A metal resistant bacterial strain, Bacillus cereus JP12, could use decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) as the sole carbon and energy source for growth in mineral salt medium. Under the conditions of pH 6.0, 30 degrees C, 150 rpm and an inoculum of OD600= 0.6, more than 88% of the initial BDE-209 (1 mg/L) was degraded after 12 days. The addition of appropriate surfactants and additional carbon sources could enhance the biodegradation efficiency of BDE-209. The presence of Cu2+ (<= 8 mg/L) and Zn2+ (<= 15 mg/L) provided a slight stimulating effect on BDE-209 removal. However, BDE-209 biodegradation efficiency was decreased when adding higher levels of metals due to reduced substrate availability caused by excess metal adsorption into the cell surface. Biosorption of heavy metals by JP12 led to release of light metals such as K+ and Na+. A BDE-209 biodegradation pathway was proposed on the basis of metabolite identification. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.