Impact of Super Absorbent Polymer and Plants on Microbial Community and Petroleum Hydrocarbon Degradation in Contaminated Soil

A greenhouse pot test, in which wheat, cabbage, spinach were cultivated separately in petroleum contaminated soil with and without super absorbent polymer (SAP), was conducted to evaluated the effect of plants and SAP on soil microbiological properties. phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) profiles were analyzed to reveal the microbial communities. As a measure of the functional activity of soil microbial community, the ratio of degraded to total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) in soil was estimated. The results indicated that SAP had an important effect on the soil microbial community and its degrading TPH activities. First, the principal component analysis (PCA) of the PLFA signatures revealed marked changes between soil with SAP and without SAP. In addition, the total amount and the profile of PLFA were significantly different between the untreated and SAP-amended soils. Using PLFA patterns as a biomarker, it was found that gram-positive bacteria (G+) were more sensitive to SAP than gram-negative bacteria (G-), and the biomass of G+ was higher in soil with SAP than in that without SAP. Second, the crop could stimulate the growth of soil microorganisms; however, the differences depended clearly on the crop species. The G+ and G- biomass was increased in cabbage, spinach soil containing SAP, but was decreased in wheat soils. The population of fungi was increased in cabbage and spinach soils containing SAP, but was decreased in wheat soil with SAP. The population of actinomycetes was decreased in all soils with SAP. Third, the ratio of degraded to TPH was slightly increased in soil with SAP treatment, but a significant change depended on the crop species. In total, 12 different PLFAs were identified, including saturated, monounsaturated, branched, and polyunsaturated species. There was a clear difference in the PLFAs composition between soils with and without SAP.