Structural Characterization and Property Analysis of Surface-Active Substance Accumulated During Biodegradation of Hydrophobic α-Pinene by Pseudomonas fluorescens

摘要

The connection between hydrocarbon biodegradation and surface-active substance production has attracted great interest in recent years. Pseudomonas fluorescens PT, isolated from a biotrickling filter, was not only able to degrade a-pinene but also to use it as a carbon source to produce a surface-active substance. Response surface methodology analysis showed that the optimal medium composition was K+, 69.8; Mn2+, 65.1; and NH_4+, 482.5 mgL-1, at which the surface tension of the medium was reduced to 40.7 mN m-1 after 36 h. Based on compositional analysis and information on a-pinene metabolism, the purified compound was identified as perilla acid. The surface-active properties of the purified compound were more stable than those of a synthetic surfactant, and it had lower ecological toxicity to Chlorella vul-garis. The naphthalene solubility and mass transfer of a-pinene were enhanced almost twofold by the surface-active substance (at its critical micelle concentration). The results suggested that the PT strain may be promising for generating surface-active substances with improved physiochemical properties for a wide range of applications in environmental remediation.