title: Microbial-electrochemical bioremediation and detoxification of dibenzothiophene-polluted soil.
abstract: Bioremediation is a relatively efficient and cost-effective technology for treating polluted soils. However, the availability of suitable electron acceptors to sustain microbial respiration can reduce the microbial activity. This work aims to evaluate the impact of burying electrically conductive electron acceptors in soil for enhancing the removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) by native electrogenic microbes. Although this novel approach is based on the use of a microbial electrochemical technology as microbial fuel cells, our goal is not to harvest energy but to maximize bioremediation, so we concluded to name the device as Microbial Electroremediating Cell (MERC). Our results proved that stimulating the microbial electrogenic metabolism, DBT removal was enhanced by more than 3-fold compared to the natural attenuation. On top of that, ecotoxicological test using green algae confirms a decrease of 50% in the toxicity of the treated soil during incubation in MERC, in contrast to the unaltered values detected under natural conditions.
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Alcalá, E-28771 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Jose
authors: J
authors: Rodrigo
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Alcalá, E-28771 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Water Technologies IMDEA-Water, Parque Científico Tecnológico, E-28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: karina.boltes@uah.es.
authors: Karina
authors: K
authors: Boltes
authors: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Alcalá, E-28771 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies in Water Technologies IMDEA-Water, Parque Científico Tecnológico, E-28805 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain.
authors: Abraham
authors: A
authors: Esteve-Nuñez
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001674:Bioelectric Energy Sources; D000460:Chlorophyta; D008658:Inactivation, Metabolic; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants; D013876:Thiophenes; C016366:dibenzothiophene
keywords: Bioremediation; Dibenzothiophene; Ecotoxicity; Microbial Electroremediating Cell; Microbial fuel cell; Soil