Bioengineered Graphene Oxide Microcomposites Containing Metabolically Versatile sp. MKU1 for Enhanced Catechol Degradation.

. MKU1, a metabolically versatile bacterium that encompasses diverse metabolic pathways in its genome for the degradation of aromatic compounds, was investigated for catechol bioremediation here for the first time to our knowledge. sp. MKU1 degraded catechol at an optimal pH of 7.5 and a temperature of 37 °C, wherein 100 mg/L catechol was completely mineralized in 96 h but required 192 h for complete mineralization of 500 mg/L catechol. While investigating the molecular mechanisms of its degradation potential, it was unveiled that . MKU1 employed both the ortho and meta pathways by inducing the expression of catechol 1,2-dioxygenase (C12O) and catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C23O), respectively. expression at transcriptional levels was significantly more abundant than , which indicated that catechol degradation was primarily mediated by extradiol cleavage by MKU1. Furthermore, poly(MAA--BMA)-GO (PGO) microcomposites containing . MKU1 were synthesized, which degraded catechol (100 mg/L) completely within 48 h with excellent recycling performance for three cycles. Thus, PGO@ microcomposites proved to be efficient in catechol degradation at not only faster rates but also with excellent recycling performances than free cells. These findings accomplish that . MKU1 could serve as a potential tool for bioremediation of catechol-polluted industrial wastewater and soil.