Bioremediation alternatives for total petroleum hydrocarbon removal in agricultural soil

Resumen

Objective: The purpose of the present study is to highlight the importance of assessing bioremediation and total petroleum hydrocarbon removal by bioaugmentation and biostimulation on the rhizosphere.

Design/methodology/approach: An 89-day experiment was established with treatments considering plant (corn) establishment–crude petroleum (25,000 mg kg^-1)–bacteria and hydrocarbonoclastic fungi–adding nitrogen and phosphorus to agricultural soil. At the end of the experiment, hydrocarbonoclastic fungal and bacterial populations and total petroleum hydrocarbon removal were assessed.

Results: Both microbial groups increased in number and time. The treatment with 120 kg nitrogen ha^-1 and 12.5 kg phosphorus ha^-1 allowed the highest population (227 x 10³ g^-1 of colony forming units (CFU) of hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria). A total of 83% petroleum hydrocarbon removal was obtained as established in 89 days.

Limitations on study/implications: The effectiveness of bioremediation can vary significantly in real environments due to factors, such as soil variability, climate.

Findings/conclusions: The previous results highlight the importance of using these bioremediation techniques to eliminate hydrocarbons in contaminated agricultural soils.