[Isolation and characterization of a highly efficient BBP-degrading bacterium].

A bacterial strain HS-B1 which can utilize n-butyl benzyl phthalate as the sole source of carbon and energy was isolated from contaminated sludge in the Jinsha River of Hubei Province. Based on its morphology, physiological characteristic and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, HS-B1 was identified as Acinetobacter sp.. Shake flask experiments indicated the optimum pH, temperature for growth and BBP biodegradation by HS-B1 was found to be 8.0 and 35 degrees C, respectively. When using 0.10 mmol x L(-1) non-ionic surfactant Tween-80 as co-solvent to increase the apparent solubility of BBP in water, HS-B1 was able to completely degrade 1 000 mg x L(-1) BBP within 48 hours. Diversity of degradable substrates also showed that HS-B1 can efficiently utilize many other phthalate esters such as dimethyl phthalate and diethyl phthalate. It revealed that the strain HS-B1 has special application potential in dealing with the pollution caused by phthalate esters.