Bioremediation of oil polluted marine sediments: A bio-engineering treatment Autors/ores Simone Cappello Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina Rosario Calogero 1.Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina. 2.Ph.D. School in Applied Biology and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina. Santina Santisi 1.Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina. 2.Ph.D School in Biology and Cellular Biotechnology, University of Messina. Maria Genovese Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina. Renata Denaro Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina. Lucrezia Genovese Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina. Laura Giuliano Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina. Giuseppe Mancini Ph.D School in Biology and Cellular Biotechnology, University of Messina. Michail M. Yakimov Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC)-CNR of Messina. Paraules clau: bioremediation, biostimulation, chronically polluted sediments, oil-degrading bacteria, Corophium orientale (Crustacea, Amphipoda) Resum The fate of hydrocarbon pollutants and the development of oil-degrading indigenous marine bacteria in contaminated sediments are strongly influenced by abiotic factors such as temperature, low oxygen levels, and nutrient availability. In this work, the effects of different biodegradation processes (bioremediation) on oil-polluted anoxic sediments were analyzed. In particular, as a potential bioremediation strategy for polluted sediments, we applied a prototype of the “Modular Slurry System” (MSS), allowing containment of the sediments and their physical-chemical treatment (by air insufflations, temperature regulation, and the use of a slow-release fertilizer). Untreated polluted sediments served as the blank in a non-controlled experiment. During the experimental period (30 days), bacterial density and biochemical oxygen demand were measured and functional genes were identified by screening. Quantitative measurements of pollutants and an eco-toxicological analysis (mortality of Corophium orientale) were carried out at the beginning and end of the experiments. The results demonstrated the high biodegradative capability achieved with the proposed technology and its strong reduction of pollutant concentrations and thus toxicity. [Int Microbiol 2015; 18(2):127-134]Keywords: bioremediation · biostimulation · chronically polluted sediments · oil-degrading bacteria · Corophium orientale (Crustacea, Amphipoda) Descàrregues PDF (English) Número Vol. 18 Núm. 2 (2015) Secció Articles Llicència Submission of a manuscript to International Microbiology implies: that the work described has not been published before, including publication in the World Wide Web (except in the form of an Abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis); that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere; that all the coauthors have agreed to its publication. The corresponding author signs for and accepts responsability for releasing this material and will act on behalf of any and all coauthors regarding the editorial review and publication process.If an article is accepted for publication in International Microbiology, the authors (or other copyright holder) must transfer to the journal the right–not exclusive–to reproduce and distribute the article including reprints, translations, photographic reproductions, microform, electronic form (offline, online) or any other reproductions of similar nature. Nevertheless, all article in International Microbiology will be available on the Internet to any reader at no cost. The journal allows users to freely download, copy, print, distribute, search, and link to the full text of any article, provided the authorship and source of the published article is cited. The copyright owner's consent does not include copying for new works, or resale. In these cases, the specific written permission of International Microbiology must first be obtained.Authors are requested to create a link to the published article on the journal's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The original publication is available on LINK at <http://www.im.microbios.org>. Please use the appropiate URL for the article in LINK. Articles disseminated via LINK are indexed, abstracted, and referenced by many abstracting and information services, bibliographic networks, subscription agencies, library networks, and consortia.