Dynamics of Functional Genes and Bacterial Community during Bioremediation of Diesel-Contaminated Soil Amended with Compost.

Compost is widely used as an organic additive to improve the bioremediation of diesel-contaminated soil. In this study, the effects of compost amendment on the remediation performance, functional genes, and bacterial community are evaluated during the bioremediation of diesel-contaminated soils with various ratios of compost (0-20%, w/w). The study reveals that the diesel removal efficiency, soil enzyme (dehydrogenase and urease) activity, soil CH oxidation potential, and soil NO reduction potential have a positive correlation with the compost amendment ( < 0.05). The ratios of denitrifying genes (, and ) to 16S rRNA genes each show a positive correlation with compost amendment, whereas the ratio of the CH-oxidizing gene () to the 16S rRNA genes shows a negative correlation. Interestingly, the genera , , , , , , , and are strongly associated with diesel degradation, and have a strong positive correlation with soil CH oxidation potential. Meanwhile, the genera , , , , , , and are found to be strongly associated with soil NO reduction potential. These results provide useful data for developing technologies that improve diesel removal efficiency while minimizing greenhouse gas emissions in the bioremediation process of diesel-contaminated soil.