Anthracene Biodegradation by Bacteria Isolated from Tajan River Estuary

Background and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) are environmental pollutants that are caused by human activity and considered as carcinogenic and mutagenic compounds. Anthracene is a hazardous substance causing serious health problems. There are many bacteria with the ability to remove this pollutant. The aim of of this study was isolation of some bacteria from Tajan river estuary and their use in biodegradation of Anthracene. In this study the samples taken from estuaries were inoculated into a synthetic medium culture. Four species of bacteria were isolated in the culture process and applied for removal of Anthracene in different environmental conditions such as pH، time، temperature and concentration of Anthracene. Spectrophotometer and HPLC were used to study the growth of bacteria and Anthracene concentration، respectively. The results showed that، optimum condition for removal of Anthracene was pH= 7، temperature= 30 °C، and the dose of inoculated bacteria 107 cfu/ml. Anthracene concentration was 100 ppm. Efficiency of the Anthracene removal in the presence of Pseudomonas putida، Achrobactrum haematophilum، Klebsiella oxytoca، Enterococcus sp، was obtained 51، 45، 43 and 48 percent، respectively. Pseudomonas putida bacteria species had the highest efficiency in Anthracene removal and Enterococcus sp strains had the lowest efficiency. The biological method is a cheap and effective method that can be used for Anthracene removal.