GO:0070980

The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the breakdown of biphenyl, a toxic aromatic hydrocarbon used as a heat transfer agent, as a fungistat in packaging citrus fruits and in plant disease control. Biphenyl can be chlorinated with 1-10 chlorine molecules to form polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). [CHEBI:17097, PMID:16310831, PMID:16339959, UniPathway:UPA00155]