Assessment of microbial communities in soils during bioremediation

• Research unit: COST
• Project number: C99.0025

Key words (English)

Bioremediation; biolog method; soil contamination; monitoring

Research programs (English)

COST-Action 831 - Biotechnology of soil: monitoring, conservation and remediation

Short description (English)

See abstract

Partners and International Organizations (English)

A, B, DK, FIN, F, D, GR, H, I, NL, N, SI, E, S, CH, GB

Abstract (English)

This research initiative aims at investigating microbial communities in contaminated soils undergoing a bioremediation treatment. Bioremediation is a cost-effective new technology that leads ideally to the complete degradation of pollutants to innocuous products. The technology is applied more and more routinely; however, its effects on the composition and the functioning of microbial communities in soils is only poorly understood so far. The Biolog substrate utilization test to characterize community-level physiological profiles (CLPP) of microbial communities is a promising tool to look at catabolic diversity in a soil. The main goals in this research initiative are 1. to develop a rapid, reliable and affordable method based on Biolog CLPP to assess specific changes in microbial communities in a bioremediated soil, 2. to apply the method in a soil during a cycle of pollution and bioremediation and assess whether the bioremediation process reestablishes the CLPP comparable to that found in pristine soil, 3. and to relate the changes of CLPP to composition, genetic diversity and specific functions. The Biolog method will be adapted to bioremediation by introducing selected substrates, which are relevant for the hydrocarbon contamination. Changes in community composition and functioning will be cross-linked to community analysis by molecular methods and to assays for degradation of isotope-labeled pollutants. The results of the project are important to decontaminate polluted soils, e.g. in Switzerland, where about 50'000 sites are presumed to be contaminated.

References in databases (English)

Swiss Database: COST-DB of the State Secretariat for Education and Research Hallwylstrasse 4 CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland Tel. [phone] Swiss Project-Number: C99.0025