Progress of Phenolic Compounds Degradation by Microbes

The progress was reviewed about microbial degradation of phenolic pollutants from the phenol-degrading microbes, factors affecting phenol degradability, degradation mechanism and degradation kinetics, etc. It had been found that many natural and synthetic compounds were readily biodegradable in natural environment, and large numbers of pollutant-degrading microorganisms co-exist in natural environment, particularly in soils. The mechanism of phenols biodegradation depended on aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In the microbial degradation of phenols under aerobic conditions, the phenol biodegradation was initiated by oxygenation into catechols as intermediates followed by a ring cleavage at either the ortho or meta position. The anaerobic biodegradation was initiated via carboxylation of phenol followed dehydroxylation and dearomatisation. The parameter values of Haldane model were vary, hence it never be possible to describe the kinetic parameter of a microbe with a single set of constants.