Open AccessStimulating soil microorganisms for mineralizing the herbicide isoproturon by means of microbial electroremediating cells
Author(s) -
Rodrigo Quejigo Jose,
Dörfler Ulrike,
Schroll Reiner,
EsteveNúñez Abraham
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/1751-7915.12351
Subject(s) - mineralization (soil science) , biodegradation , microorganism , environmental chemistry , electron acceptor , chemistry , microbial metabolism , pollutant , metabolic pathway , bacteria , soil water , metabolism , environmental science , biochemistry , biology , soil science , genetics , organic chemistry
Summary The absence of suitable terminal electron acceptors ( TEA ) in soil might limit the oxidative metabolism of environmental microbial populations. Microbial electroremediating cells ( MERC s) consist in a variety of bioelectrochemical devices that aim to overcome electron acceptor limitation and maximize metabolic oxidation with the purpose of enhancing the biodegradation of a pollutant in the environment. The objective of this work was to use MERC s principles for stimulating soil bacteria to achieve the complete biodegradation of the herbicide 14 C‐isoproturon ( IPU ) to 14 CO 2 in soils. Our study concludes that using electrodes at a positive potential [+600 mV (versus Ag/AgCl)] enhanced the mineralization by 20‐fold respect the electrode‐free control. We also report an overall profile of the 14 C‐ IPU metabolites and a 14 C mass balance in response to the different treatments. The remarkable impact of electrodes on the microbial activity of natural communities suggests a promising future for this emerging environmental technology that we propose to name bioelectroventing.