Biological Remediation of Groundwater Containing Both Nitrate and Atrazine

Due to its high usage, mobility, and recalcitrant nature, atrazine is a common groundwater contaminant. Moreover, groundwaters that are contaminated with atrazine often contain nitrate as well. Nitrate interferes with the biological degradation of atrazine and makes it more difficult to use in situ biological methods to remediate atrazine contaminated groundwater. To solve this problem we used two reactors in sequence as models of in situ biobarriers; the first was a vegetable-oil-based denitrifying biobarrier and the second an aerobic reactor that oxygenated the denitrifying reactor’s effluent. The reactors were inoculated with an atrazine-degrading microbial consortium and supplied with water containing 5 mg l⁻¹ nitrate–N and 3 mg l⁻¹ atrazine. Our hypothesis was that the denitrifying barrier would remove nitrate from the flowing water and that the downstream reaction would remove atrazine. Our hypothesis proved correct; the two reactor system removed 99.9% of the atrazine during the final 30 weeks of the study. The denitrifying barrier removed ~98% of the nitrate and ~30% of the atrazine while the aerobic reactor removed ~70% of the initial atrazine. The system continued to work when the amount of nitrate–N in the influent water was increased to 50 mg l⁻¹. A mercury poisoning study blocked the degradation of atrazine indicating that biological processes were involved. An in situ denitrifying barrier coupled with an air injection system or other oxygenation process might be used to remove both nitrate and atrazine from contaminated groundwater or to protect groundwater from an atrazine spill.     

Studies on Removing Sulfachloropyridazine from Groundwater with Microbial Bioreactors

Sulfachloropyridazine (SCP), an antibiotic used in aquaculture and in animal husbandry, is a common contaminant in surface and groundwaters. Two types of microbial reactors were evaluated as methods for removing SCP from flowing water. One type of reactor evaluated was a nitrogen-limiting biobarrier; the other a slow-sand-filter. Results showed that the soybean oil-fed, nitrogen-limiting biobarrier was not very effective at removing SCP from flowing water. When supplied with flowing water containing 2.4 mg l⁻¹ SCP the nitrogen-limiting biobarrier removed ~0.6 mg l⁻¹ SCP or about 28% of that present. SCP removal by the nitrogen-limiting biobarrier may not have been biological as abiotic removal was not ruled out. More efficient biological removal was obtained with the slow-sand-filter which reduced the SCP levels from 2.35 to 0.048 mg l⁻¹, a removal efficiency of ~98%. High levels of nitrate nitrogen, 50 mg l⁻¹ N, did not interfere with the removal processes of either reactor suggesting that SCP was not being degraded as a microbial nitrogen source.     

Treatment of raw and ozonated oil sands process-affected water under decoupled denitrifying anoxic and nitrifying aerobic conditions: a comparative study

Batch experiments were performed to evaluate biodegradation of raw and ozonated oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) under denitrifying anoxic and nitrifying aerobic conditions for 33 days. The results showed both the anoxic and aerobic conditions are effective in degrading OSPW classical and oxidized naphthenic acids (NAs) with the aerobic conditions demonstrating higher removal efficiency. The reactors under nitrifying aerobic condition reduced the total classical NAs of raw OSPW by 69.1 %, with better efficiency for species of higher hydrophobicity. Compared with conventional aerobic reactor, nitrifying aerobic condition substantially shortened the NA degradation half-life to 16 days. The mild-dose ozonation remarkably accelerated the subsequent aerobic biodegradation of classical NAs within the first 14 days, especially for those with long carbon chains. Moreover, the ozone pretreatment enhanced the biological removal of OSPW classical NAs by leaving a considerably lower final residual concentration of 10.4 mg/L under anoxic conditions, and 5.7 mg/L under aerobic conditions. The combination of ozonation and nitrifying aerobic biodegradation removed total classical NAs by 76.5 % and total oxy-NAs (O3–O6) by 23.6 %. 454 Pyrosequencing revealed that microbial species capable of degrading recalcitrant hydrocarbons were dominant in all reactors. The most abundant genus in the raw and ozonated anoxic reactors was Thauera (~56 % in the raw OSPW anoxic reactor, and ~65 % in the ozonated OSPW anoxic reactor); whereas Rhodanobacter (~40 %) and Pseudomonas (~40 %) dominated the raw and ozonated aerobic reactors, respectively. Therefore, the combination of mild-dose ozone pretreatment and subsequent biological process could be a competent choice for OSPW treatment.     

Biodegradation of Benzene in a Laboratory-Scale Biobarrier at Low Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations

A laboratory-scale permeable biobarrier exhibited high removal efficiencies of benzene at inlet concentrations of 0.4 to 35.1?mg/L and with a limited supply of dissolved oxygen. The supplied oxygen was less than the demand for a complete aerobic oxidation of benzene. Stainless steel pieces or granulated peat moss were used as packing material for microbial support in the biobarrier. Removal efficiencies ranged from 63.9% to 99.9% in the stainless steel-packed biobarrier and from 70.4% to 97.2% in the peat moss-packed biobarrier, while benzene elimination rate changed from 0.2 to 10.4?mg/L-d and from 0.1 to 3.7?mg/L-d in the two biobarriers, respectively. The consumption of sulfate and the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria suggested the contribution of anaerobic metabolism in the biodegradation of benzene. The biodegradation of benzene under microaerophilic conditions (defined as dissolved oxygen concentrations <2?mg/L) was demonstrated during independent batch experiments. The maximum specific rate of benzene biodegradation with concentrations of 22.0 to 65.9?mg/L under microaero-philic conditions was 2.6 mg/mg biomass-d.     

Vadose Zone Microbial Biobarriers Remove Nitrate from Percolating Groundwater

Microbial biobarriers are an established technique for cleansing contaminants from aquifers. This study evaluated their use under well-drained conditions within the vadose or unsaturated zone. Three sets of sand filled columns, the positive control, field-capacity, and sub-field-capacity groups, contained biobarriers formed by mixing sand with sawdust and soybean oil. The biobarriers were positioned 1 m from the top of the 145 cm columns. A fourth set of column, the negative control, contained no biobarrier. The positive control group’s biobarriers were saturated while biobarriers in the other groups were allowed to drain. At intervals water containing 20 mg l⁻¹ NO₃⁻–N was applied to the columns, the water was allowed to percolate through the columns, and the effluents were collected and analyzed. The biobarriers were highly effective at removing NO₃⁻. NO₃⁻–N in the effluents from the field-capacity, sub-field-capacity, and positive control groups averaged 0.4 ± 0.1, 0.6 ± 0.1, and 0.8 ± 0.1 mg l⁻¹, respectively, during the final weeks of the study while effluents from the negative control group averaged 17.9 ± 0.4 mg l⁻¹. The barriers removed NO₃⁻ even when the water content was in the 20–40% pore filled space range. During the 12-week study the field-capacity barriers lost 5.6% of their organic content while those in the sub-field-capacity group lost no detectable organic matter indicating that the barriers contained sufficient substrate to last for several years. Vadose zone biobarriers could provide a useful means of protecting surface waters and aquifers from NO₃⁻.     

Effect of rhamnolipid on the aerobic removal of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and COD components from petrochemical wastewater

The removal efficiencies of 15 PAHs and some COD components (inert, readily degradable, slowly degradable and metabolic products) from a wastewater taken from a petrochemical industry treatment plant (İzmir, Turkey) have been determined using an aerobic completely stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Addition of rhamnolipid surfactant (15 mg l⁻¹) increased the removal efficiencies of PAHs and soluble COD from 72% and 90% to 80% and 99%, respectively. The rhamnolipid treatment caused a significant increase of 5- and 6-ring PAH degradation. The soluble COD removal efficiency was 93%, in CSTR reactors with rhamnolipid added. The inert COD removal efficiency was 60% in a CSTR reactor containing rhamnolipid. Batch tests showed that removal arising from the adsorption of the PAHs was low (between 1.88% and 4.84%) while the removal of PAHs from the petrochemical industry wastewater via volatilization varied between 0.69% and 5.92%. Low sorption capacity (K_p) values for refinery activated sludge (approximately 2.98 l g⁻¹) confirmed that bio-sorption was not an important mechanism controlling the fate of PAHs in aerobic CSTR reactors. Models proposed to simulate the PAH removal indicated that 94% of the PAHs were removed via biodegradation.     

Removing Selenite from Groundwater with an In Situ Biobarrier: Laboratory Studies

Laboratory biobarriers were evaluated for their ability to remove selenite from flowing groundwater. Microbial activity in aquifers is usually limited by substrate availability, and biobarriers stimulate microbial activity by providing a substrate; for these studies soybean oil was used. Water containing 10 mg L^–1 selenite-Se was pumped through the biobarriers for 74 days and the amount present in the effluent monitored. The amounts remained high for the first 2 weeks of the study but then declined. From day 28 until the end of the study the amount of selenite-Se in the column effluents averaged 0.20±0.04 mg L^–1, a decrease of approximately 98%. At the end of the study about half of the selenite-Se applied to the columns was recovered as immobilized selenium trapped by the biobarrier. This study suggests that biobarriers containing vegetable oil might be used as a process for removing selenite from contaminated groundwater.     

Effect of activated carbon on the biological treatment of oil-water emulsions

Waste water, derived from the reprocessing of used emulsions or suspensions, contains high concentrations of emulsified mineral oil and stabilizers, as well as different additives that are needed during the treatment process. Two stirred-tank reactors and two fixed-bed reactors were used to study the biodegradation of these waste-water compounds during two-stage biological treatment. The waste water was first proceesed in an activated sludge reactor to remove easily biodegradable substances. The effluent from the first stage was treated in three parallel operating reactors: an activated sludge tank containing different amounts of powdered activated carbon (PAC, between 0 and 2%), an upflow anaerobic fixed-bed reactor and an aerobic fixed-bed reactor (trickling filter). The results from the continuous treatment were compared with laboratory batch experiments. About 60% of the influent TOC was reduced by the first activated sludge treatment. The removal efficiency increased to about 70% by using a second activated sludge stage. This degradation was comparable to the maximum degree of degradation measured in laboratory batch experiments. PAC addition to the second activated sludge tank resulted in increased degradation rates. The removal efficiency increased to about 76% when 0.1% PAC was added and to 96% with 1% PAC. The removal efficiency decreased to 84% when the proportion of PAC was further increased to 2%. Variations in the amount of PAC addition per unit influent volume in the range of 50 and 200 mg/l had no significant effect on the TOC removal. Degradation models based on the MONOD-type equation were found to be in close correlation with the results obtained from batch experiments. However, the biological removal rates measured in batch experiments did not reflect the removal capacity determined in continuous operating treatment systems.     

Effects of Triton X-100 and Quillaya Saponin on the ex situ bioremediation of a chronically polychlorobiphenyl-contaminated soil

The possibility of enhancing the ex situ bioremediation of a chronically polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-contaminated soil by using Triton X-100 or Quillaya Saponin, a synthetic and a biogenic surfactant, respectively, was studied. The soil, which contained about 350 mg/kg of PCBs and indigenous aerobic bacteria capable of growing on biphenyl or on monochlorobenzoic acids, was amended with inorganic nutrients and biphenyl, saturated with water and treated in aerobic batch slurry- and fixed-phase reactors. Triton X-100 and Quillaya Saponin were added to the reactors at a final concentration of 10 g/l at the 42nd day of treatment, and at the 43rd and 100th day, respectively. Triton X-100 was not metabolised by the soil microflora and it exerted inhibitory effects on the indigenous bacteria. Quillaya Saponin, on the contrary, was readily metabolised by the soil microflora. Under slurry-phase conditions, Triton X-100 negatively influenced the soil bioremediation process by affecting the availability of the chlorobenzoic acid degrading indigenous bacteria, whereas Quillaya Saponin slightly enhanced the biological degradation and dechlorination of the soil PCBs. In the fixed-phase reactors, where both the surfactant availability and the mixing of the soil were lower, Triton X-100 did not exert inhibitory effects on the soil biomass and enhanced significantly the soil PCB depletion, whereas Quillaya Saponin did not influence the bioremediation process. Received: 28 April 1998 / Received last revision: 15 July 1998 / Accepted: 29 July 1998     

Degradation of organic contaminants found in organic waste

In recent years, great interest has arisen in recycling of the waste created by modern society. A common way of recycling the organic fraction is amendment on farmland. However, these wastes may contain possible hazardous components in small amounts, which may prevent their use in farming. The objective of our study has been to develop biological methods by which selected organic xenobiotic compounds can be biotransformed by anaerobic or aerobic treatment. Screening tests assessed the capability of various inocula to degrade two phthalates di-n-butylphthalate, and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates and three nonylphenol ethoxylates under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Under aerobic conditions, by selecting the appropriate inoculum most of the selected xenobiotics could be degraded. Aerobic degradation of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate was only possible with leachate from a landfill as inoculum. Anaerobic degradation of some of the compounds was also detected. Leachate showed capability of degrading phthalates, and anaerobic sludge showed potential for degrading, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates and nonyl phenol ethoxylates. The results are promising as they indicate that a great potential for biological degradation is present, though the inoculum containing the microorganisms capable of transforming the recalcitrant xenobiotics has to be chosen carefully.     

Performances and microbial features of an aerobic packed-bed biofilm reactor developed to post-treat an olive mill effluent from an anaerobic GAC reactor

Background  

Olive mill wastewater (OMW) is the aqueous effluent of olive oil producing processes. Given its high COD and content of phenols, it has to be decontaminated before being discharged. Anaerobic digestion is one of the most promising treatment process for such an effluent, as it combines high decontamination efficiency with methane production. The large scale anaerobic digestion of OMWs is normally conducted in dispersed-growth reactors, where however are generally achieved unsatisfactory COD removal and methane production yields. The possibility of intensifying the performance of the process using a packed bed biofilm reactor, as anaerobic treatment alternative, was demonstrated. Even in this case, however, a post-treatment step is required to further reduce the COD. In this work, a biological post-treatment, consisting of an aerobic biological "Manville" silica bead-packed bed aerobic reactor, was developed, tested for its ability to complete COD removal from the anaerobic digestion effluents, and characterized biologically through molecular tools.     

Process of simultaneous hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas and nitrogen removal from swine wastewater

The feasibility of a new flowchart describing simultaneous hydrogen sulfide removal from biogas and nitrogen removal from wastewater was investigated. It took 30 days for the reactor inoculated with aerobic sludge to attain a removal rate of 60% for H₂S and NO_x–N simultaneously. It took 34 and 48 days to attain the same removal rate for the reactor without inoculated sludge and the reactor inoculated with anaerobic sludge respectively. The reactor without inoculated sludge still operated successfully, despite requiring a slightly longer startup time. The packing material was capable of enhancing the removal efficiency of reactors. Based on the concentration of NO_x–N and H₂S in the effluent, the loading rate and the ability of the system to resist shock loading, the performance of the reactor filled with hollow plastic balls was greater than that of the reactor filled with elastic packing and the reactor filled with Pall rings.     

Biofilm producing indigenous bacteria isolated from municipal sludge and their nutrient removal ability in moving bed biofilm reactor from the wastewater

In the present study, improved moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) was applied to enhance the nutrient removal ability of the municipal wastewater. A total of 18 indigenous bacterial isolates were screened from the sewage sludge sample and nitrate reductase, nitrite reductase and hydroxylamine oxidase was analyzed. The strains Pseudomonas aeruginosa NU1 and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus K12 produced 0.87 ± 0.05 U/mg and 0.52 ± 0.12 U/mg hydroxylamine oxidase, 1.023 ± 0.062 U/mg and 1.29 ± 0.07 U/mg nitrite reductase, and 0.789 ± 0.031 U/mg and 1.07 ± 0.13 U/mg nitrate reductase. Nitrogen and phosphate removal improved by the addition of nutrient sources and achieved > 80% removal rate. pH and temperature of the medium also affected nutrient removal and improved removal was achieved at optimum level (p < 0.05). MBBR was designed with R1 (aerobic), R2 and R3 (anoxic) reactors. MBBR reactors removed acceptable level phosphorus removal properties up to 7.2 ± 3.8%, 42.4 ± 4.6%, and 84.2 ± 13.1% in the R1, R2, R3 and R4 reactors, respectively. Denitrification rate showed linear relationship at increasing concentrations nitrogen content in the reactor and denitrification rate was 1.43 g NO₂-N /m²/day at 1.5 g NO₂-N /m²/day. Dehydrogenase activity was assayed in all reactors and maximum amount was detected in the aerobic biofilm reactor. Based on the present findings, MBBRs and the selected bacterial strains are useful for the degradation domestic wastewater with minimum working area.     

Effects of ferrous iron on the performance and microbial community in aerobic granular sludge in relation to nutrient removal

Lab‐scale experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of ferrous iron on nutrient removal performance and variations in the microbial community inside aerobic granular sludge for 408 days. Two reactors were simultaneously operated, one without added ferrous iron (SBR1), and one with 10 mg Fe²⁺ L^?1 of added ferrous iron (SBR2). A total of 1 mg Fe²⁺ L^?1 of added ferrous iron was applied to SBR1 starting from the 191st day to observe the resulting variations in the nutrient removal performance and the microbial community. The results show that ammonia‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB) could not oxidize ammonia due to a lack of iron compounds, but they could survive in the aerobic granular sludge. Limited ferrous iron addition encouraged nitrification. Enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) from both reactors could not be maintained regardless of the amount of ferrous iron that was applied. EBPR was established in both reactors when the concentration of mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) and the percentage of Accumulibacteria increased. A total of 10 mg Fe²⁺ L^?1 of added ferrous iron had a relatively adverse effect on the growth of AOB species compared to 1 mg Fe²⁺ L^?1 of added ferrous iron, but it encouraged the growth of Nitrospira sp. and Accumulibacteria, which requires further study. It could be said that the compact and stable structure of aerobic granular sludge preserved AOB and NOB from Fe‐deficient conditions, and wash‐out during the disintegration period. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 33:716–725, 2017     

Treatment of high-strength ammonium wastewater by polyvinyl alcohol–sodium alginate immobilization of activated sludge

We employed microorganism embedding immobilization technology to treat high-strength ammonium(NH₄⁺-N) wastewater. Experiments were conducted in batch reactors with different initial ammonium concentrations (50–400 mg/L), 10% particle dosage rates, 7.5–8.5 pH, and 495-min operation cycle. Stable treatment efficiency was reached in the 28th, 40th, 55th, 58th, and 58th cycles with average ammonium removal rates of 100, 100, 80.9, 64.6, and 48.0%, respectively. The ammonium removal reaction followed zero-order reaction kinetics. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that the specific surface area and pore size of beads in stable phase were larger than corresponding values for the unused embedding beads, and microorganisms were found in the interior and external surface of beads. High-throughput sequencing illustrated that the microbial community composition significantly differed between the interior and external surface of embedding beads. And the existence of heterotrophic nitrifying and aerobic denitrifying bacteria may provide additional pathways for biological nitrogen removal in the reactors.     

Modeling chlorophenols degradation in sequencing batch reactors with instantaneous feed-effect of 2,4-DCP presence on 4-CP degradation kinetics

Two instantaneously fed sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), one receiving 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) (SBR4) only and one receiving mixture of 4-CP and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) (SBRM), were operated with increasing chlorophenols concentrations in the feed. Complete degradation of chlorophenols and high-Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiencies were observed throughout the reactors operation. Only a fraction of biomass (competent biomass) was thought to be responsible for the degradation of chlorophenols due to required unique metabolic pathways. Haldane model developed based on competent biomass concentration fitted reasonably well to the experimental data at different feed chlorophenols concentrations. The presence of 2,4-DCP competitively inhibited 4-CP degradation and its degradation began only after complete removal of 2,4-DCP. Based on the experimental results, the 4-CP degrader’s fraction in SBRM was estimated to be higher than that in SBR4 since 2,4-DCP degraders were also capable of degrading 4-CP due to similarity in the degradation pathways of both compounds.     

Biodegradation of dichloromethane in waste water using a fluidized bed bioreactor

Summary Biological treatment of a synthetic waste water containing 120 mM dichloromethane (10.2g/l) was carried out under aerobic conditions using dichloromethane-degrading bacteria as an inoculum. The bacteria were adsorbed to support particles and grown in a fluidized bed bioreactor. Charcoal and sand particles were compared as support materials with regard to abrasion, the maximum degradation rate for dichloromethane and the stability of the biological activity in the system.The use of charcoal led to the incorporation of coal dust into the biomass and to an uncontrollable thickness of the biofilm. Therefore the system became unstable and the biological activity decreased. In contrast sand as support material was indifferent to abrasion and allowed biofilm thickness to be controlled. The dichloromethane degrading capacity of the bioreactor increased during the first 30 days. It reached a steady state level of 1.6 g CH₂Cl₂/lxh. Dichloromethane concentration in the effluent was <0.01 mM (<0.85 mg/l) and consequently the degradation efficiency better than 99.99%.     

Degradation of pentachlorophenol by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kocuria</Emphasis> sp. CL2 isolated from secondary sludge of pulp and paper mill

A pentachlorophenol (PCP) degrading bacterium was isolated and characterized from sludge of pulp and paper mill. This isolate used PCP as its sole source of carbon and energy and was capable of degrading this compound, as indicated by stoichiometric release of chloride and biomass formation. Based on morphology, biochemical tests, and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis this strain was identified as Kocuria sp. CL2. High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) analysis revealed that this strain was able to degrade PCP up to a concentration of 600 mg/l. This is first time we are reporting the degradation of PCP by the Kocuria species. This isolate was also able to remove 58.64% of PCP from the sludge within two weeks. This study showed that the removal efficiency of PCP by CL2 was found to be very effective and can be used in degradation of PCP containing pulp paper mill waste in the environment.     

A study of the efficiency of edible oils degraded in alkaline conditions by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas aeruginosa</Emphasis> SS-219 and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acinetobacter</Emphasis> sp. SS-192 bacteria isolated from Japanese soil

High lipid concentration contained in wastewater inhibits the activity of microorganisms in biological wastewater treatment systems such as activated sludge and methane fermentation. To reduce the inhibitory effects, microorganisms capable of efficiently degrading edible oils were screened from various environmental sources. From Japanese soil, we isolated 2 bacteria strains with high degradation abilities at an alkaline pH without consumption of biological oxygen demand (BOD) constituents. Acinetobacter sp. strain SS-192 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain SS-219 degraded 77.5 ± 0.6% and 89.5 ± 1.5%, respectively, of 3,000 ppm of mixed oil consisting of salad oil/lard/beef tallow (1/1/1, w/w/w) at 37°C and pH 9.0 in 24 h. Efficient degradation by the two strains occurred at pH 8–9 and 25–40°C. Strain SS-219 degraded lipids even at pH 3. The degradation rate of 3,000 ppm of salad oil, lard, and beef tallow by strain SS-192 was 79.9 ± 2.6%, 63.6 ± 1.9%, and 70.1 ± 1.2%, respectively, during a 24-h cultivation. The degradation rate of 3,000 ppm of salad oil, lard, and beef tallow by strain SS-219 was 82.3 ± 2.1%, 71.9 ± 2.2%, and 71.0 ± 1.1%, respectively, during a 24-h cultivation. After mixed oil degradation by both strains, the BOD value of the cell culture increased from 2,100 ppm to 3,200–4,000 ppm. The fact that neither strain utilizes BOD ingredients will be beneficial to pretreatment of methane fermentation systems such as upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors. In addition, the growth of usual heterotrophic microorganisms utilizing soluble BOD can be suppressed under alkaline pH.     

Identification and biodegradation efficiency of a newly isolated 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) aerobic degrading bacterial strain

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are bioaccumulative, toxic and persistent, globally distributed organic chemicals in environment. However, very little is known for their aerobic biodegradation. In this research, 2,2′,4,4′-tetrabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-47) was selected as a model congener of PBDEs to study its aerobic biodegradation. A new BDE-47 degrading strain BFR01 identified as Pseudomonas stutzeri was isolated from polluted soil in a former brominated flame retardant production corporation. Stain BFR01 could utilize BDE-47 as a sole source of carbon and energy, and transformed 97.94% of BDE-47 in two weeks; the biodegradation of BDE-47 fitted well with the first-order kinetics, with the first-order kinetics constant of 0.32 d⁻¹. The biodegradation efficiency of stain BFR01 was higher than other reported PBDEs aerobic degrading bacteria. The biodegradation efficiency achieved maximum at pH 7.0 and 40 °C. The presence of additional carbon sources could enhance the biodegradation efficiency of BDE-47 by 1–6%. Furthermore, no lower brominated diphenyl ethers or biphenyl were detected, suggesting that the pathway of BDE-47 biodegradation by strain BFR01 might not be debromination with lower brominated diphenyl ethers as products. This is the first report of aerobic degradation of BDE-47 by P. stutzeri.