Effect of nonionic surfactants on naphthalene dissolution and biodegradation

The effect of six nonionic surfactants, Igepal CA-720, Tergitol NPX, Triton X-100, PLE4, PLE10, and PLE23, on the dissolution rate of solid naphthalene was studied in stirred batch reactors. Results showed increased mass-transfer rates with increased surfactant concentrations up to 10 kg m-3. Dissolution experiments were adequatly described by a mechanistic mass-transfer model. Partitioning of naphthalene into the micelles and the diffusion coefficients of the micelles affected the dissolution rate most significantly. Combined dissolution and biodegradation experiments with Triton X-100 or PLE10 with naphthalene showed that the biomass-formation rate of Pseudomonas 8909N (DSM No. 11634) increased concomitantly with the mass-transfer rate under naphthalene-dissolution limited conditions up to surfactant concentrations of 6 kg m-3.