title: Characterization of Stenotrophomonas acidaminiphila NCW-702 biofilm for implication in the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Biofilm formation and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) degradation by a marine bacterium Stenotrophomonas acidaminihila NCW-702 was investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The biofilm structure was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Both planktonic and biofilm cultures were used for PAHs (phenanthrene and pyrene) degradation. In 7 days, Sten. acidaminiphila biofilm culture efficiently degraded 71·1 ± 3·1% and 40·2 ± 2·4% of phenanthrene and pyrene, respectively, whereas 38·7 ± 2·5% of phenanthrene and 29·7 ± 1% of pyrene degradation was observed in planktonic culture. The presence of phenolic intermediates in the culture supernatant during degradation process was evaluated by Folin-Ciocalteu reagent. The average thickness and diffusion distance of Sten. acidaminiphila NCW-702 biofilm was found to be 23·94 ± 2·62 μm and 2·68 ± 0·7 μm, respectively. Bacterial biofilms have numerous metabolic features that aid in the degradation of hydrophobic organic pollutants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biofilm of Sten. acidaminiphila NCW-702 was able to degrade PAHs more efficiently as compared to planktonic cells. The findings support the efficacy of biofilms over planktonic culture in bioremediation applications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study provides a constructive application of bacterial biofilms for the bioremediation of hydrophobic organic contaminants. The biofilm mode remediation process has the advantage of reusability of bacterial biomass and is also a low cost process as compared to cell immobilization techniques.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Environmental Microbiology and Ecology (LEnME), Department of Life Science, National Institute of Technology, Odisha, India.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mangwani
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Shukla
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumari
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Das
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018441:Biofilms; D007194:India; D010933:Plankton / Q000378:metabolism; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*; D020588:Stenotrophomonas / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: biofilm; bioremediation; hydrophobicity; marine bacteria; phenanthrene; pyrene