Utilization of sodium dodecyl sulphate by denitrifying bacteria under anaerobic conditions

Abstract

Enrichment cultures from river sediments yielded several non-fermentative denitrifying bacteria, capable of anaerobic respiratory growth on the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as sole source of carbon and energy. Four selected isolates grew aerobically or anaerobically (with added nitrate) on primary alkyl sulphates of chain-length C6-C12 but not on the shorter homologues (C2-C5), or dl-octan-2-yl sulphate, or sodium dodecyltriethoxy sulphate. Cell extracts from aerobic or anaerobic cultures of the most prolific isolate contained a single major inducible alkylsulphatase active towards octyl sulphate but inactive towards propyl, butyl, and pentyl sulphates, and secondary alkyl sulphates.