Azotobacter: An ideal microbe for the dissimilation of aromatic substances

Abstract
Azotobacters dissimilate many aromatic substances including simple phenols, substituted phenolics and pesticides. The degradation pathways of catechol, protocatechuic acid, gentisic acid, ferulic acid, resorcinol and 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid are described and dissimilatory enzymes and the genetic basis of dissimilation is discussed. An analysis on the response of nitrogenase to aromatic substances has been made and approaches to effectively harness the dissimilatory potential of Azotobacter have been illustrated.