Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1997 Oct;63(10):3911–3915. doi: 10.1128/aem.63.10.3911-3915.1997

Dehalogenation and biodegradation of brominated phenols and benzoic acids under iron-reducing, sulfidogenic, and methanogenic conditions.

E Monserrate 1, M M Häggblom 1
PMCID: PMC168701  PMID: 9480645

Abstract

The anaerobic biodegradation of monobrominated phenols and benzoic acids by microorganisms enriched from marine and estuarine sediments was determined in the presence of different electron acceptors [i.e., Fe(III), SO4(2-), or HCO3-]. Under all conditions tested, the bromophenol isomers were utilized without a lengthy lag period whereas the bromobenzoate isomers were utilized only after a lag period of 23 to 64 days. 2-Bromophenol was debrominated to phenol, with the subsequent utilization of phenol under all three reducing conditions. Debromination of 3-bromophenol and 4-bromophenol was also observed under sulfidogenic and methanogenic conditions but not under iron-reducing conditions. In the bromobenzoate-degrading cultures, no intermediates were observed under any of the conditions tested. Debromination rates were higher under methanogenic conditions than under sulfate-reducing or iron-reducing conditions. The stoichiometric reduction of sulfate or Fe(III) and the utilization of bromophenols and phenol indicated that biodegradation was coupled to sulfate or iron reduction, respectively. The production of phenol as a transient intermediate demonstrates that reductive dehalogenation is the initial step in the biodegradation of bromophenols under iron- and sulfate-reducing conditions.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (188.0 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Allard A. S., Hynning P. A., Remberger M., Neilson A. H. Role of sulfate concentration in dechlorination of 3,4,5-trichlorocatechol by stable enrichment cultures grown with coumarin and flavanone glycones and aglycones. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 Mar;58(3):961–968. doi: 10.1128/aem.58.3.961-968.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. DeWeerd K. A., Concannon F., Suflita J. M. Relationship between hydrogen consumption, dehalogenation, and the reduction of sulfur oxyanions by Desulfomonile tiedjei. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Jul;57(7):1929–1934. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.7.1929-1934.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Genthner B. R., Price W. A., Pritchard P. H. Anaerobic Degradation of Chloroaromatic Compounds in Aquatic Sediments under a Variety of Enrichment Conditions. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 Jun;55(6):1466–1471. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.6.1466-1471.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gibson S. A., Suflita J. M. Anaerobic biodegradation of 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid in samples from a methanogenic aquifer: stimulation by short-chain organic acids and alcohols. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Jun;56(6):1825–1832. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.6.1825-1832.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gibson S. A., Suflita J. M. Extrapolation of biodegradation results to groundwater aquifers: reductive dehalogenation of aromatic compounds. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1986 Oct;52(4):681–688. doi: 10.1128/aem.52.4.681-688.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Häggblom M. M. Microbial breakdown of halogenated aromatic pesticides and related compounds. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 1992 Sep;9(1):29–71. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1992.tb05823.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Häggblom M. M., Rivera M. D., Young L. Y. Influence of alternative electron acceptors on the anaerobic biodegradability of chlorinated phenols and benzoic acids. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1993 Apr;59(4):1162–1167. doi: 10.1128/aem.59.4.1162-1167.1993. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Häggblom M. M., Young L. Y. Anaerobic degradation of halogenated phenols by sulfate-reducing consortia. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995 Apr;61(4):1546–1550. doi: 10.1128/aem.61.4.1546-1550.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Häggblom M. M., Young L. Y. Chlorophenol degradation coupled to sulfate reduction. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Nov;56(11):3255–3260. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.11.3255-3260.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kazumi J., Haggblom M. M., Young L. Y. Degradation of Monochlorinated and Nonchlorinated Aromatic Compounds under Iron-Reducing Conditions. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995 Nov;61(11):4069–4073. doi: 10.1128/aem.61.11.4069-4073.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kazumi J., Häggblom M. M., Young L. Y. Diversity of anaerobic microbial processes in chlorobenzoate degradation: nitrate, iron, sulfate and carbonate as electron acceptors. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 1995 Oct;43(5):929–936. doi: 10.1007/BF02431930. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. King G. M. Dehalogenation in marine sediments containing natural sources of halophenols. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1988 Dec;54(12):3079–3085. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.12.3079-3085.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kohring G. W., Zhang X. M., Wiegel J. Anaerobic dechlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol in freshwater sediments in the presence of sulfate. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 Oct;55(10):2735–2737. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.10.2735-2737.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kuhn E. P., Townsend G. T., Suflita J. M. Effect of sulfate and organic carbon supplements on reductive dehalogenation of chloroanilines in anaerobic aquifer slurries. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Sep;56(9):2630–2637. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.9.2630-2637.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Linkfield T. G., Suflita J. M., Tiedje J. M. Characterization of the acclimation period before anaerobic dehalogenation of halobenzoates. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 Nov;55(11):2773–2778. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.11.2773-2778.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lovley D. R. Dissimilatory Fe(III) and Mn(IV) reduction. Microbiol Rev. 1991 Jun;55(2):259–287. doi: 10.1128/mr.55.2.259-287.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Lovley D. R., Lonergan D. J. Anaerobic Oxidation of Toluene, Phenol, and p-Cresol by the Dissimilatory Iron-Reducing Organism, GS-15. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Jun;56(6):1858–1864. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.6.1858-1864.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Lovley D. R., Phillips E. J. Novel mode of microbial energy metabolism: organic carbon oxidation coupled to dissimilatory reduction of iron or manganese. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1988 Jun;54(6):1472–1480. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.6.1472-1480.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Madsen T., Aamand J. Effects of sulfuroxy anions on degradation of pentachlorophenol by a methanogenic enrichment culture. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Sep;57(9):2453–2458. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.9.2453-2458.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Mohn W. W., Tiedje J. M. Microbial reductive dehalogenation. Microbiol Rev. 1992 Sep;56(3):482–507. doi: 10.1128/mr.56.3.482-507.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES