1Division of Agricultural Chemicals, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India
2Division of Microbiology, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, 110012, India
3Fishery Resources Assessment Division (FRAD), ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi, 682 018, Kerala, India
*Corresponding author E-mail: irani_agchem@iari.res.in
Online published on 23 March, 2021.
The use of microorganisms for bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is reported. Three bacterial species namely Alcaligenes sp., Tistrella sp. and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, isolated from paint contaminated sites, have been found to degrade the PCB congeners from soil individually under laboratory conditions. The three bacterial species dehalogenated effectively the lower chlorinated PCB congeners. In a PCB mixture in soil, the bacteria dissipated 31.0-34.4 per cent of di-, 22.3-28.8 per cent of tri-, 10.1-19.6 per cent of tetra-, 5.8-8.1 per cent of hexa- and 3.8-5.4 per cent of hepta-chlorinated congeners in 30 d. The findings suggest that PCB dechlorination in the soil system could be linked to aerobic microbial biodegradation. The work will be helpful in achieving a sustainable natural attenuation of xenobiotics in the environment.
Polychlorinated biphenyls, Aerobic biodegradation, Microbial remediation, Paint contaminated soil
