1School of Fundamental Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia
2Institute of Marine Biotechnology, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Malaysia
3Industrial Biotechnology Research Laboratory (IBRL), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Minden, Penang, Malaysia
Online published on 2 February, 2019.
In this study, phenanthrene-degrading bacteria was successfully isolated from hydrocarbon contaminated soil. The bacteria were identifed based on their morphological, biochemical activities and molecular identifcation using 16S rRNA. The phenanthrene-degrading capabilities was cultivated in an enrichment culture containing phenanthrene as a sole source of carbon and energy. The phenanthrene degradation was analysed using Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) and the result obtained indicated that the Bacillus sp. P4a was capable of degradingto about 83.01% in the enrichment culture. The Bacillus sp. P4a has been shown to degrade phenanthrene via salicylate pathway which produced salicylic acid and catechol compound after14 and 28 days of incubation. The result revealed that this bacterial isolate can be highly recommended for bioremediation of hydrocarbon contaminants due to their capability to degrade phenanthrene.
Phenanthrene, Bacillus sp. P4a, Biodegradation, Bioremediation, Contaminated soil
