Degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) using bacteria Isolated from paint scrapes.

Abstract

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.