Bioremediation of Neonicotinoid Pesticide, Imidacloprid, Mediated by Bacillus cereus

Imidacloprid, a toxic pesticide of the chloronicotinyl category, is employed extensively in agricultural fields, and its exposure causes serious health issues. Biodegradation is considered to be a green and economical approach to remediate pesticides. Herein, imidacloprid degradation efficiency of Bacillus sp. is highlighted, among which Bacillus cereus exhibited the greatest degradation; optimization of experimental variables (pH, imidacloprid and agitation time) via Box-Behnken factorial design and analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed 92% biodegradation at the initial substrate concentration of 0.03 mM, aerobically in 11 days under favorable pH 7. The subsequent metabolites, identified through liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, were 5-hydroxy imidacloprid, imidacloprid-guanidine and 6-chloronicotinic acid.

Automated summary

Imidacloprid, a widely used toxic pesticide in agriculture, can cause serious health problems. This study highlights the degradation efficiency of Bacillus sp. on imidacloprid, with Bacillus cereus showing the highest degradation ability. By optimizing experimental variables (pH, imidacloprid concentration, and agitation time) using Box-Behnken factorial design and analysis of variance (ANOVA), a 92% biodegradation of imidacloprid was achieved within 11 days aerobically at an initial substrate concentration of 0.03 mM and pH 7. The subsequent metabolites identified were 5-hydroxy imidacloprid, imidacloprid-guanidine, and 6-chloronicotinic acid.