Biological removal of organic sulphur by bacterial strains isolated in Thailand

Abstract

Three bacterial strains isolated in Thailand, Bacillus circulons MS2, Rhodococcus gordoniae R3, and Rhizobium sp. MS4, were investigated for their potential to remove organosulphur compounds. These strains were shown to be very effective at removing dibenzothiophene, which was not metabolized via a sulphur-specific pathway, as revealed by Gibb's assay. The substrate specificity of each strain was investigated by studying the growth and the ability to remove the growing and resting cells on various substrates. R3 had a broader range of substrate specificity than MS2 and MS4, making it a good strain for bioremediation of oil-contaminated environments.