title: Evaluating a bioremediation tool for atrazine contaminated soils in open soil microcosms: the effectiveness of bioaugmentation and biostimulation approaches.
abstract: A previously developed potential cleanup tool for atrazine contaminated soils was evaluated in larger open soil microcosms for optimization under more realistic conditions, using a natural crop soil spiked with an atrazine commercial formulation (Atrazerba FL). The doses used were 20x or 200x higher than the recommended dose (RD) for an agricultural application, mimicking over-use or spill situations. Pseudomonas sp. strain ADP was used for bioaugmentation (around 10(7) or 10(8) viable cells g(-1) of soil) and citrate for biostimulation (up to 4.8 mg g(-1) of soil). Bioremediation treatments providing fastest and higher atrazine biodegradation proved to differ according to the initial level of soil contamination. For 20x RD of Atrazerba FL, a unique inoculation with Pseudomonas sp. ADP (9 +/- 1 x 10(7) CFU g(-1)) resulted in rapid atrazine removal (99% of the initial 7.2 +/- 1.6 microg g(-1) after 8d), independent of citrate. For 200x RD, an inoculation with the atrazine-degrading bacteria (8.5 +/- 0.5 x 10(7) CFU g(-1)) supplemented with citrate amendment (2.4 mg g(-1)) resulted in improved biodegradation (87%) compared with bioaugmentation alone (79%), even though 7.8 +/- 2.1 microg of atrazine g(-1) still remained in the soil after 1 wk. However, the same amount of inoculum, distributed over three successive inoculations and combined with citrate, increased Pseudomonas sp. ADP survival and atrazine biodegradation (to 98%, in 1 wk). We suggest that this bioremediation tool may be valuable for efficient removal of atrazine from contaminated field soils thus minimizing atrazine and its chlorinated derivatives from reaching water compartments.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Centre for Biological and Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Av Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Viana
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: André
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chelinho
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Fialho
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Viegas
mesh_terms: D001280:Atrazine / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D017753:Ecosystem; D006540:Herbicides / Q000378:metabolism; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D001280:Atrazine