This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Zhang, X Articles by Wiegel, J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Zhang, X Articles by Wiegel, J Agricola Articles by Zhang, X Articles by Wiegel, J

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 April; 56(4): 1119-1127

Sequential anaerobic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in freshwater sediments.

Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.

ABSTRACT

2,4-Dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) was anaerobically degraded in freshwater lake sediments. From observed intermediates in incubated sediment samples and from enrichment cultures, the following sequence of transformations was postulated. 2,4-DCP is dechlorinated to 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), 4-CP is dechlorinated to phenol, phenol is carboxylated to benzoate, and benzoate is degraded via acetate to methane and CO2; at least five different organisms are involved sequentially. The rate-limiting step was the transformation of 4-CP to phenol. Sediment-free enrichment cultures were obtained which catalyzed only the dechlorination of 2,4-DCP, the carboxylation of phenol, and the degradation of benzoate, respectively. Whereas the dechlorination of 2,4-DCP was not inhibited by H2, the dechlorination of 4-CP, and the transformation of phenol and benzoate were. Low concentrations of 4-CP inhibited phenol and benzoate degradation. Transformation rates and maximum concentrations allowing degradation were determined in both freshly collected sediments and in adapted samples: at 31 degrees C, which was the optimal temperature for the dechlorination, the average adaptation time for 2,4-DCP, 4-CP, phenol, and benzoate transformations were 7, 37, 11 and 2 days, respectively. The maximal observed transformation rates for these compounds in acclimated sediments were 300, 78, 2, 130, and 2,080 micromol/liter(-1)/day(-1), respectively. The highest concentrations which still allowed the transformation of the compound in acclimated sediments were 3.1 m/M 2,4-DCP, 3.1 mM 4-CP, 13 mM phenol, and greater than 52 mM benzoate. The corresponding values were lower for sediments which had not been adapted for the transformation steps.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Schuhle, K., Fuchs, G. (2004). Phenylphosphate Carboxylase: a New C-C Lyase Involved in Anaerobic Phenol Metabolism in Thauera aromatica. J. Bacteriol. 186: 4556-4567 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bae, H.-S., Yamagishi, T., Suwa, Y. (2002). Evidence for degradation of 2-chlorophenol by enrichment cultures under denitrifying conditions. Microbiology 148: 221-227 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Becker, J. G., Berardesco, G., Rittmann, B. E., Stahl, D. A. (2001). Successional Changes in an Evolving Anaerobic Chlorophenol-Degrading Community Used To Infer Relationships between Population Structure and System-Level Processes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 67: 5705-5714 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• D'Angelo, E. M., Reddy, K.R. (2000). Aerobic and Anaerobic Transformations of Pentachlorophenol in Wetland Soils. Soil Sci. 64: 933-943 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Becker, J. G., Stahl, D. A., Rittmann, B. E. (1999). Reductive Dehalogenation and Conversion of 2-Chlorophenol to 3-Chlorobenzoate in a Methanogenic Sediment Community: Implications for Predicting the Environmental Fate of Chlorinated Pollutants. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 5169-5172 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Huang, J., He, 2., Wiegel, J. (1999). Cloning, Characterization, and Expression of a Novel Gene Encoding a Reversible 4-Hydroxybenzoate Decarboxylase from Clostridium hydroxybenzoicum. J. Bacteriol. 181: 5119-5122 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Wiegel, J., Zhang, X., Wu, Q. (1999). Anaerobic Dehalogenation of Hydroxylated Polychlorinated Biphenyls by Desulfitobacterium dehalogenans. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65: 2217-2221 [Abstract] [Full Text]