RESUMO
Soil microorganisms play an important role in maintaining natural ecological balance through active participation in carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorous cycles. Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) are of high importance in the rhizosphere, enhancing the solubilization of inorganic phosphorus complexes into soluble forms available for plant nutrition. The investigation of this species of bacteria is of major interest in agriculture, as they can be used as biofertilizers for crops. In the present study, 28 isolates of PSB were obtained after the phosphate enrichment of soil samples from five Tunisian regions. Five PSB species were identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing including Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. putida, and P. taiwanensis, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Pantoea agglomerans. Solid and liquid Pikovskaya's (PVK) and National Botanical Research Institute's (NBRIP) media containing insoluble tricalcium phosphate were used for the evaluation of the phosphate solubilization ability of the bacterial isolates by two methods: visual evaluation of the solubilization zone around colonies (halo) and determination of solubilized phosphates in liquid medium by the colorimetric method of the vanado-molybdate yellow. Based on the results of the halo method, the isolate of each species that showed the higher phosphate solubilization index was selected for evaluation of phosphate solubilization by the colorimetric method. In the liquid media, the bacterial isolates showed phosphate solubilization ranging from 535.70 to 618.57 µg mL-1 in the NBRIP medium, and 374.20 to 544.28 µg mL-1 in the PVK medium, with the highest values produced by P. fluorescens. The best phosphate solubilization ability and higher reduction in broth pH, which indicates higher organic acid production, were achieved in NBRIP broth for most of the PSB. Strong correlations were observed between the average capability of PSB to solubilize phosphates and both the pH and total phosphorous content in the soil. The production of the hormone indole acetic acid (IAA), which can promote plant growth, was observed for all five PSB species. Among them, P. fluorescens obtained from the forest soil of northern Tunisia showed the highest production of IAA (50.4 ± 0.9 µg mL-1).
RESUMO
Constructed wetlands, which facilitate phosphorus removal via precipitation, adsorption, and biological assimilation, offer a promising appropriate technology for advanced treatment in wastewater treatment plants. Because adsorption and precipitation are pointed out as the major phosphorus-removal mechanisms, the selection of a medium with high phosphorus-sorption capacity is important to obtain a sustained phosphorus removal. The objective of this study was to evaluate two kinds of lightweight expanded clay aggregates (LWAs)--Filtralite NR and Filtralite MR (Maxit Group, Avelar, Portugal)--as substrates in constructed wetlands to improve phosphorus-removal performance. Laboratory experiments were performed to test the potential of the LWAs to remove phosphorus from a phosphate solution. The experimental data were well-fitted by both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Pilot-scale investigations were carried out to evaluate the phosphorus removal under field conditions. Four subsurface constructed wetlands were operated since June 2002; two of them were planted with Phragmites australis, and the other two were unplanted. The beds were filled with the two kinds of LWAs. Total phosphorous and pH were monitored since 2003, at a mean hydraulic load of 50 +/- 4 L/(m2 x d), during 6 years. The inflow phosphorus concentration was in the range 4 to 13 mg/L. Under the conditions used, beds with Filtralite MR had better efficiency, and the bed with Filtralite MR planted with Phragmites australis provided a phosphorus effluent mean concentration of 0.7 +/- 0.2 mg/L, during the trial period. This study presents the first long-term pilot-scale data for constructed wetlands using LWAs.
