The biodegradation of methoxychlor by Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Klebsiella pneumoniae was found to effect the reductive dechlorination of methoxychlor (2,2-bis(p-methoxyphenyl)-1, 1, 1-trichloroethane) and its dihydroxy derivative (2, 2-bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)-1, 1, 1-trichloroethane) to dichloro derivatives 2, 2-bis (p-methoxyphenyl)-1, 1-dichloroethane and 2, 2-bis (p-hydroxyphenyl)-1, 1-dichloroethane, respectively. Dehydrohalogenation to the corresponding diaryl dichloroethylenes, which themselves were not further degraded by this bacterium, was not observed. Cleavage of the methoxy groups to form the hydroxy compounds did not take place.