ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a study to isolate and characterize various bacteria that were able to use acetonitrile, as the sole carbon source and to define the optimal conditions for growth of organisms. Growth rates were directly proportional to the concentration of acetonitrile in the medium. The bacterial isolates grew profusely at high acetonitrile concentration (25 µl/ml); however, higher concentration (30 µl/ml) strongly inhibited the growth of the strains. Maximal growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in basal medium supplemented with acetonitrile was attained in 96 h. Nitrile compounds and their derivatives are used in increasing amounts in a number of industrial operations as chemical solvents, extractants and recrystallizing agents. Consequently, there is also a concomitant increase in the dissemination of these chemicals into the environment via the industrial waste water streams. Increasing accumulation of such compounds in the ecosystem may cause deleterious effects, as most of them are highly toxic and tend to destabilize the ecological balance, by inhibiting beneficial microbial growth.
