BIODEGRADATION OF PHENOL AND CRESOL ISOMER MIXTURES BY ARTHROBACTER

The Arthrobacter species can degrade phenol, o-cresol and p-cresol muc h faster (as reflected in high specific growth rates) than other micro bes which are reported to degrade toxic compounds. In mixtures, phenol and p-cresol mutually inhibited each other; the inhibition constants show that phenol degradation is strongly inhibited in the presence of p-cresol rather than reverse. enhanced phenol degradation marginally b ut o-cresol degradation o-Cresol was not affected by the presence of p henol.