A new aerobic bacterial strain, CIP 1-2052, isolated from an activated sludge sample, was able to use tert-butyl alcohol (TBA), a product of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) degradation, as its sole carbon and energy source. Cobalt ions stimulated TEA mineralization. The maximum growth and TEA degradation rates were 0.032 +/-0.004 h(-1) and 35.8 +/-8.5 mg TBA(.)g(-1) (cell dry mass) per h, respectively. The growth yield on TEA was 0.54 +/-0.02 g(.)g(-1). Strain CIP I-2052 exhibited a particular substrate specificity towards alcohols. It degraded tertiary alcohols, TEA and tert-amyl alcohol (TAA), but neither their primary and secondary alcohol homologues, nor ethanol. However, one-carbon compounds, namely methanol and formate, were degraded by strain CIP 1-2052, showing the methylotrophic nature of this isolate. The properties of this new strain suggest that it could be used for bioremediation of contaminated aquifers.