Naphthalene biosorption in soil/water systems of low or high sorptive capacity

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-1995

Department

Department of Chemical Engineering; Department of Biological Sciences

Abstract

A model system was developed for evaluating naphthalene biosorption based on the use of a mutant (strain TG-5 Nah–) derived from a naphthalene-degrading Pseudomonas fluorescens isolate. Cells of strain TG-5 had a sorptive capacity for naphthalene (partition coefficient of 380 cm3/g) significantly higher than a soil with a 5.1% organic carbon content (partition coefficient of 41 cm3/g). However, experimental results and a mass balance model demonstrated that, in soil systems of high organic carbon content, the mass of naphthalene associated with biological solids is insignificant. In contrast, in a soil system of nonsorptive Ottawa sand, up to 10% of the initial naphthalene was demonstrated experimentally, and by modelin, to be associated with cells of strain TG-5.

Publication Title

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

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