Indigenous microbial communities in Albertan sediments are capable of anaerobic benzene biodegradation under methanogenic, sulfate-reducing, nitrate-reducing, and iron-reducing redox conditions

• Author(s) / Creator(s)

  • Korris Lee, Ania Ulrich

• Alberta is a major center for oil and gas production, and correspondingly harbors
  hundreds of unresolved contamination sites by environmental hazards such
  as benzene (C6H6). Due to its cost-effectiveness, bioremediation has become a
  promising strategy for C6H6 removal. Contamination sites typically take on an
  anaerobic context, which complicates the energetics of contamination sites and
  is a subject that is scarcely broached in studies of Albertan sediments. This study
  examines the innate potential for indigenous microbial communities in Albertan
  sediments to remove C6H6 in a multitude of reduced conditions. Community
  profiles of these sediments were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing,
  and removal rates and reaction stoichiometries were observed by gas
  chromatography and ion chromatography. Organisms belonging to known primary
  degrader taxa were identified, including Geobacter (iron-reducing), and
  Peptococcaceae (nitrate-reducing). Furthermore, benzene removal patterns of
  the cultures were similar to those observed in previously reported microcosms,
  with lag times between 70 and 168 days and removal rates between 3.27 and
  12.70 μM/day. Such information could support a more comprehensive survey
  of Albertan sediment consortia, which may eventually be utilized in informing
  future remediation efforts in the province.

• Date created

  2020-01-01

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Alberta; anaerobic; benzene; bioremediation; Canada

• Type of Item

  Article (Published)

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-f4x8-vv41

• License

  This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Lee, K., & Ulrich, A. (2021). Indigenous microbial communities in Albertan sediments are capable of anaerobic benzene biodegradation under methanogenic, sulfate‐reducing, nitrate‐reducing, and iron‐reducing redox conditions. Water Environment Research (10614303), 93(4), 524–534., which has been published in final form athttps://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1454. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.