(Theme session) Academic exchange session in English

[1301-08-05] Study of PAH Contamination and the Indigenous Microbial Degradation Potential in the highly polluted Byrnihat Industrial Clusters of India

○K Zamminsion^{1,3[Student presentation: Doctoral course]}, Suprokash Koner³, Kalamdhad Ajay^1,2, Mei-Fang Chien Chien³ (1. Centre for the Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India, 2. Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, India, 3. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Japan)

司会：芳賀　一寿（秋田大学）

Keywords:Industrial Pollution, Persistent Organic Pollutants, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Bioremediation

Environmental pollution from high-temperature industrial processes often releases toxic and persistent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), exacerbating ecological and human health risks. Often, microbial consortia which thrive in high-pollutant environments are known to perform effectively as bioremediating agents for these harmful substances. This study examines PAH pollution levels and their relationship with environmental factors within the heavily polluted Byrnihat Industrial Clusters (BIC) in India, where effluents pose risks to both the local community and the downstream ecosystem. The study also explores the potential of PAH-degrading microorganisms in surface sediments. The concentrations of ∑16-PAHs ranged from 904.33 µg/kg to 30,082.21 µg/kg dried weight within the surface soils, and 2.96 µg/L to 27.49 µg/L in the water samples collected from 16 stations within the BIC. Among the 16 PAHs, Naphthalene is the most abundant, and 4 to 5-ring PAH dominate both surface soils and water. Diagnostic ratio reveals that most of the sources are pyogenic in nature. Correlation analysis reveals a positive correlation between environmental parameters such as pH, DO, BOD, COD, Electrical Conductivity, nitrate, and total coliform (maximum MPN/100ml of 9.4x10⁴), with most of them exceeding the environmental standards. Additionally, the microbial DNA from the study areas were extracted for subsequent 16S rDNA sequencing, and the details will be presented at the conference. These preliminary findings suggest that there can be potential PAH degrading consortia indigenously, which could pave the way for further biodegradation studies.