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Environmental fate & pathways

Biodegradation in water and sediment: simulation tests

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Description of key information

Adapted bacteria are able to biodegrade carbazole to some degree.
In a primary biodegradation test using adapted microorganism prepared from creosote contaminated soil by extraction in phosphate buffer, 58.6 and 65.5 % degradation were observed after 3 and 14 days respectively (Mueller 1991).
23.6% of the applied radioactivity (14C labeled carbazole) was determined as radiolabeled CO2 in a biodegradation test using a bacterial population as inoculums which was grown on crude oil as sole carbon source for some years and crude oil as sole substrate amended with a minimal amount of 14C labeled carbazole (Foght 1989).

Key value for chemical safety assessment

Additional information

The biodegradation capability of different bacterial populations adapted to creosote and crude oil, each of them containing carbazole, are investigated in two studies.

 

Mueller 1991

 

In creosote contaminated groundwater containing carbazole as minor constituent, primary biodegradation of carbazole was demonstrated using adapted microorganisms prepared from creosote contaminated surface soil as inoculum. For carbazole, 58.6 and 65.5% primary biodegradation was determined by test substance analysis (extraction from test medium and GC analysis) after 3 and 14 days, respectively.

 

Foght 1989

 

Biodegradation tests were conducted with 6 pure bacterial cultures capable of degrading saturated alkanes, with 3 pure bacterial cultures capable of degrading aromatic compounds and with a mixed bacterial population grown on crude oil. Bacteria of pure cultures were isolated from marine sediment or water (1 each), from fresh water (5), from waste water (1) and from soil (1).

 

Each bacterial culture was tested with crude oil as substrate. Crude oil was amended in individual tests by 14C labeled constituents representing straight chain alkanes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and nitrogen heterocyclic compounds. Biodegradation was determined counting the radioactivity of CO2 transferred from the incubation medium into scintillation vials.

 

In the biodegradation test with the oil adapted mixed bacterial culture as inoculum and 14C labeled carbazole amended to crude oil, 23.6% biodegradation was determined by the formation of radioactive CO2 after 14 days.