The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the breakdown of tetrachloroethylene, a derivative of ethene with the hydrogen atoms replaced by chlorines. [ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7988892 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8663199 GOC:ai ]
Synonyms: tetrachloroethylene breakdown tetrachloroethylene catabolism tetrachloroethene catabolic process tetrachloroethene catabolism tetrachloroethylene degradation