Mononuclear aromatic compounds are degraded anaerobically through pathways that are basically different from those used in the presence of oxygen. Whereas aerobic degradation destabilizes the aromatic π-electron system by oxidative steps through oxygenase reactions, anaerobic degradation is most often initiated by a reductive attack. The benzoyl-CoA pathway is the most important metabolic route...

Bacterial multicomponent monooxygenases (BMMs) are a heterogeneous family of di-iron monooxygenases which share the very interesting ability to hydroxylate aliphatic and/or aromatic hydrocarbons. Each BMM possesses defined substrate specificity and regioselectivity which match the metabolic requirements of the strain from which it has been isolated. Pseudomonas sp. strain OX1, a strain able to ...

The catalytic conversion of anisole (methoxybenzene), a phenolic model compound representing a thermal conversion product of biomass lignin, to gasoline-range molecules has been investigated over a bifunctional Pt/HBeta catalyst at 400 C and atmospheric pressure. The product distribution obtained on the bifunctional catalyst was compared with those obtained on monofunctional catalysts (HBeta an...

Wastewaters from fossil fuel refining, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides are the main sources of phenolic compounds. Those with more complex structures are often more toxic than the simple phenol, and yet little is known about the treatment of wastewater containing a mixture of phenolic pollutants. . The present study was aimed at assessing the efficacy of UASB and SBR for the treatment of mixtur...

The bioconversion of coal to methane in the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, was investigated. Production waters were analyzed via enrichment studies, metabolite-profiling, and culture-independent methods. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated the presence of methanogens potentially capable of acetoclastic, hydrogenotrophic, and methylotrophic metabolisms, predominantly belonging to the Meth...

The present study aimed to characterize the chemical composition of pyroligneous acid (PA) obtained from slow pyrolysis of the clone GG100 of Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis. The efficiency of extraction of organic compounds by using different solvents-dichloromethane (DCM), diethyl ether (DE) and ethyl acetate (EA)-was evaluated. Wood discs were collected and carbonized at a heating ...

Human population studies show that dietary red and processed, but not white, meats are associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer but dietary fibre appears to be protective. We examined whether dietary cooked red or white meat had differential effects on colonic DNA damage in rats and if resistant starch (RS), a dietary fibre component, provided protection. Rats were fed diets containi...

Toxic effluents containing azo dyes are discharged from various industries and they adversely affect water resources, soil fertility, aquatic organisms and ecosystem integrity. They pose toxicity (lethal effect, genotoxicity, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity) to aquatic organisms (fish, algae, bacteria, etc.) as well as animals. They are not readily degradable under natural conditions and are t...

Planning of coal hydrogenation processes, such as liquifaction and gasification, requires consideration of public health implications. Commercial plants will require coal quantities greater than or equal to 20,000 tons/day and the large size of these plants calls for careful consideration of the potential health hazards from the wastes and products of such processes. Analysis of pollution poten...