Microbial degradation of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone in surface water and bacteria responsible for the process.

Due to widespread utilization in many industrial spheres and agrochemicals, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is a potential contaminant of different surface water ecosystems. Hence, investigation was made into its aerobic microbial degradability in samples of water from a river, wetland area and spring. The results showed that the compound was degradable in all water types, and that the fastest NMP removal occurred in 4 days in river water, while in the wetland and spring samples the process was relatively slow, requiring several months to complete.

N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone-degrading bacteria from activated sludge.

N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) is a widely used solvent for many organic compounds and a component found in a vast array of chemical preparations. For this research paper, NMP degrading bacteria were isolated from two samples of activated sludge. They pertained to both Gram-negative and Gram-positive members, and belong to the Pseudomonas, Paracoccus, Acinetobacter and Rhodococcus genera.