Application of a luminescence-based biosensor for assessing naphthalene biodegradation in soils from a manufactured gas plant

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 157; no. 5; pp. 1643 - 1648
• Main Authors: Paton, G.I., Reid, B.J., Semple, K.T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analysis methods; Applied sciences; Bioavailability; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Bioluminescent bacteria; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Extraction; Industrial Waste; Naphthalenes - analysis; Naphthalenes - metabolism; Organic contaminants; Pollution; Pollution, environment geology; Pseudomonas fluorescens - metabolism; Soil - analysis; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil Microbiology; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Biodegradation; Extraction; Bioavailability; Organic contaminants; Bioluminescent bacteria; Microbial activity; Bioluminescence; Hydrocarbon; Pollutant behavior; Gas industry; Polycyclic aromatic compound; Mutagen; Soil pollution; Persistent organic pollutant; Carcinogen; Naphthalene; Decontamination; Industrial wasteland; Biosensor; Measurement method; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2008.12.020

Despite numerous reviews suggesting that microbial biosensors could be used in many environmental applications, in reality they have failed to be used for which they were designed. In part this is because most of these sensors perform in an aqueous phase and a buffered medium, which is in contrast to the nature of genuine environmental systems. In this study, a range of non-exhaustive extraction techniques (NEETs) were assessed for (i) compatibility with a naphthalene responsive biosensor and (ii) correlation with naphthalene biodegradation. The NEETs removed a portion of the total soil naphthalene in the order of methanol > HPCD > βCD > water. To place the biosensor performance to NEETs in context, a biodegradation experiment was carried out using historically contaminated soils. By coupling the HPCD extraction with the biosensor, it was possible to assess the fraction of the naphthalene capable of undergoing microbial degradation in soil.
Exposure of microbial biosensors to cyclodextrin solutions allows the assessment of the degradable fraction of contaminants in soil.