Nonylphenol biodegradation by Pseudomonas umsongensis bacterial strain in aquatic medium and soil microcosm

Abstract

Environmental pollution with nonylphenols (NPs) is a serious environmental problem due to their persistence, toxicity and ability to have a negative impact on the endocrine system of humans and animals. Biodegradation of NPs is the most environmentally safe and effective way to reduce their content in water and soil ecosystems. A novel bacterial strain, Pseudomonas umsongensis 16, capable of degrading NP in aquatic media and soil microcosm, was isolated from soddy-podzolic soil contaminated with NP. The strain 16 exhibits the ability to degrade NP in a wide range of temperatures (from +5 to +35°C), pH (5–9), and xenobiotic concentrations up to 500 mg/l. Bioaugmentation of nonylphenol contaminated soil by cells of P. umsongensis 16 leads to an increase in the efficiency of NP destruction in the soil microcosm. The degree of pollutant degradation increases by 1.9 times with a 6.4-fold reduction in the time of its half-removal as compared with the soil microcosm without the introduction of the destructor strain cells. It has been established that as a result of bioaugmentation in soil contaminated with NP, the activity of the soil enzyme urease is restored to the level of uncontaminated soil. The results obtained can be used in the development of biotechnology for the purification of environmental objects contaminated with nonylphenols.

Keywords

• endocrine disruptors
• water and soil ecosystems
• biodegradation
• bioaugmentation