Treatment of phenol and cresols in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process: a review.

Gas chromatographic analysis of trace phenols by direct acetylation in aqueous solution

A continuous-culture device was used to select and enrich for microorganisms, from sewage and agricultural runoff, that were capable of using the organophosphorus insecticide parathion as a sole growth substrate. Parathion was dissimilated by the highly acclimated symbiotic activities of Pseudomonas stutzeri, which non-oxidatively and cometabolically hydrolyzed the parathion to ionic diethyl thiophosphate and p-nitrophenol, and P. aeruginosa, which utilized the p-nitrophenol as a sole carbon and energy source. Ionic diethyl thiophosphate was found to be inert to any transformations. Methyl parathion was dissimilated in an analogous way. The device functioned as a chemostat with parathion as the growth-limiting nutrient, and extraordinarily high dissimilation rates were attained for parathion (8 g/liter per day) and for p-nitrophenol (7 g/liter per day). This is the first report of parathion utilization by a defined microbial culture and by symbiotic microbial attack and of dissimilation of an organophosphorus pesticide in a chemostat.

Parathion utilization by bacterial symbionts in a chemostat

Gas and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods in the analysis of phenols are reviewed. Among the great number of phenolic compounds analyzed, alkylphenols, chlorophenols, dihydroxy- and trihydroxybenzenes and biphenols are chiefly considered. The advantages and drawbacks of the methods are discussed, quoting the most important work. Relationships between the structural characteristics of phenols, the stationary phase structure, the mobile phase composition and the retention data are treated. Typical examples of the conditions for GC and HPLC analysis are summarized in tables. The literature comprises over 270 references, most of them recent.

K.C. Wheatstone

Papers

The determination of phenols in aqueous effluents