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Biodegradation of pyrene in sand, silt and clay fractions of sediment.

ABSTRACT: Microbial degradation is the dominant pathway for natural attenuation of PAHs in environmental compartments such as sediments, which in turn depends on the bioavailability of PAHs. The bioavailability of PAHs has seldom been studied at the sediment particle size scale. We evaluated biodegradation of pyrene by Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 as a function of sediment particle sizes, and investigated the relationship between the rate of degradation on sand, silt and clay particles with their individual desorption kinetics measured with the Tenax extraction method. Regression analysis showed that the total organic carbon (TOC), black carbon (BC), and specific surface area (SSA) of the specific particle size fractions, instead of the particle size scale itself, were closely related (P<0.01) with the mineralization rate. While the fraction in the rapid desorption pool (F (rapid)) ranged from 0.11 to 0.38 for the whole sediments and different size groups, the fractions mineralized after 336-h incubation (0.52 to 0.72) greatly surpassed the F (rapid) values, suggesting utilization of pyrene in the slow desorption pool (F (slow)). A biodegradation model was modified by imbedding a two-phase desorption relationship describing sequential Tenax extractions. Model analysis showed that pyrene sorbed on silt and clay aggregates was directly utilized by the degrading bacteria. The enhanced bioavailability may be attributed to the higher chemical concentration, higher TOC or larger SSA in the silt and clay fractions, which appeared to overcome the reduced bioavailability of pyrene due to sorption, making pyrene on the silt and clay particles readily available to degrading microbes. This conjecture merits further investigation.

SUBMITTER: Cui X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3046355 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Biodegradation of pyrene in sand, silt and clay fractions of sediment.

Cui Xinyi X Hunter Wesley W Yang Yu Y Chen Yingxu Y Gan Jay J

Biodegradation 20100818 2

Microbial degradation is the dominant pathway for natural attenuation of PAHs in environmental compartments such as sediments, which in turn depends on the bioavailability of PAHs. The bioavailability of PAHs has seldom been studied at the sediment particle size scale. We evaluated biodegradation of pyrene by Mycobacterium vanbaalenii PYR-1 as a function of sediment particle sizes, and investigated the relationship between the rate of degradation on sand, silt and clay particles with their indiv ...[more]

PMID: 20714921

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Project description:Low pollutant substrate bioavailability limits hydrocarbon biodegradation in soils. Bacterially produced surface-active compounds, such as rhamnolipid biosurfactant and the PA bioemulsifying protein produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, can improve bioavailability and biodegradation in liquid culture, but their production and roles in soils are unknown. In this study, we asked if the genes for surface-active compounds are expressed in unsaturated porous media contaminated with hexadecane. Furthermore, if expression does occur, is biodegradation enhanced? To detect expression of genes for surface-active compounds, we fused the gfp reporter gene either to the promoter region of pra, which encodes for the emulsifying PA protein, or to the promoter of the transcriptional activator rhlR. We assessed green fluorescent protein (GFP) production conferred by these gene fusions in P. aeruginosa PG201. GFP was produced in sand culture, indicating that the rhlR and pra genes are both transcribed in unsaturated porous media. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of liquid drops revealed that gfp expression was localized at the hexadecane-water interface. Wild-type PG201 and its mutants that are deficient in either PA protein, rhamnolipid synthesis, or both were studied to determine if the genetic potential to make surface-active compounds confers an advantage to P. aeruginosa biodegrading hexadecane in sand. Hexadecane depletion rates and carbon utilization efficiency in sand culture were the same for wild-type and mutant strains, i.e., whether PG201 was proficient or deficient in surfactant or emulsifier production. Environmental scanning electron microscopy revealed that colonization of sand grains was sparse, with cells in small monolayer clusters instead of multilayered biofilms. Our findings suggest that P. aeruginosa likely produces surface-active compounds in sand culture. However, the ability to produce surface-active compounds did not enhance biodegradation in sand culture because well-distributed cells and well-distributed hexadecane favored direct contact to hexadecane for most cells. In contrast, surface-active compounds enable bacteria in liquid culture to adhere to the hexadecane-water interface when they otherwise would not, and thus production of surface-active compounds is an advantage for hexadecane biodegradation in well-dispersed liquid systems.

Dataset Information

Biodegradation of pyrene in sand, silt and clay fractions of sediment.

Publications

Biodegradation of pyrene in sand, silt and clay fractions of sediment.

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