Metabolism of the Plasticizer di- n -Butylphthalate by Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes Under Anaerobic Conditions, with Nitrate as the Only Electron Acceptor

The metabolism of di-n-butylphthalate by a denitrifying strain of Pseudomonas pseudoalcaligenes B20b1 was studied under anaerobic conditions, with nitrate as the only electron acceptor. Thin-layer chromatography and mass spectral analysis of culture extracts (20 days at 30 degrees C) showed mono-n-butylphthalate and phthalic acid as the only products, suggesting that one butanol moiety served essentially as the carbon source for growth and denitrification. N(2) and N(2)O were detected by gas chromatography. In contrast to aerobic metabolism, phthalate was not degraded further if nitrate was the only electron acceptor.