Toluene is an aromatic hydrocarbon and spreads to the environment by the release of petroleum products, agricultural and industrial activities and toluene can cause serious social and health problems. Since the removal in toluene is considered an important environmental issue, there is an increasing interest of toluene biodegradation. In this comprehensive study, novel toluene degrading bacteria were isolated and identified both from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants. Isolates’ toluene tolerance, enzyme production, benzene, ethyl benzene, xylene and phenol degradation potentials and biofilm formation were examined. Totally 109 bacterial isolates were obtained and most of them were determined as belong to Stenotrophomonas, Acinetobacter and Pseudomonas species.
Isolates’ toluene tolerance, enzyme production, benzene, ethyl benzene, xylene and phenol degradation potentials and biofilm formation were examined. Most of isolates showed lipase, DNase and protease activity. Most of isolates showed growth in 300 mg/l^-1 concentrations of benzene, ethyl benzene, xylene and phenol. Strains E4T16, 3AT2 and 3ET5 showed maximum growth in high toluene concentrations and also strain E4T16 showed growth up to 2100mg/l^-1 toluene. Examination of biofilm formation at different toluene concentrations at the end of the 96 hours incubation revealed that strains E4T16, 4ET21 and 3ET5 had highly biofilm production potential. In conclusion, these bacteria and results could be considered as a powerful new approach for the removal of hydrocarbons from wastewater.