Biomimetic silicification enhances high-molecular-weight PAH biodegradation by stabilizing microalgae-bacteria consortium under acidic stress
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Updated: Sep 19, 2026

Biogas Purification through the use of a Microalgae-Bacterial System in Semi-Industrial High Rate Algal Ponds
Published on: March 22, 2024
Wenbo Guo1, Hongyu Ren1, Yeheng Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Huanghe Road 73, Harbin 150090, China.
Abstract:
High-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW PAHs) are persistent pollutants whose biodegradation is strongly inhibited under acidic conditions. Here, a microalgae-bacteria consortium composed of Parachlorella kessleri and Paenibacillus illinoisensis was subjected to an integrated fabrication process comprising PDADMAC-assisted aggregation and nanosilicate deposition. Structural characterization confirmed sequential charge reversal, microbial aggregation, and formation of a silica-associated outer interface. Relative to the unmodified consortium, the fabricated group retained more chlorophyll, accumulated less reactive oxygen species, and maintained higher cytochrome P450 content under acid-PAH co-stress. PAH mass-balance analysis showed that biodegradation-associated transformation remained the dominant removal fraction, including an 84.44% biodegradation-associated fraction for benzo[a]pyrene at pH 3. Transcriptomic profiles further revealed reduced stress/repair investment together with preservation of energy and xenobiotic-degradation pathways. These multilevel results demonstrate that the complete PDADMAC-nanosilicate treatment stabilizes consortium function and sustains HMW-PAH transformation in a controlled acidic soil-extract system.
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