Abstract
The combined effect of phenanthrene and Cr(VI) on soil microbial activity, community composition and on the efficiency of bioremediation processes has been studied. Biometer flask systems and soil microcosm systems contaminated with 2,000 mg of phenanthrene per kg of dry soil and different Cr(VI) concentrations were investigated. Temperature, soil moisture and oxygen availability were controlled to support bioremediation. Cr(VI) inhibited the phenanthrene mineralization (CO2 production) and cultivable PAH degrading bacteria at levels of 500–2,600 mg kg−1. In the bioremediation experiments in soil microcosms the degradation of phenanthrene, the dehydrogenase activity and the increase in PAH degrading bacteria counts were retarded by the presence of Cr(VI) at all studied concentrations (25, 50 and 100 mg kg−1). These negative effects did not show a correlation with Cr(VI) concentration. Whereas the presence of Cr(VI) had a negative effect on the phenanthrene elimination rate, co-contamination with phenanthrene reduced the residual Cr(VI) concentration in the water exchangeable Cr(VI) fraction (WEF) in comparison with the soil microcosm contaminated only with Cr(VI). Clear differences were found between the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) patterns of each soil microcosm, showing that the presence of different Cr(VI) concentrations did modulate the community response to phenanthrene and caused perdurable changes in the structure of the microbial soil community.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Amezcua-Allieri MA, Lead JR, Rodríguez-Vazquez R (2005) Impact of microbial activity on copper, lead and nickel mobilization during the bioremediation of soil PAHs. Chemosphere 61:484–491. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2005.03.002
Bader JL, Gonzalez G, Goodell PC, Ali AS, Pillai SD (1999) Chromium-resistant bacterial populations from a site heavily contaminated with hexavalent chromium. Water Air Soil Pollut 109:263–276. doi:10.1023/A:1005075800292
Bartha R, Pramer D (1965) Features of a flask and method for measuring the persistence and biological effects of pesticide in soil. Soil Sci 100:68–70. doi:10.1097/00010694-196507000-00011
Castle DM, Montgomery MT, Kirchman DL (2006) Effects of naphthalene on microbial community composition in the Delaware estuary. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 56:55–63
Clesceri LS, Greenberg AE, Eaton AD (eds) (1998) Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 20th edn. American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and Water Environmental Federation, Washington, DC
Dai J, Becquer T, Rouiller JH, Reversat G, Bernhard-Reversat F, Lavelle P (2004) Influence of heavy metals on C and N mineralisation and microbial biomass in Zn-, Pb-, Cu, and Cd-contaminated soils. Appl Soil Ecol 25:99–109. doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2003.09.003
Déziél E, Paquette G, Villemur R, Lepine F, Bisaillon J (1996) Biosurfactant production by soil Pseudomonas strain growing on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. Appl Environ Microbiol 62:1908–1912
El Fantroussi S, Agathos SN (2005) Is bioaugmentation a feasible strategy for pollutant removal and site remediation? Curr Opin Microbiol 8:268–275. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2005.04.011
Gentry TJ, Wolf DC, Reynolds CM, Fuhrmann JJ (2003) Pyrene and phenanthrene influence on soil microbial populations. Biorem J 7:53–68
Han FX, Su Y, Maruthi Sridhar BB, Monts DI (2004) Distribution, transformation and bioavailability of trivalent and hexavalent chromium in contaminated soil. Plant Soil 265:243–252. doi:10.1007/s11104-005-0975-7
Johnsen AR, Bendixen K, Karlson U (2002) Detection of microbial growth on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in microtiter plates by using the respiration indicator WST-1. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:2683–2689. doi:10.1128/AEM.68.6.2683-2689.2002
Kamaludeen SPB, Megharaj M, Juhasz AL, Sethunathan N, Naidu R (2003) Chromium-microorganism interactions in soils: remediation implications. Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 178:93–164. doi:10.1007/0-387-21728-2_4
Kimbrough DE, Cohen Y, Winer AM, Creelman L, Mabuni C (1999) A critical assessment of chromium in the environment. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 29:1–46. doi:10.1080/10643389991259164
Krishna KR, Philip L (2005) Bioremediation of Cr(VI) in contaminated soils. J Hazard Mater B121:109–117. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2005.01.018
Kouretev PS, Nakats CH, Konopka A (2006) Responses of the anaerobic bacterial community to addition of organic C in chromium(VI)- and iron(III)-amended microcosms. Appl Environ Microbiol 72:628–637. doi:10.1128/AEM.72.1.628-637.2006
Kuske CR, Barns SM, Busch JD (1997) Diverse uncultivated bacterial groups from soils of the arid southwestern United States that are present in many geographic regions. Appl Environ Microbiol 63:3614–3621
Maliszewska-Kordybach B, Smreczak B (2003) Habitual function of agricultural soils as affected by heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contamination. Environ Int 28:719–728. doi:10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00117-4
Muyzer G, Brinkhoff T, Nübel U, Santegoedes C, Schäfer H, Wawer C (1998) Denaturing gradient electrophoresis (DGGE) in microbial ecology. In: Akkermanns ADL, van Elsas JD, de Brujin F (eds) Molecular microbial ecology manual. Kluwer Academic Press, Dordrecht, pp 1–27
Nakatsu CH, Carmosini N, Baldwin B, Beasley F, Kourtev P, Konopka A (2005) Soil microbial community responses to additions of organic carbon substrates and heavy metals (Pb an Cr). Appl Environ Microbiol 71:7679–7689. doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.7679-7689.2005
Rajapaksha RMCP, Tobor-Kaplon MA, Baath E (2004) Metal toxicity affects fungal and bacterial activites in soil differently. Appl Environ Microbiol 70:2966–2973. doi:10.1128/AEM.70.5.2966-2973.2004
Rasmussen LD, Sørensen SJ (2001) Effects of mercury contamination on the culturable heterotrophic, functional and genetic diversity of the bacterial community in soil. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 36:1–9. doi:10.1111/j.1574-6941.2001.tb00820.x
Reasoner D, Geldreich E (1985) A new medium for the enumeration and subculture of bacteria from potable water. Appl Environ Microbiol 49:1–7
Said WA, Lewis DL (1991) Quantitative assessment of the effects of metals on microbial degradation of organic chemicals. Appl Environ Microbiol 57:1498–1503
Shi W, Becker J, Bischoff M, Turco RF, Konopka AE (2002) Association of microbial community composition and activity with lead, chromium and hydrocarbon contamination. Appl Environ Microbiol 68:3859–3866. doi:10.1128/AEM.68.8.3859-3866.2002
Sokal RR, Michener CD (1958) A statistical method for evaluating systematic relationships. Univ Kans Sci Bull 38:1409–1438
Sokhn J, De Leij FAAM, Hart TD, Lynch JM (2001) Effect of copper on the degradation of phenanthrene by soil micro-organisms. Lett Appl Microbiol 33:164–168. doi:10.1046/j.1472-765x.2001.00972.x
Song HG, Wang X, Bartha R (1990) Bioremediation potential of terrestrial fuel spills. Appl Environ Microbiol 56:652–656
Thalman A (1968) Zur Methodik der bestimmung der dehydrogenaseaktivität im boden mittels triphenyltetrazoliumchlorid (TTC). Landwirtsch Forsch 21:249–258
Tokunaga TK, Wan J, Firestone MK, Hazen TC, Olson KR, Herman DJ et al (2003) Bioremediation and biodegradation. In situ reduction of Chromium(VI) in heavily contaminated soils through organic carbon amendment. J Environ Qual 32:1641–1649
Vecchioli G, Constanza O, Giorgieri S, Remmler M (1997) Extend of cleaning achievable for bioremediation of soil contaminated with petrochemical sludges. J Chem Technol Biotechnol 70:331–336. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-4660(199712)70:4<331::AID-JCTB788>3.0.CO;2-W
Viñas M, Sabaté J, Espuny MJ, Solanas AM (2005) Bacterial community dynamics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon degradation during bioremediation of heavily creosote-contaminated soil. Appl Environ Microbiol 71:7008–7018. doi:10.1128/AEM.71.11.7008-7018.2005
Viti C, Giovannetti L (2005) Characterization of cultivable heterotrophic bacterial communities in Cr-polluted and unpolluted soils using Biolog and ARDRA approaches. Appl Soil Ecol 28:101–112. doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2004.07.008
Viti C, Mini A, Ranalli G, Lustrato G, Giovannetti L (2006) Response of microbial communities to different doses of chromate in soil microcosms. Appl Soil Ecol 34:125–139. doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2006.03.003
Wild SR, Jones KC (1995) Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons in the United Kingdom environment: a preliminary source inventory and budget. Environ Pollut 88:91–108
Wittbrodt PR, Palmer CD (1996) Reduction of Cr(VI) in the presence of excess soil fulivic acid. Environ Sci Technol 30:2470–2477. doi:10.1021/es950731c
Wong KW, Toh BA, Ting YP, Obbard JP (2005) Biodegradation of phenanthrene by the indigenous microbial biomass in a zinc amended soil. Appl Microbiol 40:50
Wrenn BA, Venosa AD (1996) Selective enumeration of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria by a most probable number procedure. Can J Microbiol 42:252–258
Zayed AM, Terry N (2003) Chromium in the environment: factors affecting biological remediation. Plant Soil 249:139–156. doi:10.1023/A:1022504826342
Acknowledgements
This research was partially support by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT2004-25300). Ibarrolaza A. and Coppotelli B. are doctoral fellowships of CONICET (Argentine Research Council). Donati E. is research member of CONICET.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ibarrolaza, A., Coppotelli, B.M., Del Panno, M.T. et al. Dynamics of microbial community during bioremediation of phenanthrene and chromium(VI)-contaminated soil microcosms. Biodegradation 20, 95–107 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-008-9203-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-008-9203-5