How bioaugmentation for pesticide removal influences the microbial community in biologically active sand filters

Removing pesticides from biological drinking water filters is challenging due to the difficulty in activating pesticide-degrading bacteria within the filters. Bioaugmented bacteria can alter the filter's microbiome, affecting its performance either positively or negatively, depending on the bacteria used and their interaction with native microbes. We demonstrate that adding specific bacteria strains can effectively remove recalcitrant pesticides, like metaldehyde, yielding compliance to regulatory standards for an extended period. Our experiments revealed that the Sphingobium CMET-H strain was particularly effective, consistently reducing metaldehyde concentrations to levels within regulatory compliance, significantly outperforming Acinetobacter calcoaceticus E1. This success is attributed to the superior acclimation and distribution of the Sphingobium strain within the filter bed, facilitating more efficient interactions with and degradation of the pesticide, even when present at lower population densities compared to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus E1. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that the addition of pesticide-degrading strains significantly impacts the filter's microbiome at various depths, despite these strains making up less than 1% of the total microbial community. The sequence in which these bacteria are introduced influences the system's ability to degrade pesticides effectively. This research shows the potential of carefully selected and dosed bioaugmented bacteria to improve the pesticide removal capabilities of water filtration systems, while also highlighting the dynamics between bioaugmented and native microbial communities. Further investigation into optimizing bioaugmentation strategies is suggested to enhance the resilience and efficiency of drinking water treatment systems against pesticide contamination.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (ESPRC) through their funding of a Doctoral Training Allocation Award to LP (EP/R513027/1) and from the project sponsors UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR Ltd.).

Chemosphere