Evaluation of the effectiveness of a bioremediation process in experimental soils polluted with chromium and lindane

APARICIO, DANIEL; GARCIA VELASCO NEREA; URIONABARRENETXEA ERIK; SOTO MANU; ALVAREZ ANALÍA; POLTI, MARTA ALEJANDRA

ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY

ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2019 vol. 181 p. 255 - 263

0147-6513

Bioremediation using actinobacterium consortia proved to be a promising alternative for the purification of cocontaminatedenvironments. In this sense, the quadruple consortium composed of Streptomyces sp. M7, MC1, A5,and Amycolatopsis tucumanensis AB0 has been able to remove significant levels of Cr(VI) and lindane from anthropogenicallycontaminated soils. However, the effectiveness of the bioremediation process could not beevaluated only by analytical monitoring, which is complex mainly due to the characteristics of the matrix,producing non-quantitative analyte recoveries, or interferences in the detection stage and quantification.However, the effectiveness of the bioremediation process cannot be evaluated only through analytical monitoring,which is complex due mainly to the characteristics of the matrix, to the recoveries of non-quantitativeanalytes or to interferences in the detection and quantification stage. For this reason, it is essential to have toolsof ecological relevance to assess the biological impact of pollutants on the environment. In this context, theobjective of this work was to establish the appropriate bioassays to evaluate the effectiveness of a bioremediationprocess of co-contaminated soils. For this, five model species were studied: four plant species (Lactuca sativa,Raphanus sativus, Lycopersicon esculentum, and Zea mays) and one animal species (Eisenia fetida). On plant species,the biomarkers evaluated were inhibition of germination (IG) and the length of hypocotyls/steam and radicles/roots of the seedling. While on E. fetida, mortality (M), weight lost, coelomocyte concentration and cell viabilitywere tested. These bioindicators and the battery of biomarkers quantified in them showed a different level ofsensitivity, from maximum to minimum: E. fetida > L. esculentum > L. sativa > R. sativus ≫>Z. mays.Therefore, E. fetida and L. esculentum and their respective biomarkers were selected to evaluate the effectivenessof the bioremediation process due to the capability of assessing the effect on the flora and the fauna of the soil,respectively. The joint application of these bioindicators in a field scale bioremediation process is a feasible toolto demonstrate the recovery of the quality and health of the soil.