Sustainable biodegradation of phenol by Acinetobacter calcoaceticus P23 isolated from the rhizosphere of duckweed Lemna aoukikusa.

Phenol-degrading bacteria were isolated from the rhizosphere of duckweed (Lemna aoukikusa) using an enrichment culture method. One of the isolates, P23, exhibited an excellent ability to degrade phenol and attach to a solid surface under laboratory conditions. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that P23 belongs to the genera Acinetobacter and has the highest similarity to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus. P23 rapidly colonized on the surface of sterilized duckweed roots and formed biofilms, indicating that the conditions provided by the root system of duckweed are favorable to P23. A long-term performance test (160 h) showed that continuous removal of phenol can be attributed to the beneficial symbiotic interaction between duckweed and P23. P23 is the first growth-promoting bacterium identified from Lemna aoukikusa. The results in this study suggest the potential usefulness of dominating a particular bacterium in the rhizosphere of duckweeds to achieve efficient and sustainable bioremediation of polluted water.