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Effects of regular addition and discontinuation of biosurfactant on hydrocarbon biodegradation and microorganisms in heavy oily sludge

  • Soils, Sec 5 • Soil and Landscape Ecology • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of biosurfactant and nutrient amendment on the bioremediation of heavy oily sludge. The biosurfactants exhibit characteristics of amphiphilicity, emulsifying activity, and biodegradability. The application of biosurfactant, appropriate water and nutrition, combined with mechanical stirring effectively enhanced bioremediation, providing a promising scheme for sustainable development of the ecosystem.

Methods

Here, biosurfactant was produced by strain Pseudomonas sp. CH1. Biosurfactant (80 mg L−1) was periodically added to heavy oily sludge for 10 weeks. The effects of biosurfactants on petroleum hydrocarbon content, catalase activity, and microbial community composition were characterized.

Results

Compared with the control (water addition only), treatment supplemented with biosurfactants exhibited better performance in degrading total petroleum hydrocarbons and n-alkanes, while regular cumulative addition of biosurfactants inhibited biodegradation. Moreover, the analysis of microbial community structure showed that the biosurfactant selectively enriched microorganisms that are capable of degrading petroleum hydrocarbons.

Conclusion

The results demonstrate the potential of biosurfactants for heavy oily sludge bioremediation. The application of biosurfactants can improve catalase activity and enrich the degrading populations, thereby promoting the biodegradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons, especially the aliphatic fractions, whereas high biosurfactant content inhibited the biodegradation.

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Data availability

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No: 5270050), by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2020QNA4045), by the Research Funds of the Guangxi Key Laboratory of Theory and technology for Environmental Pollution Control (2001K004), and by the Major Science and Technology Project of Zhejiang Province (2021C02024).

Author information

Author notes

  1. Hanghai Zhou and Shichen Li contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Biology and Pharmacology, Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, 316021, Zhejiang, China

    Hanghai Zhou, Lijia Jiang, Xiaoyun Lin, Chunlei Chen & Chunfang Zhang

  2. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin, 541006, China

    Shichen Li, Feng Zeng, Yanhong Li & Chunfang Zhang

Authors
  1. Hanghai Zhou
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  2. Shichen Li
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  3. Lijia Jiang
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  4. Feng Zeng
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  5. Xiaoyun Lin
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  6. Chunlei Chen
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  7. Yanhong Li
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  8. Chunfang Zhang
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Data collection and analysis were performed by Hanghai Zhou, Shichen Li, and Lijia Jiang. Material preparation was performed by Feng Zeng, Xiaoyun Lin, and Chunlei Chen. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Hanghai Zhou and Shichen Li. The review of the manuscript was performed by Yanhong Li and Chunfang Zhang, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Yanhong Li or Chunfang Zhang.

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Responsible editor: Claudio Bini

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Highlights

∙ Biosurfactant amendment notably promoted the TPH degradation in heavy oily sludge.

∙ The dose of biosurfactant had great influence on the degradation efficiency.

∙ Catalase activity increased with the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons.

∙ Biosurfactant amendment selectively enriched the potential degrading populations.

Supplementary Information

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Supplementary file1 (DOC 427 KB)

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Cite this article

Zhou, H., Li, S., Jiang, L. et al. Effects of regular addition and discontinuation of biosurfactant on hydrocarbon biodegradation and microorganisms in heavy oily sludge. J Soils Sediments 22, 2475–2484 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03239-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03239-3

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