Bacteria hydrocarbons

Natural organic matter from biosynthesis and biodegradation is ubiquitous in natural aqueous environments. Common examples of natural organic materials are extracellular polymeric matrices (biofilms) generated by bacteria, hydrocarbons from industrial effluents and fossil fuel products, and numerous humic substances. Because of their hydrophobicity, natural organic materials have low solubility in water and tend to accumulate at solid surfaces. As a result, in groundwater and soils, mineral surfaces are commonly coated with organic films. 

Evaporite Basin Sulfur Deposits. Elemental sulfur occurs in another type of subsurface deposit similar to the salt-dome stmctures in that the sulfur is associated with anhydrite or gypsum. The deposits are sedimentary, however, and occur in huge evaporite basins. It is befleved that the sulfur in these deposits, like that in the Gulf Coast salt domes, was derived by hydrocarbon reduction of the sulfate material and assisted by anaerobic bacteria. The sulfur deposits in Italy (Sicily), Poland, Iraq, the CIS, and the United States (western Texas) are included in this category. 

Figure 12.13 Photosynthetic pigments are used hy plants and photosynthetic bacteria to capture photons of light and for electron flow from one side of a membrane to the other side. The diagram shows two such pigments that are present in bacterial reaction centers, bacteriochlorophyll (a) and ubiquinone (b). The light-absorbing parts of the molecules are shown in yellow, attached to hydrocarbon "tails" shown in green.

The great evaporite basin deposits of elemental sulfur in Poland were discovered only in 1953 but have since had a dramatic impact on the economy of that country which, by 1985, was one of the world s leading producers (p. 649). The sulfur occurs in association with secondary limestone, gypsum and anhydrite, and is believed Ui be derived from hydrocarbon reduction of sulfates assisted 1 bacterial action. The H2S so formed is consumed by other bacteria to produce sulfur as waste — this accumulates in the bodies of the bacteria until death, when the sulfur remains. 

Bacteria Heterotroph (methylotroph) Hydrocarbon derivatives (methanol) As carbon source NHs, NH4+... 

Considerable interest arose during the 1970 s and 1980 s in the use of micro-organisms to produce useful fatty adds and related compounds from hydrocarbons derived from the petroleum industry. During this period, a large number of patents were granted in Europe, USA and Japan protecting processes leading to the production of alkanols, alkyl oxides, ketones, alkanoic adds, alkane dioic acids and surfactants from hydrocarbons. Many of these processes involved the use of bacteria and yeasts associated with hydrocarbon catabolism. 

Krone UE, K Laufer, RH Thauer, HPC Hogenkamp (1989) Coenzyme F43Q as a possible catalyst for the reductive dehalogenation of chlorinated C-1 hydrocarbons in methanogenic bacteria. Biochemistry 28 10061-10065. 

Aerobic bacteria that degrade propane (MacMichael and Brown 1987), the branched hydrocarbon 2,6-dimethyIoct-2-ene (Fall et al. 1979), or oxidize carbon monoxide (Meyer and Schlegel 1983). 

Chnng WK, GM King (2001) Isolation, characterization, and polyaromatic hydrocarbon potential of aerobic bacteria from marine macrofainal burrow sediments and description of Lutibacterium anuloederans gen. nov., sp. nov., and Cycloclasticus spirillensis sp. nov. Appl Environ Microbiol 67 5585-5592. 

DeBont JAM, SB Primrose, MD Collins, D Jones (1980) Chemical studies on some bacteria which utilize gaseous unsaturated hydrocarbons. J Gen Microbiol 117 97-102. 

Van Ginkel CG, HG J Welten, JAM de Bont (1987) Oxidation of gaseous and volatile hydrocarbons by selected alkene-utilizing bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 53 2903-2907. 

Yu Z, GR Stewart, W Mohn (2000) Apparent contradiction psychrotolerant bacteria from hydrocarbon-contaminated arctic tundra soils that degrade diterpenoids synthesized by trees. Appl Environ Microbiol 66 5148-5154. 

Belay N, L Daniels (1987) Production of ethane, ethylene and acetylene from halogenated hydrocarbons by methanogenic bacteria. Appl Environ Microbiol 53 1604-1610. 

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