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Degradation of different aromatic compounds by methanogenic consortia from Saale river sediment acclimated to either o ‐, m ‐ or p ‐cresol
Author(s) -
Kaminski Ute,
Kuschk P.,
Janke D.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of basic microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.58
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1521-4028
pISSN - 0233-111X
DOI - 10.1002/jobm.3620300407
Subject(s) - catechol , cresol , acclimatization , methanogenesis , chemistry , substrate (aquarium) , guaiacol , p cresol , degradation (telecommunications) , biodegradation , sediment , environmental chemistry , anaerobic exercise , methane , food science , organic chemistry , enzyme , phenol , biology , ecology , physiology , telecommunications , paleontology , computer science
Comparative experiments were conducted to examine undefined methanogenic consortia from Saale river sediment acclimated to either o ‐, m ‐ or p ‐cresol for their potential to degrade different aromatic compounds. Each of the consortia under study proved specifically acclimated with respect to the particular cresol isomer used as the substrate during the enrichment procedure and failed to deal with any of the dimethylphenols tested. These findings clearly indicate that the enzyme systems initiating anaerobic (methanogenic) degradation of the different cresol (monomethylphenol) isomers are characterized by a narrow substrate specificity. Degradation of the particular cresol isomers was accompanied by production of methane in amounts which correspond to 89–97% of the theoretically possible yield. In addition, several exogenously added structural analogues (e.g. benzoate, 2‐, 3‐ and 4‐hydroxybenzoic acid, guaiacol, catechol) were degraded with high rates after short acclimation periods or even without any initial delay, depending on the particular type of consortium used. Distinct patterns of degradative activity towards the different aromatic test substrates were observed for the cresol‐acclimated bacterial consortia under study. The results obtained are insufficient to speculate about the precise degradation routes involved. They provide clear‐cut evidence, however, that use of mixtures of methanogenic consortia like those from Saale river sediment acclimated to o ‐, m ‐ and p ‐cresol, respectively, would allow relatively fast biodegradation of a wide range of aromatic compounds under anaerobic (methanogenic) conditions.