Author/Editor     Šepič, E; Bricelj, M; Leskovšek, H
Title     Biodegradation studies of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in aqueous media
Type     članek
Source     J Appl Microbiol
Vol. and No.     Letnik 83
Publication year     1997
Volume     str. 561-8
Language     eng
Abstract     Sixteen bacterial strains isolated from an activated sludge and Mycobacterium ssp. PYR-1 were tested for their ability to degrade polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The bacterial strains pasteurella ssp. (B-2) and Mycobacterium ssp. PYR-1 (AM) showed a high biodegradation potential of three-and four-ring PAHs. Bacterial strain AM was able to degrade up to 80% of three and fourring PAHs (phenanthrene, fluoranthene and pyrene) within the first month of incubation, while the bacterial strain B-2 achieved the same biodegradation in 2 months. The metabolic pathway of PAH degradation was studied using fluoranthene and the bacterial strain AM. Ninety per cent of fluoranthene was biodegraded within the first 9 d of incubation when applied as a single substrate. Retention factor values from thin-layer chromatography studies, gas chromatography with mass selective detection and tandem mass spectrometry identified 9-fluorenone-1-carboxylic acid as one of the stable metabolic products and from this a fluoranthene biodegradation pathway is proposed.
Descriptors     POLYCYCLIC HYDROCARBONS, AROMATIC
BIODEGRADATION
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS
MYCOBACTERIUM
PASTEURELLA
PSEUDOMONAS
PSEUDOMONAS FLUORESCENS
ALCALIGENES