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Abstract
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are ubiquitous pollutants in the environment, and
most high molecular weight PAHs cause mutagenic, teratogenic and potentially carcinogenic
effects. While several strains have been identified that degrade PAHs, the present
study is focused on the degradation of PAHs in a marine environment by a moderately
halophilic bacterial consortium. The bacterial consortium was isolated from a mixture
of marine water samples collected from seven different sites in Chennai, India. The
low molecular weight (LMW) PAHs phenanthrene and fluorine, and the high molecular
weight (HMW) PAHs pyrene and benzo(e)pyrene were selected for the degradation study.
The consortium metabolized both LMW and HMW PAHs. The consortium was also able to
degrade PAHs present in crude oil-contaminated saline wastewater. The bacterial consortium
was able to degrade 80% of HMW PAHs and 100% of LMW PAHs in the saline wastewater.
The strains present in the consortium were identified as Ochrobactrum sp., Enterobacter
cloacae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. This study reveals that these bacteria have
the potential to degrade different PAHs in saline wastewater.