A six member microbial consortium consisting of six amoxicillin-degrading strains of bacteria was developed and maintained in a fed-batch reactor by feeding 250 mg/l amoxicillin at 28 ± 3°C. The consortium could degrade 95% of 250 mg/l amoxicillin after 24 hours incubation with a biomass increase of 3.5 x 10⁷ to 4.6 x 10⁸ CFU ml/l. Characterization of the members revealed that it consisted of six bacterium Streptomyces Steonii, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas putida, Klebisella pneumonae. Amoxicillin degradation by the mixed culture and Bacillus subtilis, an isolate from the consortium was compared using a range of amoxicillin concentrations (50 to 250 mg/l). The ability of a large membered microbial consortia to maintain its stability with respect to its composition and effectiveness in amoxicillin degradation indicated its suitability for bioremediation applications.

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