Bacteria Discovered That Decompose Neurotoxic Substances in Industrial Wastewater

Electron microscope image of Paracoccus communis.

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] The National Institute of Biological Resources under the Ministry of Environment recently announced on the 11th that, through joint research with Professor Hee-deung Park and his team at Korea University on 'Prokaryotes inhabiting polluted environments,' they discovered a bacterium called Paracoccus communis that decomposes the neurotoxic substance iminodipropionitrile.

Iminodipropionitrile is a raw material used in the manufacture of pesticides and solvents for dyes, or it is a substance generated during the production of chemical products, which can cause skin irritation, respiratory damage, and disruption of nervous system functions.

The bacterium discovered by the research team was isolated for the first time from domestic industrial wastewater and was confirmed to grow without any other nutrient sources even under ultra-high concentrations of 100,000 ppm iminodipropionitrile, decomposing up to 88.35% of 80,000 ppm iminodipropionitrile.

Regarding the characteristics of this strain, which have never been reported worldwide, the research team filed a domestic patent in November last year. Based on the research results, they plan to submit a paper to the international journal Journal of Hazardous Materials in May this year.

Baek Yeon-jae, director of the National Institute of Biological Resources, said, "We plan to promote technology transfer to companies interested in utilizing the bacterium secured this time," adding, "We hope that the decomposition ability of microorganisms can be utilized in the development of eco-friendly and biological wastewater treatment technologies."

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