Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are highly recalcitrant compounds due to their high hydrophobicity and tendency to partition in organic phase of soils. Pyrene is a high-molecular weight PAH, which has human health concerns. In the present study, a bacterial consortium, PBR, was developed from a long-term polluted site, viz., Amlakhadi, Ankleshwar, Gujarat, for effective degradation of pyrene. The consortium effectively metabolized pyrene as a sole source of carbon and energy. The consortium comprised three bacterial species, Pseudomonas sp. ASDP1, Burkholderia sp. ASDP2, and Rhodococcus sp. ASDP3. The maximum growth rate of consortium was 0.060/h and the maximum pyrene degradation rate was 16 mg/l/day. The organic and inorganic nutrients along with different surfactants did not affect pyrene degradation, but degradation rate moderately increased in the presence of sodium succinate. The significant characteristic of the consortium was that it possessed an ability to degrade six other hydrocarbons, both independently and simultaneously at 37 °C, in BHM (pH 7.0) under shaking conditions (150 rpm) and it showed resistance towards mercury at 10 mM concentration. Phthalic acid as one of the intermediates during pyrene degradation was detected through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The efficiency of consortium for pyrene degradation was validated in simulated microcosms’ study, which indicated that 99% of pyrene was metabolized by the consortium under ambient conditions.
Highlights
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous compounds present in the environment
The present study demonstrated the development of consortium PBR for the degradation of pyrene from the
Non-sterile soil amended with 100 ppm pyrene, 100 ppm fluoranthene, 500 ppm naphthalene, ppm phenanthrene and 5 ppm chrysene and consortium PBR
Summary
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous compounds present in the environment. PAHs are considered as priority pollutants by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). They persist in the environment for a long time because of the sequestration in sediment particles’ micropores and remain out of reach of microbial degradation. They are concerned with human health because many PAHs are mutagenic, carcinogenic and teratogenic (Haritash and Kaushik 2009; Kumar et al 2011). Few studies have reported on the utilization of these compounds as a sole carbon
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