Study on the Isolation of Two Atrazine-Degrading Bacteria and the Development of a Microbial Agent

Two bacteria capable of efficiently degrading atrazine were isolated from soil, and named ATLJ-5 and ATLJ-11. ATLJ-5 and ATLJ-11 were identified as Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus megaterium, respectively. The degradation efficiency of atrazine (50 mg/L) by strain ATLJ-5 can reach about 98.6% after 7 days, and strain ATLJ-11 can reach 99.6% under the same conditions. The degradation of atrazine is faster when two strains are used in combination. Adding the proper amount of fresh soil during the degradation of atrazine by these two strains can also increase the degradation efficiency. The strains ATLJ-5 and ATLJ-11 have high tolerance to atrazine, and can tolerate at least 1000 mg/L of atrazine. In addition, the strains ATLJ-5 and ATLJ-11 have been successfully made into a microbial agent that can be used to treat atrazine residues in soil. The degradation efficiency of atrazine (50 mg/kg) could reach 99.0% by this microbial agent after 7 days. These results suggest that the strains ATLJ-5 and ATLJ-11 can be used for the treatment of atrazine pollution.