Process for degradation of nitrobenzene: combining electron beam irradiation with biotransformation

Electron beam irradiations of aqueous solutions containing 15-30 mg/L of nitrobenzene at 60 kGy dose removed 78% of the contaminant. Three mononitrophenols were detected as by-products of electron beam treatment of nitrobenzene. A mixed culture enriched on a mixture of 2-, 3-, and 4-nitrophenol degraded both the residual nitrobenzene and the nitrophenol products. Percentage removal of nitrobenzene increased with increasing electron beam dose. This observation led to the conceptual design of a two-stage electron beam microbial process for degradation of nitrobenzene. Three groups of pure isolates were characterized from the mixed culture based on their abilities to grow on cor- responding nitrophenol substrates: Group A, 2NP(-)3NP(-)4NP(+); Group B, 2NP(+)3NP(+)4NP(-); and Group C, 2NP(-)3NP(+)4NP(-). Bacteria that grew on 3-NP transformed nitrobenzene into ammonia in the electron beam-treated nitrobenzene samples.