Degradation of BTEX by anaerobic bacteria: physiology and application

Pollution of the environment with aromatic hydrocarbons, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (so-called BTEX) is often observed. The cleanup of these toxic compounds has gained much attention in the last decades. In situ bioremediation of aromatic hydrocarbons contaminated soils and groundwater by naturally occurring microorganisms or microorganisms that are introduced is possible. Anaerobic bioremediation is an attractive technology as these compounds are often present in the anoxic zones of the environment. The bottleneck in the application of anaerobic techniques is the lack of knowledge about the anaerobic biodegradation of benzene and the bacteria involved in anaerobic benzene degradation. Here, we review the existing knowledge on the degradation of benzene and other aromatic hydrocarbons by anaerobic bacteria, in particular the physiology and application, including results on the (per)chlorate stimulated degradation of these compounds, which is an interesting new alternative option for bioremediation.     

Contrasting effects of a nonionic surfactant on the biotransformation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to cis-dihydrodiols by soil bacteria

The biotransformation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) naphthalene and phenanthrene was investigated by using two dioxygenase-expressing bacteria, Pseudomonas sp. strain 9816/11 and Sphingomonas yanoikuyae B8/36, under conditions which facilitate mass-transfer limited substrate oxidation. Both of these strains are mutants that accumulate cis-dihydrodiol metabolites under the reaction conditions used. The effects of the nonpolar solvent 2,2,4, 4,6,8,8-heptamethylnonane (HMN) and the nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 on the rate of accumulation of these metabolites were determined. HMN increased the rate of accumulation of metabolites for both microorganisms, with both substrates. The enhancement effect was most noticeable with phenanthrene, which has a lower aqueous solubility than naphthalene. Triton X-100 increased the rate of oxidation of the PAHs with strain 9816/11 with the effect being most noticeable when phenanthrene was used as a substrate. However, the surfactant inhibited the biotransformation of both naphthalene and phenanthrene with strain B8/36 under the same conditions. The observation that a nonionic surfactant could have such contrasting effects on PAH oxidation by different bacteria, which are known to be important for the degradation of these compounds in the environment, may explain why previous research on the application of the surfactants to PAH bioremediation has yielded inconclusive results. The surfactant inhibited growth of the wild-type strain S. yanoikuyae B1 on aromatic compounds but did not inhibit B8/36 dioxygenase enzyme activity in vitro.     

Bacteria-mediated PAH degradation in soil and sediment

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the natural environment and easily accumulate in soil and sediment due to their low solubility and high hydrophobicity, rendering them less available for biological degradation. However, microbial degradation is a promising mechanism which is responsible for the ecological recovery of PAH-contaminated soil and sediment for removing these recalcitrant compounds compared with chemical degradation of PAHs. The goal of this review is to provide an outline of the current knowledge of biodegradation of PAHs in related aspects. Over 102 publications related to PAH biodegradation in soil and sediment are compiled, discussed, and analyzed. This review aims to discuss PAH degradation under various redox potential conditions, the factors affecting the biodegradation rates, degrading bacteria, the relevant genes in molecular monitoring methods, and some recent-year bioremediation field studies. The comprehensive understanding of the bioremediation kinetics and molecular means will be helpful for optimizing and monitoring the process, and overcoming its limitations in practical projects.     

Integrated Approach for Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Solubilization from the Soil Matrix to Enhance Bioremediation

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are known to be toxic to living organisms and have been identified as carcinogenic. In this study, a pathway of surfactant flushing, chemical oxidation, and biological treatment is proposed to remediate the soils polluted with the hydrophobic PAHs. Different surfactants such as Tween 80, Brij 35, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 6000 were tested in order to increase the PAH solubilization from the soil matrix. The maximum desorption efficiency of naphthalene and anthracene were found to be 56.5% and 59%, respectively, when Brij and SDS were used. The soluble PAH in the aqueous phase was amended with sodium thiosulfate (3%) to oxidize the PAH into a more bioavailable form. The chemical oxidation with subsequent biodegradation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa exhibited the relatively high PAH degradation rate (1.24 times higher) when compared with chemical oxidation alone. These results display the efficiency of chemical pretreatment of PAH-contaminated soil for improved bioremediation.     

Bacterial metabolism of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: strategies for bioremediation

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are compounds of intense public concern due to their persistence in the environment and potentially deleterious effects on human, environmental and ecological health. The clean up of such contaminants using invasive technologies has proven to be expensive and more importantly often damaging to the natural resource properties of the soil, sediment or aquifer. Bioremediation, which exploits the metabolic potential of microbes for the clean-up of recalcitrant xenobiotic compounds, has come up as a promising alternative. Several approaches such as improvement in PAH solubilization and entry into the cell, pathway and enzyme engineering and control of enzyme expression etc. are in development but far from complete. Successful application of the microorganisms for the bioremediation of PAH-contaminated sites therefore requires a deeper understanding of the physiology, biochemistry and molecular genetics of potential catabolic pathways. In this review, we briefly summarize important strategies adopted for PAH bioremediation and discuss the potential for their improvement.     

PAH Phytoremediation: Rhizodegradation or Rhizoattenuation?

Dealing with soil contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POP) is an increasing concern amplified by both regulatory constraints and the dramatic impact of human activities on the soil resource. The most used management options are treatments which totally eradicate the toxic compounds targeted. When possible, environmental-friendly processes should be used, and recent years have seen the emergence of green technologies using biological energies involving microorganisms (bioremediation) and plants (phytoremediation). Research has focused on phytoremediation and many have presented this technology as the process ideally combining efficiency, low cost and environmental acceptance. However, the applicability of phytoremediation on soils contaminated by bio-recalcitrant organic compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), has not yet proved as successful as expected. We propose here a review and discussion of the overall question of PAH status in soil and their potential for treatment. The limits and applicability of bioremediation technologies are discussed, and the specific beneficial effect of plants is objectively evaluated with a special interest to processes which lead to rhizoattenuation. Given the PAH high affinity to soil organic matter, availability is the main limitation to phytoremediation. In this context, bioavailability quantification remains an issue as well as the characterization of the recalcitrant fraction.     

非流体介质中多环芳烃污染的微生物固定化修复技术

非流体介质中多环芳烃(PAHs)污染的修复是目前环境工作者所面临的艰巨而紧迫的任务.由于非流体介质环境的特殊性,常规修复方法难以高效地发挥作用,传统微生物修复技术采用的游离微生物也存在许多弊端.而微生物固定化能大幅度地提高参加反应的微生物浓度,避免优势菌受土著菌的恶性竞争,增强微生物的耐环境冲击性.微生物固定化技术在一定程度上克服了传统工艺的不足,因而广泛应用于流体介质(废水等)和半流体介质(泥浆等)环境污染的修复.在概述固定化微生物技术的特点和分析国内外研究进展的基础上,指出将该技术应用于非流体介质中PAHs污染的原位修复领域的可行性,并论述了需要解决的关键科学问题,提出了利用微生物固定化技术修复非流体介质中PAHs污染的未来研究课题.     

Effects of humic substances and soya lecithin on the aerobic bioremediation of a soil historically contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

The high hydrophobicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) strongly reduces their bioavailability in aged contaminated soils, thus limiting their bioremediation. The biodegradation of PAHs in soils can be enhanced by employing surface-active agents. However, chemical surfactants are often recalcitrant and exert toxic effects in the amended soils. The effects of two biogenic materials as pollutant-mobilizing agents on the aerobic bioremediation of an aged-contaminated soil were investigated here. A soil historically contaminated by about 13 g kg(-1) of a large variety of PAHs, was amended with soya lecithin (SL) or humic substances (HS) at 1.5% w/w and incubated in aerobic solid-phase and slurry-phase reactors for 150 days. A slow and only partial biodegradation of low-molecular weight PAHs, along with a moderate depletion of the initial soil ecotoxicity, was observed in the control reactors. The overall removal of PAHs in the presence of SL or HS was faster and more extensive and accompanied by a larger soil detoxification, especially under slurry-phase conditions. The SL and HS could be metabolized by soil aerobic microorganisms and enhanced the occurrence of both soil PAHs and indigenous aerobic PAH-degrading bacteria in the reactor water phase. These results indicate that SL and HS are biodegradable and efficiently enhance PAH bioavailability in soil. These natural surfactants significantly intensified the aerobic bioremediation of a historically PAH-contaminated soil under treatment conditions similar to those commonly employed in large-scale soil bioremediation.     

Search of Microorganisms that Degrade PAHs under Alkaline Conditions

Bacterial strains were enriched from building rubble contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These strains were studied as an inoculum in bioremediation processes with contaminated building rubble. The selection criteria for the bacteria were broad profiles in PAH degradation, stable expression of the traits and tolerance to alkaline conditions. Various strains of Micrococcus sp., Dietzia sp., Rhodococcus sp. and Pseudomonas sp. met the selection criteria. In general, degradative activity was limited at higher pH values. Strains of Micrococcus were suitable for practical use as complete degradation of various PAHs was observed at pH values exceeding 10. Strains of Dietzia sp. showed broad PAH degradation profile, but in some cases degradation came to a halt leaving some of the PAHs unutilized. With Dietzia sp. this could be due to inhibitory effects from the accumulation of toxic PAH metabolic products and/or growth‐limiting media conditions.     

Revealing potential functions of VBNC bacteria in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons biodegradation

The bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)‐contaminated sites is not running smoothly, because of the lower activity of PAH‐degrading bacteria in actual bioremediation applications. The phenomenon of “viable but nonculturable” (VBNC) state may be a main limiting factor for their poor biodegradation capabilities of PAHs. Due to their abilities of entering into the VBNC state, most of bacterial populations with PAH‐degradation potential remain unculturable. Resuscitation of VBNC bacteria will enhance the degradation capability of indigenous bacteria which will eventually obtain their better capabilities in environmental bioremediation. Although evidences have been presented indicating that resuscitation of VBNC bacteria in polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)‐contaminated environments not only significantly enhanced PCB degradation, but also obtained novel highly efficient PCB‐degrading bacteria, scanty information is available on the VBNC bacteria in PAH‐contaminated sites. VBNC bacteria, as a vast majority of potential microbial resource could be the repository of novel highly efficient PAH‐biodegraders. Therefore, studies need to be done on resuscitation of VBNC bacteria to overcome key bottlenecks in bioremediation of PAH‐contaminated sites. This mini‐review provides a new insight into the potential functions of VBNC bacteria in PAHs biodegradation.

Significance and Impact of the Study

As the vast majority microbial resource, viable but nonculturable (VBNC) bacteria, which showed their potential functions in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) biodegradation, can be of great significance in environmental bioremediation. It is therefore important to resuscitate VBNC bacteria for their better capabilities. Meanwhile, preventing the indigenous functional community from entering into the VBNC state will also maintain the high activity of PAH‐degrading bacteria in actual bioremediation applications. Undoubtedly, much more work needs to be done to reveal indigenous micro‐organisms in the VBNC state from the perspective of environmental functions.     

Engineering plants for the phytodetoxification of explosives

Summary  Widespread contaimination of the environment by explosives resulting from the manufacture, disposal and testing of munitions is becoming a matter of increasing concern. Most explosives are considered to be a major hazard to biological systems due to their toxic and mutagenic effects. Interest on the bioremediation of land contaminated with explosives has recently been focused on phytoremediation. Unfortunately., whilst plants have many advantages for the remediation of contaminated land and water, they lack the catabolic versatility which enables microorganisms to mineralize such a wide diversity of xenobiotic compounds. This raised the interesting question as to whether the impressive biodegradative capabilities of soil bacteria could be combined with the high biomass and stability of plants to yield an optimal system for in situ bioremediation of explosive residues in soil. Our investigation into the degradation of explosive residues by soil bacteria resulted in the isolation of Enterobacter cloacae PB2, which is capable of utilizing nitrate ester explosives such as pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) and nitroglycerin as the sole source of nitrogen for growth. We have successfully introduced PETN reductase, the enzyme initiating explosive degradation in this organism, into plants to create transgenic plants that degrade explosives. Since the bacterial degradative pathways for many classes of organic pollutant have been elucidated, this may be a generally applicable method of achieving bioremediation of contaminated soil in the environment.     

Enhanced degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in soil treated with an advanced oxidative process — Fenton's Reagent

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are resistant to present bioremediation practices. This study was conducted to determine if pretreatment with an advanced oxidative process (Fenton's reagent; H₂O₂ + FeSO₄) could enhance PAH degradation in soil that had previously been exposed to crude oil. PAHs were more readily degraded after incubation for 56 d when treated with H₂O₂ (2.8 M) plus FeSO₄ (0.1 M) compared with degradation rates without the addition of Fenton's reagent during the same time period. Overall, the use of Fenton's reagent as a pretreatment promoted the mineralization of the nine spiked PAHs by an average of 87%. Degradation of native PAH parent compounds (180 to 840 μg of PAH per kilogram of soil) in the same soil incubated with Fenton's reagent for 7 d was enhanced 44 and 39% for phenanthrene and fluoranthene, respectively, but only 5 and 1% for pyrene and chrysene, respectively, when compared with no addition of Fenton's reagent. Pretreatment of the soil with a surfactant (10 mM sodium dodecylsulfate) before the addition of Fenton's reagent increased the native PAH degradation rate 84, 83, 55, and 32% for the parent compounds phenanthrene, fluoranthene, pyrene, and chrysene, respectively, compared with no addition of Fenton's reagent. Degradation of PAHs was confirmed by HPLC‐UV analyses. The use of Fenton's reagent (OH") appears to have applications in bioremediation practices of the most recalcitrant chemical compounds in nature (PAHs), particularly with the use of surfactants.     

Microbial populations related to PAH biodegradation in an aged biostimulated creosote-contaminated soil

A previous bioremediation survey on a creosote-contaminated soil showed that aeration and optimal humidity promoted depletion of three-ringed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but residual concentrations of four-ringed benzo(a)anthracene (B(a)A) and chrysene (Chry) remained. In order to explain the lack of further degradation of heavier PAHs such as four-ringed PAHs and to analyze the microbial population responsible for PAH biodegradation, a chemical and microbial molecular approach was used. Using a slurry incubation strategy, soil in liquid mineral medium with and without additional B(a)A and Chry was found to contain a powerful PAH-degrading microbial community that eliminated 89% and 53% of the added B(a)A and Chry, respectively. It is hypothesized that the lack of PAH bioavailability hampered their further biodegradation in the unspiked soil. According to the results of the culture-dependent and independent techniques Mycobacterium parmense, Pseudomonas mexicana, and Sphingobacterials group could control B(a)A and Chry degradation in combination with several microorganisms with secondary metabolic activity.     

Biological cyanide destruction mediated by microorganisms

Many microorganisms have an inherent capacity to degrade the toxic organic compounds that enter the environment as a result of pollution and natural activities. Significant degradation of these compounds may take many years and it is frequently necessary to consider methods that can accelerate this process. There have been several demonstrations of enhanced biological degradation of toxic wastes, both in the laboratory and under field conditions. The prospects for enhanced biological cyanide degradation are reviewed. Compared with bench-scale processes, there are very few reports of field-scale processes for cyanide bioremediation. The implementation of such field-scale degradation requires inputs from biology, hydrology, geology, chemistry and civil engineering. A conceptual framework is emerging that can be adapted to develop new processes for bioremediation of toxic organic wastes. In terms of cyanide biodegradation, this framework incorporates identification of microbes, determination of the optimal conditions for degradation, establishment of the metabolic pathways involved in cyanide degradation, identification and localization of the genes involved, identification of suitable microbial strains for practical application and development of practical engineering processes. The present review addresses the progress that has been made in each of these aspects of cyanide biodegradation. It also examines the existing field applications of biological cyanide degradation and makes recommendations for future research.Dr S.K. Dubey is and Dr D.S. Holmes was with the Department of Biology, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699, USA. Dr D.S. Holmes is now affiliated with Centro de Estudios Cientifigos de Santiago, Av. Presedente Errazuriz 3132, Casilla 16443, Santiago 9, Chile.     

Protein engineering of Bacillus megaterium CYP102.The oxidation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are involved in activating the carcinogenicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mammals, but they are also utilized by microorganisms for the degradation of these hazardous environmental contaminants. Wild-type CYP102 (P450(BM-3)) from Bacillus megaterium has low activity for the oxidation of the PAHs phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene. The double hydrophobic substitution R47L/Y51F at the entrance of the substrate access channel increased the PAH oxidation activity by up to 40-fold. Combining these mutations with the active site mutations F87A and A264G lead to order of magnitude increases in activity. Both these mutations increased the NADPH turnover rate, but the A264G mutation increased the coupling efficiency while the F87A mutation had dominant effects in product selectivity. Fast NADPH oxidation rates were observed (2250 min-1 for the R47L/Y51F/F87A mutant with phenanthrene) but the coupling efficiencies were relatively low (< 13%), resulting in a highest substrate oxidation rate of 110 min-1 for fluoranthene oxidation by the R47L/Y51F/A264G mutant. Mutation of M354 and L437 inside the substrate access channel reduced PAH oxidation activity. The PAHs were oxidized to a mixture of phenols and quinones. Notably mutants containing the A264G mutation showed some similarity to mammalian CYP enzymes in that some 9,10-phenanthrenequinone, the K-region oxidation product from phenanthrene, was formed. The results suggest that CYP102 mutants could be useful models for PAH oxidation by mammalian CYP enzymes, and also potentially for the preparation of novel PAH bioremediation systems.     

Microbial Factors Rather Than Bioavailability Limit the Rate and Extent of PAH Biodegradation in Aged Crude Oil Contaminated Model Soils

The rate and extent of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) biodegradation in a set of aged model soils that had been contaminated with crude oil at the high concentrations (i.e.,>20,000?mg/kg) normally found in the environment were measured in 90-week slurry bioremediation experiments. Soil properties such as organic matter content, mineral type, particle diameter, surface area, and porosity did not significantly influence the PAH biodegradation kinetics among the 10 different model soils. A comparison of aged and freshly spiked soils indicates that aging affects the biodegradation rate and extent only for higher-molecular-weight PAHs, while the effects of aging are insignificant for 4-ring PAHs and total PAHs. In all model soils with the exception of kaolinite clay, the rate of abiotic desorption was faster than the rate of biodegradation during the initial phase of bioremediation treatment, indicating that PAH biodegradation was limited by microbial factors. Similarly, any of the higher-molecular-weight PAHs that were still present after 90 weeks of treatment were released rapidly during abiotic desorption tests, which demonstrates that bioavailability limitations were not responsible for the recalcitrance of these hydrocarbons. Indeed, an analysis of microbial counts indicates that a severe reduction in hydrocarbon degrader populations may be responsible for the observed incomplete PAH biodegradation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the recalcitrance of PAHs during bioremediation is not necessarily due to bioavailability limitations and that these residual contaminants therefore might pose a greater risk to environmental receptors than previously thought.     

Effects of Rapeseed Oil on the Rhizodegradation of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Contaminated Soil

Plants have the ability to promote degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in contaminated soil by supporting PAH degrading microorganisms in the rhizosphere (rhizodegradation). The aim of this study was to evaluate if rapeseed oil increases rhizodegradation because various studies have shown that vegetable oils are able to act as extractants for PAHs in contaminated soils and therefore might increase bioavailability of PAHs for microbial degradation. In this study different leguminous and grass species were tested. The results suggested a significant impact of vegetable oil (1 and 3% w/w) on plant growth (decrease of plant height and biomass). The results of the pot experiment showed a decrease in the PAH content of the soil without amendment of rapeseed oil after six months. In soil amended with 1% and 3% of oil, there was no decrease in PAH content within this period. Although no enhancement of PAH degradation by plants could be measured in the bulk soil of the pot experiments, a rhizobox experiment showed a significant reduction of PAH content in the rhizosphere of alfalfa (Medicago sativa cv. Europe). Our investigations also showed significant differences in the degradation behaviour of the 16 individually analysed PAHs.     

Microbiological and biotechnological aspects of metabolism of carbamates and organophosphates.

Several carbamate and organophosphate compounds are used to control a wide variety of insect pests, weeds, and disease-transmitting vectors. These chemicals were introduced to replace the recalcitrant and hazardous chlorinated pesticides. Although newly introduced pesticides were considered to be biodegradable, some of them are highly toxic and their residues are found in certain environments. In addition, degradation of some of the carbamates generates metabolites that are also toxic. In general, hydrolysis of the carbamate and organophosphates yields less toxic metabolites compared with the metabolites produced from oxidation. Although microorganisms capable of degrading many of these pesticides have been isolated, knowledge about the biochemical pathways and respective genes involved in the degradation is sparse. Recently, a great deal of interest in the mechanisms of biodegradation of carbamate and organophosphate compounds has been shown because (1) an efficient mineralization of the pesticides used for insect control could eliminate the problems of environmental pollution, (2) a balance between degradation and efficacy of pesticides could result in safer application and effective insect control, and (3) knowledge about the mechanisms of biodegradation could help to deal with situations leading to the generation of toxic metabolites and bioremediation of polluted environments. In addition, advances in genetic engineering and biotechnology offer great potential to exploit the degradative properties of microorganisms in order to develop bioremediation strategies and novel applications such as development of economic plants tolerant to herbicides. In this review, recent advances in the biochemical and genetic aspects of microbial degradation of carbamate and organophosphates are discussed and areas in need of further investigation identified.     

Microbiological and Biotechnological Aspects of Metabolism of Carbamates and Organophosphates

Abstract

Several carbamate and organophosphate compounds are used to control a wide variety of insect pests, weeds, and disease-transmitting vectors. These chemicals were introduced to replace the recalcitrant and hazardous chlorinated pesticides. Although newly introduced pesticides were considered to be biodegradable, some of them are highly toxic and their residues are found in certain environments. In addition, degradation of some of the carbamates generates metabolites that are also toxic. In general, hydrolysis of the carbamate and organophosphates yields less toxic metabolites compared with the metabolites produced from oxidation. Although microorganisms capable of degrading many of these pesticides have been isolated, knowledge about the biochemical pathways and respective genes involved in the degradation is sparse. Recently, a great deal of interest in the mechanisms of biodegradation of carbamate and organophosphate compounds has been shown because (1) an efficient mineralization of the pesticides used for insect control could eliminate the problems of environmental pollution, (2) a balance between degradation and efficacy of pesticides could result in safer application and effective insect control, and (3) knowledge about the mechanisms of biodegradation could help to deal with situations leading to the generation of toxic metabolites and bioremediation of polluted environments. In addition, advances in genetic engineering and biotechnology offer great potential to exploit the degradative properties of microorganisms in order to develop bioremediation strategies and novel applications such as development of economic plants tolerant to herbicides. In this review, recent advances in the biochemical and genetic aspects of microbial degradation of carbamate and organophosphates are discussed and areas in need of further investigation identified.     

Action of a Fluoranthene-Utilizing Bacterial Community on Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Components of Creosote

Cultures enriched by serial transfer through a mineral salts medium containing fluoranthene were used to establish a stable, seven-member bacterial community from a sandy soil highly contaminated with coal tar creosote. This community exhibited an ability to utilize fluoranthene as the sole carbon source for growth, as demonstrated by increases in protein concentration and changes in absorption spectra when grown on fluoranthene in liquid culture. Biotransformation of other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was verified by demonstrating their disappearance from an artificial PAH mixture by capillary gas chromatography. When grown on fluoranthene as the sole carbon source and subsequently exposed to fluoranthene plus 16 additional PAHs typical of those found in creosote, this community transformed all PAHs present in this defined mixture. After 3 days of incubation, 13 of the original 17 PAH components were degraded to levels below the limit of detection (10 ng/liter). Continued incubation resulted in extensive degradation of the remaining four compounds. The ability of this community to utilize a high-molecular-weight PAH as the sole carbon source, in conjunction with its ability to transform a diverse array of PAHs, suggests that it may be of value in the bioremediation of environments contaminated with PAHs, such as those impacted by creosote.