MICROBIAL DETOXIFICATION OF SEWAGE OF THE COAL-TAR CHEMICAL-INDUSTRY

A collection of microorganisms actively degrading the components of wa stes of the coal-tar chemical industry - phenols, cresols, xenols, nap hthalenes, phenanthren - has been created. The active strains were rep resented mainly by pseudomonads - Pseudomonas aureofaciens, P. fluores cens, and Pseudomonas sp. These strains reduced the content of the cre sol-xylenol and polyaromatic fractions by 70% during 7 days of ferment ation. The isolated strains could also grow on individual aromatic com pounds - isomeric cresols, naphthalene, phenanthrene. The structure of five intermediate products of phenanthrene oxidation was revealed.