56 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-004-0428-2

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