Metagenome analyses of microbial population in geotextile fabrics used in permeable reactor barriers for toluene biodegradation

Huseyin Tombuloglu; Cevat Yaman; Imane Boudellioua; Emre Cevik; Ismail Anil; Omer Aga; Ayse B Yaman; Aleem Qureshi; Seyda Tugba Gunday

doi:10.1007/s13205-023-03460-y

Metagenome analyses of microbial population in geotextile fabrics used in permeable reactor barriers for toluene biodegradation

3 Biotech. 2023 Feb;13(2):40. doi: 10.1007/s13205-023-03460-y. Epub 2023 Jan 10.

Authors

Huseyin Tombuloglu¹, Cevat Yaman², Imane Boudellioua³, Emre Cevik⁴, Ismail Anil², Omer Aga², Ayse B Yaman², Aleem Qureshi², Seyda Tugba Gunday⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Genetics Research, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations (IRMC), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, 31441 Saudi Arabia.
² Environmental Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, P.O. Box 1982, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
³ Information and Computer Science Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, P.O. Box 2205, Dhahran, 31261 Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Bioenergy Research Unit, Department of Biophysics, Institute for Research and Medical Consultations, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, PO Box:1982, Dammam, 31441 Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Toluene is one of the hydrocarbons that contaminate soil and groundwater, and has a high cost to remediate, which makes it an environmental pollutant of concern. This study aimed to find bacterial distribution from nonwoven geotextile (GT) fabric specimens in a pilot-scale permeable reactive barrier (PRB). Upon 167 days of incubation with the addition of toluene, the microbial community on the GT surfaces (n = 12) was investigated by the 16S rRNA metagenome sequencing approach. According to taxonomic classification, the Proteobacteria phylum dominated the metagenomes of all the geotextile samples (80-90%). Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) Pathway database search of the toluene degradation mechanism revealed the susceptible toluene-degrading species. For the toluene-to-benzoate degradation, the Cupriavidus genus, particularly C. gilardii, C. metallidurans, and C. taiwanensis, are likely to be functional. In addition to these species, the Novosphingobium genus was abundantly localized in the GTs, in particular Novosphingobium sp. ABRDHK2. The results suggested the biodegradation potential of these species in toluene remediation. Overall, this work sheds light on the variety of microorganisms found in the geotextile fabrics used in PRBs and the species involved in the biodegradation of toluene from several sources, including soil, sediment, and groundwater.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13205-023-03460-y.

Keywords: Geotextile; Metagenome; Microorganism; Permeable reactive barrier; Toluene.

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