Community Structure Analysis and Biodegradation Potential of Aniline-Degrading Bacteria in Biofilters

Aniline has aroused general concern owing to its strong toxicity and widespread distribution in water and soil. In the present study, the bacterial community composition before and after aniline acclimation was investigated. High-throughput Illumina MiSeq sequencing analysis illustrated a large shift in the structure of the bacterial community during the aniline acclimation period. Bacillus, Lactococcus, and Enterococcus were the dominant bacteria in biologically activated carbon before acclimation. However, the proportions of Pseudomonas, Thermomonas, and Acinetobacter increased significantly and several new bacterial taxa appeared after aniline acclimation, indicating that aniline acclimation had a strong impact on the bacterial community structure of biological activated carbon samples. Strain AN-1 accounted for the highest number of colonies on incubation plates and was identified as Acinetobacter sp. according to phylogenetic analysis of the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene sequence. Strain AN-1 was able to grow on aniline at pH value 4.0-10.0 and showed high aniline-degrading ability at neutral pH.