Anaerobic biodegradation of nitrogen-substituted and sulfonated benzene aquifer contaminants

Journal Article · · Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1089/hwm.1989.6.121· OSTI ID:5712854

Kuhn, E P; Suflita, J M ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman (USA)

A literature survey of ground water contaminants indicated that aquifers are repositories for hazardous wastes, including N- and S-substituted benzene derivatives. We therefore examined the susceptibility of several anilines, benzamides, benenesulfonic acids and benenesulfonamides to anaerobic metabolism by aquifer microorganisms. Under sulfate-reducing and methanogenic conditions the carboxylated anilines were biotransformed within 1 to 3 months while unsubstituted or methylated anilines required longer incubation times. Benzamide as well as an aryl methyl and an N-methyl derivative were biodegraded under both redox conditions. The anaerobic degradation of the N-methylated benzamide was favored in sulfate-reducing rather than methanogenic incubations. However, the addition of a second N-alkyl group rendered the resulting compounds resistant to anaerobic decay. Only 1 of 7 benzenesulfonates and 2 of 5 benzenesulfonamides proved amenable to anaerobic metabolism. We found 37-75% of the theoretically expected amount of methane from aquifer slurries amended with the aminobenzoic acids, benzamide, and p-toluamide. In the sulfate-reducing aquifer slurries 89-100% of the oxidized benzamide, p-toluamide and N-methylbenzamide could be accounted for by sulfate reduction. These results help indicate which hazardous waste constituents will likely persist in anoxic aquifers and the types of chemical substitution patterns that favor anaerobic biotransformation.

• OSTI ID: 5712854
• Journal Information: Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials; (USA), Journal Name: Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials; (USA) Vol. 6:2; ISSN 0882-5696; ISSN HWHME
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMIDES
AMINES
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
ANILINE
AQUIFERS
AROMATICS
BACTERIA
BENZENE
BIODEGRADATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CONTAMINATION
DECOMPOSITION
GROUND WATER
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
METHANOGENIC BACTERIA
MICROORGANISMS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
REDOX REACTIONS
SULFATE-REDUCING BACTERIA
SULFONIC ACIDS
WATER
WATER POLLUTION