Rhizospheric microbiome-mediated detoxification of distillery waste: A 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis insight into the weed microbe synergy of natively growing plants

Organometallic pollutants and multi-metal complexes present in distillery waste pose a significant challenge for their removal and ecological restoration. The present study investigates the synergistic relationship between natively growing plants ( Cannabis sativa and Eleusine indica ) and their rhizospheric bacterial communities in the detoxification of the contaminants. The complex waste was characterized by high concentrations of phenol, salts, and heavy metals (Iron, Manganese, Lead, and Cadmium). The GC-MS analysis of fresh sludge (SBPG) identified persistent organic contaminants like 14-Pentadecenoic acid, Phthalic acid, Dodecanoic acid, and Stearic acid. Further, the 16S rRNA gene amplicon analysis characterized the bacterial assemblies. Dominant genera like Candidatus Nitrosotenuis, Methanosarcina, Bacillus, Nitrospira, Cystobacter, and Flavobacterium were identified. The alpha diversity analysis ( p