Biodegradation of naphthalene - Ecofriendly approach for soil pollution mitigation

Srivalli Thimmarayan; Harshavardhan Mohan; Gaddapara Manasa; Karthi Natesan; Shanmugam Mahendran; Pavithra Muthukumar Sathya; Byung-Taek Oh; R Ravi Kumar; Rangasamy Sigamani Gandhimathi; Arul Jayaprakash; Kamala-Kannan Seralathan

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2023.117550

Biodegradation of naphthalene - Ecofriendly approach for soil pollution mitigation

Environ Res. 2024 Jan 1;240(Pt 1):117550. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117550. Epub 2023 Nov 4.

Affiliations

¹ PG & Research Department of Biochemistry, Sacred Heart College (Autonomous), Tirupattur, 635601, (Affiliated to Thiruvalluvar University, Serkkadu, Vellore-632115, Tamil Nadu, India).
² Division of Biotechnology, Advanced Institute of Environment and Bioscience, College of Environmental and Bioresource Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, 54596, Jeonbuk, South Korea.
³ Department of Biochemistry, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India.
⁴ Department of Biochemistry, School of Applied Sciences, REVA University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, 560064, India; Crop Protection Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Jeollabuk-do, 55365, South Korea.
⁵ Department of Microbiology, Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, Sivakasi, 626124, Tamil Nadu, India.
⁶ Agro Climate Research Centre, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
⁷ Department of Civil Engineering, Annapoorna Engineering College, Salem, Tamil Nadu, 636308, India.
⁸ PG & Research Department of Biochemistry, Sacred Heart College (Autonomous), Tirupattur, 635601, (Affiliated to Thiruvalluvar University, Serkkadu, Vellore-632115, Tamil Nadu, India). Electronic address: jayaprakash@shctpt.edu.
⁹ Division of Biotechnology, Advanced Institute of Environment and Bioscience, College of Environmental and Bioresource Sciences, Jeonbuk National University, Iksan, 54596, Jeonbuk, South Korea. Electronic address: kannan@jbnu.ac.kr.

PMID: 37931735
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117550

Abstract

Naphthalene (NPT), a widely used household pest repellent and insecticide obtained from crude oil, serves as a toxic pollutant to non-target living matter. The stable and resistant nature of NPT makes it difficult to degrade through the physiochemical processes. The present study investigated the bacterial degradation of NPT isolated from crude oil-contaminated soil. Initially, the potent bacteria, Bacillus sp. GN 3.4, were isolated by enrichment culture method and subsequently assessed for NPT biodegradation. The optimum conditions for NPT biodegradation were pH 7.0 at 37 °C, 80 mg/L (initial NPT), 3% v/v (inoculum dose), and 7 days of treatment which showed 100% biodegradation. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of degradation metabolites, namely, salicylate and hydroquinone indicating potential metabolic pathways. Considering the water-solubility and non-toxic nature of these metabolites, the results imply that Bacillus sp. GN 3.4. could potentially play a role in bioremediation by aiding in eliminating NPT from the soil.

Keywords: Bacillus sp.; Biodegradation; Degradation pathway; Naphthalene.

MeSH terms

Bacillus* / metabolism
Bacteria / metabolism
Biodegradation, Environmental
Naphthalenes / analysis
Naphthalenes / metabolism
Petroleum* / analysis
Petroleum* / metabolism
Petroleum* / microbiology
Soil
Soil Microbiology
Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

Soil Pollutants
naphthalene
Naphthalenes
Petroleum
Soil