Synergistic relationships in algal-bacterial microcosms for the treatment of aromatic pollutants.

The potential of algal-bacterial microcosms was studied for the biodegradation of salicylate, phenol and phenanthrene. The isolation and characterization of aerobic bacterial strains capable of mineralizing each pollutant were first conducted. Ralstonia basilensis was isolated for salicylate degradation, Acinetobacter haemolyticus for phenol and Pseudomonas migulae and Sphingomonas yanoikuyae for phenanthrene. The green alga Chlorella sorokiniana was then cultivated in the presence of the pollutants at different concentrations, showing increasing inhibitory effects in the following order: salicylate < phenol < phenanthrene. The synergistic relationships in the algal-bacterial microcosms were clearly demonstrated, since for the three contaminants tested, a substantial removal (>85%) was recorded only in the systems inoculated with both algae and bacteria and incubated under continuous lighting. This study presents, to our knowledge, the first reported case of photosynthesis-enhanced biodegradation of toxic aromatic pollutants by algal-bacterial microcosms in a one-stage treatment.

[1]  Carl E. Cerniglia,et al.  Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , 1992, Biodegradation.

[2]  L. Berthe-Corti,et al.  Microbial cleaning of waste gas containing volatile organic compounds in a bioreactor system with a closed gas circuit , 1998 .

[3]  R. Miller,et al.  Photolysis primes biodegradation of benzo[a]pyrene , 1988, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[4]  J. P. Bell,et al.  Stripping of volatile organic compounds at full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plants , 1993 .

[5]  F B Metting,et al.  Biodiversity and application of microalgae , 1996, Journal of Industrial Microbiology.

[6]  A. Richmond,et al.  CRC Handbook of microalgal mass culture , 1986 .

[7]  J. Mouget,et al.  Algal growth enhancement by bacteria: Is consumption of photosynthetic oxygen involved? , 1995 .

[8]  James R. Cole,et al.  The RDP (Ribosomal Database Project) continues , 2000, Nucleic Acids Res..

[9]  R W Krauss,et al.  The Effects of Light Intensity on the Growth Rates of Green Algae. , 1958, Plant physiology.

[10]  J. Lawrence,et al.  The role of interactions, sessile growth and nutrient amendments on the degradative efficiency of a microbial consortium. , 1994, Canadian journal of microbiology.

[11]  J. Noüe,et al.  Algae and waste water , 1992, Journal of Applied Phycology.

[12]  M. Gealt,et al.  Biodegradation and Bioremediation. , 1996 .

[13]  S. Goodison,et al.  16S ribosomal DNA amplification for phylogenetic study , 1991, Journal of bacteriology.

[14]  A. J. Stewart,et al.  Comparative Acute Toxicity to Aquatic Organisms of Components of Coal-Derived Synthetic Fuels , 1984 .

[15]  A. Juhasz,et al.  Evaluation of a creosote-based medium for the growth and preparation of a PAH-degrading bacterial community for bioaugmentation , 2000, Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[16]  A. J. Lingg,et al.  Dissolved organic matter utilization and oxygen uptake in algal-bacterial microcosms. , 1979, Canadian journal of microbiology.

[17]  M. Bouchez,et al.  The microbiological fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: carbon and oxygen balances for bacterial degradation of model compounds , 1996, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[18]  Ferda Mavituna,et al.  Biochemical engineering and biotechnology handbook , 1982 .

[19]  Michael A. Borowitzka,et al.  Micro-algal biotechnology. , 1988 .

[20]  B. Mattiasson,et al.  Degradation of acenaphthene, phenanthrene and pyrene in a packed-bed biofilm reactor , 2000, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

[21]  E. Benson,et al.  In vitro culture and conservation of microalgae: Applications for aquaculture, biotechnology and environmental research , 1999, In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology - Plant.

[22]  K. Semple,et al.  Biodegradation of aromatic compounds by microalgae , 1999 .

[23]  P. Hartig,et al.  Rates of biogenic oxygen production in mass cultures of microalgae, absorption of atmospheric oxygen and oxygen availability for wastewater treatment , 1988 .