The degradation of bisphenol A by the newly isolated bacterium Cupriavidus basilensis JF1 can be enhanced by biostimulation with phenol

A bacterium able to degrade bisphenol A (BPA) as sole carbon and energy source was isolated from a planted fixed bed reactor continuously running with BPA. The Gram-negative aerobic bacterium was identified as Cupriavidus (formerly Wautersia, Ralstonia) basilensis JF1 by using physiological characterization, BIOLOG and 16S rRNA-analysis. The detected cellular degradation intermediates revealed that the strain contains of a similar pathway for the metabolism of BPA as recently described for a Sphingomonas strain. Furthermore, C. basilensis JF1 is able to utilise phenol, 4-isopropylphenol, ethanol, methanol, acetone and several other aromatic and aliphatic compounds as sole carbon sources. By using phenol as biostimulant either in shake cultures or in continuously running sand columns, the BPA-degradation rate of the bacterium could be significantly enhanced.