AUTHOR=Chen Wenjie , Zuo Yilin , Hou Zhuonan , Wang Bo , Xiong Shangao , Ding Xiaoyan , Peng Bihui , Zhou Kaiyun , Li Ji , Liu Rui , Ding Guochun , Wei Yuquan , Xu Ting 

TITLE=Effect of Rhodococcus bioaugmentation and biostimulation on dibenzothiophene biodegradation and bacterial community interaction in petroleum-contaminated soils

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1270599

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2023.1270599

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=<p>Bioremediation can be effective method for achieving polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation in soil contaminated with petroleum. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of <italic>Rhodococcus</italic> bioaugmentation (BIOE) and biostimulation (BIOS) on dibenzothiophene biodegradation and bacterial community interaction in petroleum-contaminated soils. The findings revealed that compared to natural degradation treatment (NAT) and BIOS, BIOE had the highest dibenzothiophene (DBT) and the majority of DBT degradation occurred within the first 30 days. BIOS had a positive impact in the early stage but an opposite effect in the later stages for degrading DBT. Beta diversity analysis revealed significant differences of bacterial composition among NAT, BIOS, and BIOE. Sequencing results indicated that <italic>Bacillus</italic> and <italic>Paenibacillus</italic> were dominant genera involved in DBT degradation. Network analysis revealed co-occurrence patterns and connectivity, with BIOE exhibiting higher connectivity and the highest number of links in BIOS. In summary, <italic>Rhodococcus</italic> bioaugmentation was the simplest and effective method to enhance the clustering degree of bacterial network and DBT degradation in petroleum-contaminated soil, compared to NAT and BIOS.</p>