Insight into the effect of electric fields on bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soil: A micro-ecological...

The voltage gradient plays a crucial role in the process of electro-bioremediation for petroleum-contaminated soil. However, the micro-ecological response mechanisms of relevance have been scarcely documented. This study compared petroleum degradation characteristics, soil physicochemical properties, and bacterial microbiome indicators under 0.5 V cm^-1, 1 V cm^-1, and 2 V cm^-1 conditions to elucidate the interaction mechanism among soil micro-ecological factors. The findings indicated that the treatment at 1 V cm^-1 resulted in the most effective synergistic enhancement of electrokinetics and bioremediation, yielding a peak petroleum degradation ratio of 43.54 ± 1.64% over 105 days. The improvement in biodegradation resulted from the direct stimulation of bio-metabolism by higher ratios of "window condition" (RWC, 0.5331) and the indirect sustenance of microbial physiological activity by favorable soil conditions. The 1 V cm^-1 voltage gradient either maintained or fostered the soil microbiome's response to the remediation system. The structural equation models (SEMs) demonstrated that variations in microbiome properties across different voltage gradients resulted from the influences of effective current intensity, soil pH, redox potential (Eh), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and electrical conductivity (EC). Optimizing voltage gradients is a practical approach for developing effective micro-ecosystems to efficiently remediate petroleum-contaminated soil and implement electro-bioremediation in various engineering applications.