International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—Terephthalic acid (TA) is one of the main pollutants in wastewater from the polyester textile industry and extremely harmful to human health and the environment. Eighty-seven isolates were collected from soil around the wastewater basin of a polyester textile manufacturer in Thailand, based on their ability to grow in a minimal salt medium (MSM) containing 1 g/L TA as the sole carbon and energy source. Nineteen isolates were found to be TA-degrading bacteria. To obtain more efficient TA-degrading bacteria, the TA concentration in MSM was increased to 2 and 5 g/L. Isolate N2 showed TA-degrading ability higher than 90% and was identified as Rhodococcus biphenylivorans according to its morphological and biochemical properties and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. N2 degraded 99.6% of 10 g/L TA in 5 days. Optimal conditions for TA degradation were 30 C, pH 7.0 and 200 rpm shaking speed. Results implied that R. biphenylivorans could be useful for future applications in bioremediation of TA in the environment.

Index Terms—Terephthalic acid, Polyester textile manufacturer, Biodegradation, Rhodococcus biphenylivorans.

The authors are with the Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agro Industry, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand (e-mail: nittikarn.su@gmail.com, pramuk.p@ku.ac.th, faginun@ku.ac.th, fagiwrk@ku.ac.th).

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Cite: N. Suwanawat, P. Parakulsuksatid, N. Nitayapat, and W. Sanpamongkolchai, "Biodegradation of Terephthalic Acid by Rhodococcus biphenylivorans Isolated from Soil," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 30-33, 2019.