Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as phenanthrene are persistent environmental pollutants commonly associated with industrial activities, posing a serious risk to soil ecosystems & human health due to their toxic & carcinogenic nature. The present study focuses on the isolation and characterization of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria from soil samples collected near Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) industrial area, where chronic hydrocarbon contamination is expected. To isolate effective degrading bacteria, soil samples were enriched in BHB supplemented with phenanthrene as the only carbon and energy source. By utilizing spectrophotometric analysis, bacterial isolates exhibiting notable growth were further tested for the ability to degrade phenanthrene. The strong isolates were characterized morphologically, physiologically, and biochemically using accepted microbiological procedures. The majority of the isolates belonged to genera like Bacillus and Pseudomonas that are known to degrade hydrocarbons. Degradation efficiency was found to be affected by temperature, phenanthrene content, and pH, with neutral pH exhibiting the best degradation. The findings show that industrially contaminated soils contain native bacteria that are metabolically adaptable and can use phenanthrene as a carbon source. This study emphasises the importance of native microbial populations in natural attenuation processes and their capacity for adaptation in contaminated environments. The identified isolates exhibit encouraging potential for use in bioremediation techniques meant to restore soils affected by PAHs near industrial areas.
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American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology (Volume 11, Issue 4)
This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Translational Research, Biotechnology, and Sustainable Bio-Innovations |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21 |
| Page(s) | 330-338 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group |
PAH, PAH – Degrading Bacteria, Biodegradation, Bioremediation, Phenanthrene
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APA Style
Pradhan, M. R., Das, A., Panigrahy, N. (2026). Isolation and Characterization of Phenanthrene Degrading Bacteria from Soil in the District of Angul Near JSPL Industry. American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology, 11(4), 330-338. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21
ACS Style
Pradhan, M. R.; Das, A.; Panigrahy, N. Isolation and Characterization of Phenanthrene Degrading Bacteria from Soil in the District of Angul Near JSPL Industry. Am. J. Sci. Eng. Technol. 2026, 11(4), 330-338. doi: 10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21
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Download@article{10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21,
author = {Malaya Ranjan Pradhan and Abhimanyu Das and Namita Panigrahy},
title = {Isolation and Characterization of Phenanthrene Degrading Bacteria from Soil in the District of Angul Near JSPL Industry},
journal = {American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology},
volume = {11},
number = {4},
pages = {330-338},
doi = {10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajset.20261104.21},
abstract = {Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as phenanthrene are persistent environmental pollutants commonly associated with industrial activities, posing a serious risk to soil ecosystems & human health due to their toxic & carcinogenic nature. The present study focuses on the isolation and characterization of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria from soil samples collected near Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) industrial area, where chronic hydrocarbon contamination is expected. To isolate effective degrading bacteria, soil samples were enriched in BHB supplemented with phenanthrene as the only carbon and energy source. By utilizing spectrophotometric analysis, bacterial isolates exhibiting notable growth were further tested for the ability to degrade phenanthrene. The strong isolates were characterized morphologically, physiologically, and biochemically using accepted microbiological procedures. The majority of the isolates belonged to genera like Bacillus and Pseudomonas that are known to degrade hydrocarbons. Degradation efficiency was found to be affected by temperature, phenanthrene content, and pH, with neutral pH exhibiting the best degradation. The findings show that industrially contaminated soils contain native bacteria that are metabolically adaptable and can use phenanthrene as a carbon source. This study emphasises the importance of native microbial populations in natural attenuation processes and their capacity for adaptation in contaminated environments. The identified isolates exhibit encouraging potential for use in bioremediation techniques meant to restore soils affected by PAHs near industrial areas.},
year = {2026}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Isolation and Characterization of Phenanthrene Degrading Bacteria from Soil in the District of Angul Near JSPL Industry AU - Malaya Ranjan Pradhan AU - Abhimanyu Das AU - Namita Panigrahy Y1 - 2026/10/17 PY - 2026 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21 DO - 10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21 T2 - American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology JF - American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology JO - American Journal of Science, Engineering and Technology SP - 330 EP - 338 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2578-8353 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajset.20261104.21 AB - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as phenanthrene are persistent environmental pollutants commonly associated with industrial activities, posing a serious risk to soil ecosystems & human health due to their toxic & carcinogenic nature. The present study focuses on the isolation and characterization of phenanthrene-degrading bacteria from soil samples collected near Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) industrial area, where chronic hydrocarbon contamination is expected. To isolate effective degrading bacteria, soil samples were enriched in BHB supplemented with phenanthrene as the only carbon and energy source. By utilizing spectrophotometric analysis, bacterial isolates exhibiting notable growth were further tested for the ability to degrade phenanthrene. The strong isolates were characterized morphologically, physiologically, and biochemically using accepted microbiological procedures. The majority of the isolates belonged to genera like Bacillus and Pseudomonas that are known to degrade hydrocarbons. Degradation efficiency was found to be affected by temperature, phenanthrene content, and pH, with neutral pH exhibiting the best degradation. The findings show that industrially contaminated soils contain native bacteria that are metabolically adaptable and can use phenanthrene as a carbon source. This study emphasises the importance of native microbial populations in natural attenuation processes and their capacity for adaptation in contaminated environments. The identified isolates exhibit encouraging potential for use in bioremediation techniques meant to restore soils affected by PAHs near industrial areas. VL - 11 IS - 4 ER -
Department of Life Sciences, Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology University, Gunupur, India
Department of Botany, Buxi Jagabandhu Bidyadhar Autonomous College, Bhubaneswar, India
Department of Life Sciences, Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology University, Gunupur, India
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