what is benzothiazole used for
2-Mercaptobenzothiazole, which is mainly used in the rubber industry as a vulcanization accelerator, is very toxic and is considered to be recalcitrant. We show here for the first time that it can be biotransformed and partially mineralized by a pure-culture bacterial strain of Rhodococcus rhodochrous. Three metabolites, among four detected, were identified. 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) is the most important and most widely used member of the benzothiazole (BT) family. MBT is typically a rubber additive, but it has also other applications, such as inhibiting biocorrosion in cooling systems or in paper manufacturing.