Biodegradation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons by Arthrobacter sp. UG50 Isolated from Petroleum Refinery Wastes

North American petroleum refineries use landfarming to dispose of hydrocarbon-containing wastes for bioremediation by indigenous soil microorganisms. In this study, we isolated PAH-degrading bacteria from landfarm soil by enrichment with hydrocarbon-containing effluent. One isolate, Arthrobacter sp. UG50, was capable of using phenanthrene and anthracene as sole carbon sources. The strain degraded phenanthrene (200 mg/L) within 24 h in pure culture at high cell density (10e8 cells/mL). Anthracene (50 mg/L) was slowly degraded, with 29% degraded within 21 days. The strain could not use naphthalene, pyrene, chrysene or benzo(a)pyrene as sole carbon sources, but could degrade pyrene (50 mg/L) cometabolically when phenanthrene was provided. Anthracene degradation (50 mg/L) was enhanced by phenanthrene, with 100% degraded within 6 days. The addition of strain UG50 to petroleum sludge in baffled flasks increased total hydrocarbon degradation and degradation of low concentrations of fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene and chrysene compared to flasks with limited aeration or containing sludge alone.