Oxidation of phenol and benzoic acid by some soil bacteria

Abstract

The utilization of aromatic compounds by certain bacteria is now well known, and numerous workers have described the isolation of micro-organisms from various sources, capable of metabolizing phenolic substances. Thus, Sen Gupta (1921) has studied quantitatively the disappearance of phenols and cresols from soils of diverse origin, and showed clearly the biological nature of the process. Stormer (1908) had tested the effect on soil of a number of organic compounds, including toluene, xylene, phenol and p-cresol, and claimed to have isolated organisms that could destroy these compounds, but