Comparison of different slow-release nutrient composites produced to stimulate microorganisms

Abstract Concern for environmental quality has increased in society because industrial and technological development has released high levels of contaminants into the environment, such as hydrocarbons. A technique widely used for bioremediation is biostimulation, which may be enhanced by microencapsulation. This research formulated slow-release nitrogen and phosphorus compounds using different polymer (Alginate/Capsul®, carboxymethyl cellulose) matrices and compared them with the agricultural product Osmocote® and mineral medium Bushnell-Haas as hydrocarbonoclastics biostimulation agents in the environment for pollutant bioremediation. N (nitrogen) and P (phosphorus) were immobilized using lyophilization and ionic gelation techniques. Experiments were conducted using encapsulated material and evaluated for biomass production, glucose consumption as organic carbon source and N and P supply. The immobilized carboxymethyl cellulose compound showed the best results of glycosidic degradation (66.7%) and microbial biostimulation (350 mg L-1 protein) compared to systems containing free nutrients (11.3% and 150 mg L-1 degradation glycosidic and microbial biostimulation, respectively). Thus, this compound is a potential slow release product for bioremediation processes.