Biodegradation of trinitrotoluene (TNT) by indigenous microorganisms from TNT-contaminated soil, and their application in TNT bioremediation

Abstract

Soil and groundwater contaminated by munitions compounds is a crucial issue in environmental protection. Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is highly toxic and carcinogenic; therefore, the control and remediation of TNT contamination is a critical environmental issue. In this study, the authors characterized the indigenous microbial isolates from a TNT-contaminated site and evaluated their activity in TNT biodegradation. The bacteria Achromobacter sp. BC09 and Citrobacter sp. YC4 isolated from TNT-contaminated soil by enrichment culture with TNT as the sole carbon and nitrogen source (strain BC09) and as the sole nitrogen but not carbon source (strain YC4) were studied for their use in TNT bioremediation. The efficacy of degradation of TNT by indigenous microorganisms in contaminated soil without any modification was insufficient in the laboratoryscale pilot experiments. The addition of strains BC09 and YC4 to the contaminated soil did not significantly accelerate the degradation rate. However, the addition of an additional carbon source (e.g., 0.25% sucrose) could significantly increase the bioremediation efficiency (ca. decrease of 200 ppm for 10 days). Overall, the results suggested that biostimulation was more efficient as compared with bioaugmentation. Nevertheless, the combination of biostimulation and bioaugmentation using these indigenous isolates is still a feasible approach for the development of bioremediation of TNT pollution.

Remediation potential of a soil bacterium, Planomicrobium flavidum (S5-TSA-19) for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) i.e., a nitro-aromatic explosive in aquatic medium.

“…Numerous applications of military and at supplementary civil areas such as engineering, construction, extracting, mining and rocket propellants explosives i.e., organic energetic compounds (nitroamines and nitroaromatic) are being used (Chatterjee et al 2017;Nagar et al 2018Nagar et al , 2021). 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), is a reported universally utilized secondary explosive (Ryu et al 2007; Stenuit and Agathos 2010; Ayoub et al 2010; Kao et al 2016). As per Alothman et al 2020, TNT, being a teratogenic, cytotoxic nitroaromatic compound, may affect cellular mutations in humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms (Juhasz and Naidu 2007;Fahrenfeld et al 2013; Kao et al 2016).…”

“…2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), is a reported universally utilized secondary explosive (Ryu et al 2007; Stenuit and Agathos 2010; Ayoub et al 2010; Kao et al 2016). As per Alothman et al 2020, TNT, being a teratogenic, cytotoxic nitroaromatic compound, may affect cellular mutations in humans, animals, plants, and microorganisms (Juhasz and Naidu 2007;Fahrenfeld et al 2013; Kao et al 2016). Throughout the two World Wars, because of the immense usage of TNT, ecosystem of soil and water has turn out to be utterly polluted (Fuller et al 2004; Lewis et al 2004).…”

“…The lethal and mutagenic effect of TNT is being exhibited on eukaryotes and prokaryotes (Honeycutt et al 1996; Khan, Lee, and Park. 2013; Kao et al 2016). Subsequently, TNT's detrimental impacts in soil and groundwater is a critical issue with respect to environmental protection which required to be controlled or minimalize as per demand of the hour.…”

Characterization of fermentation liquid from mangrove leaves Avicennia marina and its inhibitory potential for bacterium causing ice-ice disease

“…Mangrove leaves A. marina used as indigenous microorganisms (IMO) source, is group of innate microbial consortium that inhabits the soil and the surface of all living things inside and outside (Umi & Saria, 2006), and easily available in that environment (Kumar & Gopal, 2015). IMO has potentiality in nitrogen fixation, increase soil fertility, phosphates solvent, and increase plant growth (Umi & Saria, 2006), bioremediation (Kao et al, 2016;Sarkar et al, 2016;Kumar & Gopal, 2015), and protect host from pathogenic microorganism (Kumar & Gopal, 2015), biactivator (Mirwandono et al, 2018), increase the availability of nutrients for host (Sakimin et al, 2017;Suyanto & Irianto, 2016), and as fermentation agent (Anyanwu et al, 2015).…”

Informing Efforts to Develop Nitroreductase for Amine Production

“…Numerous efforts are underway to develop nitroreductase enzymes to activate prodrugs [ 1 , 2 ], remediate pollutants [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ] and generate building-blocks for high-value pharmaceuticals [ 8 ]. However, reduction of nitrated aromatics has been a challenge to chemists since the original work by Haber in 1898 [ 9 , 10 ].…”