title: Biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons by Haloarchaea and their use for the reduction of the chemical oxygen demand of hypersaline petroleum produced water.
abstract: Ten halophilic Archaea (Haloarchaea) strains able to degrade aromatic compounds were isolated from five hypersaline locations; salt marshes in the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, crystallizer ponds in Chile and Cabo Rojo (Puerto Rico), and sabkhas (salt flats) in the Persian Gulf (Saudi Arabia) and the Dead Sea (Israel and Jordan). Phylogenetic identification of the isolates was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The isolated Haloarchaea strains were able to grow on a mixture of benzoic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and salicylic acid (1.5mM each) and a mixture of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, naphthalene, anthracene, phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo[a]anthracene (0.3mM each). Evaluation of the extent of degradation of the mixed aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrated that the isolates could degrade these compounds in hypersaline media containing 20% NaCl. The strains were shown to reduce the COD of hypersaline crude oil reservoir produced waters significantly beyond that achieved using standard hydrogen peroxide treatment alone.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciência de Alimentos - FEA Universidade Estadual de Campinas - UNICAMP Rua Monteiro Lobato, 80 CEP 13083-862, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maricy R L
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bonfá
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Encarnacion
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mellado
authors.forename: Lucia R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Durrant
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D057919:Biological Oxygen Demand Analysis; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid / Q000379:methods; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000737:chemistry; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000737:chemistry; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D012965:Sodium Chloride