Skip to main content
PMC home page
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1992 Jul;58(7):2280–2286. doi: 10.1128/aem.58.7.2280-2286.1992

Reductive dechlorination of chlorophenols by a pentachlorophenol- acclimated methanogenic consortium.

D K Nicholson 1, S L Woods 1, J D Istok 1, D C Peek 1
PMCID: PMC195768  PMID: 1637165

Abstract

Anaerobic digester sludge fed 5,300 mg of acetate per liter, 3.4 microM pentachlorophenol, and nutrients for 10 days biotransformed pentachlorophenol by sequential ortho dechlorinations to produce 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol and 3,4,5-trichlorophenol. Upon acclimation to 3.4 microM pentachlorophenol for 6 months, the methanogenic consortium removed chlorines from the ortho, meta, and para positions of pentachlorophenol and its reductive dechlorination products. Pentachlorophenol was degraded to produce 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol, 2,3,4,6-tetrachlorophenol, and 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenol. Dechlorination of 2,3,4,5-tetrachlorophenol produced 3,4,5-trichlorophenol, which was subsequently degraded to produce 3,4-dichlorophenol and 3,5-dichlorophenol. 2,3,4,6-Tetrachlorophenol was dechlorinated at the ortho and meta positions to produce 2,4,6-trichlorophenol and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol. 2,3,5,6-Tetrachlorophenol yielded 2,3,5-trichlorophenol, followed by production of 3,5-dichlorophenol. 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol was degraded to form 2,4-dichlorophenol, and 2,4,5-trichlorophenol was dechlorinated at two positions to form 2,4-dichlorophenol and 3,4-dichlorophenol. Of the three dichlorophenols produced (2,4-dichlorophenol, 3,4-dichlorophenol, and 3,5-dichlorophenol), only 2,4-dichlorophenol was degraded significantly within 3 weeks, to produce 4-chlorophenol.

Full text

PDF
2284

Selected References

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

  1. Boyd S. A., Shelton D. R. Anaerobic biodegradation of chlorophenols in fresh and acclimated sludge. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1984 Feb;47(2):272–277. doi: 10.1128/aem.47.2.272-277.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Boyd S. A., Shelton D. R., Berry D., Tiedje J. M. Anaerobic biodegradation of phenolic compounds in digested sludge. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1983 Jul;46(1):50–54. doi: 10.1128/aem.46.1.50-54.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bryant F. O., Hale D. D., Rogers J. E. Regiospecific dechlorination of pentachlorophenol by dichlorophenol-adapted microorganisms in freshwater, anaerobic sediment slurries. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Aug;57(8):2293–2301. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.8.2293-2301.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. 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]
  5. 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]
  6. Kohring G. W., Rogers J. E., Wiegel J. Anaerobic biodegradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in freshwater lake sediments at different temperatures. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 Feb;55(2):348–353. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.2.348-353.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. 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]
  8. Mikesell M. D., Boyd S. A. Complete reductive dechlorination and mineralization of pentachlorophenol by anaerobic microorganisms. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1986 Oct;52(4):861–865. doi: 10.1128/aem.52.4.861-865.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Murthy N. B., Kaufman D. D., Fries G. F. Degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in aerobic and anaerobic soil. J Environ Sci Health B. 1979;14(1):1–14. doi: 10.1080/03601237909372110. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Struijs J., Rogers J. E. Reductive dehalogenation of dichloroanilines by anaerobic microorganisms in fresh and dichlorophenol-acclimated pond sediment. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1989 Oct;55(10):2527–2531. doi: 10.1128/aem.55.10.2527-2531.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Zhang X., Wiegel J. Sequential anaerobic degradation of 2,4-dichlorophenol in freshwater sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Apr;56(4):1119–1127. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.4.1119-1127.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES