Mineralization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by a bacterium isolated from sediment below an oil field.
Microbiological analyses of sediments chronically exposed to petrogenic hydrocarbons resulted in the isolation of a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium which mineralized naphthalene (59.5% of the original amount), phenanthrene (50.9%), fluoranthene (89.7%), pyrene (63.0%), 1-nitropyrene (12.3%), 3-methylcholanthrene (1.6%), and 6-nitrochrysene (2.0%) to carbon dioxide when grown for 2 weeks in pure culture with organic nutrients. The bacterium tolerated salt concentrations up to 4% and grew well at 24 to 30 degrees C. The use of this bacterium may be an attractive alternative to existing physicochemical methods for the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the environment.
Heitkamp
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National Center for Toxicological Research, Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, Arkansas 72079.
Cerniglia
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D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003470:Culture Media; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D012988:Soil Microbiology
D003470:Culture Media; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds