Alicycliphilus denitrificans K601

Chlorate contamination of groundwater is a big problem that is often associated with the manufacture and use of explosives and munitions. To clean up chlorate-contaminated areas, some researchers turn to bacteria that can break down these compounds. These microbes can produce oxygen in anaerobic conditions, which can speed up the process of breaking down other compounds that do not degrade quickly in anaerobic environments such as the hydrocarbon benzene. Adding chlorate-reducing bacteria to contaminated, oxygen-poor environments could therefore encourage the growth of other bacteria that need oxygen to break down other compounds found at these sites. Microbes usually need oxygen to break down benzene; in anaerobic environments, the process is very slow. Alicycliphilus denitrificans (strain JCM 14587 / BC) is Gram-negative bacterium which can break down both chlorates and benzene. It produces oxygen while breaking down chlorates, and the oxygen is used to speed up the degradation of benzene in anaerobic conditions. (Adapted from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomeprj/41663). (EBI Integr8)