University of Minnesota

Amoco Corporation

Biotrol, Inc.

Brian G Fox

John D Lipscomb

Richard S Hanson

A method is disclosed for degradation of a halogenated hydrocarbon compound such as trichloroethylene (TCE) which utilizes a soluble methane monooxygenase or a bacterium comprising the monooxygenase. Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b is a soluble methane monooxygenase-producing bacterium which when cultivated by continuous culturing comprising exposing the bacterium to a continuous-flow gas mixture of air and methane in a ratio of about 25:1-1:20, respectively. Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b is capable of degrading TCE at rates from about 500-10,000 micromoles per hour per gram cells. The present method is useful to degrade halogenated hydrocarbon compounds such as TCE at initial concentrations up to 10,000 micromoles/l.

Rapid degradation of halogenated hydrocarbons by soluble methane

A purified hydroxylase component of the soluble methane monooxygenase enzyme present in the bacterium Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b is found capable of oxidizing hydrocarbons under aerobic conditions in the presence of suitable reducing agents. The hydroxylase can be reduced by commercial reducing agents, such as sodium dithionite and photo- and electrochemical means when in the presence of electron transport components, such as methyl viologen and proflavin. The hydroxylase component can be obtained with high final specific activity when ferrous iron compounds and cysteine are included in the purification buffers used to extract the hydroxylase from bacterial cells.

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Pittsburgh, PA, United States of America

Brian G Fox