Halorespiration is the use of halogenated compounds as sources of energy

Energy

In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...

. The halogen

Halogen

The halogens or halogen elements are a series of nonmetal elements from Group 17 IUPAC Style of the periodic table, comprising fluorine , chlorine , bromine , iodine , and astatine...

 serves as terminal electron acceptor

Electron acceptor

An electron acceptor is a chemical entity that accepts electrons transferred to it from another compound. It is an oxidizing agent that, by virtue of its accepting electrons, is itself reduced in the process....

. It is also called dehalorespiration.
Halorespiration is a major form of anaerobic respiration

Anaerobic respiration

Anaerobic respiration is a form of respiration using electron acceptors other than oxygen. Although oxygen is not used as the final electron acceptor, the process still uses a respiratory electron transport chain; it is respiration without oxygen...

, and can play a part in microbial biodegradation

Microbial biodegradation

Interest in the microbial biodegradation of pollutants has intensified in recent years as humanity strives to find sustainable ways to clean up contaminated environments...

. The most common substrates are chlorinated aliphatics (PCE, TCE), chlorinated phenols. Halorespiring bacteria (HRB) include some proteobacteria, chloroflexi (green nonsulfur bacteria) and low G+C gram positive Clostridia.