The Environmental Biotechnology Lab

Dibromoneopentyl glycol (DBNPG) is a brominated flame retardant that is used as an additive during the manufacture of plastic polymers and as a chemical intermediate for other flame retardants. It is classified as not readily biodegradable and based on experimental studies in animals is believed to be a carcinogen. We have demonstrated, to the best of our knowledge for the first time, the complete biodegradation of DBNPG under aerobic conditions. Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis indicates the complete mineralization of DBNPG. DBNPG biodegradation was accompanied by the release of bromide into the medium, probably due to a biological debromination reaction by bacterial consortia. A denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of PCR amplified 16S rRNA gene was used, to characterize the bacterial consortia involved in DBNPG biodegradation. At least seven bacterial species were found to be involved in this process, among them species with similarity to strains that are known for their dehalogenating ability.