Factors affecting the biodegradation of phenanthrene initially dissolved in different nonaqueous-phase liquids

A study was conducted of the importance of measured partitioning rate, the nonaqueous-phase liquid (NAPL)-water interfacial area, and the toxicity of NAPLs to the biodegradation of constituents of NAPLs. Bacterial mineralization of phenanthrene was slower if the compound was initially dissolved in phthalate esters than in aliphatic hydrocarbons with several NAPL-water interfacial areas. The differences were not the result of toxicity of the test NAPLs. The rates of partitioning of phenanthrene from NAPLs to water were faster with larger interfacial areas, but a consistent influence of interfacial area on the rate of mineralization was not evident. The measured rates of partitioning from NAPLs to water under sterile conditions varied among the NAPLs, the mass transfer rates being slower with phthalate esters than with alkanes. The rates of mineralization of phenanthrene initially in NAPLs were correlated with measured partitioning rates, but the rates of biodegradation were sometimes faster than the partitioning rates measured under sterile conditions. Although the rates of biodegradation of a constituent of nontoxic NAPLs are generally related to rates of mass transfer determined under sterile conditions, we suggest that the partitioning rate determined in the absence of microorganisms is not an adequate predictor of the maximum rate of biodegradation of such constituents.