Biodegradation Potential of Bacillus sp. PAH-2 on PAHs for Oil-Contaminated Seawater

Microbial degradation is a useful tool for inhibiting or preventing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) widely distributed in marine environment after oil spill accidents. This study aimed to evaluate the potential and diversity of bacteria Bacillus sp. PAH-2 on Benzo (a) anthracene (BaA), Pyrene (Pyr), and Benzo (a) pyrene (BaP), their composite system, aromatic components system, and crude oil. The seven-day degradation rates against BaA, Pyr, and BaP were 20.6%, 12.83%, and 17.49%, respectively. Further degradation study of aromatic components demonstrated PAH-2 had a high degradation rate of substances with poor stability of molecular structure. In addition, the degradation of PAHs in crude oil suggested PAH-2 not only made good use of PAHs in such a more complex structure of pollutants but the saturated hydrocarbons in the crude oil also showed a good application potential.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the potential and diversity of the bacterium Bacillus sp. PAH-2 in degrading polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in marine environments. The results demonstrated that PAH-2 showed high degradation rates against specific PAHs such as Benzo (a) anthracene (BaA), Pyrene (Pyr), and Benzo (a) pyrene (BaP). The study also highlighted the ability of PAH-2 to degrade substances with poor molecular structure stability and the potential application of PAH-2 in degrading PAHs in crude oil.