Phenanthrene removal and response of bacterial community in the combined system of photocatalysis and PAH-degrading microbial consortium in laboratory system

Abstract

This work aimed to study the removal of phenanthrene, change of bacterial community and microbial functions through combined photocatalysis and biodegradation under ultraviolet (UV) and visible light illumination. Results showed that phenanthrene removal was enhanced in combined system irradiated by UV and visible light. High-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA gene manifested that alpha diversity (richness, evenness and diversity) got promoted and data of relative abundance reported that Planococcaceae as the dominant bacteriawas replaced by Pseudomonadaceae, with some other functional bacteria quickly acclimatizing. Difference analysis indicated that top fifteen genera were generally different significantly (p < 0.001) among two distinct samples, particularly for Pseudomonas on relative abundance. Functional features' regulation suggested that the bacterial community not only protected itself well but also participated in degrading phenanthrene. Selecting suitable degrading microbial consortium from natural environment and understanding deeply on performance of bacterial community contribute to assemble effective and directional combined system.

Keywords: Bacterial community; Biodegradation; Functional features; Phenanthrene; Photocatalysis.