5.1 In Situ Bioremediation of Distillery Waste
Bacterial communities are primary components of any environment, playing a key
role in the mineralization of organic compounds into fundamental molecules such as
CO 2 and H 2 O, via respiration and/or fermentation processes to maintain biogeochemical cycles. They are principally involved in the remediation of polluted sites,
and several microorganisms which degrade a broad array of pollutants have been
described by Ghosh et al. (2002) and Loviso et al. (2015). Chaturvedi et al. (2006)
isolated and characterized root-associated rhizospheric bacterial communities of
Phragmites australis grown on distillery waste-contaminated site. On the basis of
16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, they characterized fifteen (15) culturable bacterial species from the rhizosphere soil of P. australis; they are Bacillus anthracis,
Microbacterium hydrocarbonoxydans, B. subtilis, Achromobacter xylosoxidans,
and B. megaterium, from upper zone; A. xylosoxidans, B. subtilis, B. thuringiensis,
B. licheniformis, Achromobacter sp., and B. licheniformis, from middle zone; and
Alcaligenes faecalis, P. migulae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and B. cereus from
lower zone of rhizosphere. All the 15 bacterial species grown on the PMDE
supplemented medium utilized pollutants as a sole carbon and nitrogen source
resulting in the reduction of the levels of PMDE pollutants and their color by
75.5%. Concomitantly there is a reduction in BOD, COD, phenol, and HM values.
The autochthonous bacterial communities grown in sludge, as well as SW, which
has potential capabilities for in situ and ex situ bioremediation of this waste, have
been characterized by Chandra and Kumar (2017a, b). During in situ bioremediation
of distillery sludge, Bacillus sp., and Enterococcus sp. were noted dominantly
growing autochthonous bacterial communities in this extremely toxic environment
containing a high level of Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Pb and complex organic
androgenic-mutagenic compounds and EDCs. This showed the capability of bacterial communities to degrade the toxic pollutants present in anaerobically digested
distillery sludge. In another study, Chandra and Kumar (2017b) also demonstrated
that distillery SW contained Bacillus sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp. as dominant
autochthonous bacterial communities grown in extremely acidic environments indicated broad range adaptation of such communities. This study demonstrated that
growing bacterial communities were pioneer taxa for in situ bioremediation of
hazardous complex distillery effluent. Bioremediation of distillery sludge using
vermicomposting appears to offer an effortless and promising alternative treatment
method of stabilizing the OM present in distillery sludge that makes it feasible to
Table 20.5 (continued)
S. No.
Identified compounds
43.
Lanosta-8, 24 dien-3-one
44.
Spirostan-3-one (5α, 20β, 25R)
45.
β-Sitosterol trimethyl ether
46.
Stigmasterol
Chandra and Kumar (2017a) and Chandra et al. (2018b)
20 Bioremediation of Melanoidins Containing Distillery Waste for. . .
509
Bacterial communities are primary components of any environment, playing a key
role in the mineralization of organic compounds into fundamental molecules such as
CO 2 and H 2 O, via respiration and/or fermentation processes to maintain biogeochemical cycles. They are principally involved in the remediation of polluted sites,
and several microorganisms which degrade a broad array of pollutants have been
described by Ghosh et al. (2002) and Loviso et al. (2015). Chaturvedi et al. (2006)
isolated and characterized root-associated rhizospheric bacterial communities of
Phragmites australis grown on distillery waste-contaminated site. On the basis of
16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, they characterized fifteen (15) culturable bacterial species from the rhizosphere soil of P. australis; they are Bacillus anthracis,
Microbacterium hydrocarbonoxydans, B. subtilis, Achromobacter xylosoxidans,
and B. megaterium, from upper zone; A. xylosoxidans, B. subtilis, B. thuringiensis,
B. licheniformis, Achromobacter sp., and B. licheniformis, from middle zone; and
Alcaligenes faecalis, P. migulae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and B. cereus from
lower zone of rhizosphere. All the 15 bacterial species grown on the PMDE
supplemented medium utilized pollutants as a sole carbon and nitrogen source
resulting in the reduction of the levels of PMDE pollutants and their color by
75.5%. Concomitantly there is a reduction in BOD, COD, phenol, and HM values.
The autochthonous bacterial communities grown in sludge, as well as SW, which
has potential capabilities for in situ and ex situ bioremediation of this waste, have
been characterized by Chandra and Kumar (2017a, b). During in situ bioremediation
of distillery sludge, Bacillus sp., and Enterococcus sp. were noted dominantly
growing autochthonous bacterial communities in this extremely toxic environment
containing a high level of Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, Fe, and Pb and complex organic
androgenic-mutagenic compounds and EDCs. This showed the capability of bacterial communities to degrade the toxic pollutants present in anaerobically digested
distillery sludge. In another study, Chandra and Kumar (2017b) also demonstrated
that distillery SW contained Bacillus sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp. as dominant
autochthonous bacterial communities grown in extremely acidic environments indicated broad range adaptation of such communities. This study demonstrated that
growing bacterial communities were pioneer taxa for in situ bioremediation of
hazardous complex distillery effluent. Bioremediation of distillery sludge using
vermicomposting appears to offer an effortless and promising alternative treatment
method of stabilizing the OM present in distillery sludge that makes it feasible to
Table 20.5 (continued)
S. No.
Identified compounds
43.
Lanosta-8, 24 dien-3-one
44.
Spirostan-3-one (5α, 20β, 25R)
45.
β-Sitosterol trimethyl ether
46.
Stigmasterol
Chandra and Kumar (2017a) and Chandra et al. (2018b)
20 Bioremediation of Melanoidins Containing Distillery Waste for. . .
509