• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.74-81
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• 2011

The fluorene-degrading strain Sphingobacterium sp. KM-02 was isolated from PAHs-contaminated soil near a mineimpacted area by selective enrichment techniques. Fluorene added to the Sphingobacterium sp. KM-02 culture as sole carbon source was 78.4% removed within 120 h. A fluorene degradation pathway is tentatively proposed based on identification of the metabolic intermediates 9-fluorenone, 4-hydroxy-9-fluorenone, and 8-hydroxy-3,4-benzocoumarin. Further the ability of Sphingobacterium sp. KM-02 to bioremediate 100 mg/kg fluorene in soil matrix was examined by composting under laboratory conditions. Treatment of microcosm soil with the strain KM-02 for 20 days resulted in a 65.6% reduction in total amounts. These results demonstrate that Sphingobacterium sp. KM-02 could potentially be used in the bioremediation of fluorene from contaminated soil.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.82-91
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• 2012

The heavy metal effects on the degradation of fluorene by Sphingobacterium sp. KM-02 was determined in liquid cultures. The results showed that 10 mg/L cadmium, copper, zinc, and lead not only affected the growth of KM-02 with fluorene but also the ability of growing or resting cells to degrade this compound. Growth and fluorene degradation were strongly inhibited by cadmium and copper at 10 mg/L, while the inhibitory effect of zinc and lead at the same concentration or at 100 mg/L were not significant. In contrast, arsenic did not affect degradation or growth, even at very high concentrations of 100 mg/L. Subsequent analyses additionally revealed that concentrations of arsenic remained unchanged following incubation, while those of cadmium and copper decreased significantly.