Table 1.

Anaerobically alkylbenzene- and alkyl benzoate-degrading proteobacteria^a

Organism	Subgroup of Proteobacteria	Substrate for anaerobic growth		Cometabolic conversion of p-xylene to 4-methylbenzoated	Reference(s)
		Alkylbenzeneb	Benzoate/alkylbenzoatec
Nitrate-reducing bacteria
Thauera aromatica K172	Beta-	Toluene	Benzoate	+	2, 4
“Aromatoleum aromaticum” EbN1	Beta-	Toluene, ethylbenzene	Benzoate	ND	28
“Aromatoleum” sp. pCyN1	Beta-	Toluene, p-cymene, p-ethyltoluene	Benzoate, 4-isopropylbenzoate, 4-ethylbenzoate	ND	13
Magnetospirillum sp. pMbN1	Alpha-		Benzoate, 3-methylbenzoate, 4-methylbenzoate	ND	This study
Sulfate-reducing bacteria
Desulfobacula toluolica strain Tol2	Delta-	Toluene	Benzoate	+	27, 30
Strain oXyS1	Delta-	Toluene, o-xylene	Benzoate, 2-methylbenzoate	ND	14
Strain mXyS1	Delta-	Toluene, m-xylene	Benzoate, 3-methylbenzoate	ND	14
Iron-reducing bacterium
Geobacter metallireducens GS15	Delta-	Toluene	Benzoate	ND	20
Phototrophic bacterium
Blastochloris sulfoviridis ToP1	Alpha-	Toluene	Benzoate	ND	48

^aFor a detailed overview of anaerobically alkylbenzene-degrading bacteria, see reference 43.

^bNone of the listed strains is capable of anaerobic degradation of p-xylene.

^cExcept for Magnetospirillum sp. pMbN1, none of the listed strains is capable of anaerobically degrading 4-methylbenzoate.

^dToluene-utilizing cells cometabolically convert p-xylene into 4-methylbenzoate as a dead-end product. +, positive for conversion; ND, not determined.