[Bacterial diversity in a fluidized bed bioreactor (FBR) treating gasoline-contaminated groundwater]

Bacterial diversity in a fluidized bed bioreactor (FBR) treating gasoline-contaminated groundwater. The main objective of this research project was to determine the bacterial diversity during the process of bioremediation of water contaminated with gasoline in a fluidized bed reactor at Mayagüez, PR. Isolation and characterization of bacterial populations from the bioremediation system was performed on R2A medium. Morphological tests included cellular and colonial shape and reaction to Gram coloration. Physiological properties were determined by using carbon utilization profiles (Biolog) and by the ability of axenic cultures to use gasoline as the sole carbon source. Molecular characterization was performed by BOX-PCR and 16S rDNA sequence analysis (ARDRA). From a total of 162 distinctive isolates, 75% were gram-negative bacilli, 19% gram-positive bacilli, 5% gram-negative cocci and 1% gram-positive cocci. The 162 axenic cultures corresponded to 90 different genetic groups; 53% of which included strains with growth in gasoline as sole carbon source. The 86 strains capable of growing in gasoline corresponded to 52 different amplification patterns in BOX-PCR; which were not metabolically related (Biolog system). The high degree of microbial diversity in the FBR allowed efficient and stable hydrocarbon removal throughout the operation of the system.