ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Biodegradation of Fluorene at Low Temperature by a Psychrotrophic Sphingomonas sp. L-138

I. Sokolovská, P. Wattiau, P. Gerin, and S. N. Agathos

Catholic University of Louvain, Faculty of Biological, Agronomic, and Environmental Engineering, Unit of Bioengineering, BE-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

E-mail: sokolovska@gebi.ucl.ac.be

Received: 23 April 2001

Abstract: The ability of a psychrotrophic Sphingomonas sp. L-138 toassimilate fluorene was assessed and characterized in a liquid minimal mediumat low temperature (12 and 20ºC). Total fluorene mineralization wasaccomplished at both temperatures and the maximal rate of fluorene degradationwas determined to be 4.8 mg dm⁻³d⁻¹ at 20ºC and 3.2 mg dm⁻³d⁻¹ at 12ºC. It wascon_rmed that this strain transforms the fluorene through the so-called "five-memberedattack" and the expected metabolites of this pathway, 9-fluorenol,9-fluorenone, phthalic acid, and protocatechuic acid, were detected in extractsof the culture broth. The specific growth rate of Sphingomonas sp.L-138 depends upon the initial fluorene concentration and it seems to belimited by the specific surface area of fluorene crystals. It was shown thatthe expression of the fluorene degradation pathway was found constitutive forthis strain and did not depend on the substrate (glucose or fluorene) used in apre-culture stage.

Full paper in Portable Document Format: 561a36.pdf

Chemical Papers 56 (1) 36–40 (2002)