title: Biodegradation of chloro- and bromobenzoic acids: effect of milieu conditions and microbial community analysis.
abstract: Monohalogenated benzoic acids often appear in industrial wastewaters where biodegradation can be hampered by complex mixtures of pollutants and prevailing extreme milieu conditions. In this study, the biodegradation of chlorinated and brominated benzoic acids was conducted at a pH range of 5.0-9.0, at elevated salt concentrations and with pollutant mixtures including fluorinated and iodinated compounds. In mixtures of the isomers, the degradation order was primarily 4-substituted followed by 3-substituted and then 2-substituted halogenated benzoic acids. If the pH and salt concentration were altered simultaneously, long adaptation periods were required. Community analyses were conducted in liquid batch cultures and after immobilization on sand columns. The Alphaproteobacteria represented an important fraction in all of the enrichment cultures. On the genus level, Afipia sp. was detected most frequently. In particular, Bacteroidetes were detected in high numbers with chlorinated benzoic acids.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Water Technology Center, Karlsruher Str. 84, 76139 Karlsruhe, Germany. Electronic address: sarah.gaza@tzw.de.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gaza
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Water Technology Center, Karlsruher Str. 84, 76139 Karlsruhe, Germany. Electronic address: annika.felgner@googlemail.com.
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Felgner
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Water Technology Center, Karlsruher Str. 84, 76139 Karlsruhe, Germany. Electronic address: johannes.otto@tzw.de.
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Otto
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology Engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel; The National Institute for Biotechnology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel; School of Materials Science & Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Electronic address: arielkus@bgu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kushmaro
authors.affiliation: The National Institute for Biotechnology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel; Achva Academic College, M.P. Shikmim 79800, Israel. Electronic address: etn@bgu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Eitan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ben-Dov
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Water Technology Center, Karlsruher Str. 84, 76139 Karlsruhe, Germany. Electronic address: andreas.tiehm@tzw.de.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tiehm
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D001970:Bromobenzoates / Q000378:metabolism*; D002723:Chlorobenzoates / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D054712:Salinity; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D001970:Bromobenzoates; D002723:Chlorobenzoates; D012722:Sewage
keywords: Afipia sp.; Alphaproteobacteria; Biodegradation; Community analysis; Halogenated benzoic acids