Isolation, molecular identification & anthracene biodegradation of Nocardia cyriacigeorgica isolated from oil refinery soil in Isfahan

Subject Areas : Environmental Microbiology

Imaneh Amini ¹ (MSc, Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Falavarjan Branch, Falavarjan, Isfahan, Iran.)
Arezoo Tahmourespour ² (Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Science, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran.)
Atousa Abdollahi ³ (Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Science, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Isfahan, Iran.)
Monir Doudi ⁴ (Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology, Islamic Azad University, Falavarjan Branch, Falavarjan, Isfahan, Iran.)

Received: 2013-01-14 Accepted : 2013-05-08 Published : 2013-10-01

Keywords: Biodegradation, Anthracene, Nocardia cyriacigeorgica,

Abstract :

Background and Objectives: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of non-polar compounds that are categorized as one of main environmental concerns due to their highly toxicity and persistent in the environment. Biodegradation of such pollutants is a safe inexpensive clean up method. This study was aimed to isolation and molecular identification of a Nocardia strain with the ability to degrade anthracene in vitro condition. Material & methods: Petroleum contaminated soil sample was collected from Isfahan refinery and some chemical properties of sample were measured. Anthracene degrading bacteria were isolated by the enrichment culture technique in basal salt medium with 50 mg/l anthracene. Only one isolate with similar morphology to Nocardia sp was selected. Identification of isolate was done based on biochemical tests and 16S rRNA gene analyses. Then, the biodegradation rate of anthracene was measured after 9 days by Gas chromatography (GC). Results: Anthracene concentration in soil sample was 18.48 mg/kg that is more than allowable concentration. Isolate was recorded as Nocardia cyriacigeorgica ATAI20 in the NCBI database under accession number KF113844. Biodegradation of anthracene (50 mg/l) was 36.60% after 9 days. Conclusion: Based on this study, Nocardia cyriacigeorgica ATAI20 was actively able to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons. Therefore, further studies would be useful for commercial application of this strain in bioremediation of antheracene from polluted wastewaters.