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Appl Environ Microbiol, February 1998, p. 775-778, Vol. 64, No. 2
0099-2240/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic Benzene Degradation in Petroleum-Contaminated Aquifer Sediments after Inoculation with a Benzene-Oxidizing Enrichment

Jonathan M. Weiner and Derek R. Lovley^*

Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003

Received 8 August 1997/Accepted 8 December 1997

Sediments from the sulfate-reduction zone of a petroleum-contaminated aquifer, in which benzene persisted, were inoculated with a benzene-oxidizing, sulfate-reducing enrichment from aquatic sediments. Benzene was degraded, with apparent growth of the benzene-degrading population over time. These results suggest that the lack of benzene degradation in the sulfate-reduction zones of some aquifers may result from the failure of the appropriate benzene-degrading sulfate reducers to colonize the aquifers rather than from environmental conditions that are adverse for anaerobic benzene degradation.

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^* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003. Phone: (413) 545-9651. Fax: (413) 545-1578. E-mail: dlovley{at}microbio.umass.edu.

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