Anaerobic biodegradation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by Acetobacterium malicum strain HAAP-1 isolated from a methanogenic mixed culture.

In previous work, we studied the anaerobic biodegradation of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by a methanogenic mixed culture that biodegrades RDX by using H2 as the sole electron donor. Strain HAAP-1 was isolated after enriching for the homoacetogens in a mineral medium containing RDX and an H2-CO2 (80:20) headspace. Strain HAAP-1 degraded 29.0 microM RDX in <14 days and formed 13.0 mM acetate when grown in a mineral medium with an H2-CO2 headspace. Methylenedinitramine was observed as a transient intermediate, indicating ring cleavage had occurred. In live cultures containing an N2-CO2 headspace, RDX was not degraded, and no acetate was formed. The 16S rRNA gene sequence for strain HAAP-1, consisting of 1485 base pairs, had a 99.2% and 99.1% sequence similarity to Acetobacterium malicum and A. wieringae, respectively. This is the first report of RDX degradation by a homoacetogen growing autotrophically and extends the number of genera known to carry out this transformation.