Enhancement of biodegradability of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins

Enhancement of biodegradability of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs ) was studied with new isolated bacterial strains from soil and oxic-sedime nts contaminated by PCDDs. The results indicated that mono- and di-chlorina ted dibenzo-p-dioxins could be utilized as a sole carbon source and degrade d by isolated bacterial strains, but tri-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TrCD D) was hardly degraded. The biodegradability of TrCDD and tetra-chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) by the strain Pseudomonas sp. EE41, a new isolated one, could be enhanced through primary nutrient of co-metabolism of o-dich lorobenzene (o-DCB). In this case, TrCDD (1.2 mg/l for 3 weeks) was degrade d by 33.1% and the degradation rate enhanced more than 2 fold; also TCDD (0 .1 mg/l for 3 weeks) biodegraded by 37.8%. Most highly chlorinated, Penta-, Hexa-, Hepta-, and Octa-chlorinated, dibenzo-p-dioxins (P-CDD, H-6-, H-7-C DD and OCDD) tested in this study could not be degraded while accumulated i n bacterial cells.