Isolation and characterization of a phenol-degrading, sulfate-reducing bacterium from swine manure

doi:10.1016/0960-8524(95)00106-9

Bioresource Technology

Volume 54, Issue 1, 1995, Pages 29-33

https://doi.org/10.1016/0960-8524(95)00106-9 Get rights and content

Abstract

A sulfate-reducing bacterium isolated from swine manure used phenol as its sole source of carbon and energy. Sulfate was used as the electron acceptor. The major end product of phenol metabolism was acetic acid. For every mole of phenol degraded, almost 2 moles of acetic acid were produced. Acetic acid was not degraded further to CO₂, indicating that this sulfate-reducing bacterium (SRB) is an incomplete oxidizer unable to carry-out the terminal oxidation of organic compounds. The SRB isolate also used p-chlorophenol as the sole source of carbon and energy. However, it did not use the chlorophenolic compounds containing two or more chlorine atoms, dichlorophenol and pentachlorophenol.

References (19)

P.M. Fedorak et al.
The effects of phenol and some alkyl phenolics on batch anaerobic methanogenesis
Water Res.
(1984)
L.Y. Young et al.
Methanogenic degradation of four phenolic compounds
Water Res.
(1985)
F. Bak et al.
Anaeobic degradation of phenol and phenol derivatives by Desulfobacterium phenolicum sp. nov.
Arch. Microbiol.
(1986)
M.T. Balba et al.
The methanogenic fermentation of plant phenolics
Biochem. Soc. Trans.
(1979)
M.T. Balba et al.
The methanogenic biodegradation of catechol by a microbial consortium: evidence for the production of phenol through cis-benzenediol
Biochem. Soc. Trans.
(1980)
W.E. Balch et al.
New approach to the cultivation of methanogenic bacteria: 2-mercaptoethane sulfonic acid (HS-CoM) dependent growth of Methanobacterium ruminantium in a pressurized atmosphere
Appl. Environ. Microbiol.
(1976)
G. Bechard et al.
Degradation of phenol by a bacterial consortium under methanogenic conditions
Can. J. Microbiol.
(1990)
D.F. Berry et al.
Microbial metabolism of homocyclic and heterocyclic aromatic compounds under anaerobic conditions
Microbiol. Rev.
(1987)
R. Boopathy et al.
Performance of a modified anaerobic baffled reactor to treat swine waste
Trans. ASAE
(1991)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (27)

Enhanced fluoroglucocorticoid removal from groundwater in a bio-electrochemical system with polyaniline-loaded activated carbon three-dimensional electrodes: Performance and mechanisms
2021, Journal of Hazardous Materials
Citation Excerpt :
These two genera have been reported to have dehalogenation ability (Guerrero-Barajas et al., 2011). Desulfuromonas, a widely distributed member of the Deltaproteobacteria class containing rdh and nirS genes, could participate in sulfur reduction and reductive dehalogenation using polycyclic organic compounds, such as phenols, pentabromodiphenyl ethers, or hydrocortisone, as a carbon source (Boopathy, 1995; Atashgahi, 2019; Zhang et al., 2019a). The expression of the functional genes of these two genera was enhanced under current stimulation; thus, the reductive removal of DEX was improved under effective electron transfer through the three-dimensional electrode.
This study aimed to investigate the removal performance and mechanisms of dexamethasone (DEX), a representative fluoroglucocorticoid (FGC), from micro-polluted oligotrophic groundwater in a bio-electrochemical system amended with polyaniline-loaded activated carbon (PANI@AC) as three-dimensional particle electrodes (BES-3D). The BES-3D achieved a DEX removal efficiency of 95.7%, which was 39.0% and 14.1% higher than that of a single biological system (SBIO) and two-dimensional bio-electrochemical system (BES-2D), respectively. The preliminary metabolic mechanism of defluorination accounted for 53.5%, 41.1%, and 16.3% in BES-3D, BES-2D, and SBIO, respectively, which was accompanied by demethylation, side-chain fracture, and hydroxyl oxidation for ketone formation and final-ring opening. The main mechanism by which removal was improved in BES-3D was the enrichment of functional microbes and enhancement of the expression of dehalogenation genes. The relative abundance of functional microbes with electron transfer ability and reductive dehalogenating genera, i.e., Pseudomonas, Methylotenera, Desulfuromonas, Sphingomonas, and Microbacterium, in BES-3D was 3.7–6.1 times higher and the copy number of functional genes was 1.9 times higher than those of SBIO, which contributed to the high DEX removal.
Electrical stimulation on biodegradation of phenol and responses of microbial communities in conductive carriers supported biofilms of the bioelectrochemical reactor
2016, Bioresource Technology
Citation Excerpt :
Thus, great abundance of this genus was favorable to the stable function of biofilm. In previous studies, it was reported that the immobilized Zoogloea had the highest potential for biodegradation of phenanthrene and pyrene (Li et al., 2005), and sulfate-reducing bacteria could use phenol as its energy and carbon source using sulfate as the electron acceptor (Boopathy, 1995). Moreover, Desulfovibrio desulfuricans in the biofilm of the anode in a microbial fuel cell could transfer electrons directly to the electrode through cytochrome c (Kang et al., 2014).
Conductive carbon felts (Cf) were used as biofilm carriers in bioelectrochemical reactors to enhance the electrical stimulation on treatment of phenol-containing synthetic wastewater. In batch test, phenol biodegradation was accelerated under an optimum direct current (DC), which was 2 mA for Cf biofilm carriers, lower than that for non-conductive white foam carriers. The stimulation effect was consistent with Adenosine Triphosphate contents in biofilms. The long-term operation further demonstrated that a high and stable phenol removal efficiency could be achieved with applied DC of 2 mA, and intermittent DC application was better than continuous one, with phenol removal efficiency of over 97%. Although the quantities of whole microbial communities kept at a high level under all conditions, special microorganisms related with genera of Zoogloea and Desulfovibrio were distinctively enriched under intermittent applied DC pattern. This study shows that the electrical stimulation is potentially effective for biofilm reactors treating phenol-containing wastewater.
Versatility of fluorene metabolite (phenol) in fluorene biodegradation by a sulfate reducing culture
2011, International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation
Citation Excerpt :
Moreover, a rapid and complete degradation of phenol (0.18–1.5 mg l−1 d−1) was observed while using nitrate-enriched cultures (Broholm and Arvin 2000). Interestingly, phenol was completely biodegraded by a sulfate-reducing enrichment culture (26.7 mg l−1 d−1) within 48 h in the study conducted by Boopathy (1995). However, only less phenol degradation (C/C0 of phenol around 0.75 at the end of 21 days in biotic experiments) was observed in the present study (Fig. 3), which is likely due to the low population of phenol-degrading bacteria in the enrichment culture used for the experiments.
Biodegradability of fluorene and the versatility of fluorene metabolite (i.e. phenol) in fluorene biodegradation by a sulfate-reducing enrichment culture were investigated. Batch experiments (with 5 mg l⁻¹ fluorene) were designed via the central composite design to examine the effects of sulfate (5–35 mM) and biomass (5–50 mg l⁻¹) concentrations (variables) on fluorene degradation (response). The experimental results revealed that fluorene removal was more influenced by the biomass concentration than the sulfate concentration. The optimal sulfate and biomass concentrations for fluorene biodegradation (90% removal) were found to be 14.4 mM and 37.8 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Under the optimal conditions, a set of biodegradation experiments were repeated to evaluate both the biodegradability of fluorene metabolite and the potential effect of phenol accumulation on fluorene degradation. The outcomes indicated a slow phenol degradation rate, i.e. 0.02 mg l⁻¹ d⁻¹. Moreover, a small reduction in the fluorene biodegradation efficiency was observed in the presence and accumulation of phenol. However, this sulfate reducing culture is a valuable resource for the simultaneous degradation of fluorene and phenol.
Cometabolic biodegradation of 4-chlorophenol by sequencing batch reactors at different temperatures
2009, Bioresource Technology
The simultaneous removal of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and phenol in lab-scale sequencing batch reactors at different temperatures has been studied. Phenol feed concentration was fixed at 525 mg/L and 4-CP concentration was increased from 105 to 2100 mg/L at a constant hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 10.5 d. Complete phenol and 4-CP biodegradation was achieved during the aerobic stage working with 4-CP concentrations up to 1470 mg/L in the feed. Both 4-CP and phenol specific initial removal rates were strongly affected by 4-CP feed concentration and temperature. Only at the highest temperature tested (35 °C) it was possible to increase the maximum assimilative 4-CP concentration by the biological sludge up to 2100 mg/L, and a significant reduction of the ecotoxicity of the effluents was observed. 4-chlorocatechol (4-CC) was identified as the major intermediate in the aerobic cometabolic 4-CP degradation, being the ecotoxicity of that species substantially lower than that of 4-CP.
Nitrite as agent selecting anaerobic phenol-degrading microflora in petroleum refining sediments
2000, Water Research
The degradation of phenol by microflora of petroleum refining sediments grown under conditions favouring denitrification was studied. Incubation of sediments at 30 and 55°C in medium with phenol and nitrate resulted in complete reduction of nitrate accompanied by accumulation of nitrite. When the sediments were incubated at 30°C in medium with nitrite, phenol was efficiently removed at nitrite concentrations not exceeding 185 mg NO₂⁻-N l⁻¹. Prolonged pressure of phenol (2.6 mM) and nitrite (8.2–20 mM) on the microflora of the sediments (three consecutive passages) resulted in gradual loss of denitrification activity with unaltered phenol activity. The microflora selected from the sediments demonstrated higher phenol activity in medium without external electron acceptor than in media with NO₃⁻, NO₂⁻ or SO₄²⁻.
Ecotoxicological evaluation of pig slurry
2000, Chemosphere
Swine sewage could be source of nutrients and pollutants. This work estimates the environmental risk in nine samples from different farm treatment systems based on the evaluation of their effects in Daphnia magna acute test, and on the assessment of Cu, Zn and ammonia as main contributors. $NH_{3}$ and Cu were responsible for $LC_{50}$ results (1–5% of dilution). Organic compounds were quantified through several extraction methods (SPMDs, SPE and solvent extraction). A more exhaustive extraction was performed in an additional sample, which showed indole and phenol recoveries much higher than the previous ones. This method also includes PCBs (430 ppb) and fatty acids ( $≅150 ppm$ ) quantification.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

Article preview

Bioresource Technology

Abstract

References (19)

The effects of phenol and some alkyl phenolics on batch anaerobic methanogenesis

Water Res.

Methanogenic degradation of four phenolic compounds

Water Res.

Anaeobic degradation of phenol and phenol derivatives by Desulfobacterium phenolicum sp. nov.

Arch. Microbiol.

The methanogenic fermentation of plant phenolics

Biochem. Soc. Trans.

The methanogenic biodegradation of catechol by a microbial consortium: evidence for the production of phenol through cis-benzenediol

Biochem. Soc. Trans.

New approach to the cultivation of methanogenic bacteria: 2-mercaptoethane sulfonic acid (HS-CoM) dependent growth of Methanobacterium ruminantium in a pressurized atmosphere

Appl. Environ. Microbiol.

Degradation of phenol by a bacterial consortium under methanogenic conditions

Can. J. Microbiol.

Microbial metabolism of homocyclic and heterocyclic aromatic compounds under anaerobic conditions

Microbiol. Rev.

Performance of a modified anaerobic baffled reactor to treat swine waste

Trans. ASAE

Cited by (27)

Enhanced fluoroglucocorticoid removal from groundwater in a bio-electrochemical system with polyaniline-loaded activated carbon three-dimensional electrodes: Performance and mechanisms

Electrical stimulation on biodegradation of phenol and responses of microbial communities in conductive carriers supported biofilms of the bioelectrochemical reactor

Versatility of fluorene metabolite (phenol) in fluorene biodegradation by a sulfate reducing culture

Cometabolic biodegradation of 4-chlorophenol by sequencing batch reactors at different temperatures

Nitrite as agent selecting anaerobic phenol-degrading microflora in petroleum refining sediments

Ecotoxicological evaluation of pig slurry