title: Effect of surfactants on plasticizer biodegradation by Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633.
abstract: The biodegradation of plasticizers has been previously shown to result in the accumulation of metabolites that are more toxic than the initial compound. The present work shows that the pattern of degradation of di-2-ethylhexyl adipate by Bacillus subtilis can be significantly altered by the presence of biosurfactants, such as surfactin, or synthetic surfactants, such as Pluronic L122. In particular, this work confirms that the monoester, mono-2-ethylhexyl adipate, is a metabolite in the breakdown of the plasticizer. This metabolite was proposed but not observed in earlier studies. Toxicity measurements showed it to be significantly more toxic than the plasticizer. Thus, the effect of the surfactants was to significantly increase the accumulation of one or both of the two most toxic metabolites; i.e., the monoester and 2-ethylhexanol. It was proposed that the most likely cause of the effect of the surfactants was the sequestering of these two metabolites into mixed micelles, resulting in their reduced availability for further degradation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, 3610 University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Adam R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Grochowalski
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Jim A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nicell
mesh_terms: D000272:Adipates / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D001412:Bacillus subtilis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D005374:Filtration; D000441:Hexanols / Q000032:analysis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000633:toxicity; D055666:Lipopeptides; D008823:Micelles; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000378:metabolism; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000272:Adipates; D000441:Hexanols; D055666:Lipopeptides; D008823:Micelles; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D010968:Plasticizers; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; C009365:surfactin peptide; C034017:2-ethylhexanol