Continuous degradation of dimethyl sulfoxide to sulfate ion by Hyphomicrobium denitrificans WU-K217

With the objective of removing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) contained in wastewater from semiconductor or liquid crystal display factories, biodegradation of DMSO, particularly at a low concentration, was examined. Through the screening of DMSO-degrading microorganisms, Hyphomicrobium denitrificans WU-K217 utilizing DMSO as the sole source of carbon was isolated from soil. DMSO at less than 20 mM was degraded to sulfate ion by WU-K217 with 100% molar conversion ratio based on DMSO added during 60-h cultivation at 30°C under aerobic conditions. Even in the presence of 116 mM or 225 mM DMSO, WU-K217 showed growth although the amount of DMSO degraded was only 33 mM or 10 mM, respectively. Similar to the growing cells, the resting cells of WU-K217 degraded DMSO at over a wide range of temperature, 20-40°C. The highest DMSO-degradation activity was obtained at 30°C, and 0.64 mM (50 mg/l) DMSO was completely degraded to sulfate ion with 100% molar conversion ratio within only 15 min. Furthermore, to examine whether WU-K217 would be useful for the removal of DMSO contained in wastewater exhausted in large amounts, continuous degradation of DMSO was examined. When 0.64 mM DMSO was added to the resting cells periodically at 15-min intervals, DMSO was completely degraded to sulfate ion without any decrease of the degradation activity at least during the twelve times of DMSO addition.