Removal of prothioconazole using screened microorganisms and identification of biodegradation products via...

Degradation of the prothioconazole by three strains of microorganisms isolated from activated sludge obtained from a pesticide factory was assessed, and an ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QqTOF-MS) method for the determination of prothioconazole and its metabolites was established. The optimal conditions for the degradation of prothioconazole were determined by single factor optimization experiments. A degradation rate of 93.32% is achieved when the prothioconazole is co-cultured with the strain W313 at a cultivation time of 60 h, a cultivation temperature of 30 °C, a pH of 6.33, a prothioconazole concentration of 50 mg L^-1, a microorganism volume of 10%, and a dextrose volume of 4%. The three effective microorganism strains were identified by morphological and molecular biology to be Candida tropicalis, Enterobacter cloacae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. UPLC-QqTOF-MS analysis allowed the identification of 62 different prothioconazole degradation products produced by the strain cultures, with prothioconazole-desthio, prothioconazole-dechloropropyl, and oxidizing prothioconazole being the main products. In addition, degradation products from different strains and conditions were compared. The results of scatter plot (S-Plot) analysis indicated that C₉H₇NO, C₁₀H₁₇N₇, and C₁₂H₁₃ClN₂O were only detected in the products incubated with Enterobacter cloacae. Thus, this study demonstrates that Enterobacter cloacae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa possesses high potential for bioremediation of prothioconazole-contaminated environments.