Journal of Bioremediation & Biodegradation

Abstrait

Catabolic Versatility of Sphingobium sp. Strain PNB Capable of Degrading Structurally Diverse Aromatic Compounds

Madhumita Roy, Pratick Khara, Soumik Basu and Tapan K Dutta

Sphingobium sp. strain PNB isolated from municipal waste-contaminated soil had already been described to
possess catabolic potential of assimilating phenanthrene. Apart from phenanthrene, strain PNB was found to be capable of utilizing naphthalene and biphenyl singly, as sole carbon and energy sources. Based on chromatographic and spectrophotometric analyses, pathways for the degradation of naphthalene and biphenyl were revealed in strain PNB. Anthracene, on the other hand, was found to be partially metabolized, furnishing 9,10-anthraquinone and 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid, which appeared as the dead-end products. In addition, strain PNB was observed to co-metabolize fluoranthene, acenaphthene, benz[a]anthracene, pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene, in presence of phenanthrene indicating metabolic robustness of the strain, which may serve as a candidate organism in the bioremediation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)-contaminated environment.