Temperature effects and substrate interactions during the aerobic biotransformation of BTEX mixtures by toluene-enriched consortia and Rhodococcus rhodochrous
- Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States). Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering
A microbial consortium derived from a gasoline-contaminated aquifer was enriched on toluene (T) in a chemostat at 20 C and was found to degrade benzene (B), ethylbenzene (E), and xylenes (X). Studies conducted to determine the optimal temperature for microbial activity revealed that cell growth and toluene degradation were maximized at 35 C. A consortium enriched at 35 C exhibited increased degradation rates of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes in single-substrate experiments; in BTEX mixtures, enhanced benzene, toluene, and xylene degradation rates were observed, but ethylbenzene degradation rates decreased. Substrate degradation patterns over a range of BTEX concentrations for individual aromatics were found to differ significantly from patterns for aromatics in mixtures, individually, toluene was degraded fastest, followed by benzene, ethylbenzene, and the xylenes. In BTEX mixtures, degradation followed the order of ethylbenzene, toluene, and benzene, with the xylenes degraded last. A pure culture isolated from the 35 C-enriched consortium was identified as Rhodococcus rhodochrous.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- National Inst. of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States); Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC (United States)
- OSTI ID:
- 318871
- Journal Information:
- Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Journal Name: Biotechnology and Bioengineering Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 62; ISSN BIBIAU; ISSN 0006-3592
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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