Bacterial Biodegradation of PCBs
Abstract
The review summarises current knowledge about the different metabolic pathways of PCBs which occur mainly in Gram-negative bacteria. The complete degradation of PCBs includes three metabolic pathways: „upper“ pathway – degradation of PCB to chlorobenzoates and pentadiene acids, „lower“ pathway – degradation of chlorobenzoates, degradation of pentadiene acids. Examples of different metabolic routes in various bacterial strains are given.