Ecotoxicity by the biodegradation of alkylphenol polyethoxylates depends on the effect of trace elements.

The bacteria Sphingomonas sp. strain BSN22, isolated from bean fields, degraded octylphenol polyethoxylates (OPEO(n)) to octylphenol (OP) under aerobic conditions. This biodegradation mechanism proceeded by the following two-step degradation process: (1) degradation of OPEO(n) to octylphenol triethoxylate (OPEO(3)), (2) degradation from OPEO(3) to OP via octylphenoxy acetic acid (OPEC(1)). The chemical structure of OPEC(1) was confirmed by analysis using (18)O-labeled water. Quantitative studies revealed that magnesium (Mg(2+)) and calcium (Ca(2+)) ions were essential for the biodegradation of OPEO(n). Furthermore, the rate of biodegradation was especially accelerated by ferric ions (Fe(3+)), and the accumulated amounts of endocrine active chemicals, such as OP, OPEO(1), and OPEC(1), significantly increased to the concentration of 22.8, 221.7, and 961.1 microM in the presence of 37.0 microM Fe(3+), respectively. This suggests that environmental elements significantly influence the resultant ecotoxicity as well as the rate of their biodegradation in the environment. This study on the mechanism of OPEO(n) biodegradation may play an important role in understanding and managing environmental safety, including drinking water safety.

Isolation and identification of Sphingomonas sp. that yields tert-octylphenol monoethoxylate under aerobic conditions.

Topsoil samples were collected from eight golf courses in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, and enrichment cultures were carried out with a basal-salt medium containing 0.2% 4-tert-octylphenol polyethoxylate (OPPEO) as sole carbon source. OPPEO-degrading activity was detected in one of the samples, from which a strain of OPPEO-degrading bacterium was isolated. The isolated bacterium grew on a nutritionally enriched medium (NE medium) containing 0.2% OPPEO as sole carbon source, and accumulated 4-tert-octylphenol diethoxylate (OP2EO) (63%), 4-tert-octylphenol triethoxylate (OP3EO) (14%), and 4-tert-octylphenol monoethoxylate (OP1EO) (2%) after 7 d cultivation under aerobic conditions. The addition of clay mineral (vermiculite) to the medium accelerated the degradation of OP2EO (40%) and OP3EO (4%) to OP1EO (23%). This is the first report about bacteria that can degrade OPPEO to OP1EO under aerobic conditions. The strain was identified as Sphingomonas macrogoltabidus, based on the homology of a 16S rDNA sequence.