Assimilation of liquid hydrocarbon by microorganisms. I. Mechanism of hydrocarbon uptake

Abstract

The uptake mechanism of liquid hydrocarbons of low solubility in water was investigated, using microorganisms with different affinities for liquid hydrocarbon. Microorganisms which could utilize hydrocarbon were much more adherent to hydrocarbon than those which could not. The adhesive force between Candida intermedia IFO 0761 and hydrocarbon was higher than that of Candida tropicalis ATCC 20336, though both could utilize hydrocarbon; The total hydrocarbon uptake from the drop and accommodation forms of hydrocarbons was much higher than that from dissolved hydrocarbon. The uptake rate of drop-form hydrocarbon was nearly equal to that of accommodation-form hydrocarbon for C. intermedia, but was lower for C. tropicalis which shows lower adhesion to hydrocarbon.

Uptake of Vapour Phase [14C]Dodecane by Whole Mycelia of Cladosporium resinae

“…Saturation of the cell surface took approximately 2 h. This length of period could have been due to the relatively low concentration of dodecane in the vapour phase compared with that obtained in liquid culture. A high binding affinity for hydrocarbon was as important a component of the fungal n-alkane transport system as it is for other hydrocarbonutilizing micro-organisms (Miura et al, 1977;Kappeli & Fiechter, 1976; Rosenberg & Rosenberg, 1981). The accumulation of partitioned hydrocarbon on, or in the cell surface was an essential step in the movement of alkanes into the cell, serving by creating a diffusion gradient to facilitate passive diffusion into the cell, or as a reservoir for an active transport system.…”

A technique for monitoring biomass levels and cell adhesion in hexadecane fermentations

“…adherence is a critical factor in the absence of emulsified substrate. Miura et al (1977) examined the adhesive force between yeast cells and hydrocarbon by subjecting the cells to increasing centrifugal forces, and measuring the desorption of the cells from the hydrocarbon. Forces as high as I0,000 x g were required to desorb C. tropicalis from tetradecane while about 25% of the absorbed cells of C. intez~nedia were removed from the hydrocarbon phase at 3000 x g.…”

Review of Microbial Processes in the Near-Surface Environment and Their Implications for the Chemical Fingerprinting of Hydrocarbon Fuels

“…Except for the special case where cells attached directly to the interface between the aqueous phase and an organic contaminant phase, the substrate must be in a dissolved state. Substrate uptake takes place through either passive or facilitated diffusion at the point of contact (Miura et al, 1977;Setti et al, 1995). In the case of substrate with low water solubility, such as saturated hydrocarbons, the cell contact with hydrophobic substrates is crucial because the initial step in hydrocarbon degradation is often catalyzed by cell surface-associated enzymes (Wentzel et al, 2007).…”