Enrichment, isolation and biodegradation potential of psychrotolerant polychlorinated-biphenyl degrading bacteria from the Kongsfjorden (Svalbard Islands, High Arctic Norway)

Abstract

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have been detected in abiotic Arctic matrices: surface sediments and seawater from coastal areas in the Kongsfjorden were collected and analyzed. Levels of PCBs varied depending on the sampling site. Total PCB concentrations were between 11.63 (site C2W) and 27.69pgl (site AW). These levels were comparable to those reported previously in lake sediments from the northern Svalbard. The occurrence and biodegradation potential of cold-adapted PCB-oxidizing bacteria in seawater and sediment along the fjord was also evaluated. After enrichment with biphenyl, 246 isolates were obtained with 45 of them that were able to grow in the presence of the PCB mixture Aroclor 1242, as the sole carbon source. The catabolic gene bphA was harbored by 17 isolates with affiliates to the genera Algoriphagus, Devosia and Salinibacterium that have been never reported as able to utilize PCBs, thus deserving further investigation. The total removal of Aroclor 1242 and selected PCB congeners was evaluated at 4 and 15°C for eight bphA-harboring isolates and Gelidibacter sp. DS-10. With few exceptions, tested strains showed greater efficiency at 15 than at 4°C. Isolates were able to reduce most chromatographic peaks by >50%, with some di- and trichlorobiphenyls that were quite totally removed (>90%).

Cultivable Bacterial Communities in Brines from Perennially Ice-Covered and Pristine Antarctic Lakes: Ecological and Biotechnological Implications

“…The presence of the bph A gene portion, encoding for the first fundamental step in the biphenyl upper pathway and confirming the ability to aerobically degrade PCBs, was detected only in four PCB-oxidizing Rhodobacter isolates from TF brines. However, high biodegradation potential is often shown also by isolates that did not seem to harbour the gene [ 47 ].…”

“…Uninoculated medium was incubated in parallel as a negative control. Finally, isolates growing in presence of Aroclor 1242 were further screened for the presence of the catabolic gene bph A involved in PCB degradation, under the conditions reported by Papale et al [ 47 ].…”

Response of microbial community structure and metabolic profile to shifts of inlet VOCs in a gas-phase biofilter

“…High abundances of Devosia sp. were previously observed in aromatic compounds purification systems (Ramos et al 2015 ), and they have been used as aromatic compounds degraders in previous studies (Papale et al 2017 ). Ethyl acetate can be utilized as carbon resources by Thauera sp.…”

Remediation potential of bacterial mixed cultures for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) biodegradation

“…This strain, identifi ed as Enterobacter sp., was able to degrade Aroclor 1242 mixture (equivalent to Delor 103) with the removal ratio of 43.2 % after seven days in liquid minimal medium (Cai et al, 2018). PCB-degrading strains isolated from the surface sediment sampled from Svalbard Islands by Papale et al (2017) were able to remove Aroclor 1242 at 15 °C within a month in microcosm with the effi ciency varying between 7 % and 70 %. From our isolates, O. anthropi (O), A. xylosoxidans (A), S. maltophilia (S) and Rhodococcus sp.…”