Bioremediation of a Benzo[a]Pyrene-Contaminated Soil Using a Microbial Consortium with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium sp.

摘要

Many studies have been conducted regarding the degradation of PAHs. One of the technologies that has been widely used is bioremediation due to its relatively low cost and greater efficiency for those compounds with structural complexity. Biotechnology has been used in several countries for many years and consists in the use of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) to transform contaminants into inert substances, which is a result of the microbial activity from biochemical processes. This study aimed to develop a bioremediation methodology for the pollutant benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), which belongs to the group of PAHs. The potential use of a microbial consortium with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus flavus, and Fusarium sp. for bioremediation was assessed. To confirm the pollutant reduction, quantifications of the samples were performed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The contamination was prepared with a soil previously contaminated with B[a] P at the concentration of 3.74 mg kg(-1). The microbial consortium was added (16 mu L g(-1)), and samples were incubated for 42 days in an oven at 35 degrees C. The microbial growth curves showed representative differences between the samples in the presence and absence of the pollutant, demonstrating the possibility of bioremediation process. The final quantification of soil showed a mean concentration of 1.29 mg kg(-1), showed that 65.51 +/- 0 .95 % of the pollutant was degraded, which is an important and representative performance.