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Marozava, S. ; Meyer, A.H. ; Pérez-de-Mora, A. ; Gharasoo, M. ; Zhou, L. ; Wang, H. ; Cirpka, O.A.* ; Meckenstock, R.U.* ; Elsner, M.

Mass transfer limitation during slow anaerobic biodegradation of 2-methylnaphthalene.

Environ. Sci. Technol. 53, 9481-9490 (2019)
Publ. Version/Full Text Research data DOI
Open Access Gold (Paid Option)
Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
While they are theoretically conceptualized to restrict biodegradation of organic contaminants, bioavailability limitations are challenging to observe directly. Here we explore the onset of mass transfer limitations during slow biodegradation of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon 2-methylnaphthalene (2-MN) by the anaerobic, sulfate-reducing strain NaphS2. Carbon and hydrogen compound specific isotope fractionation was pronounced at high aqueous 2-MN concentrations (60 μM) (ϵcarbon = -2.1 ± 0.1‰/ϵhydrogen = -40 ± 7‰) in the absence of an oil phase but became significantly smaller (ϵcarbon = -0.9 ± 0.3‰/ϵhydrogen = -6 ± 3‰) or nondetectable when low aqueous concentrations (4 μM versus 0.5 μM) were in equilibrium with 80 or 10 mM 2-MN in hexadecane, respectively. This masking of isotope fractionation directly evidenced mass transfer limitations at (sub)micromolar substrate concentrations. Remarkably, oil-water mass transfer coefficients were 60-90 times greater in biotic experiments than in the absence of bacteria (korg-aq2-MN = 0.01 ± 0.003 cm h-1). The ability of isotope fractionation to identify mass transfer limitations may help study how microorganisms adapt and navigate at the brink of bioavailability at low concentrations. For field surveys our results imply that, at trace concentrations, the absence of isotope fractionation does not necessarily indicate the absence of biodegradation.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Corresponding Author
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0013-936X
e-ISSN 1520-5851
Journal Environmental Science & Technology
Quellenangaben Volume: 53, Issue: 16, Pages: 9481-9490 Article Number: , Supplement: ,
Publisher ACS
Publishing Place Washington, DC
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Institute of Groundwater Ecology (IGOE)