Efficient biodegradation of petroleum -alkanes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by polyextremophilic san ai with multidegradative capacity.

san ai, an alkaliphilic, metallotolerant bacterium, degraded individual selected petroleum compounds, , -alkanes (-hexadecane, -nonadecane) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene) with efficiency of 80%, 98%, 96%, 50% and 41%, respectively, at initial concentrations of 20 mg L and in seven days. san ai showed a high biodegradative capacity on complex hydrocarbon mixtures, the aliphatic and aromatic fractions from crude oil. The efficiency of san ai degradation of crude oil fractions in seven days reached stage 3-4 of the oil biodegradation scale, which ranges from 0 (no biodegradation) to 10 (maximum biodegradation). Identified metabolites concomitant with genomic and enzymatic data indicated the terminal oxidation pathway for the -alkane degradation, and the salicylate and phthalate pathways for fluorene biodegradation. Polyextremophilic san ai, as a biosurfactant producer with multidegradative capacity for hydrocarbons, can be used in an improved strategy for environmental bioremediation of hydrocarbon-contaminated sites, including extreme habitats characterized by low or elevated temperatures, acidic or alkaline pH or high concentrations of heavy metals.