Micrococcus luteus Strain in Free and Immobilized Form is Capable of Simultaneous Utilization of Aromatic and Aliphatic Xenobiotics

Aliphatic and aromatic xenobiotics can cause serious ecological problems due to their widespread oc¬currence and toxicity. The investigated strain Micrococcus luteus BN56 appeared to be capable of degrad¬ing both aromatic and aliphatic xenobiotics simultaneously as carbon and energy sources. Adaptation of the investigated strain was carried out with repeated additions of xenobiotic to the medium. The cells showed the highest capacity for biodegradation after 10 passages simultaneously degrading both xenobiotics - 10 g/l (100%) phenol and 10 g/l (100%) n-hexadecane, in 20 active cycles of operation (duration of 12 - 36 h). The simultaneous biodegradation was not hindered by either of them. By applying an in situ immobilization procedure using poly(acrylamide) (PAAam) and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) cryogel matrices, these pro¬cesses were intensified, stabilized and reached 40 cycles of repeated operation of successful simultaneous biodegradation of the aromatic and the aliphatic xenobiotics (20g/l + 20g/l). This capability can be further implemented in different real-world bioremediation processes.