Abstract

not-yet-known not-yet-known not-yet-known unknown The use of biochar to assist in microbial degradation is seen as a key strategy for eliminating organic pollutants. However, the specific ways in which biochar aids this process are not fully understood. This study examined how biochar affects the degradation of phenol by phenol-degrading bacteria (PDB). The findings indicate that when PDB was combined with biochar, phenol removal reached 82.4% at a concentration of 1300 mg/L, surpassing 41.6% phenol removal ratio from single microorgranism treatment. Microbial community analysis indicated that there was a notable increase in Gammaproteobacteria, Serratia, Raitonia and Enterobacter in the biochar-assisted sample compared to those in the sample without biochar. The pathway of phenol degradation was confirmed via GC-MS analysis and metabolomic analysis, the findings revealed that the phenol degradation pathway used by PDB was an ortho-cleavage pathway. PICRUSt2 analysis suggested that the addition of biochar might enhance PDB metabolism by modulatiing the degradation of inprotocatechuate, toluene and phenylacetate. Metabolomic analysis indicated that biochar demonstrated potential to augment PDB biodegradation by promoting Oxygen-driven metabolism and fueling bacterial cell energy needs. This study sheds light on how biochar affects PDB biochemical breakdown and offers useful information for the potential use of biochar-supported microbial technology in phenol degradation.