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Assessment of microbial communities associated with fermentative–methanogenic biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater contaminated with a biodiesel blend (B20)

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Abstract

A controlled field experiment was conducted to assess the potential for fermentative–methanogenic biostimulation (by ammonium-acetate injection) to enhance biodegradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) as well as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in groundwater contaminated with biodiesel B20 (20:80 v/v soybean biodiesel and diesel). Changes in microbial community structure were assessed by pyrosequencing 16S rRNA analyses. BTEX and PAH removal began 0.7 year following the release, concomitantly with the increase in the relative abundance of Desulfitobacterium and Geobacter spp. (from 5 to 52.7 % and 15.8 to 37.3 % of total Bacteria 16S rRNA, respectively), which are known to anaerobically degrade hydrocarbons. The accumulation of anaerobic metabolites acetate and hydrogen that could hinder the thermodynamic feasibility of BTEX and PAH biotransformations under fermentative/methanogenic conditions was apparently alleviated by the growing predominance of Methanosarcina. This suggests the importance of microbial population shifts that enrich microorganisms capable of interacting syntrophically to enhance the feasibility of fermentative–methanogenic bioremediation of biodiesel blend releases.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank PETROBRAS (Petróleo Brasileiro S/A) for the research financial support as well as CAPES (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Level Education Personnel) and CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development) for providing scholarships.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil

    Débora Toledo Ramos & Henry Xavier Corseuil

  2. EMBRAPA, BR 153 km 110, P.O. Box 21, Concórdia, SC, 89700-000, Brazil

    Márcio Luís Busi da Silva

  3. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Carlos Wolfgang Nossa

  4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA

    Pedro J. J. Alvarez

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  1. Débora Toledo Ramos
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  2. Márcio Luís Busi da Silva
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Correspondence to Débora Toledo Ramos.

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Ramos, D.T., da Silva, M.L.B., Nossa, C.W. et al. Assessment of microbial communities associated with fermentative–methanogenic biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons in groundwater contaminated with a biodiesel blend (B20). Biodegradation 25, 681–691 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-014-9691-4

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