Lindane dissipation in a biomixture: Effect of soil properties and bioaugmentation

• Published in: Ecotoxicology and environmental safety 2018-07, Vol.156, p.97-105
• Main Authors: Saez, Juliana M., Bigliardo, Ana L., Raimondo, Enzo E., Briceño, Gabriela E., Polti, Marta A., Benimeli, Claudia S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Actinobacteria; Bioaugmentation; Biomixture; Biopurification system; Fungi; Pesticides
• ISSN: 0147-6513; 1090-2414
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.03.011

The biomixture is the major constituent of a biopurification system and one of the most important factors in its efficiency; hence the selection of the components is crucial to ensure the efficient pesticides removal. Besides, bioaugmentation is an interesting approach for the optimization of these systems. A mixed culture of the fungus Trametes versicolor SGNG1 and the actinobacteria Streptomyces sp. A2, A5, A11, and M7, was designed to inoculate the biomixtures, based on previously demonstrated ligninolytic and pesticide-degrading activities and the absence of antagonism among the strains. The presence of lindane and/or the inoculum in the biomixtures had no significant effect on the development of culturable microorganisms regardless the soil type. The consortium improved lindane dissipation achieving 81–87% of removal at 66 d of incubation in the different biomixtures, decreasing lindane half-life to an average of 24 d, i.e. 6-fold less than t1/2 of lindane in soils. However, after recontamination, only the bioaugmented biomixture of silty loam soil enhanced lindane dissipation and decreased the t1/2 compared to non-bioaugmented. The biomixture formulated with silty loam soil, sugarcane bagasse, and peat, inoculated with a fungal-actinobacterial consortium, could be appropriate for the treatment of agroindustrial effluents contaminated with organochlorine pesticides in biopurification systems. •Lindane did not affect the growth of culturable microorganisms in the biomixtures.•Bioaugmentation improved lindane dissipation in the biomixtures of the three soils.•The consortium decreased lindane t1/2 to 6-fold less than t1/2 reported for soils.•After recontamination only the inoculated silty loam-biomixture reduced the t1/2.•This is the first report on fungal-actinobacterial bioaugmentation of biomixtures.