The Microbial Ecology of Phenol Degradation in Activated Sludge.

Phenol. Phenol was discovered in 1834 as a byproduct of the coal gas industry and was first used to deodorize the sewers in England. Subsequently, in 1867, Joseph Lister introduced antiseptic surgery by using 5% phenol to disinfect operating room facilities and wounds (6, 25). Lister’s procedure was successful because 5% phenol causes disruption of the bacterial cell wall and precipitation of proteins. Even lower phenol concentrations can be lethal to bacteria by causing damage to the permeability barrier in the cell wall. A 1% solution has been shown to cause leakage of glutamic acid from Streptococcus faecalis. At lower concentrations (0.15%) the lethal effect is considered to be due to inactivation of essential enzyme systems (43).

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Year

1978

Author dc:creator

• Rice, Louise Snowden

• Phenol
• Glutamic acid
• Permeability
• Cell wall
• Proteins

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7157

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.library.uab.edu:etd-collection-8149