Method for biodegrading high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon pyrenes with halophilic bacteria

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10478652-B2
Application number	US-201715843809-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2017
Priority date	Dec 15, 2017
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A method and composition for biodegrading or bioremediating a pyrene or other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (“PAH”) with one or more bacteria of the genus Halomonas or Idiomarina. Bacterial strains useful for degrading or remediating pyrenes and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for degrading a polycyclic aromatic compound (PAH) comprising:
pumping groundwater or other liquid contaminated with one or more PAHs into a bioreactor to which one or more bacteria of the genus Halomonas have been added,
contacting said groundwater or other liquid in the bioreactor with the one or more bacteria in a medium containing NaCl at a temperature of at least 15° C. for a time sufficient to degrade the PAH;
wherein said Halomonas have 16s ribosomal RNA that is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 1.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said contacting occurs at a pH of less than pH 7 and at a temperature of at least 25° C. and in the presence of at least 5 wt % NaCl and the PAH comprises pyrene.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said contacting occurs at a pH of at least 7 in a groundwater or other liquid solution at a temperature of at least 25° C. and in the presence of at least 5 wt % NaCl.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the PAH is pyrene (PYR).

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the PAH is naphthalene (NAPH), anthracene (ANT), or phenanthrene (PHEN).

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said contacting occurs in an aqueous solution at a temperature of at least 37° C.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting occurs in an aqueous solution containing at least 10 wt. % NaCl.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said contacting occurs in the presence of pyrene at an acidic pH and at a temperature ranging from 25 to 37° C. and the NaCl is present in an amount of 10-20 wt. % to form a mixture comprising 4-phenanthrenecarboxylic acid, 4-(1-hydroxynaphthalen-2-yl)-2-oxo but-3-enoic acid, and phthalic acid.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Halomonas is attached to a carrier.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing one or more non-PAH carbon sources for Halomonas during said contacting.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said bioreactor comprises a system of mechanical or electronic elements that process and control the flow and exposure of a material containing a PAH to the Halomonas bacteria.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said groundwater or other liquid is contained in soil, sludge or in or on another solid or semisolid material.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said contacting occurs in a biopile which is heated electrically.

14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
contacting the PAH with Halomonas smyrnensis having 16s ribosomal RNA that is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 2 and that degrades PAH and/or with Idiomarina piscisalsi having 16s ribosomal RNA-encoding DNA sequence that is at least 95% identical to SEQ ID NO: 4 and that degrades PAH.

15. The method of claim 1 , further comprising growing the Halomonas in an artificial culture medium to a titer of at least 10 6 CFU/ml prior to adding to the bioreactor.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said Halomonas have a doubling time of no more than 24 hours in a medium containing 50 ppm pyrene.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said groundwater or contaminated liquid further contains or is admixed with at least one of crude oil, diesel fuel or lubricating oil.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein said groundwater or contaminated liquid further contains or is admixed with at least one of octane, decane, hexadecane, methylcyclopentane, methylcyclohexane, heptamethylnonane, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m-, o- and p-xylenes, and carbazole.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein said Halomonas is mixed with a carrier or bulking agent selected from the group consisting of agricultural waste, tree litter, grain or maize husks or cobs, bagasse, bark, post peelings, fruit waste, stones, or a mixture thereof.

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals
• King Fadh Univ Of Petroleum And Minerals

Inventors

• Nzila Alexis Mouanda
• Al-Thukair Assad Ahmed Mohammed
• Musa Musa Mohammed Musa
• Budiyanto Fitri

Classifications

• C02F3/344

  for digestion of mineral oil · CPC title

• C02F2101/327

  Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons [PAH's] · CPC title

• A62D2101/20

  Organic substances · CPC title

• C02F2103/06

  Contaminated groundwater or leachate · CPC title

• B09C1/002

  involving in-situ ground water treatment · CPC title