Abstract
A soil isolate, strain S93B1, identified as Pseudomonas cruciviae could grow on more than ten biphenyl-related compounds including p-chlorobiphenyl.
Biphenyl was converted to benzoic acid and γ-benzoylbutylic acid. Mono-substituted biphenyl compounds such as o-bromobiphenyl, p-chlorobiphenyl, o-nitrobiphenyl and m-nitrobiphenyl were converted to o-bromobenzoic acid, p-chlorobenzoic acid, o-nitrobenzoic acid and m-nitrobenzoic acid, respectively. Phenol and 2-phenoxymuconic acid were produced on the degradation of biphenyl ether. The formation of 2-phenoxymuconic acid demonstrated that biphenyl ether was degraded through an ortho cleavage pathway and the formation of γ-benzoylbutylic acid suggested the degradation of biphenyl through a meta cleavage pathway.
