Monitoring Microbial Mineralization Using Reverse Stable Isotope Labeling Analysis by Mid-Infrared Laser Spectroscopy

Assessing the biodegradation of organic compounds is a frequent question in environmental science. Here, we present a sensitive, inexpensive, and simple approach to monitor microbial mineralization using reverse stable isotope labeling analysis (RIL) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The medium f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironmental science & technology Vol. 51; no. 20; pp. 11876 - 11883
Main Authors Dong, Xiyang, Jochmann, Maik A, Elsner, Martin, Meyer, Armin H, Bäcker, Leonard E, Rahmatullah, Mona, Schunk, Daniel, Lens, Guido, Meckenstock, Rainer U
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Chemical Society 17.10.2017
Subjects
Activated carbon
Aerobic conditions
Biodegradation
Biodegradation, Environmental
Carbon
Carbon dioxide
Carbon Isotopes
Dilution
Dissolved inorganic carbon
Dissolved organic carbon
Drinking water
Environmental monitoring
Environmental science
Infrared analysis
Infrared lasers
Infrared spectra
Infrared spectrometers
Infrared spectroscopy
Inorganic carbon
Isotope Labeling
Isotopes
Labeling
Microorganisms
Mineralization
Naphthalene
Organic compounds
Spectrophotometry, Infrared
Stoichiometry
Sulfates
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Summary:Assessing the biodegradation of organic compounds is a frequent question in environmental science. Here, we present a sensitive, inexpensive, and simple approach to monitor microbial mineralization using reverse stable isotope labeling analysis (RIL) of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The medium for the biodegradation assay contains regular organic compounds and 13C-labeled DIC with 13C atom fractions (x(13C)DIC) higher than natural abundance (typically 2–50%). The produced CO2 (x(13C) ≈ 1.11%) gradually dilutes the initial x(13C)DIC allowing to quantify microbial mineralization using mass-balance calculations. For 13C-enriched CO2 samples, a newly developed isotope ratio mid-infrared spectrometer was introduced with a precision of x(13C) < 0.006%. As an example for extremely difficult and slowly degradable compounds, CO2 production was close to the theoretical stoichiometry for anaerobic naphthalene degradation by a sulfate-reducing enrichment culture. Furthermore, we could measure the aerobic degradation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) adsorbed to granular activated carbon in a drinking water production plant, which cannot be labeled with 13C. Thus, the RIL approach can be applied to sensitively monitor biodegradation of various organic compounds under anoxic or oxic conditions.
ISSN:0013-936X
1520-5851
DOI:10.1021/acs.est.7b02909