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Energetic Considerations in Organohalide Respiration

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Organohalide-Respiring Bacteria

Abstract

Organohalide-respiring bacteria harness energy using halogenated organic compounds as electron acceptors. The objective of this chapter is to evaluate the thermodynamics and energetics of organohalide respiration, that is, (i) how much energy the organisms can obtain from dehalogenation, and how this energy compares to the energy available from other electron acceptors; (ii) how much energy the organisms actually harness from the dehalogenation reactions; and (iii) how much energy the organisms not only forfeit but actually dissipate when they convert halogenated compounds co-metabolically rather than metabolically. Alternative fates of organohalides—their anaerobic oxidation and fermentation—are also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE1 7RU, England, UK

    Jan Dolfing

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  1. Jan Dolfing
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Correspondence to Jan Dolfing .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department Isotope Biogeochemistry, Helmholtz Centre for Environ. Research Department Isotope Biogeochemistry, Leipzig, Germany

    Lorenz Adrian

  2. Department of Microbiology, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Center for Environmental Biotechnology, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

    Frank E. Löffler

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Dolfing, J. (2016). Energetic Considerations in Organohalide Respiration. In: Adrian, L., Löffler, F. (eds) Organohalide-Respiring Bacteria. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-49875-0_3

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