Abstract
An unresolved complex mixture (UCM) of hydrocarbons isolated from a commercially available lubricating oil, and a synthetic mixture of C 25 hydrocarbons were subjected to biodegration by an aerobic bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens, for 0–25 days. The rate and extent of biodegration was influenced by molecular structure. Straight chain and monomethyl-alkanes were rapidly degraded in the first 10 days in the approximate order n-C 25>2-methyl->9-methyl-tetracosane. The remaining alkanes were degraded more slowly, initially at a rate comparable to the UCM ( ca 1% day − up to day 14) but thereafter more quickly ( ca 3% day −). The UCM was degraded as a whole, i.e. no reduction in the proportion of resolved vs unresolved alkanes was observed.
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