Isolation and characterization of phenol degrading bacteria from oil contaminated soil

Abstract

Microorganisms plays a major role for saving our environments by degrading xenobiotic compounds chemicals wastes, which are toxic either in their native form or modified to be toxic. Isolation of microbial strain able to degrade chemical compounds was started usually from polluted sources, such as soil. In present study, aerobic bacteria isolated from soil contaminated with industrial xenobiotic compounds using enrichment technique containing phenol as sole source of carbon and energy was isolated in pure culture and selected for their ability to degrade phenol. The soil bacterium was identified as Streptococcus epidermis coded as (OCS-B). The selected microbial strain was able to degrade phenol up to 200mg/l which was also confirmed by HPLC analysis and so can be effectively used for bioremediation of phenol contaminated sites. Degradation intermediate compounds were also determined. Outcome of this study offer a useful guideline in evaluating potential phenol degraders from the environment.