Cometabolic degradation of pentachlorophenol by Sphingobacterium multivorum.

Cometabolic degradation of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by Sphingobacterium multivorum isolated from activated sludge was studied. The effect of PCP degradation with phenol or glucose as growth substrate was compared. Phenol inhibited definitely the growth of the bacteria and glucose was more suitable for supporting the PCP cometabolic degradation because there was no competitive inhibition between the glucose and the non-growth substrate PCP. Protein electrophoresis results showed that when glucose was as growth substrate, the PCP degradation enzyme was induced by PCP itself. In gas chromatograph-mass (GC-MS) analysis of the intermediate products in PCP cometabolism, the phenol was detected, indicating that even under the condition of aerobic biodegradation, the dechlorination reaction gradually happened and the PCP was mineralized.