Amplicon sequencing of PCB contaminated estuarine sediment bioaugmented with PCB-degrading biofilms on biochar

Paraburkholderia xenovorans LB400, an aerobic PCB-degrading microbe, attached to corn kernel biochar was bioaugmented into polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated sediment from New Bedford Harbor (NBH) and incubated for 120 days. Sediment/biochar samples were taken (including sediment only control, biochar/sediment controls, and biochar/biofilm/sediment treatments), DNA extracted and subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.