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Biodegradation kinetics of select polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures by Sphingomonas paucimobilis EPA505

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Abstract

Many contaminated sites commonly have complex mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) whose individual microbial biodegradation may be altered in mixtures. Biodegradation kinetics for fluorene, naphthalene, 1,5-dimethylnaphthalene and 1-methylfluorene were evaluated in sole substrate, binary and ternary systems using Sphingomonas paucimobilis EPA505. The first order rate constants for fluorene, naphthalene, 1,5-dimethylnaphthalene, and 1-methylfluorene were comparable; yet Monod parameters were significantly different for the tested PAHs. S. paucimobilis completely degraded all the components in binary and ternary mixtures; however, the initial degradation rates of individual components decreased in the presence of competitive PAHs. Results from the mixture experiments indicate competitive interactions, demonstrated mathematically. The generated model appropriately predicted the biodegradation kinetics in mixtures using parameter estimates from the sole substrate experiments, validating the hypothesis of a common rate-determining step. Biodegradation kinetics in mixtures were affected by the affinity coefficients of the co-occurring PAHs and mixture composition. Experiments with equal concentrations of substrates demonstrated the effect of concentration on competitive inhibition. Ternary experiments with naphthalene, 1,5-dimethylnaphthalene and 1-methylfluorene revealed delayed degradation, where depletion of naphthalene and 1,5-dimethylnapthalene occurred rapidly only after the complete removal of 1-methylfluorene. The substrate interactions observed in mixtures require a multisubstrate model to account for simultaneous degradation of substrates. PAH contaminated sites are far more complex than even ternary mixtures; however these studies clearly demonstrate the effect that interactions can have on individual chemical kinetics. Consequently, predicting natural or enhanced degradation of PAHs cannot be based on single compound kinetics as this assumption would likely overestimate the rate of disappearance.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Superfund Basic Research Program at Texas A&M University that supported this work.

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Author notes

  1. Anuradha M. Desai

    Present address: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, TX, 77204-4003, USA

  2. Petros Dimitriou-Christidis

    Present address: Carollo Engineers, 376 E Warm Springs Road Suite 250, Las Vegas, NV, 89119, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-3136, USA

    Anuradha M. Desai, Robin L. Autenrieth & Petros Dimitriou-Christidis

  2. Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77802-1266, USA

    Thomas J. McDonald

Authors
  1. Anuradha M. Desai
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  2. Robin L. Autenrieth
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  3. Petros Dimitriou-Christidis
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  4. Thomas J. McDonald
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Correspondence to Robin L. Autenrieth.

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Desai, A.M., Autenrieth, R.L., Dimitriou-Christidis, P. et al. Biodegradation kinetics of select polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures by Sphingomonas paucimobilis EPA505. Biodegradation 19, 223–233 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-007-9129-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10532-007-9129-3

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