An aerobic Gram positive spore-forming bacterium was isolated from cellulose pulp mill effluent. This microorganism, identified as Bacillus sp. and named IS13, was able to rapidly degrade the organic chlorinated compound 4,5,6-trichloroguaiacol (4,5,6-TCG) from a culture containing 50 mg/l, which corresponds to about 3x104 times the concentration found in the original effluent. The biodegradation of this compound, usually found in cellulose pulp mill effluents, was evaluated by spectrophotometry and gas chromatography analysis. During 4,5,6-TCG decreasing, the lack of by-products had shown by such analysis lead to verify the possibility of either adsorption or absorption of 4,5,6-TCG by the cells, instead of real biodegradation. There were no traces of... |