Effects of 3,6-Dibromocarbazole on Soil Health—Based on Soil Enzymes and the Biolog-ECO Test

• Published in: Water, air, and soil pollution air, and soil pollution, 2022-07, Vol.233 (7), Article 256
• Main Authors: Du, Zhongkun, Zhang, Ji, Cheng, Chao, Shi, Baihui, Zhu, Lusheng, Wang, Jun, Wang, Jinhua, Li, Bing
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acid phosphatase; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bioaccumulation; Biological activity; Biological effects; Carbazoles; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Contaminants; Degradation; Degradation products; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecosystems; Environment; Environmental monitoring; Enzymes; Glucosidase; Hydrogeology; Microbial activity; Microorganisms; Nutrients; Phosphatase; Phosphatases; Soil; Soil contamination; Soil microbiology; Soil microorganisms; Soil Science & Conservation; Soil testing; Soils; Toxicity; Urease; Water Quality/Water Pollution; β-Glucosidase
• ISSN: 0049-6979; 1573-2932
• DOI: 10.1007/s11270-022-05736-0

Polyhalogenated carbazoles (PHCZs) are a kind of emerging contaminants with doxin-like toxicity, potential bioaccumulation capability, and persistence. Data about the risks of PHCZs on soil ecosystem are scarce to date, although PHCZs have been detected with high concentrations in the soil. The present study performed a preliminary investigation of 3,6-dibromocarbazole (36-DBCZ, a PHCZ with a high detection rate, and concentration in the environment) at concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, 10, and 100 mg/kg on the soil health, based on soil enzyme test and Biolog-ECO assay. Results showed that 36-DBCZ could inhibit the activity and diversity of soil microbes, even at the environment-relevant concentration (0.1 mg/kg). But, the inhibition lasted only about 10 days. As time passed, slight increases in microbe activity and diversity were found in 36-DBCZ-treated groups. We hypothesized that the degradation products of 36-DBCZ provided extra nutrients to the soil microbes, which required further verification. Activities of urease, β-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase were increasingly increased, in contrast to the microbial activity. The present study provides valuable data on the effects of PHCZs on the soil ecosystem, and we suggest that the degradation of PHCZs, as well as their influences on the structure and functions of the soil microbial community, should be investigated in future studies.