Title: Degradability of n-hexadecane by Bacillus cereus DQ01 isolated from oil contaminated soil from Daqing oil field, China

Authors: Yan-Jun Chen, Hong-Qi Wang, Bo-Ya Qin

Addresses: College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China; China Development Bank Ningxia Branch, Yinchuan 750004, PR China. ' Key Laboratory for Water and Sediment Sciences of Ministry of Education, College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, PR China. ' Environmental Development Center of Ministry of Environmental Protection of China, Beijing 100029, PR China

Abstract: Localisation of degradation enzyme in Bacillus cereus DQ01 for n-hexadecane, production and characteristics of n-hexadecane-degrading enzyme were studied in this paper. The cellular extracts of Bacillus cereus DQ01 were fractionated into extra-cellular, periplasmic and cytoplasmic fractions after osmotic shock. The results showed that cytoplasmic and periplasmic enzymes are mainly responsible for degradation of n-hexadecane. Moreover, the optimal hexadecane concentration for enzymatic activity is 10 mg/L. Addition of rhamnolipid with a concentration of 2 mM was most effective in stimulating producing the main enzyme. The optimal pH and temperature were near 7.0 and 30°C, respectively.

Keywords: Bacillus cereus; enzymatic degradability; n-hexadecane; soil contamination; environmental pollution; degradation; petroleum compounds; oil spillage.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEP.2009.026654

International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 2009 Vol.38 No.1/2, pp.100 - 115

Published online: 22 Jun 2009 *

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