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Oleic-acid functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles with a hydroxyapatite core enhanced growth of the hydrocarbon degrader Dietzia maris at oil-water interfaces.

Anirban Kundu,Xiaoyu Gao,N. Khandelwal,Anwesha Banerjee,S. Ghoshal

Published 2023 in Journal of Hazardous Materials

ABSTRACT

Rapid biodegradation of poorly water-soluble hydrocarbons as nonaqueous (oil) phases in contaminated aquatic environments is enabled by attachment of hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria to the oil-water interface. Herein, we report the synthesis of nanoparticles comprising a hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH)) core encapsulated in a mesoporous silica shell and surface-modified with oleic acid (OA-nHAP@MSN) for targeted binding at the oil-water interface and to supply P to bacteria at the interface. P is an essential and often limiting nutrient for bacteria in hydrocarbon-contaminated environments. In microcosm experiments, where the hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, Dietzia maris strain NWWC4, and OA-nHAP@MSN were inoculated in mineral media in contact with pure liquid hexadecane (sole C source), there was 419.6-fold growth at the hexadecane-water interface, compared to 31.2-fold in identical, but NP-free microcosms. The continuous release of P from the hydroxyapatite core in OA-nHAP@MSN to water was demonstrated in separate experiments in well mixed batch systems and was found to be pH-sensitive. Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy showed significantly larger cell aggregates and dense biofilms in the OA-nHAP@MSN-amended systems, compared to NP-free systems. Our results demonstrate a strategy for enhancing oil-spill bioremediation using NPs targeting nutrient supply to hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria at oil-water interfaces.

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