Green Chemicals | dochertylab

Green Chemical Biodegradation

Chemists working to design novel green chemicals strive to create chemicals that will ultimately reduce pollution. For example, green chemicals may have lower toxicity than a traditional counterpart, or break down more easily in the envrionment. However, some chemicals that are green by many chemical standpoints resist degradation within wastewater treatment plants and could serve as significant sources of water pollution. Our research in this area explores the potential for isolating mixed microbial communities that are capable of biodegrading green chemicals that tend to resist biodegradation. Municipal wastewater treatment plants serve as a valuable source of microbial biodiversity and catalytic function. We used this strategy to biodegrade 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide (bmim), and ionic liquid with many applications, but with low inherent degradability.