title: Biodegradation of tert-butyl alcohol and related xenobiotics by a methylotrophic bacterial isolate.
abstract: A new aerobic bacterial strain, CIP 1-2052, isolated from an activated sludge sample, was able to use tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), a product of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) degradation, as its sole carbon and energy source. Cobalt ions stimulated TBA mineralization. The maximum growth and TBA degradation rates were 0.032 +/- 0.004 h(-1) and 35.8 +/- 8.5 mg TBA x g(-1) (cell dry mass) per h, respectively. The growth yield on TBA was 0.54 +/- 0.02 g x g(-1). Strain CIP 1-2052 exhibited a particular substrate specificity towards alcohols. It degraded tertiary alcohols, TBA and tert-amyl alcohol (TAA), but neither their primary and secondary alcohol homologues, nor ethanol. However, one-carbon compounds, namely methanol and formate, were degraded by strain CIP 1-2052, showing the methylotrophic nature of this isolate. The properties of this new strain suggest that it could be used for bioremediation of contaminated aquifers.
authors.affiliation: Institut Français du Pétrole, Départment de Microbiologie, Rueil-Malmaison, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piveteau
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fayolle
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Vandecasteele
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Monot
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism; D001420:Bacteria, Aerobic / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003035:Cobalt / Q000494:pharmacology; D003470:Culture Media; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005019:Ethyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology; D012997:Solvents; D013997:Time Factors; D015262:Xenobiotics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D003470:Culture Media; D005019:Ethyl Ethers; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D012722:Sewage; D012997:Solvents; D015262:Xenobiotics; C043243:methyl tert-butyl ether; D003035:Cobalt; C098546:ethyl tert-butyl ether; D020002:tert-Butyl Alcohol