Biodestruction of resin acids - dominant toxic compounds in kraft pulp mill effluents

Resin acids are the group of diterpene carboxylic acids which constitute a large part of ecotoxic agents in kraft pulp mill effluents. Penetration of these recalcitrant, biologically active and toxic ecopollutants into the environment is highly undesirable (even at low concentrations) as the consequences of their effects on living organisms are unpredictable. Therefore, there is a need for ecologically harmless methods of neutralization and elimination of resin acids from environments using microbial biotechnologies. Importantly, developing both recycling and conversion technologies for resin acids would open new possiblities for production of biologically active compounds useful as intermediates in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals.