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Biodegradation of polychlorinated biphenyls by aerobic bacteria

Conference · · American Chemical Society, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Preprints; (USA)
OSTI ID:6628083
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Riverside (USA)

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are not readily decomposed by microorganisms in the environment. To the best of our knowledge, there are no known microbial species that use PCBs as a sole carbon source for growth. However, recent evidence indicates that bacteria which can utilize biphenyl as a growth substrate, are able to cometabolize PCBs to chlorobenzoates and other dead-end products. These products in turn are cometabolized or utilized as growth substrates by other bacteria. Thus, mineralization of PCBs can be demonstrated in soil by the mixed microflora upon the addition of biphenyl or in vitro by axenic co-cultures of bacteria containing the complementary parts of the total catabolic pathway. Combining the genes from parental strains containing the complete catabolic pathway into a single bacterial strain, that can utilize one or more PCB congeners as growth substrates, may also be a viable genetic approach to the destruction of PCBs.

OSTI ID:
6628083
Report Number(s):
CONF-900402--
Journal Information:
American Chemical Society, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Preprints; (USA), Journal Name: American Chemical Society, Division of Environmental Chemistry, Preprints; (USA) Vol. 30:1; ISSN ACEPC; ISSN 0093-3066
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English