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MICROBIAL DEGRADATION OF NITROGEN, OXYGEN AND SULFUR HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS UNDER ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS: STUDIES WITH AQUIFER SAMPLES
Citation:
Kuhn, E. P. AND J. M. Suflita. MICROBIAL DEGRADATION OF NITROGEN, OXYGEN AND SULFUR HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS UNDER ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS: STUDIES WITH AQUIFER SAMPLES. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 8(12):1149-1158, (1989).
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Description:
The potential for anaerobic biodegradation of 12 heterocyclic model compounds was studied. Nine of the model compounds were biotransformed in aquifer slurries under sulfate-reducing or methanogenic conditions. The nitrogen and oxygen heterocyclic compounds were more susceptible to anaerobic biodegradation than those compounds containing a sulfur heteroatom. Carboxy-sub-stituted compounds were anaerobically metabolized more readily than unsubstituted or methylated analogues. In methanogenic incubations, 47 to 84% of the expected amount of carbon in pyridine, 4-picoline, nicotinic acid and 2-thiophene carboxylic acid was recovered as methane. In contrast, only small amounts of methane were detected in aquifer slurries amended with compounds containing an oxygen heteroatom, even though a decrease in the parent substrate concentration occurred. Pyridine, 2-picoline and 4-picoline were biotransformed within three months under sulfate-reducing conditions. However, longer incubation times were required for the degradation of these substrates in methanogenic aquifer slurries. A literature survey reveals the widespread contamination of ground waters with heterocyclic compounds from waste management practice and fossil-fuel-related industries.
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MICROBIAL DEGRADATION OF NITROGEN, OXYGEN AND SULFUR HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS UNDER ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS: STUDIES WITH AQUIFER SAMPLES
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