Chemodiversity of soil organic matters determines biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls by a graphene oxide-assisted bacterial agent

A promising strategy for degrading persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in soil is amendment with nanomaterial-assisted functional bacteria. However, the influence of soil organic matter chemodiversity on the performance of nanomaterial-assisted bacterial agents remains unclear. Herein, different types of soil (Mollisol soil, MS; Ultisol soil, US; and Inceptisol soil, IS) were inoculated with a graphene oxide (GO)-assisted bacterial agent (Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens USDA 110, B. diazoefficiens USDA 110) to investigate the association between soil organic matter chemodiversity and stimulation of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) degradation. Results indicated that the high-aromatic solid organic matter (SOM) inhibited PCB bioavailability, and lignin-dominant dissolved organic matter (DOM) with high biotransformation potential was a favored substrate for all PCB degraders, which led to no stimulation of PCB degradation in MS. Differently, high-aliphatic SOM in US and IS promoted PCB bioavailability. The high/low biotransformation potential of multiple DOM components (e.g., lignin, condensed hydrocarbon, unsaturated hydrocarbon, etc.) in US/IS further resulted to the enhanced PCB degradation by B. diazoefficiens USDA 110 (up to 30.34%) /all PCB degraders (up to 17.65%), respectively. Overall, the category and biotransformation potential of DOM components and the aromaticity of SOM collaboratively determine the stimulation of GO-assisted bacterial agent on PCB degradation. [Display omitted] •Soil organic matter chemodiversity determined PCB degradation by GO-assisted bacterial agent.•Proportion of SOM aromatic and aliphatic fractions regulated PCB bioavailability.•DOM chemodiversity determined substrate selectivity of PCB degraders.•Categories and biotransformation potential were main factors of DOM chemodiversity.•Dissolved lignins and other aromatic substances could act as substrates for PCB degraders.