Technical Note: Degradation of Phenanthrene and Anthracene by Pseudomonas Strain,Isolated From Coastal Area

A bacterial strain was isolated from a Mumbai coastal area. It was dosed with anthracene and phenanthrene, and, after 14 days of incubation, it had degraded 90% and 93% of the anthracene and phenanthrene, respectively. The metabolites were extracted and identified by ultraviolet (UV)-visible light absorption, high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry, and by comparing with actual compounds and data. Neutral extracts from anthracene showed four metabolites, viz 1,2-dihydroxyanthracene, 6,7-benzocoumarin, 1-methoxy-2-hydroxyanthracene, and 9,10 anthraquinone. When Pseudomonas were grown in the presence of phenanthrene, two metabolites, viz 9,10-dihydroxyphenanthrene and 3,4-dihydroxyphenanthrene were identified.