Destruction of mustard gas hydrolysis products by marine and soil bacteria

Abstract

Destruction of mustard gas hydrolysis products by bacterial cultures isolated from soils and bottom waters at the sites of chemical weapons disposal has been studied. Among the tested microorganisms, the soil bacteria Pseudomonas putida Y-21 and Rhodococcus erythropolis 8D and the marine bacteria Achromobacter sp. 75-1, Arthrobacter sp. 23-3, and Pseudomonas sp. 93-2 show the highest activity. Thiodiglycol is utilized by two pathways; one of them, with formation of [(2-hydroxyethyl)thio]acetic and thiodiglycolic and thioglycolic acids, is a common pathway for all bacteria under study. The results demonstrate both the possibility of self-purification of natural objects by natural communities of microorganisms and the prospects for application of microorganisms--destructors in bioremediation of polluted territories.