Characterization and aerobic biodegradation of selected monoterpenes
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States)
Monoterpenes are biogenic chemicals and occur in abundance in nature. Large-scale industrial use of these chemicals has recently been initiated in an attempt to replace halogenated solvents and chlorofluorocarbons which have been implicated in the stratospheric depletion of ozone. This study examined four hydrocarbon monoterpenes (d-limonene, {alpha}-pinene, {gamma}-terpinene, and terpinolene) and four alcohols (arbanol, linalool, plinol, and {alpha}-terpineol). Water solubility, vapor pressure, and octanol/water partition coefficients were estimated. Aerobic biodegradability tests were conducted in batch reactors by utilizing forest soil extract and enriched cultures as inoculum. The hydrophobic nature and high volatility of the hydrocarbons restricted the investigation to relatively low aqueous concentrations. Each monoterpene was analyzed with a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector after extraction from the aqueous phase with isooctane. Terpene mineralization was tested by monitoring liquid-phase carbon, CO{sub 2} production and biomass growth. All four hydrocarbons and two alcohols readily degraded under aerobic conditions. Plinol resisted degradation in assays using inocula from diverse sources, while arbanol degraded very slowly. The intrinsic biokinetics coefficients for the degradation of d-limonene and {alpha}-terpineol were estimated by using cultures enriched with the respective monoterpenes. Monoterpene biodegradation followed Monod kinetics.
- OSTI ID:
- 416900
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-951023-; TRN: 96:005001-0057
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 68. annual conference and exposition of the Water Environment Federation, Miami Beach, FL (United States), 21-25 Oct 1995; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of WEFTEC `95: 68th annual conference & exposition; PB: 498 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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