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A simple (14)C-respirometric method for assessing microbial catabolic potential and contaminant bioavailability
B J Reid1, C J MacLeod, P H Lee
1Department of Environmental Science, Institute of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK.
FEMS Microbiology Letters
|March 27, 2001
Summary
A novel flask-based carbon-14 respirometer system efficiently measures the mineralization of organic compounds. This validated system accurately tracks carbon-14 labeled substrate breakdown, proving effective for environmental soil studies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Microbiology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Assessing the biodegradation of organic contaminants is crucial for environmental remediation.
- Existing respirometry systems can be complex and difficult to adapt for specific applications.
- A need exists for a simple, efficient, and reproducible method to measure substrate mineralization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate and demonstrate the application of a new flask-based carbon-14 ((14)C) respirometer system.
- To assess the mineralization of (14)C-labeled substrates, specifically polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), under controlled conditions.
- To evaluate the system's utility in analyzing microbial PAH catabolism in contaminated soil and assessing organic contaminant bioavailability.
Main Methods:
- Development and validation of a simple flask-based (14)C-respirometer system for stoichiometric CO(2) trapping.
- Utilizing (14)C-labeled naphthalene to measure growth-linked biodegradation by PAH-degrading bacteria.
- Applying the respirometer to analyze microbial PAH catabolism in field-contaminated soil and investigate phenanthrene bioavailability.
Main Results:
- The respirometer system demonstrated stoichiometric CO(2) trapping efficiency.
- A (14)C activity balance of 101.7+/-8.9% confirmed system suitability for monitoring substrate mineralization over 74 hours.
- The system successfully assessed rapid naphthalene and phenanthrene mineralization in contaminated soil and revealed reduced phenanthrene mineralization with increased soil contact time.
Conclusions:
- The developed flask-based (14)C-respirometer is a simple, efficient, and reproducible tool for assessing substrate mineralization.
- The system offers advantages over existing methods due to its ease of construction, use, and adaptable CO(2) trap.
- It is suitable for studying microbial degradation of organic contaminants in soil and evaluating contaminant bioavailability.