Isolation of a novel pentachlorophenol‐degrading bacterium, Pseudomonas sp. Bu34

A pentachlorophenol (PCP)‐degrading bacterium was isolated from possible PCP‐contaminated soil from Pusan, Korea and identified as a member of the genus Pseudomonas. It used PCP as its sole source of carbon and energy. This micro‐organism was capable of degrading PCP more effectively, certified by the increase in cell density and the decrease in PCP substrate. Pseudomonas sp. Bu34 was able to degrade a much higher concentration of PCP (4000 mg l−1) than any previously reported PCP‐degrading bacteria and fungi and to grow in mineral salts solution containing one of a variety of chlorophenols. In non‐acclimated strain Bu34, the cell number decreased from 87 to 99·9% in 75–4000 mg l−1 PCP at 24 h. In the acclimated strain the PCP toxic effect did not appear with 75 mg l−1 PCP treatment, but 1000–4000 mg l−1 PCP decreased the cell number of strain Bu34 by 25% to 24 h and then the cell number slightly increased at 48 h. Therefore, it suggested that the maximum resistance of acclimated strain Bu34 to PCP was 4000 mg l−1 PCP. We suggest that strain Bu34 could be used as a micro‐organism for the bioremediation of highly PCP‐contaminated soils, water or wood products.