Rapid dehalogenation of 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol at alkaline pH by an anaerobic enrichment culture

An enrichment culture, derived from the anaerobic stage of a two‐step sequential anaerobic‐aerobic reactor system which mineralized 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol, stoichiometrically converted 2,4,6‐trichlorophenol to 4‐chlorophenol. Dehalogenation occurred only in alkaline media (pH 8–9) at concentrations of substrate up to 1 mmol 1¹. Formate plus acetate or trypticase could serve as electron donors. Neither vitamins nor trace elements were required in a chloride‐free defined medium. The dehalogenating organism was oxygen‐resistant, but was not active in media which were oxidized with respect to resazurin indicator dye. Most probable number counts of the dehalogenating cultures showed that the dehalogenating organisms were present in very small numbers, yet catalysed dehalogenation at rates considerably faster than other dehalogenating organisms described in the literature.