Bacterial community changes during bioremediation of aliphatic hydrocarbon-contaminated soil.

The microbial community response during the oxygen biostimulation process of aged oil-polluted soils is poorly documented and there is no reference for the long-term monitoring of the unsaturated zone. To assess the potential effect of air supply on hydrocarbon fate and microbial community structure, two treatments (0 and 0.056 mol h⁻¹ molar flow rate of oxygen) were performed in fixed bed reactors containing oil-polluted soil. Microbial activity was monitored continuously over 2 years throughout the oxygen biostimulation process. Microbial community structure before and after treatment for 12 and 24 months was determined using a dual rRNA/rRNA gene approach, allowing us to characterize bacteria that were presumably metabolically active and therefore responsible for the functionality of the community in this polluted soil. Clone library analysis revealed that the microbial community contained many rare phylotypes. These have never been observed in other studied ecosystems. The bacterial community shifted from Gammaproteobacteria to Actinobacteria during the treatment. Without aeration, the samples were dominated by a phylotype linked to the Streptomyces. Members belonging to eight dominant phylotypes were well adapted to the aeration process. Aeration stimulated an Actinobacteria phylotype that might be involved in restoring the ecosystem studied. Phylogenetic analyses suggested that this phylotype is a novel, deep-branching member of the Actinobacteria related to the well-studied genus Acidimicrobium.

Accurate quantitative determination of monoaromatic compounds for the monitoring of bioremediation processes.

This work demonstrated that the protocol for sample treatment, necessary to remove the microbial biomass prior to an analysis, is a critical issue for obtaining accurate results when volatile compounds are present. Two phenomena were observed, solute adsorption and stripping in the gas phase in contact with the liquid. It was demonstrated that the best protocol involved centrifugation using poly tetra fluoro ethylene (PTFE) capped tubes completely filled with the liquid suspension, i.e. without any gas phase inside it. This approach allowed a solute loss lower than 1%. The results also indicated that the optimum centrifugation conditions were 10000g at 10 degrees C for 10 min. Alternatively, it was found that the centrifugation technique developed could be used for the experimental determination of the activity coefficient of solubilized volatile compounds. This study additionally highlighted the fact that polyvinylidene fluoride micro filters (PVDF) and propylene GH polypro membranes (GHP) with a pore size of 0.45 microm could be used for biomass separation, although 10-12% monoaromatic adsorption by membrane was still present. In addition, a simple and sensitive method using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a UV detector set at the optimum point of 208 nm was developed for assessing the concentrations of BTX in samples taken from bioremediation processes. Minimum detection limits of 5, 4 and 10 microg L(-1) were obtained for benzene, toluene and mixed xylenes, respectively.

BTX removal from polluted water through bioleaching processes.

In this study, benzene, toluene, and xylenes (BTX) removal from contaminated water by physical, chemical, and biological processes was studied. Results showed that air sparging in polluted water can reduce monoaromatic compounds from 140,000 to about 5 microg/l in only 1 h process with a gassing rate of 0.33 VVM. This method cannot be considered as a green technology as pollutants are only transferred from the liquid phase to the gas phase The ultimate objective of this research was thus to evaluate the efficiency of a strategy involving BTX adsorption by granular-activated charcoal (GAC) and subsequent regeneration of this support by a bioleaching process. Analysis of such processes requires the building of analytical tools able to accurately determine the contents of the contaminants in samples containing biomass to make possible the calculation of reliable material balances. Current investigation showed that BTX are readily trapped by GAC particles with low further release in the liquid medium whereas they remain at least partially available for in situ biodegradation. BTX adsorption onto the GAC was shown to reach maximum solute retention close to 350, 250, and 150 (as mg/g GAC) for xylenes, toluene, and benzene, respectively. This approach, which could afford efficient biological active carbon regeneration, is very promising for the removal of BTX compounds from water without any further environment damage.

In situ bioremediation of monoaromatic pollutants in groundwater: a review.

Monoaromatic pollutants such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and mixture of xylenes are now considered as widespread contaminants of groundwater. In situ bioremediation under natural attenuation or enhanced remediation has been successfully used for removal of organic pollutants, including monoaromatic compounds, from groundwater. Results published indicate that in some sites, intrinsic bioremediation can reduce the monoaromatic compounds content of contaminated water to reach standard levels of potable water. However, engineering bioremediation is faster and more efficient. Also, studies have shown that enhanced anaerobic bioremediation can be applied for many BTEX contaminated groundwaters, as it is simple, applicable and economical. This paper reviews microbiology and metabolism of monoaromatic biodegradation and in situ bioremediation for BTEX removal from groundwater under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. It also discusses the factors affecting and limiting bioremediation processes and interactions between monoaromatic pollutants and other compounds during the remediation processes.

Monoaromatics removal from polluted water through bioreactors-a review.

Water contaminated by oil products is becoming a major problem in water supplies as these organic compounds cause hazards for human health. Different types of aerobic and anaerobic bioreactors have been widely used for water cleanup from organic pollutants such as petroleum hydrocarbons. Many studies report that aerobic biofilm processes are a very efficient method for monoaromatic hydrocarbons removal from contaminated water as they are able to reduce up to 99% of the pollutants from water, but generally these works do not discuss possible pollutant loss through gas stripping. On the other hand, some research is related to the ability of anaerobic bioreactors for monoaromatics treatment and results have shown that anaerobic immobilized reactors are able to remove monoaromatic compounds from water with maximal efficiencies between 95-99%. But here again, no data are found about the amount of volatile organic compounds that can be found in the biogas. Also, the data generated when a solid biomass support (activated carbon, polyurethane, etc.) is present in the medium do not take care about possible solute sorption phenomena. This paper reviews various properties of monoaromatic compounds including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and mixture of xylenes. The sources of pollutants, various analytical methods suitable for identification and quantitative measurement of monoaromatics, and knowledge gained on the true removal rates by aerobic and anaerobic bioreactors are reviewed and discussed in this study.