Bioremediation of phenol, sulfate sodium, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by Rhodococcus sp. first time isolated and molecular characterized from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems

Environmental pollutions are the most significant problem worldwide. Rhodococcus sp. has a high potential for the production of secondary metabolites and degradation activity. This study aims to screen and characterize biodegradable Rhodococcus from Iranian ecosystems. The Rhodococcus isolates were recovered from 90 environmental samples and identified using conventional and molecular methods. The growth rate in the presence of pollutants and chromatography (high‐performance liquid chromatography [HPLC]) was used to determine their biodegradation capability. A total of 13 Rhodococcus isolates were characterized from the cultured samples (14.5%) that belonged to seven species. The prevalent species were R. erythropolis (4 isolates; 30.8%), R. atherivorans (3 isolates; 23%), R. ruber (2 isolates; 15.4), and R. zopfii, R. phenolicus, R. equi and R. rhodochrous 1 isolate each. The result showed that these isolates could degrade and consume phenol, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and sulfate sodium. Our results showed that the Rhodococcus species have significant potential for bioremediation of diverse types of pollutants. Therefore, more studies are recommended for the biodegradation activity of Rhodococcus.