Cr(Ⅵ) reduction in chromium-contaminated soil by indigenous microorganisms under aerobic condition

Bioremediation plays an increasingly important role in the remediation of chromium-contaminated soil because it is an environmentally friendly technology. To investigate the Cr(Ⅵ)reduction process by indigenous microorganisms in soil, a batch of incubation experiments were carried out in a bioreactor under aerobic conditions. The results showed that in the presence of indigenous microorganisms, the Cr(Ⅵ) concentration in the chromium-contaminated soil decreased from 1521.9 to 199.2 mg/kg within 66 h with culture medium addition, while a slight decrease in the Cr(Ⅵ) concentration was found in the sterilized soil,implying that the indigenous microorganisms contributed to the Cr(Ⅵ) reduction. In the microbial remediation process, Cr(Ⅵ)microbial reduction occurred after the reduction of NO3-, Mn4+ and Fe3+ and,before SO42- reduction. The reduction process of Cr(Ⅵ) can be divided into two phases, characterized by the exponential equation model of microbial reduction and the linear equation model of the combined effect of the major ions. It can be concluded that indigenous Cr(Ⅵ)-reducing bacteria have a potential application for in-situ remediation of Cr(Ⅵ)-contaminated soil.

Microbial Community from MTBE-Contaminated Soil for Aerobic Biodegradation of MTBE

This Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is one of the main additives in gasoline to increase octane rating and consequently reduce air pollution. The physico-chemical properties of this substance (high water solubility, low sorption in soil) result in high mobility and considerable concentrations in aquifers. In this survey, Isfehan Refinery that was encountered with MTBE contamination problem was selected as a case study and the MTBE degradation ability of this contaminated area by its indigenous microorganisms was investigated. In the first step of this survey, the influence of various factors on the aerobic degradation of MTBE such as mixed culture type, incubation time, microbial culture and optimal concentration of MTBE were investigated in shaking flasks and the most important factors were specified by means of fractional factorial design 1/2. In the second stage by using optimal values which obtained from the first stage, the effects of co-substare parameter and inoculum parameter were assayed by means of response surface method. The results of the experiments showed that the mixed culture type and initial concentration of MTBE were the most significant factors. The results of the experiments showed that the mixed indigenous culture acted better than activated sludge. The initial concentration of MTBE was also one of the most significant factors. At the best condition about 31 percent of MTBE was treated by co-substrating with n-hexane in a ratio of 0.2.

Adaptability of microbial inoculators and their contribution to degradation of mineral oil and PAHs

Five dominant bacteria strains（A cetobacter sp., Alcdigenes sp., Micrococcus sp., Arthrobacter sp. and Bacillus sp.） and five fungi strains （Cephalosporium sp. Ⅰ, Cephalosporlum sp. Ⅱ, Aspergillus sp. Ⅰ, Aspergillus sp. Ⅱ and Fusarium sp.） isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil were used to assess the potential capability of mineral oil and PAH enhanced degradation separately and jointly using the batch liquid medium cultivation with diesel oil spiked at 1000 mg/L. The experiment was performed on a reciprocal shaker in the darkness at 25℃ to 30℃ for 100 d. The dynamic variation in the activity of microbial inoculators in each treatment and the degradation of the target pollutants during the period of experiment were monitored. Results showed a more rapid biodegradation of mineral oil and PAHs at the beginning of the experiment （about 20 d） by dominant bacteria, fungi and their mixture than that of the indigenous microorganisms, however, thereafter an opposite trcnd was exhibited that the removal ratio by indigenous microorganisms was superior to any other dominant treatments and the tendency lasted till the end of the experiment, indicating the limited competitive capability of dominant microorganisms to degrade the contaminants, and the natural selection of indigenous microorganisms for use in the removal of the contaminants. At the end of the experiment, the removal ratio of mineral oil ranged from 56.8 % to 79.2 % and PAHs ranged from 96.8 % to 99.1% in each treatment by microbial inoculators,