DEGRADATION OF ALIPHATIC AMIDE MIXTURE BY IMMOBILIZED AND NONIMMOBILIZED CELLS OF PSEUDOMONAS SP

A strain of Pseudomonas sp. capable of utilizing acrylamide as the sole source of carbon and nitrogen was tested for its ability to degrade an aliphatic amide mixture containing acrylamide, propionamide, butyramide, and methacrylamide. Batch cultures of Pseudomonas sp. degraded butyramide and propionamide at the rate of 115 mumol/h and at the rate of 127 mumol/h to butyric and propionic acids and ammonia in 48 h. Acrylamide and methacrylamide were degraded to acrylic acid and methacrylic acid in 72 h at the rate of 97 and 78 mumol/h, respectively. Faster rates of degradation could be obtained when the bacteria was immobilized. Calcium alginate-immobilized cells of the isolate degraded the mixture of butyramide, propionamide, acrylamide, and methacrylamide within 2 h at the rate of 2750, 3050, 3500, and 2800 mumol/h, respectively, to their corresponding carboxylic acids and ammonia. Higher amidase activity of 14.3, 14.0, and 17.3 were obtained with acetamide, acrylamide, and isobutyramide, and lower amidase activity of 9.3, 9.4, and 10.2 were obtained with methacrylamide, propionamide, and butyramide, respectively.