Bacterial slime films break down oil pollution faster than free-floating microbes
Ashraf M, Abo-Amer AE, Ghazy M, Labena A, Abdel-Mawgood A
Phytoremediation
If you've ever wondered whether soil near an old gas station, driveway, or industrial lot can ever be safe to grow food in again, this points to a cheap, low-tech way bacteria already in the dirt can break down that contamination on their own.
Researchers dug up bacteria from oil-contaminated soil and found three types especially good at eating toxic compounds found in petroleum. When these bacteria formed a slimy, sticky mat called a biofilm rather than swimming around loose, they broke down the pollution even faster, and this held true when tested in real contaminated soil, not just in a lab dish.
Key Findings
Three bacterial strains (Bacillus paramycoides, Bacillus paranthracis, Bacillus licheniformis) were the strongest degraders of phenanthrene and naphthalene, two common PAH pollutants
Best growth and degradation occurred at 37°C and pH 7
Biofilm-grown bacteria degraded PAHs more effectively than free-floating (planktonic) cultures, and this advantage carried over to artificially contaminated soil tests
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists found soil bacteria that eat toxic petroleum pollutants called PAHs, and when the bacteria grow as a sticky biofilm instead of floating freely, they clean up the contamination faster.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Enhancing biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using bacterial consortia and biofilm.
The release of petroleum and its constituents, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), into the environment poses a significant global threat due to their toxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, and/...
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