BigPatents India

The present invention provides a process for degradation of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) using an improved bacterial strain of serratia marcescens. A novel improved strain of serratia marcescens having ability to degrade DDT was isolated by enrichment of DDT contaminated soil and culturing in medium containing 5ppm DDT as the sole source of carbon. The obtained strain was cultivated in a 0.5% basal glucose-minimal medium cotaining 10 ppm DDT and a co-substrate at a temperature of 20-300C for 2 h. The said sulture acclimatized in shake culture for a period of 48 hours the acclimatized culture degrade DDT within 72 h.