title: Cleaning-up atrazine-polluted soil by using Microbial Electroremediating Cells.
abstract: Biodegradation of pollutants in soil is greatly limited by the availability of terminal electron acceptors required for supporting microbial respiration. Such limitation can be overcome if soil-buried electrodes accept the electrons released in the microbial metabolism. We propose the term bioelectroventing for such a environmental treatment. The process would be performed in a device so-called Microbial Electroremediating Cell. Indeed, our studies demonstrate that the presence of electrodes as electron acceptors effectively stimulated by 5-fold the biodegradation rate of the herbicide atrazine (2-chloro-4-ethylamino-6-isopropyl amino-1,3,5-triazine) in comparison with soil natural attenuation. Furthermore, a different set of toxicological test using Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata green alga e, Salmonella typhimorium bacteria and Sorghum saccharatum plant seeds respectively, confirm that atrazine-polluted soil can be effectively cleaned-up in short time by the use of MERCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcala, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ainara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Garay
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcala, Madrid, Spain; IMDEA-AGUA, Parque Tecnológico de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Boltes
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, Physical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Alcala, Madrid, Spain; IMDEA-AGUA, Parque Tecnológico de Alcalá, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: abraham.esteve@uah.es.
authors.forename: Abraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Esteve-Núñez
mesh_terms: D001280:Atrazine / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D055664:Electrochemical Techniques; D004566:Electrodes; D006540:Herbicides / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D045868:Sorghum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D006540:Herbicides; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D001280:Atrazine
keywords: Atrazine; Bioelectroventing; Bioremediation; Ecotoxicology; Microbial Electroremediating Cell; Sediment MFC