Biodegradation of Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Effects on Biodegradability under Co-Existing Conditions

• Published in: Microbes and Environments Vol. 32; no. 3; pp. 188 - 200
• Main Authors: Yoshikawa, Miho, Toyota, Koki, Zhang, Ming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology / Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology / Japanese Society of Plant Microbe Interactions / Japanese Society for Extremophiles 2017; Japan Science and Technology Agency; the Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology (JSME)/the Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology (JSSM)/the Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology (TSME)/the Japanese Society of Plant Microbe Interactions (JSPMI)
• Subjects: Aerobic microorganisms; Anaerobic conditions; Anaerobic microorganisms; Anoxic conditions; Benzene; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological competition; Bioremediation; BTEX; By-products; Carbon tetrachloride; Catabolite repression; Chlorides; chlorinated ethene; chlorinated methane; Chlorination; Chloroform; Competition; Concrete; Degradation; Developed countries; Dichloromethane; Dumping; Enzymes; Ethene; Ethylbenzene; Industrial plants; Information systems; Interactions; Japan; Metabolism; Microorganisms; Minireview; multiple VOCs; Ocean dumping; Organic compounds; Phylogeny; Pollutants; Research facilities; Soil Microbiology; Tetrachloroethylene; Toluene; Toxicity; Trichloroethylene; Vinyl chloride; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Volatile Organic Compounds - chemistry; Xylene; biodegradation; BTEX; chlorinated ethene; chlorinated methane; multiple VOCs
• ISSN: 1342-6311; 1347-4405
• DOI: 10.1264/jsme2.ME16188

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are major pollutants that are found in contaminated sites, particularly in developed countries such as Japan. Various microorganisms that degrade individual VOCs have been reported, and genomic information related to their phylogenetic classification and VOC-degrading enzymes is available. However, the biodegradation of multiple VOCs remains a challenging issue. Practical sites, such as chemical factories, research facilities, and illegal dumping sites, are often contaminated with multiple VOCs. In order to investigate the potential of biodegrading multiple VOCs, we initially reviewed the biodegradation of individual VOCs. VOCs include chlorinated ethenes (tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, dichloroethene, and vinyl chloride), BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene), and chlorinated methanes (carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, and dichloromethane). We also summarized essential information on the biodegradation of each kind of VOC under aerobic and anaerobic conditions, together with the microorganisms that are involved in VOC-degrading pathways. Interactions among multiple VOCs were then discussed based on concrete examples. Under conditions in which multiple VOCs co-exist, the biodegradation of a VOC may be constrained, enhanced, and/or unaffected by other compounds. Co-metabolism may enhance the degradation of other VOCs. In contrast, constraints are imposed by the toxicity of co-existing VOCs and their by-products, catabolite repression, or competition between VOC-degrading enzymes. This review provides fundamental, but systematic information for designing strategies for the bioremediation of multiple VOCs, as well as information on the role of key microorganisms that degrade VOCs.