A Pseudomonas strain capable of growing on 4-nitrophenol (4NP) as a sole source of carbon was isolated from a pharmaceutical waste dumpsite after selective enrichment. Experiments revealed that the strain, SF1, utilizes 4-nitrophenol after 6h of adaptation and could degrade up to 2.1 mM of 4NP. Oxygen consumption studies demonstrated that strain SF1 utilized 1, 4-benzoquinone and hydroquinone, as well as 4NP. On partial 16S-rDNA sequence analysis, strain SF1 showed highest homology with the Pseudomonas putida strain based on the FASTA program.