Remarkable shift in structural and functional properties of an animal charcoal-polluted soil accentuated by inorganic nutrient amendment

Background Soils polluted with animal charcoal from skin and hide cottage industries harbour extremely toxic and carcinogenic hydrocarbon pollutants and thus require a bio-based eco-friendly strategy for their depuration. The effects of carbon-free mineral medium (CFMM) amendment on hydrocarbon degradation and microbial community structure and function in an animal charcoal-polluted soil was monitored for 6 weeks in field moist microcosms consisting of CFMM-treated soil (FN4) and an untreated control (FN1). Hydrocarbon degradation was monitored using gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID), and changes in microbial community structure were monitored using Kraken, while functional annotation of putative open reading frames (ORFs) was done using KEGG KofamKOALA and NCBI’s conserved domain database (CDD). Results Gas chromatographic analysis of hydrocarbon fractions revealed the removal of 84.02% and 82.38% aliphatic and 70.09% and 70.14% aromatic fractions in FN4 and FN1 microcosms in 42 days. Shotgun metagenomic analysis of the two metagenomes revealed a remarkable shift in the microbial community structure. In the FN4 metagenome, 92.97% of the population belong to the phylum Firmicutes and its dominant representative genera Anoxybacillus (64.58%), Bacillus (21.47%) and Solibacillus (2.39%). In untreated FN1 metagenome, the phyla Proteobacteria (56.12%), Actinobacteria (23.79%) and Firmicutes (11.20%), and the genera Xanthobacter (9.73%), Rhizobium (7.49%) and Corynebacterium (7.35%), were preponderant. Functional annotation of putative ORFs from the two metagenomes revealed the detection of degradation genes for aromatic hydrocarbons, benzoate, xylene, chlorocyclohexane/chlorobenzene, toluene and several others in FN1 metagenome. In the FN4 metagenome, only seven hydrocarbon degradation genes were detected. Conclusion This study revealed that though CFMM amendment slightly increases the rate of hydrocarbon degradation, it negatively impacts the structural and functional properties of the animal charcoal-polluted soil. It also revealed that intrinsic bioremediation of the polluted soil could be enhanced via addition of water and aeration.

Remarkable Shift In Structural And Functional Properties of An Animal Charcoal Polluted Soil Accentuated By Inorganic Nutrients Amendment

The effects of carbon-free mineral medium (CFMM) amendment on hydrocarbon degradation and microbial community structure and function in an animal charcoal polluted soil was monitored for six weeks in field moist microcosms consisting of CFMM treated soil (FN4) and an untreated control (FN1). Gas chromatographic analysis of hydrocarbon fractions revealed the removal 84.02% and 82.38% and 70.09% and 70.14% aliphatic and aromatic fractions in FN4 and FN1 microcosms in 42 days. Shotgun metagenomic analysis of the two metagenomes revealed a remarkable shift in the microbial community structure of FN4 metagenome with 92.97% of the population belonging to the phylum Firmicutes and its dominant representative genera Anoxybacillus (64.58%), Bacillus (21.47%) and Solibacillus (2.39%). In untreated FN1 metagenome, the phyla Proteobacteria (56.12%), Actinobacteria (23.79%), Firmicutes (11.20%); and the genera Xanthobacter (9.73%), Rhizobium (7.49%) and Corynebacterium (7.35%) were preponderant. Functional annotation of putative ORFs from the two metagenomes revealed the detection of degradation genes for benzoate (pcaD, mhpF, aliB, benD-xylL, benC-xylZ, badH, had, dmpD, ligC, CMLE, pcaL, acd), xylene (mhpF, benD-xylL, benC-xylZ, dmpD, cymB, cmtB), chlorocyclohexane/chlorobenzene (dehH, dhaA, linC, linX, pcpC), toluene (bbsG, bbsC, bbsD, tsaC1), and several others in FN1 metagenome. In FN4 metagenome, only seven hydrocarbon degradation genes namely dmpH, mhpD, bphH, nemA and three others were detected. This study has revealed that CFMM amendment negatively impacts the structural and functional properties of the animal charcoal polluted soil. It also revealed that intrinsic bioremediation of the polluted soil could be enhanced via addition of water and aeration.

René Mignot. Intravenous administration of activated vegetable and animal charcoal (Pr. Méd., No. 10, 1936)

The method was introduced into the therapy by prof. Saint-Laques from Montreal, idea by Prof. Coghlin, who used it with success in animals in 738 pp. various infections and once on a person, with his assistant, who suffered from chronic recurrent furunculosis. In the latter case, the cure was achieved with one injection.

Davis E. Intravenous infusions of charcoal in the treatment of skin diseases (Brit. Journ. Of Derm. A. Syph, No. 10, 1936)

Charcoal and animal charcoal prepared in the form of a 2% sterile suspension in distilled water or a solution of sodium chloride was subjected to the study.