Biodegradation of Polyethoxylated Nonylphenols

Polyethoxylated nonylphenols, with different ethoxylation degrees (NPEO(x)), are incorporated into many commercial and industrial products such as detergents, domestic disinfectants, emulsifiers, cosmetics, and pesticides. However, the toxic effects exerted by their degradation products, which are persistent in natural environments, have been demonstrated in several animal and invertebrate aquatic species. Therefore, it seems appropriate to look for indigenous bacteria capable of degrading native NPEO(x) and its derivatives. In this paper, the isolation of five bacterial strains, capable of using NPEO(15), as unique carbon source, is described. The most efficient NPEO(15) degrader bacterial strains were identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens (strain Yas2) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (strain Yas1). Maximal growth rates were reached at pH 8, 27°C in a 5% NPEO(15) medium. The NPEO(15) degradation extension, followed by viscometry assays, reached 65% after 54.5 h and 134 h incubation times, while the COD values decreased by 95% and 85% after 24 h for the Yas1 and Yas2 systems, respectively. The BOD was reduced by 99% and 99.9% levels in 24 h and 48 h incubations. The viscosity data indicated that the NPEO(15) biodegradation by Yas2 follows first-order kinetics. Kinetic rate constant (k) and half life time (τ) for this biotransformation were estimated to be 0.0072 h(−1) and 96.3 h, respectively.