Potential of bacterial consortia obtained from different environments for bioremediation of paroxetine and bezafibrate

Abstract This work aimed to isolate and identify the culturable bacterial strains from five enriched cultures and investigate the capability of these strains to biodegrade paroxetine (Prx) or bezafibrate (Bzf), when assembled into consortia. Bacterial strains were isolated from cultures enriched with Prx and Bzf using, as microbial inocula, an estuarine sediment and activated sludge from an associated wastewater treatment plant. All the isolated strains were identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Pharmaceutical compounds were analyzed by HPLC-DAD (diode array detector). Fluoride release was analyzed using a fluoride ion-selective electrode to evaluate the extent of paroxetine defluorination. High removal efficiency of pharmaceuticals (>97%) was observed for three of the five assembled consortia. A total of 28 bacterial strains were isolated from an activated sludge enrichment and 20 bacterial strains were isolated from an estuarine sediment enrichment. The genera Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter were the most dominant in the consortia derived from activated sludge, while the genus Pseudomonas was dominant in the consortia derived from estuarine sediment. This work highlights the potential of native bacterial consortia obtained from different environmental sources to biodegrade Prx or Bzf, and unveils the taxonomic diversity associated to the biodegradation of these compounds. These consortia may be considered in the future for the development of new bioremediation tools for environmental restoration.