Reduction characteristic of chlorobenzene by a newly isolated Paenarthrobacter ureafaciens LY from a pharmaceutical wastewater treatment plant

A highly efficient chlorobenzene-degrading strain was isolated from the sludge of a sewage treatment plant associated with a pharmaceutical company. The strain exhibited a similarity of over 99.9% with multiple strains of Paenarthrobacter ureafaciens . Therefore, the strain was suggested to be P. ureafaciens LY. This novel strain exhibited a broad spectrum of pollutant degradation capabilities, effectively degrading chlorobenzene and other organic pollutants, such as 1, 2, 4-trichlorobenzene, phenol, and xylene. Moreover, P. ureafaciens LY co-metabolized mixtures of chlorobenzene with 1, 2, 4-trichlorobenzene or phenol. Evaluation of its degradation efficiency showed that it achieved an impressive degradation rate of 94.78% for chlorobenzene within 8 h. The Haldane–Andrews model was used to describe the growth of P. ureafaciens LY under specific pollutants and its concentrations, revealing a maximum specific growth rate ( μ max ) of 0.33 h −1 . The isolation and characterization of P. ureafaciens LY, along with its ability to degrade chlorobenzene, provides valuable insights for the development of efficient and eco-friendly approaches to mitigate chlorobenzene contamination. Additionally, investigation of the degradation performance of the strain in the presence of other pollutants offers important information for understanding the complexities of co-metabolism in mixed-pollutant environments. Significance statement The degradation efficiency of chlorobenzene in waste gas is difficult to deal with its high volatility and molecular stability. However, the research on treatment technology of typical chlorine-containing volatile organic compounds is still concerned. A highly efficient chlorobenzene-degrading strain, identified as Paenarthrobacter ureafaciens LY, was successfully isolated from the sludge of a sewage treatment plant associated with a pharmaceutical factory. Its degradation efficiency was evaluated and found that it achieved an impressive degradation rate of chlorobenzene within 8 h. We believe that our study makes a contribution to the insight into solving the pollution of chlorobenzene.