Cometabolic biodegradation of methyl t-butyl ether by Pseudomonas aeruginosa grown on pentane

• Published in: Applied microbiology and biotechnology Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 498 - 503
• Main Authors: Garnier, P.M, Auria, R, Augur, C, Revah, S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.04.1999; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Bacteria; Bacteriology; Biodegradation; Biodegradation of pollutants; Biodegradation, Environmental; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; cometabolism; Culture Media; Energy sources; Environment and pollution; equations; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; gasoline additives; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; kinetics; Methyl Ethers - metabolism; Microbiology; Pentanes - metabolism; petroleum; pollutants; polluted soils; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - growth & development; Pseudomonas aeruginosa - metabolism; soil bacteria; Soil Microbiology; Pseudomonadales; Biodegradation; Ether; Substrate inhibition; Pentane; Cometabolism; Pollutant; Concentration effect; Microorganism culture; Bacteria; Pseudomonadaceae; Isolation; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Bioremediation; Kinetic parameter
• ISSN: 0175-7598; 1432-0614
• DOI: 10.1007/s002530051423

A bacterial strain identified as Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from a soil consortium able to mineralize pentane. P. aeruginosa could metabolize methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE) in the presence of pentane as the sole carbon and energy source. The carbon balance of this strain, grown on pentane, was established in order to determine the fate of pentane and the growth yield (0.9 g biomass/g pentane). An inhibition model for P. aeruginosa grown on pentane was proposed. Pentane had an inhibitory effect on growth of P. aeruginosa, even at a concentration as low as 85 microgram/l. This resulted in the calculation of the following kinetic parameters (micro(max) = 0.19 h(-1), K(s) = 2.9 microgram/l, K(i) = 3.5 mg/l). Finally a simple model of MTBE degradation was derived in order to predict the quantity of MTBE able to be degraded in batch culture in the presence of pentane. This model depends only on two parameters: the concentrations of pentane and MTBE.