Biodegradation of Chloromethane by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain NB1 under Nitrate-Reducing and Aerobic Conditions

摘要

Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain NB1 uses chloromethane (CM) as its sole source of carbon and energy under nitrate-reducing and aerobic conditions. The observed yield of NB1 was 0.20 (±0.06) (mean ± standard deviation) and 0.28 (±0.01) mg of total suspended solids (TSS) mg of CM−1 under anoxic and aerobic conditions, respectively. The stoichiometry of nitrate consumption was 0.75 (±0.10) electron equivalents (eeq) of NO3− per eeq of CM, which is consistent with the yield when it is expressed on an eeq basis. Nitrate was stoichiometrically converted to dinitrogen (0.51 ± 0.05 mol of N2 per mol of NO3−). The stoichiometry of oxygen use with CM (0.85 ± 0.21 eeq of O2 per eeq of CM) was also consistent with the aerobic yield. Stoichiometric release of chloride and minimal accumulation of soluble metabolic products (measured as chemical oxygen demand) following CM consumption, under anoxic and aerobic conditions, indicated complete biodegradation of CM. Acetylene did not inhibit CM use under aerobic conditions, implying that a monooxygenase was not involved in initiating aerobic CM metabolism. Under anoxic conditions, the maximum specific CM utilization rate (k) for NB1 was 5.01 (±0.06) μmol of CM mg of TSS−1 day−1, the maximum specific growth rate (μmax) was 0.0506 day−1, and the Monod half-saturation coefficient (Ks) was 0.067 (±0.004) μM. Under aerobic conditions, the values for k, μmax, and Ks were 10.7 (±0.11) μmol of CM mg of TSS−1 day−1, 0.145 day−1, and 0.93 (±0.042) μM, respectively, indicating that NB1 used CM faster under aerobic conditions. Strain NB1 also grew on methanol, ethanol, and acetate under denitrifying and aerobic conditions, but not on methane, formate, or dichloromethane.