Envirogen, Inc.

Shaw Intellectual Properties Holding, Inc.

Kevin Rock McClay

Robert Jon Steffan

Charles Whitman Condee

Mary F DeFlaun

Jennifer Diane Michelson

The compounds disclosed herein are isoxazole derivatives that are useful as antimicrobial compounds, particularly as anti-bacterial compounds. The disclosed methods comprise incubating at least two different substrates in the presence of at least one oxygenase to provide the disclosed compounds, or to prepare and identify compounds that have antimicrobial activity.

Antimicrobial compounds

Disclosed is a method for monitoring the degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether in a contaminated media which contains methyl tert-butyl ether and/or which is treated under conditions which cause the degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether into 2-hydroxy isobutyric acid comprising: (A) evaluating the treated contaminated media to determine the absence or presence therein of 2-hydroxy isobutyric acid; (B) based on such evaluation, determining whether the conditions should be modified; and (C) modifying such conditions as may be necessary. Disclosed also is a method for degrading an ether comprising contacting the ether with a microorganism that is effective in oxidizing propane or isopropanol and 2-hydroxy-isobutyric acid.

Biodegradation of the gasoline oxygenates

Saturated aliphatic halocarbons, including environmental contaminants, are degraded to innocuous, environmentally acceptable compounds by contact, either in situ or in a bioreactor, with microorganisms that produce aromatic oxygenases, preferably with use of a co-substrate, for example, phenol, toluene, benzene, ethylbenzene and xylene, including the provision of novel bacteria that produce aromatic oxygenases, and new recombinant microorganisms that contain cloned aromatic oxygenase genes, examples of saturated aliphatic halocarbon that may be degraded to innocuous compounds being chloroform; bromoform; 1,2-dichloroethane; 1,2-dibromoethane; monochloroethane and monobromoethane.

Biological conversion of organic compounds

The present invention is directed to a method for degrading an undesirable ether-based environmental contaminant by contacting the ether with a propane-oxidizing microorganism or with an isopropanol-oxidizing microorganism to convert the ether to innocuous compounds which are environmentally acceptable, including treating the ether-based contaminants in situ or removing them from the contaminated site for treatment in a bioreactor. Examples of ether-based compounds which can be degraded are tertiary butyl ethers of the type utilized as gasoline oxygenates, for example, methyl tert-butyl ether, ethyl tert-butyl ether, and methyl tert-amyl ether and also ether solvents, for example, tetrahydrofuran.

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Morrisville, PA, United States of America

Kevin Rock McClay