Isopropanol and acetone induces vinyl chloride degradation in Rhodococcus rhodochrous

In situ bioremediation of vinyl chloride (VC)-contaminated waste sites requires a microorganism capable of degrading VC. While propane will induce an oxygenase to accomplish this goal, its use as a primary substrate in bioremediation is complicated by its flammability and low water solubility. This study demonstrates that two degradation products of propane, isoproponal and acetone, can induce the enzymes in Rhodococcus rhodochrous that degrade VC. Additionally, a reasonable number of cells for bioremediation can be grown on conventional solid bacteriological media (nutrient agar, tryptic soy agar, plate count agar) in an average microbiological laboratory and then induced to produce the necessary enzymes by incubation of a resting cell suspension with isopropanol or acetone. Since acetone is more volatile than isopropanol and has other undesirable characteristics, isopropanol is the inducer of choice. It offers a nontoxic, water-soluble, relatively inexpensive alternative to propane for in situ bioremediation of waste sites contaminated with VC.