Degradation of Aroclor 1242 Dechlorination Products in Sediments by Burkholderia xenovorans LB400( ohb ) and Rhodococcus sp. Strain RHA1( fcb )

Abstract

ABSTRACT Burkholderia xenovorans strain LB400, which possesses the biphenyl pathway, was engineered to contain the oxygenolytic ortho dehalogenation ( ohb ) operon, allowing it to grow on 2-chlorobenzoate and to completely mineralize 2-chlorobiphenyl. A two-stage anaerobic/aerobic biotreatment process for Aroclor 1242-contaminated sediment was simulated, and the degradation activities and genetic stabilities of LB400( ohb ) and the previously constructed strain RHA1( fcb ), capable of growth on 4-chlorobenzoate, were monitored during the aerobic phase. The population dynamics of both strains were also followed by selective plating and real-time PCR, with comparable results; populations of both recombinants increased in the contaminated sediment. Inoculation at different cell densities (10 4 or 10 6 cells g −1 sediment) did not affect the extent of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) biodegradation. After 30 days, PCB removal rates for high and low inoculation densities were 57% and 54%, respectively, during the aerobic phase.