Biodegradation of benzo(a)pyrene by a newly isolatedFusariumsp

Microbes and microbial strategies in carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons remediation: a systematic review

Degradation, detoxification, or removal of the omnipresent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the ecosphere as well as their prevention from entering into food chain has never appeared simple. In this context, cost-effective, eco-friendly, and sustainable solutions like microbe-mediated strategies have been adopted worldwide. With this connection, measures have been taken by multifarious modes of microbial remedial strategies, i.e., enzymatic degradation, biofilm and biosurfactant production, application of biochar-immobilized microbes, lactic acid bacteria, rhizospheric-phyllospheric-endophytic microorganisms, genetically engineered microorganisms, and bioelectrochemical techniques like microbial fuel cell. In this review, a nine-way directional approach which is based on the microbial resources reported over the last couple of decades has been described. Fungi were found to be the most dominant taxa among the CPAH-degrading microbial community constituting 52.2%, while bacteria, algae, and yeasts occupied 37.4%, 9.1%, and 1.3%, respectively. In addition to these, category-wise CPAH degrading efficiencies of each microbial taxon, consortium-based applications, CPAH degradation-related molecular tools, and factors affecting CPAH degradation are the other important aspects of this review in light of their appropriate selection and application in the PAH-contaminated environment for better human-health management in order to achieve a sustainable ecosystem.

Bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: An updated microbiological review

A class of organic priority pollutants known as PAHs is of critical public health and environmental concern due to its carcinogenic properties as well as its genotoxic, mutagenic, and cytotoxic properties. Research to eliminate PAHs from the environment has increased significantly due to awareness about their negative effects on the environment and human health. Various environmental factors, including nutrients, microorganisms present and their abundance, and the nature and chemical properties of the PAH affect the biodegradation of PAHs. A large spectrum of bacteria, fungi, and algae have ability to degrade PAHs with the biodegradation capacity of bacteria and fungi receiving the most attention. A considerable amount of research has been conducted in the last few decades on analyzing microbial communities for their genomic organization, enzymatic and biochemical properties capable of degrading PAH. While it is true that PAH degrading microorganisms offer potential for recovering damaged ecosystems in a cost-efficient way, new advances are needed to make these microbes more robust and successful at eliminating toxic chemicals. By optimizing some factors like adsorption, bioavailability and mass transfer of PAHs, microorganisms in their natural habitat could be greatly improved to biodegrade PAHs. This review aims to comprehensively discuss the latest findings and address the current wealth of knowledge in the microbial bioremediation of PAHs. Additionally, recent breakthroughs in PAH degradation are discussed in order to facilitate a broader understanding of the bioremediation of PAHs in the environment.

Potential Utilization of Bacterial Consortium of Symbionts Marine Sponges in Removing Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals, Review

Toxic materials in waste generally contain several components of the global trending pollutant category, especially PAHs and heavy metals. Bioremediation technology for waste management that utilizes microorganisms (bacteria) has not been fully capable of breaking down these toxic materials into simple and environmentally friendly chemical products. This review paper examines the potential application of a consortium of marine sponge symbionts with high performance and efficiency in removing PAHs and heavy metal contaminants. The method was carried out through a review of several related research articles by the author and published by other researchers. The results of the study conclude that the development of global trending pollutant (GTP) bioremediation technology could be carried out to increase the efficiency of remediation. Several types of marine sponge symbiont bacteria, hydrocarbonoclastic (R-1), metalloclastic (R-2), and metallo-hydro-carbonoclastic (R-3), have the potential to be applied to improve waste removal performance. A consortium of crystalline bacterial preparations is required to mobilize into GTP-exposed sites rapidly. Bacterial symbionts of marine sponges can be traced mainly to sea sponges, whose body surface is covered with mucus.

Investigation of Global Trends of Pollutants in Marine Ecosystems around Barrang Caddi Island, Spermonde Archipelago Cluster: An Ecological Approach

High-quality marine ecosystems are free from global trending pollutants' (GTP) contaminants. Accuracy and caution are needed during the exploitation of marine resources during marine tourism to prevent future ecological hazards that cause chain effects on aquatic ecosystems and humans. This article identifies exposure to GTP: microplastic (MP); polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH); pesticide residue (PR); heavy metal (HM); and medical waste (MW), in marine ecosystems in the marine tourism area (MTA) area and Barrang Caddi Island (BCI) waters. A combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were used with analytical instruments and mathematical formulas. The search results show the average total abundance of MPs in seawater (5.47 units/m3) and fish samples (7.03 units/m3), as well as in the sediment and sponge samples (8.18 units/m3) and (8.32 units/m3). Based on an analysis of the polymer structure, it was identified that the dominant light group was MPs: polyethylene (PE); polypropylene (PP); polystyrene (PS); followed by polyamide-nylon (PA); and polycarbonate (PC). Several PAH pollutants were identified in the samples. In particular, naphthalene (NL) types were the most common pollutants in all of the samples, followed by pyrene (PN), and azulene (AZ). Pb+2 and Cu+2 pollutants around BCI were successfully calculated, showing average concentrations in seawater of 0.164 ± 0.0002 mg/L and 0.293 ± 0.0007 mg/L, respectively, while in fish, the concentrations were 1.811 ± 0.0002 µg/g and 4.372 ± 0.0003 µg/g, respectively. Based on these findings, the BCI area is not recommended as a marine tourism destination.

An insight on microbial degradation of benzo[a]pyrene: current status and advances in research

Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon produced as a result of incomplete combustion of organic substances. Over the years, the release of BaP in the atmosphere has increased rapidly, risking human lives. BaP can form bonds with DNA leading to the formation of DNA adducts thereby causing cancer. Therefore addressing the problem of its removal from the environment is quite pertinent though it calls for a very cumbersome and tedious process owing to its recalcitrant nature. To resolve such issues many efforts have been made to develop physical and chemical technologies of BaP degradation which have neither been cost-effective nor eco-friendly. Microbial degradation of BaP, on the other hand, has gained much attention due to added advantage of the high level of microbial diversity enabling great potential to degrade the substance without impairing environmental sustainability. Microorganisms produce enzymes like oxygenases, hydrolases and cytochrome P450 that enable BaP degradation. However, microbial degradation of BaP is restricted due to several factors related to its bio-availability and soil properties. Technologies like bio-augmentation and bio-stimulation have served to enhance the degradation rate of BaP. Besides, advanced technologies such as omics and nano-technology have opened new doors for a better future of microbial degradation of BaP and related compounds.

Bioaugmentation strategy to enhance polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons anaerobic biodegradation in contaminated soils

This paper proposes an innovative bioaugmentation approach for the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated soils, based on a novel habitat-based strategy. This approach was tested using two inocula (i-24 and i-96) previously enriched through an anaerobic digestion process on wheat straw. It relies on the application of allochthonous microorganisms characterized by specific functional roles obtained by mimicking a natural hydrolytic environment such as the rumen. The inocula efficiency was tested in presence of naphthalene alone, benzo[a]pyrene alone, and a mix of both of them. In single-contamination tests, i-24 inoculum showed the highest biodegradation rates (84.7% for naphthalene and 51.7% for benzo[a]pyrene). These values were almost 1.2 times higher than those obtained for both contaminants with i-96 inoculum and in the control test in presence of naphthalene alone, while they were 3 times higher compared to the control test in presence of benzo[a]pyrene alone. In mixed-contamination tests, i-96 inoculum showed final biodegradation efficiencies for naphthalene and benzo[a]pyrene between 1.1 and 1.5 higher than i-24 inoculum or autochthonous biomass. Total microbial abundances increased in the bioaugmented tests in line with the PAH degradation. The microbial community structure showed the highest diversity at the end of the experiment in almost all cases. Values of the Firmicutes active fraction up to 7 times lower were observed in the i-24 bioaugmented tests compared to i-96 and control tests. This study highlights a successful bioaugmentation strategy with biological components that can be reused in multiple processes supporting an integrated and environmentally sustainable bioremediation system.

Toxicity treatment of tobacco wastes using experimental design by filamentous fungi

Cigarette product waste contains toxic chemicals, including human carcinogens, which leach into and accumulate in the environment and represent a current environmental problem neglected for too long. This study aimed to select filamentous fungi capable of decreasing tobacco extract toxicity as an alternative to a future bioremediation process. The 38 isolates obtained from Culture collection of microorganisms to biotechnological and environmental importance – CCMIBA (Brazil) were cultivated in yeast extract (10 g.L⁻¹) and dextrose (10 g.L⁻¹) containing cigarette tobacco extract (200 mL.L⁻¹) for seven days at 28 °C on a rotary shaker at 150 rpm. The fungal growth rate was determined to infer fungal tolerance to tobacco extract, and supernatants from cultivated fungi were used to run the toxicity test using Allium cepa assay. The Fusarium sp. strain I.17, isolated from cigarette waste, was the only lineage capable of growing in 20% (v/v) of cigarette tobacco extract, allowed the onions to root, and was selected for optimization. Initially, for the experimental design to selected fungus, a fractional factorial experimental design 2⁵⁻¹ was used to examine the effects of yeast extract, cigarette tobacco extract concentration, dextrose, copper sulfate and pH fungal cultivation. The supernatants of these assays were used to run the toxicity test, and yeast extract and copper sulfate were statistically significant in the fungal growth for the decreasing toxicity process and this variable as were select to central composite design. The highest concentration of yeast extract negatively influenced the toxicity decrease, 0.5% of yeast extract in the culture media is the maximum concentration to achieve the best result and to copper sulfate the best result was using 10 μmol.L⁻¹. In conclusion, the experimental design optimized more than seven times the efficiency of tobacco toxicity reducing, resulting in more than 50% of onion root growth, demonstrating the methodology success. And ITS region was used to taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of the isolate Fusarium sp. strain I.17. These results suggest that Fusarium sp. strain I.17 can be used as a potential microorganism to toxicity treatment of cigarette wastes, minimizing the environmental impact of direct burning.

Soil microbial community succession and interactions during combined plant/white-rot fungus remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Despite combined plant/white-rot fungus remediation being effective for remediating polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil, the complex organismal interactions and their effects on soil PAH degradation remain unclear. Here, we used quantitative PCR, analysis of soil enzyme activities, and sequencing of representative genes to characterize the ecological dynamics of natural attenuation, mycoremediation (MR, using Crucibulum laeve), phytoremediation (PR, using Salix viminalis), and plant-microbial remediation (PMR, using both species) for PAHs in soil for 60 days. On day 60, PMR achieved the highest removal efficiency of all three representative PAHs (65.5%, 47.5%, and 62.4% for phenanthrene, pyrene, and benzo(a)pyrene, respectively) when compared with the other treatments. MR significantly increased the relative abundance of Rhizobium and Bacillus but antagonized the other putative indigenous PAH-degrading bacteria, which were enriched by PR. PR significantly reduced soil nutrients, such as NO₃^- and NH₄⁺, and available potassium (AK), thereby changing the microbial community composition as reflected by redundancy analysis, significantly reducing the soil bacterial biomass relative to that in other treatments. These disadvantages hampered phenanthrene and pyrene removal. MR provided additional nutrients, which counteracted the nutrient consumption associated with PR, thereby maintaining the microbial community diversity and bacterial biomass of PMR at a level achieved in the NA treatment. Combination remediation therefore overcame the disadvantages of using PR alone. These results indicated that inoculation with the combination of S. viminalis and C. laeve synergistically stimulated the growth of indigenous PAH-degrading microorganisms and maintained bacterial biomass, thus accelerating the dissipation of soil PAHs.

Fungal bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic metals

Abstract

Much research has been carried out on the bacterial bioremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic metals but much less is known about the potential of fungi in sites that are co-contaminated with both classes of pollutants. This article documents the roles of fungi in soil polluted with both petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic metals as well as the mechanisms involved in the biotransformation of such substances. Soil characteristics (e.g., structural components, pH, and temperature) and intracellular or excreted extracellular enzymes and metabolites are crucial factors which affect the efficiency of combined pollutant transformations. At present, bioremediation of soil co-contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and toxic metals is mostly focused on the removal, detoxification, or degradation efficiency of single or composite pollutants of each type. Little research has been carried out on the metabolism of fungi in response to complex pollutant stress. To overcome current bottlenecks in understanding fungal bioremediation, the potential of new approaches, e.g., gradient diffusion film technology (DGT) and metabolomics, is also discussed.

Key points

• Fungi play important roles in soil co-contaminated with TPH and toxic metals.

• Soil characteristics, enzymes, and metabolites are major factors in bioremediation.

• DGT and metabolomics can be applied to overcome current bottlenecks.

Genomic Insights into the Aquatic Fusarium spp. QHM and BWC1 and Their Application in Phenol Degradation

Fusarium species are widely distributed in ecosystems with wide pH ranges and play pivotal roles in aquatic communities through xenobiotic degradation. It is necessary to explore genomic insights for the application of Fusarium species. In this study, the aquatic Fusarium strains QHM and BWC1 were isolated from a coal mine and a subterranean river, respectively, cultured under acidic conditions and sequenced genomically. Phylogenetic analysis of the isolates was conducted based on the sequences of internal transcripts and sequences encoding β-microtubulin, translation elongation factors and the second large subunit of the RNA polymerase. Fusarium QHM demonstrates close relationships to the type strains of Fusarium ramigenum and Fusarium napiforme in Fusarium fujikuroi species complex. Fusarium BWC1 is predicted to be Fusarium subglutinans. A total of 479 and 2352 scaffolds, corresponding to 14,814 and 15,295 genes, were obtained for Fusarium spp. QHM and BWC1, respectively. Genomic analyses revealed that they harbored biodegradation pathways for aromatic compounds. Phenol stress experiments indicated that Fusarium spp. QHM and BWC1 exhibited optimal degradation at a density of 300 mg/L to achieve a phenol degradation rate of 39.91-43.65% at pH 3.5-4.0. Fusarium spp. QHM and BWC1 were applied to mock phenol-water, and an average phenol degradation rate of 51.71-65.55% indicated the feasibility of these species. The findings of this study have important implications for Fusarium spp. QHM and BWC1 applied to phenol wastewater in acidic or neutral pH environments.

Computational tomography and CFD simulation of a biofilter treating a toluene, formaldehyde and benzo[α]pyrene vapor mixture

In this work, a 3D computational tomography (CT) of the packing material of a laboratory column biofilter is used to model airflow containing three contaminants. The degradation equations for toluene, formaldehyde and benzo[α]pyrene (BaP), were one-way coupled to the CFD model. Physical validation of the model was attained by comparing pressure drops with experimental measurement, while experimental elimination capacities for the pollutants were used to validate the biodegradation kinetics. The validated model was used to assess the existence of channeling and to predict the impact of the three-dimensional porous geometry on the mass transfer of the contaminants in the gas phase. Our results indicate that a physically meaningful simulation can be obtained using the techniques and approach presented in this work, without the need of performing experiments to obtain macroscopic parameters such as gas-phase axial and radial dispersion coefficients and porosities.

Anthracene biodegradation capacity of newly isolated rhizospheric bacteria Bacillus cereus S13

Biodegradation of hazardous pollutants is of immense importance for maintaining a clean environment. However, the concentration of such contaminants/pollutants can be minimized with the help of microorganisms that has the ability to degrade the toxic pollutants into non-toxic metabolites. In the current study, 23 bacterial isolates were purified from the rhizospheric soil of Sysimbrium irio, growing as a wild plant in the vicinity of gas filling stations in Peshawar city. The isolated strains were initially screened on solid nutrient agar and further purified by culturing it on anthracene amended mineral media (PNR). The bacterial growth and anthracene disappearance were observed by calculating optical density (OD). The isolates showed a concentration-dependent growth on anthracene amended PNR media at 30°C and pH7. Also, an increase in bacterial OD from 0.351 to 1.80 with increased shaking speed was noticed. On the contrary, alternate carbon sources (glucose, fructose, sucrose) or nitrogen sources (KNO₃, NaNO₃, NH₄NO₃ and CaNO₃) posed inhibitory effect on bacterial growth during anthracene degradation. The recorded efficiency of anthracene degradation by the selected bacterial isolate (1.4×10²³ CFUmL^-1 and 1.80 OD) was 82.29%, after 120 h of incubation. The anthracene was degraded to 9, 10, dihydroxy-anthracene and anthraquinone, detected through GC-MS. The efficient bacterial isolate was identified as S₁₃, a new strain of Bacillus cereus, using 16S rRNA analysis, showing 98% homology. The isolated bacterial strain S₁₃ may be used as a potential tool for bioremediation of toxic hydrocarbons and to keep the environment free from PAH pollutants.

Microbial community changes during different empty bed residence times and operational fluctuations in an air diffusion reactor for odor abatement

The succession of bacterial and fungal populations was assessed in an activated sludge (AS) diffusion bioreactor treating a synthetic malodorous emission containing H₂S, toluene, butanone and alpha-pinene. Microbial community characteristics (bacterial and fungal diversity, richness, evenness and composition) and bioreactor function relationships were evaluated at different empty bed residence times (EBRTs) and after process fluctuations and operational failures (robustness test). For H₂S, butanone and toluene, the bioreactor showed a stable and efficient abatement performance regardless of the EBRT and fluctuations applied, while low alpha-pinene removals were observed. While no clear positive or negative relationship between community characteristics and bioreactor functions was observed, ecological parameters such as evenness and community dynamics seemed to be of importance for maintaining reactor stability. The optimal degree of evenness of the inoculum likely contributed to the high robustness of the system towards the fluctuations imposed. Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Fungi (Hypocreales, Chaeatothyriales) were the most abundant groups retrieved from the AS system with a putative key role in the degradation of butanone and toluene. Typical H₂S and alpha-pinene degraders were not retrieved from the system. The inoculation of P. fluorescens, a known alpha-pinene degrader, to the system did not result in the enhancement of the degradation of this compound. This strain was likely outcompeted by the microorganisms already adapted to the AS environment.

Sources of organic pollution in particulate matter and soil of Silesian Agglomeration (Poland): evidence from geochemical markers

The exact input of particular sources to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) concentrations in urban and industrial agglomerations is still not well recognized. The major breakthrough is possible using geochemical markers. In the air aerosol and soil samples from areas located in the direct influence of industry/traffic in Silesian Agglomeration (Poland), PAHs and other organic compounds were analyzed, including geochemical markers (biomarkers) and polar compounds from fossil fuels and biomass. Gas chromatography (GC-FID) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) were applied to investigate the composition of particulate matter and soil extracts. The results suggest that the predominant source of PAHs is fossil fuel. The presence and distribution of steranes, pentacyclic triterpenoids (i.e., hopanes and moretanes) and alkyl PAHs point to traffic emissions and fossil fuel combustion, mainly bituminous coal for power and heat purposes, as the main source of PAHs in the region. Moreover, the presence of fossil fuel biomarker in particulate matter and soil extracts from a rural site, previously considered to be free of organic pollution, requires a cautious interpretation for PAHs results. Apart from the fossil fuel, also other sources of contamination were identified in particulate matter extracts by their markers: phenols and levoglucosan for biomass and diisopropylnaphthalenes for printing materials combustion. The absence of polar biomass combustion indicators in soil extracts might be related to their higher reactivity.

Experimental increase in availability of a PAH complex organic contamination from an aged contaminated soil: consequences on biodegradation

Although high PAH content and detection of PAH-degraders, the PAH biodegradation is limited in aged-contaminated soils due to low PAH availability (i.e., 1%). Here, we tried to experimentally increase the soil PAH availability by keeping both soil properties and contamination composition. Organic extract was first removed and then re-incorporated in the raw soil as fresh contaminants. Though drastic, this procedure only allowed a 6-time increase in the PAH availability suggesting that the organic constituents more than ageing were responsible for low availability. In the re-contaminated soil, the mineralization rate was twice more important, the proportion of 5-6 cycles PAH was higher indicating a preferential degradation of lower molecular weight PAH. The extraction treatment induced bacterial and fungal community structures modifications, Pseudomonas and Fusarium solani species were favoured, and the relative quantity of fungi increased. In re-contaminated soil the percentage of PAH-dioxygenase gene increased, with 10 times more Gram negative representatives.

Exploring micromycetes biodiversity for screening benzo[a]pyrene degrading potential

Twenty-five strains of filamentous fungi, encompassing 14 different species and belonging mainly to Ascomycetes, were tested for their ability to degrade benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in mineral liquid medium. The most performing isolates for BaP degradation (200 mg l(-1)) in mineral medium were Cladosporium sphaerospermum with 29 % BaP degradation, i.e., 82.8 μg BaP degraded per day (day(-1)), Paecilomyces lilacinus with 20.5 % BaP degradation, i.e., 58.5 μg BaP day(-1), and Verticillium insectorum with 22.3 % BaP degradation, i.e., 64.3 μg BaP day(-1), after only 7 days of incubation. Four variables, e.g., biomass growth on hexadecane and glucose, BaP solubilization, activities of extracellular- and mycelium-associated peroxidase, and polyethylene glycol degradation, were also studied as selective criteria presumed to be involved in BaP degradation. Among these variables, the tests based on polyethylene glycol degradation and on fungal growth on hexadecane and glucose seemed to be the both pertinent criteria for setting apart isolates competent in BaP degradation, suggesting the occurrence of different mechanisms presumed to be involved in pollutant degradation among the studied micromycetes.

Heterologous expression of manganese peroxidase in Aspergillus niger and its effect on phenanthrene removal from soil

A strain of Aspergillus niger, previously isolated from sugarcane bagasse because of its capacity to degrade phenanthrene in soil by solid culture, was used to express a manganese peroxidase gene (mnp1) from Phanerochaete chrysosporium, aiming at increasing its polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons degradation capacity. Transformants were selected based on their resistance to hygromycin B and the discoloration induced on Poly R-478 dye by the peroxidase activity. The recombinant A. niger SBC2-T3 strain developed MnP activity and was able to remove 95% of the initial phenanthrene (400 ppm) from a microcosm soil system after 17 days, whereas the wild strain removed 72% under the same conditions. Transformation success was confirmed by PCR amplification using gene-specific primers, and a single fragment (1,348 bp long, as expected) of the recombinant mnp1 was amplified in the DNA from transformants, which was absent from the parental strain.

Degradation of benzo(a)pyrene in Yangtze River source water with functional strains

Degradation of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) existing in the Yangtze River, used as source water for Nanjing City, China, was investigated with functional strains. The removal rates of BaP were 37.5, 20.8 and 70.8% for the three strains of the native bacterium NJ, and the two functional strains of Xhhh and Fhhh, respectively. The Fhhh specific degradation rate of BaP was 3.02 x 10(-6) day(-1), which was 1.9-fold of the rate with NJ and 3.7-fold of the rate with Xhhh. The concentrations of BaP in the source water, tap water and Fhhh reactor effluent were 8.3-, 7.6-, and 2.4-fold of that of the oral carcinogenicity unit risk. The results suggest that the functional strain Fhhh could be used for the reduction of BaP concentrations in source water and hence reduction of carcinogenic risk.