Nitrogen addition enhanced the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dissipation through increasing the abundance of related degrading genes in the soils

Jian Wang; Zhiyao Yang; Xian Zhou; Michael Gatheru Waigi; Fredrick Owino Gudda; Emmanuel Stephen Odinga; Ahmed Mosa; Wanting Ling

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129034

Nitrogen addition enhanced the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons dissipation through increasing the abundance of related degrading genes in the soils

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Aug 5:435:129034. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129034. Epub 2022 Apr 29.

Authors

Jian Wang¹, Zhiyao Yang¹, Xian Zhou¹, Michael Gatheru Waigi¹, Fredrick Owino Gudda¹, Emmanuel Stephen Odinga¹, Ahmed Mosa², Wanting Ling³

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China.
² Soils Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Mansoura University, 35516 Mansoura, Egypt.
³ Institute of Organic Contaminant Control and Soil Remediation, College of Resource and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, PR China. Electronic address: lingwanting@njau.edu.cn.

PMID: 35525013
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129034

Abstract

High concentrations of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soils cause significant threats to human health. Since nitrogen plays a crucial role in controlling microbial composition and functions in terrestrial ecosystems, bio-stimulation based on nitrogen has been used in PAHs contaminated environments remediation. Recent studies show that microbial community composition and organic pollutants dissipation correlate with nitrogen addition. Here, we investigated the effect of nitrogen addition on the abundance of microbial community, degrading genes, and their relationship to PAHs dissipation. After a 32-day experiment, PAHs residues in nitrogen treatment soil were reduced by 23.23%-34.21%. The application of 80 mg·kg^-1 nitrate and ammonium nitrogen resulted in higher PAHs removal efficiency, and the dissipation rate of PAHs was 59.61% and 62.09%, respectively. Nitrogen application could improve the abundance and the diversity of soil microbial community. Degrading genes involved in PAH detoxification were enhanced after nitrogen addition, particularly those encoding ring-hydroxylating and catechol dioxygenases such as nahAc and nidA, thus, accelerating PAH dissipation in the soil. The results will facilitate the development of beneficial microbiome-based remediation strategies and improve agricultural production safety in PAHs-contaminated soils.

Keywords: Microbial community; Nitrogen; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Soil; nahAc and nidA.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Biodegradation, Environmental
Ecosystem
Humans
Nitrogen
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons* / analysis
Soil / chemistry
Soil Microbiology
Soil Pollutants* / analysis

Substances

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Nitrogen