title: Aerobic degradation of a hydrocarbon mixture in natural uncontaminated potting soil by indigenous microorganisms at 20 degrees C and 6 degrees C.
abstract: A hydrocarbon mixture containing p-xylene, naphthalene, Br-naphthalene and straight aliphatic hydrocarbons (C14 to C17) was aerobically degraded without lag phase by a natural uncontaminated potting soil at 20 degrees C and 6 degrees C. Starting concentrations were approximately 46 ppm for the aromatic and 13 ppm for the aliphatic compounds. All aliphatic hydrocarbons were degraded within 5 days at 20 degrees C, to levels below detection (ppb levels) but only down to 10% of initial concentration at 6 degrees C. Naphthalene was degraded within 12 days at 20 degrees C and unaffected at 6 degrees C. At 20 degrees C p-xylene was degraded within 20 days, but no degradation occurred at 6 degrees C. Br-naphthalene was only removed down to 30% of initial concentration at 20 degrees C, with no significant effect at 6 degrees C. The biodegradation was monitored with head space solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Royal Institute of Technology, KTH, Stockholm, Sweden. micke@biochem.kth.se
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dalhammar
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Borg-Karlson
mesh_terms: D000332:Aerobiosis; D000473:Alkanes / Q000378:metabolism; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000378:metabolism; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013696:Temperature; D014992:Xylenes / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000473:Alkanes; D006838:Hydrocarbons; D009281:Naphthalenes; D014992:Xylenes; C024713:n-tetradecane; C031721:naphthalene