The electrochemical oxidation behavior of p-cresol on platinum anode had been investigated by cyclic voltammetric method for the variation of concentration, scan rate of potential, temperature and pH of electrolyte. The oxidation potential of p-cresol was dependent on the electrolyte until the pH=11.5, but in basic solution over its, it was held at o.40V(vs. SCE). A diffusion was rate determining step of oxidation as irreversible reaction by the transfer atone electron. The current of peak was proportional to concentration of p-cresol until the 0.1N and optimum concentration was found to be about 0.1N. The activation energy was calculated for 5.8kcal/mol from the plot of log Il vs. 1/T.

In order to find the most fitted biodegradation model, biodegradation kinetics model to the initial phenol and p-cresol concentrations were investigated and had been fitted by the linear regression. Bacteria capable of degrading p-cresol were isolated from soil by enrichment culture technique. Among them, strain M1 capable of degrading p-cresol has also degraded phenol and was identified as the genus Micrococcus from the results from of taxonomical studies. The optimal conditions for the biodegradation of phenol and pcresol by Micrococcus sp. M1 were NH_4NO_3 0.05%, pH 7.0, 30℃, respectively, and medium volume 100㎖/250㎖ shaking flask. Micrococcus sp. M1 was able to grow on phenol concentration up to 14mM and p-cresol concentration up to 8mM. With increasing substrate concentration, the lag period increased, but the maximum specific growth rates decreased. The yield coefficient decreased with increasing substrate concentration. The biodegradation kinetics of phenol and p-cresol were best described by Monod with growth model for every experimented concentration. In cultivation of mixed substrate, p-cresol was degraded first and phenol was second. This result implies that p-cresol and phenol was not degraded simultaneously.