Biodegradation of gasoline: kinetics, mass balance and fate of individual hydrocarbons

Abstract

The degradation of gasoline by a microflora from an urban waste water activated sludge was investigated in detail. Degradation kinetics were studied in liquid cultures at 30 degrees C by determination of overall O2 consumption and CO2 production and by chromatographic analysis of all 83 identifiable compounds. In a first fast phase (2 d) of biodegradation, 74% of gasoline, involving mostly aromatic hydrocarbons, was consumed. A further 20%, involving other hydrocarbons, was consumed in a second slow phase (23 d). Undegraded compounds (6% of gasoline) were essentially some branched alkanes with a quaternary carbon or/and alkyl chains on consecutive carbons but cycloalkanes, alkenes and C10- and C11-alkylated benzenes were degraded. The degradation kinetics of individual hydrocarbons, determined in separate incubations, followed patterns similar to those observed in cultures on gasoline. Carbon balance experiments of gasoline degradation were performed. The carbon of degraded gasoline was mainly (61.7%) mineralized into CO2, the remaining carbon being essentially converted into biomass.