Twelve sewage and soil isolates belonging to genus Pseudomonas were screened for their ability to degrade and dechlorinate 2-chlorobenzoic acid (2-CBA), 3-chlorobenzoic acid (3-CBA) and 2,4-chlorobenzoic acid (2,4-DCBA). On the basis of growth of the isolates of three chlorobenzoates and their subsequent dechlorination rate, an aerobic Pseudomonas strain PNK-3 was selected for the study.

The nitrogen enriched phosphocompost was prepared utilizing the abundantly available green biomass of Lantana camara and supplemented with 12.5 and 25.0 per cent levels of rock phosphate, 1.0% fertilizer nitrogen (urea), 5.0 and 10.0 per cent pyrite or by inoculation with Azotobacter chroococcum and Aspergillus awamori.