STUDY OF BACTERIA OF THE FAMILY MICROCOCCACEAE DEGRADING MONO(POLY)AROMATIC COMPOUNDS PROMISING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGIES FOR PURIFICATION OF INDUSTRIAL TERRITORIES OF THE PERM REGION

Abstract

The research is aimed at solving an urgent problem of microbiology, that is studying bacterial degradation processes of persistent environmental pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and phthalates. The study examined the ability of bacteria of the Micrococcaceae family, isolated from technogenically polluted territories of the Perm Region, to degrade phthalates: esters of ortho-phthalic acid, terephthalic acid (TPA), and dioctyl terephthalate. We identified 11 strains of the genera Arthrobacter, Glutamicibacter, Pseudoarthrobacter, Paenarthrobacter, Kocuria, Micrococcus, Rothia capable of growing on ortho- phthalic acid (OPA) and ortho-phthalate derivatives (dibutyl phthalate, DBP; dimethyl phthalate, DMF; diethyl phthalate, DEP), used as the sole source of carbon and energy. Active destructors of phthalates are strains Kocuria spp. WD25, ML17, Pseudoarthrobacter sp. SA101 and Glutamicibacter sp. PB8-1. It has been shown that destructor strains Glutamicibacter spp. BO25 and PB8-1 grow on TPA under conditions of high salinity (up to 60 g/L NaCl). A correlation was found between the growth rates of strains and a decrease of the TPA amount in the cultivation medium. For the first time, the ability of bacteria to decompose TPA under saline conditions has been established. Based on the growth characteristics and analysis of metabolites, it was shown that the decomposition of OPA, OPA esters (DMF, DBP, DEP) and TPA by the studied strains of the family Micrococcaceae is carried out through the formation of protocatechuic acid. Thus, as a result of the research, active bacteria degrading phthalates and aromatic hydrocarbons, including those capable of decomposing phthalates under saline conditions, were identified and characterized. The studied bacteria are promising for their use in biotechnologies for wastewater treatment and remediation of saline/contaminated soils in the Perm Region.