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Updated: Jun 9, 2026

A Toolkit to Enable Hydrocarbon Conversion in Aqueous Environments
Published on: October 2, 2012
Modification of cell surface properties of Pseudomonas alcaligenes S22 during hydrocarbon biodegradation
Ewa Kaczorek1, Sylwia Moszyńska, Andrzej Olszanowski
1Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Poznan University of Technology, Pl. M. Skłodowskiej-Curie 2, 60-965, Poznań, Poland. ewa.kaczorek@put.poznan.pl
Abstract:
Biodegradation of water insoluble hydrocarbons can be significantly increased by the addition of natural surfactants one. Very promising option is the use of saponins. The obtained results indicated that in this system, after 21 days, 92% biodegradation of diesel oil could be achieved using Pseudomonas alcaligenes. No positive effect on the biodegradation process was observed using synthetic surfactant Triton X-100. The kind of carbon source influences the cell surface properties of microorganisms. Modification of the surface cell could be observed by control of the sedimentation profile. This analytical method is a new approach in microbiological analysis.
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