Biodegradation of 2 - methoxyethanol by a new bacterium isolate Pseudomonas sp.Strain VB under aerobic conditions

Microbial biodegradation of 2-methoxyethanol also known as Methyl glycol (MG) under anaerobic conditions has received much attention during the past decade. However, not much is known about the aerobic degradation of 2-methoxyethanol. Samples from various environmental niches were enriched to isolate and determine bacterial isolates capable of utilizing 2-methoxyethanol as a sole source of carbon and energy under aerobic conditions. A 2-methoxyethanol degrading bacterium was isolated from anaerobic sludge of a municipal sewage from a treatment plant in Bayreuth, Germany, by selective enrichment techniques. The isolate was designated strain VB after it was shown by the 16S rRNA phylogenetic sequence analysis as belonging to the genus Pseudomonas. Under aerobic conditions Pseudomonas sp. strain VB was capable of mineralizing 2-methoxyethanol and its intermediary metabolites. Stoichiometrically, the strain utilized one mole of oxygen per one mole of 2-methoxyethanol instead of four mole oxygen per one mole of 2-methoxythanol for the total oxidative metabolism.