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Title: Mineralization of surfactants by microbiota of aquatic plants. [Lemna minor, Typha latifolia]

Journal Article · · Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (USA)
OSTI ID:5075496
;  [1]
  1. Procter and Gamble Company, Cincinnati, OH (USA)

The biodegradation of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and linear alcohol ethoxylate (LAE) by the microbiota associated with duckweed (Lemna minor) and the roots of cattail (Typha latifolia) was investigated. Plants were obtained from a pristine pond and a pond receiving wastewater from a rural laundromat. Cattail roots and duckweed plants were incubated in vessels containing sterile water amended with ({sup 14}C)LAS, ({sup 14}C)LAE, or {sup 14}C-labeled mixed amino acids (MAA). Evolution of {sup 14}CO{sub 2} was determined over time. The microbiota of cattail roots from both ponds mineralized LAS, LAE, and MAA without lag periods, and the rates and extents of mineralization were not significantly affected by the source of the plants. Mineralization of LAS and LAE was more rapid in the rhizosphere than in nearby root-free sediments, which exhibited differences as a function of pond. The microbiota of duckweed readily mineralized LAE and MAA but not LAS. The rate and extent of mineralization were not affected by the source of the duckweed.

OSTI ID:
5075496
Journal Information:
Applied and Environmental Microbiology; (USA), Vol. 55:8; ISSN 0099-2240
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English