Biological and chemical mineralization of pyridine
- Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Lab. of Soil Biochemistry
A comparison was made between biological and chemical mineralization of pyridine, an N-heterocyclic pollutant, in a liquid culture and a slurry of ground water and subsurface sediment. A bacterial culture of an Alcaligenes sp. that degrades pyridine was found to be more effective at oxidizing [2,6-[sup 14]C] pyridine to [sup 14]CO[sub 2] than Fenton's reagent. Alcaligenes sp. converted 73.1 % of the [sup 14]C-labeled pyridine to [sup 14]CO[sub 2], whereas the Fenton reagent converted 65.6% of the compound. In the case of bacteria, the remaining chemical was incorporated primarily into biomass (9.2%), whereas the remaining pyridine was converted to unidentified products (16.3%) by the Fenton reagent. However, based on chromatographic analysis, these compounds were not mono-hydroxylated pyridines. Mineralization of pyridine by Fenton's reagent was affected by the concentration of H[sub 2]O[sub 2] and by the concentration and oxidation state of available iron. Maximal mineralization occurred at a concentration of more than 0.15% H[sub 2]O[sub 2] (44 mM), 1 mM Fe[sup 3+], or 2 mM Fe[sup 2+]. Furthermore, the rates of both microbial and chemical mineralization were influenced by the initial pyridine concentration. Maximum specific rates of mineralization were 6.5 [mu]g/h/mg biomass for the bacteria and 2.7 [mu]g/h/mg Fe[sup 2+] for the Fenton reagent. The feasibility of using Fenton's reagent for treating ground water and subsurface sediments polluted with pyridine was found to be limited, because only 24.5% of the pyridine was converted in CO[sub 2]. In contrast, when cultures of the Alcaligenes sp. were used to treat ground water, as much as 54.4% of the labeled compound was mineralized to [sup 14]CO[sub 2].
- OSTI ID:
- 5431129
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States), Journal Name: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry; (United States) Vol. 13:1; ISSN 0730-7268; ISSN ETOCDK
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AZINES
BIODEGRADATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAMINATION
DECOMPOSITION
GROUND WATER
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MINERALIZATION
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
PYRIDINE
PYRIDINES
REMEDIAL ACTION
SEDIMENTS
WATER
WATER POLLUTION