High molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW PAHs) increase in hydrophobicity with increases in their molecular weight and ring angularity. Microbial strategies to deal with PAH hydrophobicity include biofilm formation, enzyme induction, and biosurfactants, the effect of which is variable on PAH metabolism depending on the surfactant type and concentration, substrate, and microbial strain(s). Aerobic HMW PAH metabolism proceeds via mineralization, partial degradation, and cometabolic transformations. Generally, bacteria and nonlignolytic fungi metabolize PAHs via initial PAH ring oxidation by dioxygenases to form cis-dihydrodiols, which are transformed to catechol compounds by dehydrogenases and other mono-and dioxygenases to substituted catechol and noncatechol compounds, all ortho-or metacleaved and further oxidized to simpler compounds. However, lignolytic fungi form quinones and acids to CO 2 . This review discusses the pathways for HMW PAH microbial metabolism. O

The effect of surfactants on pyrene degradation in Pseudomonas fluorescens 29L was investigated. This strain produced 30.1 lM of rhamnolipid equivalents (RE) of biosurfactants on 50 mg of pyrene per liter of medium. The production of biosurfactants was significantly correlated with the water solubility (S w ) of the substrate and the growth rate on it. When chrysene, with a S w of 2.8 9 10 -3 mg per liter of water, was the carbon source, 13.1 lM of RE of biosurfactants were produced compared to 10.3 lM of RE of biosurfactants on acenaphthene with a S w of 1.9 mg per liter of water. No biosurfactants were produced on salicylic acid, catechol, and citrate. All of the strain 29L mutants which grew on pyrene produced biosurfactants while among the mutants which grew on naphthalene, only 88.4% produced biosurfactants. The rhamnolipid mixture, JBR425, inhibited the growth of Strain 29L wild type (WT) and all of its mutants on pyrene. However, these mutants were able to grow in the presence of pyrene when the growth medium was supplemented with 10 -6 mg of emulsan per milliliter of medium. This study implies biosurfactants are produced by Strain 29L as a physiological response to the hydrophobicity of pyrene. The combined use of indigenous biosurfactants and the added biosurfactant, emulsan, is a biotechnology to enhance pyrene degradation by Pseudomonas fluorescens 29L.

The effect of ferric iron [Fe(III)] on pyrene degradation and siderophore production was studied in Pseudomonas fluorescens 29L. In the presence of 0.5 microM of Fe(III) and 50 mg of pyrene per liter of medium as a carbon source, 2.2 mg of pyrene was degraded per liter of medium per day and 25.3 microM of 2,3-DHBA (2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid) equivalent of siderophores was produced per day. However, the pyrene degradation rate was 1.3 times higher and no siderophores were produced with the addition of 1 microM of Fe(III). Similar trends were seen with 50 mg of succinate per liter of medium as a carbon source, although the growth of strain 29L and the succinate degradation rate were higher. In the absence of siderophore production, pyrene and succinate continued to be biodegraded. This indicates that Fe(III) and not siderophore production affects the hydrocarbon degradation rate. Only 18% of strain 29L mutants capable of growth on pyrene produced siderophores, while among the mutants capable of growth on succinate, only 10% produced siderophores. This indicates that siderophores are not required for pyrene biodegradation. Fe(III) enhances pyrene degradation in Pseudomonas fluorescens 29L but it may be utilized by mechanisms other than siderophores.

Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs)

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