The potential of enhanced phytoremediation to clean up multi-contaminated soil - insights from metatranscriptomics.

This study aimed to (i) investigate the potential for enhanced phytoremediation to remove contaminants from soil historically co-contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) and heavy metals (HMs) and (ii) analyze the expression of crucial bacterial genes and whole metatranscriptomics profiles for better understanding of soil processes during applied treatment. Phytoremediation was performed using Zea mays and supported by the Pseudomonas qingdaonensis ZCR6 strain and a natural biofertilizer: meat and bone meal (MBM). In previous investigations, mechanisms supporting plant growth and PH degradation were described in the ZCR6 strain.

The microbial removal of bisphenols in aquatic microcosms and associated alteration in bacterial community.

The concept of the study resulted from numerous concerns around bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) in aquatic environments. In this study, river water and sediment microcosms highly polluted with bisphenols and bioaugmented with two BPs-removing bacterial strains were constructed. The study aimed to determine the rate of high-concentrated BPA and BPS (BPs) removal from river water and sediment microniches, and the effect of water bioaugmentation with bacterial consortium on the removal rates of these pollutants.

Analysis of the Genome of the Heavy Metal Resistant and Hydrocarbon-Degrading Rhizospheric ZCR6 Strain and Assessment of Its Plant-Growth-Promoting Traits.

The ZCR6 strain, isolated from the rhizosphere of growing in soil co-contaminated with hydrocarbons and heavy metals, was investigated for its plant growth promotion, hydrocarbon degradation, and heavy metal resistance. In vitro bioassays confirmed all of the abovementioned properties. ZCR6 was able to produce indole acetic acid (IAA), siderophores, and ammonia, solubilized Ca(PO), and showed surface active properties and activity of cellulase and very high activity of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase (297 nmol α-ketobutyrate mg h).

Metagenomic Functional Profiling Reveals Differences in Bacterial Composition and Function During Bioaugmentation of Aged Petroleum-Contaminated Soil.

Our objective was to study the bacterial community changes that determine enhanced removal of petroleum hydrocarbons from soils subjected to bioaugmentation with the hydrocarbon-degrading strains CD 130, CD 167, and their combination. To achieve this, a high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed. The changes in the bacterial community composition were most apparent the day after bacterial inoculation.

Response of rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial communities of white mustard (Sinapis alba) to bioaugmentation of soil with the Pseudomonas sp. H15 strain.

A factor that may significantly increase the efficacy of phytoextraction is soil bioaugmentation with specific bacteria, which can alter the composition of rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial communities. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of soil treatment with living (bioaugmentation) and dead (control) cells of the plant growth-promoting metal-resistant endophytic strain Pseudomonas sp. H15 on the bacterial community composition in the rhizo- and endo-sphere of white mustard during enhanced phytoextraction.

The effect of bioaugmentation of petroleum-contaminated soil with Rhodococcus erythropolis strains on removal of petroleum from soil.

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of inoculation of petroleum-contaminated soil with the hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains Rhodococcus erythropolis CD 130 and CD 167 or their consortium on the removal of hydrocarbons from the soil. Additionally, changes in the activity and structure of soil autochthonous bacterial communities were studied. At the end of the experiment, the fastest hydrocarbon removal was seen in the soil treated with the CD 167 strain (38.

Effect of and Heavy Metal Pollution on Soil Microbial Diversity in Long-Term Contaminated Soil.

In this study, we analysed the impact of heavy metals and plant rhizodeposition on the structure of indigenous microbial communities in rhizosphere and bulk soil that had been exposed to heavy metals for more than 150 years. Samples of the rhizosphere of and non-rhizosphere soils 250 and 450 m from the source of emission that had different metal concentrations were collected for analyses. The results showed that soils were collected 250 m from the smelter had a higher number of Cd-resistant CFU compared with the samples that were collected from 450 m, but no significant differences were observed in the number of total and oligotrophic CFU or the equivalent cell numbers between rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils that were taken 250 and 450 m from the emitter.

Improvement of phytoremediation of an aged petroleum hydrocarbon-contaminated soil by Rhodococcus erythropolis CD 106 strain.

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of soil inoculation with the Rhodococcus erythropolis CD 106 strain on the effectiveness of the phytoremediation of an aged hydrocarbon-contaminated [approx. 1% total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH)] soil using ryegrass (Lolium perenne). The introduction of CD 106 into the soil significantly increased the biomass of ryegrass and the removal of hydrocarbons in planted soil.

Isolation of hydrocarbon-degrading and biosurfactant-producing bacteria and assessment their plant growth-promoting traits.

Forty-two hydrocarbon-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from the soil heavily contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. Forty-one strains were identified based on their whole-cell fatty acid profiles using the MIDI-MIS method. Thirty-three of them belong to species Rhodococcus erythropolis, while the others to the genera Rahnella (4), Serratia (3) and Proteus (1).

Environmental applications of biosurfactants: recent advances.

Increasing public awareness of environmental pollution influences the search and development of technologies that help in clean up of organic and inorganic contaminants such as hydrocarbons and metals. An alternative and eco-friendly method of remediation technology of environments contaminated with these pollutants is the use of biosurfactants and biosurfactant-producing microorganisms. The diversity of biosurfactants makes them an attractive group of compounds for potential use in a wide variety of industrial and biotechnological applications.