Enhanced phenanthrene degradation in river sediments using a combination of biochar and nitrate

Xunan Yang; Zefang Chen; Qunhe Wu; Meiying Xu

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.130

Enhanced phenanthrene degradation in river sediments using a combination of biochar and nitrate

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Apr 1:619-620:600-605. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.130. Epub 2017 Nov 29.

Authors

Xunan Yang¹, Zefang Chen², Qunhe Wu³, Meiying Xu⁴

Affiliations

¹ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou 510070, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangzhou 510070, China; Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangzhou 510070, China.
² Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou 510070, China; School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
³ School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Environmental Pollution Control and Remediation Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China. Electronic address: eeswqh@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
⁴ Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Culture Collection and Application, Guangdong Institute of Microbiology, Guangzhou 510070, China; State Key Laboratory of Applied Microbiology Southern China, Guangzhou 510070, China; Guangdong Open Laboratory of Applied Microbiology, Guangzhou 510070, China.

PMID: 29156278
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.11.130

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in urban river sediments is a serious problem to ecological systems and human health. We examined novel remediation approaches, using a biochar amendment combined with bioaugmentation or/and nitrate stimulation, to degrade phenanthrene in sediment. Biochar amendment combined with nitrate stimulation enhanced phenanthrene degradation by 2.3 times that of the control and 1.9 times that of biochar alone. Nitrate stimulation altered the microbial succession and encouraged the growth of potential nitrate-reducing PAH-degraders Thiobacillus and Stenotrophomonas. Biochar was an excellent sorbent for phenanthrene and the shelter that it provided PAH-degraders increased contact between phenanthrene and PAH-degraders. Biochar also enhanced the aging effects of phenanthrene and reduced the ecological risk by 7.7% to 11%. These results suggest that biochar amendment combined with nitrate stimulation can achieve high-efficiency phenanthrene degradation in sediments.

Keywords: Biochar; Microbial succession; Nitrate stimulation; Phenanthrene; Sediment remediation.