Characterization of a phenanthrene-degrading methanogenic community

Highlights

The mixed samples of contaminated soil, sludge and coke wastewater showed great phenanthrene methanogenic degradation potential.

Comamonadaceae, Nocardiaceae and Methanobacterium were dominant members.

Hexane, hexadecane and benzene could enhance phenanthrene degradation.

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) often occur in oil-contaminated soil, coke wastewater and domestic sludge; however, associated PAH degraders in these environments are not clear. Here we evaluated phenanthrene degradation potential in the mixed samples of above environments, and obtained a methanogenic community with different microbial profile compared to those from sediments. Phenanthrene was efficiently degraded (1.26 mg/L/d) and nonstoichiometric amount of methane was produced simultaneously. 16S rRNA gene sequencing demonstrated that bacterial populations were mainly associated with Comamonadaceae Nocardiaceae and Thermodesulfobiaceae, and that methanogenic archaea groups were dominated by Methanobacterium and Methanothermobacter. Substances such as hexane, hexadecane, benzene and glucose showed the most positive effects on phenanthrene degradation. Substrate utilization tests indicated that this culture could not utilize other PAHs. These analyses could offer us some suggestions on the putative phenanthrene-degrading microbes in such environments, and might help us develop strategies for the removal of PAHs from contaminated soil and sludge.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Phenanthrene degradation potential / Methanogenic / Bacterial population / Archaeal group

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41573065 and 41773082), the Key Project of Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21337001) and the National Water Pollution Control and Treatment Science and Technology Major Project (Grant No. 2017ZX07202002).

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-018-1083-2 and is accessible for authorized users.

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