Abstract:

The authors investigated the degradation features of benzene by strain B6 dominant strain isolated and purified from the petroleumcontaminated groundwater in the northeast of China. Results show that when the initial mass concentration of benzene was 394.36 mg/L, the degradation rate of benzene by train B6 was 82.82% on the third day; ortho 2 cleavage of catechol was the right approach of benzene degradation under the effect of dioxygenase; B6 strain could produce tryptophanase, lipase, amylases, gelatinase, lactase, oxidase, use glucose, lactose, protein, tryptophan, fat, starch, gelatine, polypeptide, cellulose, sulfurcontaining organic compounds, cytochrome C as nutrients, and utilize nitrites and nitrates as electron acceptors in its metabolic process. It was identified that B6 strain was Rhodococcus erythropolis, grampositive bacterium.

Key words: petroleumcontaminated groundwater, benzene, degradation strain, metabolism