This document discusses the isolation and identification of phenol-degrading bacteria. It notes that phenols are toxic compounds found in the environment and produced as pollutants. A large diversity of microorganisms are able to metabolize and degrade many organic pollutants like phenol through enzymatic processes. The document outlines some of the health and environmental risks of phenol, and notes that controlling phenol pollution is important to avoid ecological problems. It also discusses some of the nutritional requirements that allow microbes to degrade phenol aerobically.