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Absorption of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by bark chips and its role in microbial PCP degradation

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Abstract

A pentachlorophenol (PCP)-degrading mixed bacterial population was enriched in a biofilter filled with soft wood bark chips. We found that bark chips were essential for the degradation to proceed at PCP concentrations higher than 10μM. PCP-degrading bacteria were found to be extremely sensitive to PCP. Bark chips absorbed PCP reversibly, thus detoxifying the medium and allowing degradation to proceed at higher concentrations of PCP (beyond 200μM).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Mannerheimintie 172, SF-00280, Helsinki 28, Finland

    Juha H. A. Apajalahti & Mirja S. Salkinoja-Salonen

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  1. Juha H. A. Apajalahti
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  2. Mirja S. Salkinoja-Salonen
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Apajalahti, J.H.A., Salkinoja-Salonen, M.S. Absorption of pentachlorophenol (PCP) by bark chips and its role in microbial PCP degradation. Microb Ecol 10, 359–367 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02015560

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02015560

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