Research article BIODEGRADATION OF TOLUENE HYDROCARBON BY A PSEUDOMONAS SP. ISOLATED FROM GASOLINE CONTAMINATED SOIL

In the present study efforts were made to isolate and characterize bacteria capable of aerobic biodegradation of toluene hydrocarbon from gasoline polluted soil. After initial screening, 28 different strains were isolated from soil samples and the most promising strain was selected for toluene degradation study. Biochemical and morphological characterization classified the bacterial strains selected as Pseudomonas sp. and was designated Pseudomonas sp. SBCT-17. The spectrophotometric determination of toluene monoxygenase activity, using horseradish preoxydase (HRP) assay showed 0.248 U/ml enzyme activity at 420 nm. The results obtained from enzyme assay and FT-IR degradation analysis in this study confirms that the Pseudomonas sp. SBCT-17 is an efficient strain capable of biodegrading toluene hydrocarbon.