Isolation and Characteristics of a Phenol-degrading Bacterium, Rhodococcus pyridinovorans P21

The effluents of chemical and petroleum industries often contain non-biodegradable aromatic compounds, with phenol being one of the major organic pollutants present among a wide variety of highly toxic organic chemicals. Phenol is toxic upon ingestion, contact, or inhalation, and it is lethal to fish even at concentrations as low as 0.005 ppm. Phenol biodegradation has been studied in detail using bacterial strains. However, these microorganisms suffer from substrate inhibition at high concentrations of phenol, whereby growth is inhibited. A phenol-degrading bacterium, P21, was isolated from oil-contaminated soil. The phenotypic characteristics and a phylogenetic analysis indicated the close relationship of strain P21 to Rhodococcus pyridinovorans. Phenol biodegradation by strain P21 was studied under shaking condition. The optimal conditions for phenol biodegradation by strain P21 were 0.09% $KNO_3$, 0.1% $K_2HPO_4$, 0.3% $NaH_2PO_4$, 0.015% $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, 0.001% $FeSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, initial pH 9, and $20-30^{\circ}C$, respectively. When 1,000 ppm of phenol was added to the optimal medium, the strain P21 completely degraded it within two days. Rhodococcus pyridinovorans P21 could grow in up to 1,500 ppm of phenol as the sole carbon source in a batch culture, but it could not grow in a medium containing above 2,000 ppm. Moreover, strain P21 could utilize toxic compounds, such as toluene, xylene, and hexane, as a sole carbon source. However, no growth was detected on chloroform.

페놀분해세균 Rhodococcus pyridinovorans P21의 분리 및 페놀분해 특성

페놀과 각종 난분해성 화합물이 함유된 폐수를 미생물학적으로 처리하기 위하여 폭넓은 연구가 진행되고 있으나 이들 균주들은 200 ppm 이상의 고농도 페놀이 존재할 경우, 기질저해 현상에 따른 생육이 일어나지 않는 단점이 있다. 본 연구에서는 유류로 오염된 토양에서 고농도 페놀을 분해할 수 있는 P21 균주를 분리하였으며, 표현형 및 계통분류에 근거하여 동정한 결과, Rhodococcus pyridinovorans로 동정되었다. 본 균주에 의한 페놀분해 최적조건은 0.09% $KNO_3$, 0.1% $K_2HPO_4$, 0.3% $NaH_2PO_4$, 0.015% $MgSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, 0.001% $FeSO_4{\cdot}7H_2O$, 초기 pH 9 및 $20-30^{\circ}C$이었으며, 이 조건에서 1000 ppm의 페놀을 2일 만에 완전히 분해하였다. 1,500 ppm의 페놀은 3일 만에 완전히 분해할 수 있었으나 그 이상의 페놀은 분해할 수 없었다. 또한 본 균주는 toluene, xylene 및 hexane과 같은 독성 화합물을 이용하여 생육할 수 있었으며, chloroform에서는 생육할 수 없었다.