Anaerobic cometabolic transformation of polycyclic and heterocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: evidence from laboratory and field studies

Journal Article · Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · Environmental Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es0525410· OSTI ID:20772693

Safinowski, Michael; Griebler, Christian; Meckenstock, Rainer U ^[1]

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1. Eberhard-Karls University, Tuebingen (Germany). Center for Applied Geosciences

The sulfate-reducing enrichment culture N47 can grow on naphthalene or 2-methylnaphthalene as the sole carbon and energy source. The study reported shows that the culture can furthermore cometabolically transform a variety of polycyclic and heteroaromatic compounds with naphthalene or methylnaphthalene as the auxiliary substrate. Most of the cosubstrates were converted to the corresponding carboxylic acids, frequently to several isomers. The mass spectra of specific metabolites that were extracted from supernatants of cultures containing the cosubstrates benzothiophene, benzofuran, and 1-methylnaphthalene resembled known intermediates of the anaerobic naphthalene and 2-methylnaphthalene degradation pathways. This indicates that some of the tested compounds were first methylated and then transformed to the corresponding methylsuccinic acids by a fumarate addition to the methyl group. For some of the cosubstrates, a partial or total inhibition of growth on the auxiliary substrate was observed. This was caused by a specific combination of auxiliary substrate and cosubstrate. None of the cosubstrates tested could be utilized as the sole carbon source and electron donor by the enrichment culture N47. Field investigations at the tar-oil-contaminated aquifer (at a former gasworks in southwest Germany), where strain N47 originated, revealed the presence of metabolites similar to the ones identified in batch culture supernatants. The findings suggest that aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic compounds can be converted by aquifer organisms and produce a variety of polar compounds that become mobile in groundwater. 51 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 20772693
• Journal Information: Environmental Science and Technology, Vol. 40, Issue 13; Other Information: [e-mail]; ISSN 0013-936X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
COAL GASIFICATION PLANTS
NAPHTHALENE
FIELD TESTS
ABANDONED SITES
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY
METABOLITES
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
COAL TAR OILS
METABOLIC ACTIVATION
BATCH CULTURE
WATER POLLUTION
MOBILITY
GROUND WATER
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
BIODEGRADATION
SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
AQUIFERS
CONTAMINATION
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
POLAR COMPOUNDS