EFFECT OF MICELLAR SOLUBILIZATION ON BIODEGRADATION RATES OF HYDROCARBONS

Batch experiments were conducted with a strain of Pseudomonas aeuroginsa and a strain of Ochrobactrum anthropi, both Gram-negative bacteria, growing on aqueous solutions containing straight-chain hydrocarbons solubilized in small micelles (2-4 nm) of nonionic surfactants. Measurements of optical density, a quantity proportional to bacterial cell concentration, and hydrocarbon content were made as a function of time. Since no macroscopic hydrocarbon drops were present and therefore there was no opportunity for the bacteria to attach themselves to oil-water interfaces, the results provided unambiguous confirmation that solubilization greatly enhances rates of hydrocarbon degradation in these systems compared to rates observed with bulk liquid hydrocarbon in the absence of surfactants. Solubilization of n-decane and n-tetradecane in micelles reduced the times required for cell density to double during exponential growth by a factor of approximately 5 for one bacterial strain compared to results obtained for surfactant-free experiments. The improvement was even greater for the other strain. Except for very low hydrocarbon concentrations, the Monod model for a single substrate was able to describe reasonably well the time dependence of both cell growth and hydrocarbon consumption for experiments with n-decane.