Factors affecting biodegradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol in soil

ABSTRACT

A comparative study for biodegradation of 2,4-dinitrophenol in clay and sandy soil was performed. The extent of microbial degradation of such chemical was higher in clay soil than in sandy soil samples. Degradation rate in both sandy and clay soils was mainly dependent on the moisture content of soil, incubation temperature, and on the concentration of the added 2,4-dinitrophenol. Moreover, addition of glucose as an organic nutrient to either clay or sandy soil samples did affect the extent of microbial degradation, the size of population degrades in clay soils was 4 times compared to that of sandy soil samples, where the degrading bacteria were counted by the MPN method. The degrading bacteria were mainly Bacillus species and gram negative rods