Construction of a Synthetic Aniline-Degrading Consortium Consisting of Pseudomonas sp. RF and Acidovorax sp. PH Guided by Soil Niche Information from Contaminated Sites

The development of effective remediation strategies for aniline-contaminated sites has become a significant research focus in environmental science. This study aimed to construct a highly efficient aniline-degrading synthetic microbial consortium guided by ecological niche information from contaminated soil. Microbial community analysis of aniline-contaminated soil from a typical industrial park revealed the significant enrichment and adaptability of Proteobacteria and its genus <i>Pseudomonas</i> in the polluted environment. Based on these ecological niche characteristics, a targeted screening strategy was employed to isolate two highly efficient degrading strains from heavily contaminated soil: <i>Pseudomonas</i> sp. RF and <i>Acidovorax</i> sp. PH. Both strains exhibited excellent aniline degradation performance in monoculture, with strain RF capable of completely degrading 1000 mg·L^-1 aniline within 24 h. Through orthogonal experiments to optimize the inoculation ratio, a synthetic consortium, RF-PH, composed of the two strains at a 3:1 ratio, was constructed. This consortium demonstrated significant synergistic effects, with degradation efficiency markedly surpassing that of the individual strains. Specifically, its degradation rate for 500 mg·L^-1 aniline within 12 h was 11.33-17.02% higher than that of the individual strains. This study confirms the effectiveness of a targeted screening and synthetic consortium construction strategy based on ecological niche information, providing efficient microbial resources and technical support for the bioremediation of aniline-contaminated sites.