Aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are very slowly degraded without molecular oxygen. Here, we review the recent advances in the elucidation of the first known degradation pathways of these environmental hazards. Anaerobic degradation of benzene and PAHs has been successfully documented in the environment by metabolite analysis, compound-specific isotope analysis and microcosm studies. Subsequently, also enrichments and pure cultures were obtained that anaerobically degrade benzene, naphthalene or methylnaphthalene, and even phenanthrene, the largest PAH currently known to be degradable under anoxic conditions. Although such cultures grow very slowly, with doubling times of around 2 weeks, and produce only very little biomass in batch cultures, successful proteogenomic, transcriptomic and biochemical studies revealed novel degradation pathways with exciting biochemical reactions such as for example the carboxylation of naphthalene or the ATP-independent reduction of naphthoyl-coenzyme A. The elucidation of the first anaerobic degradation pathways of naphthalene and methylnaphthalene at the genetic and biochemical level now opens the door to studying the anaerobic metabolism and ecology of anaerobic PAH degraders. This will contribute to assessing the fate of one of the most important contaminant classes in anoxic sediments and aquifers.

Anaerobic microbial degradation of hydrocarbons, typically occurring at the oil-water transition zone, influences the quality of oil reservoirs. In Pitch Lake, Trinidad and Tobago--the world's largest asphalt lake--we found that microorganisms are metabolically active in minuscule water droplets (1 to 3 microliters) entrapped in oil. Pyrotag sequencing of individual droplet microbiomes revealed complex methanogenic microbial communities actively degrading the oil into a diverse range of metabolites, as shown by nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry. High salinity and water-stable isotopes of the droplets indicate a deep subsurface origin. The 13.5% water content and the large surface area of the droplets represent an underestimated potential for biodegradation of oil away from the oil-water transition zone.

Anaerobic degradation processes are very important to attenuate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in saturated, anoxic sediments. However, PAHs are poorly degradable, leading to very slow microbial growth and thus resulting in only a few cultures that have been enriched and studied so far. Here, we report on a new phenanthrene-degrading, sulfate-reducing enrichment culture, TRIP1. Genome-resolved metagenomics and strain specific cell counting with FISH and flow cytometry indicated that the culture is dominated by a microorganism belonging to the Desulfobacteraceae family (60% of the community) and sharing 93% 16S rRNA sequence similarity to the naphthalene-degrading, sulfate-reducing strain NaphS2. The anaerobic degradation pathway was studied by metabolite analyses and revealed phenanthroic acid as the major intermediate consistent with carboxylation as the initial activation reaction. Further reduced metabolites were indicative of a stepwise reduction of the ring system. We were able to measure the presumed second enzyme reaction in the pathway, phenanthroate-CoA ligase, in crude cell extracts. The reaction was specific for 2-phenanthroic acid and did not transform other isomers. The present study provides first insights into the anaerobic degradation pathways of three-ringed PAHs. The biochemical strategy follows principles known from anaerobic naphthalene degradation, including carboxylation and reduction of the aromatic ring system.