Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Degradation Research Articles

Degradation of SDS by psychrotolerant Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Bacillus pumilus isolated from Southern Ocean water samples.

Bioremediation of surfactants in water bodies holds significant ecological importance as they are contaminants of emerging concern posing substantial threats to the aquatic environment. Microbes exhibiting special ability in terms of bioremediation of contaminants have always been reported to thrive in extraordinary environmental conditions that can be extreme in terms of temperature, lack of nutrients, and salinity. Therefore, in the present investigation, a total of 46 bacterial isolates were isolated from the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean and screened for degradation of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS). Further, two Gram-positive psychrotolerant bacterial strains, ASOI-01 and ASOI-02 were identified with significant SDS degradation potential. These isolates were further studied for growth optimization under different environmental conditions. The strains were characterized as Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Bacillus pumilus based on morphological, biochemical, and molecular (16S RNA gene) characteristics. The study reports 88.9% and 93.4% degradation of SDS at a concentration of 100 mgL-1, at 20°C, and pH 7 by S. saprophyticus ASOI-01 and B. pumilus ASOI-02, respectively. The experiments were also conducted in wastewater samples where a slight reduction in degradation efficiency was observed with strains ASOI-01 and ASOI-02 exhibiting 76.83 and 64.93% degradation of SDS respectively. This study infers that these bacteria can be used for the bioremediation of anionic surfactants from water bodies and establishes the potential of extremophilic microbes for the utilization of sustainable wastewater management.

Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) Degradation by Pseudomonas Species

Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), an anionic surfactant widely used in cleaning and cosmetic products, poses significant environmental risks when untreated effluents are discharged into terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. In this study, a potential bacterial isolate identified as Pseudomonas sp. FD-2aii, which could grow in the presence of SDS, was successfully isolated from industrial wastewater. Bacteria were used in the SDS degradation study based on their ability to utilise SDS as the sole carbon source. Isolate FD-2aii showed growth after incubating at 30 °C with shaking at 150 rpm for 24 h. The residual SDS concentration and percentage of SDS degradation in the bacterial cultures were quantified using a methylene blue active substances (MBAS) assay. This study focused on the reduction in SDS concentration over a ten-day period and provided a clear indicator of the degradation efficacy of isolate FD-2aii.

Growth on Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate (SDS) by a Bacterium Isolated from Langkawi UNESCO Kilim Karst Geoforest Park

The breakdown of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) in contaminated environments is crucial for reducing its ecological impact. We examined the influence of various environmental parameters on the growth and SDS degradation efficiency of Pseudomonas sp. strain UPM-Langkawi 2. The study explored the effects of temperature, pH, nitrogen sources, SDS concentration, and heavy metal presence on Pseudomonas sp. growth and activity. Growth rates were analyzed across temperatures from 20 to 50°C, pH values from 6.5 to 7.5, and various nitrogen sources (ammonium sulphate, ammonium chloride, potassium nitrite, and potassium nitrate) in BS media supplemented with SDS. SDS concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 2.5 g/L and heavy metals at 1 mg/L were also tested. Optimal growth and SDS degradation occurred at temperatures between 25 and 35°C and a pH range of 6.5 to 7.5. Ammonium sulphate at 5 g/L was identified as the most effective nitrogen source for supporting bacterial growth. Pseudomonas sp. achieved the highest growth at SDS concentrations between 0.75 and 1.5 g/L. Heavy metals significantly influenced bacterial growth, with mercury showing the most substantial inhibitory effect, followed by silver, copper, and chromium. Environmental parameters critically influence the biodegradation potential of Pseudomonas sp. Optimizing these conditions can enhance SDS degradation, offering a viable solution for bioremediation in SDS-polluted sites. Future research should focus on detailed kinetic modeling and field applications to validate these findings under natural conditions.

A Plasmid-Borne Gene Cluster Flanked by Two Restriction-Modification Systems Enables an Arctic Strain of Psychrobacter sp. to Decompose SDS.

The cold-adapted Psychrobacter sp. strain DAB_AL62B, isolated from ornithogenic deposits on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, harbors a 34.5 kb plasmid, pP62BP1, which carries a genetic SLF module predicted to enable the host bacterium to metabolize alkyl sulfates including sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), a common anionic surfactant. In this work, we experimentally confirmed that the pP62BP1-harboring strain is capable of SDS degradation. The slfCHSL genes were shown to form an operon whose main promoter, PslfC, is negatively regulated by the product of the slfR gene in the absence of potential substrates. We showed that lauryl aldehyde acts as an inducer of the operon. The analysis of the draft genome sequence of the DAB_AL62B strain revealed that the crucial enzyme of the SDS degradation pathway-an alkyl sulfatase-is encoded only within the plasmid. The SLF module is flanked by two restriction-modification systems, which were shown to exhibit the same sequence specificity. We hypothesize that the maintenance of pP62BP1 may be dependent on this unique genetic organization.

Photodegradation of sodium dodecyl sulfate and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate with hydrothermally synthesized PbTiO3 catalyst

Synthesis of PbTiO3 as a photocatalyst for degradation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) has been carried out. Catalyst PbTiO3 has been synthesized by hydrothermal method at temperature 220 °C for 30 min. Synthesis of PbTiO3 was prepared with composition variation of TiO2:PbO (w/w) at (1:3), (1:2), (1:1), (2:1), (3:1), and pH at 3, 5, 7, 9, 11. The PbTiO3 was characterized by XRD, FTIR, DR-UV, and SEM-EDX. Photodegradation performance was analyzed with visible light sources for 30 min and calculated using Spectrophotometer Uv–Vis. PbTiO3 at ratio TiO2:PbO 1:2 (w/w) has the maximum degradation percentage of SDS (70.42%) and SDBS (84.84%). The optimum pH to perform photodegradation was pH = 5 with degradation efficiency of SDS and SDBS were 85.69% and 85.56%.

Mathematical Modelling on the effect of Mercury on the Growth Rate of Serratia marcescens strain DRY6 on Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate

Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is a common anionic surfactant found in various cleaning and personal hygiene products. It has both a polar "headgroup" and a hydrocarbon tail, giving it amphiphilic properties that make it effective as a detergent. However, this also makes it a major pollutant in aquatic environments. Researchers have studied the biodegradation of SDS by microorganisms, particularly bacteria, as a potential cleanup method. It has been found that mercury can significantly inhibit the degradation of SDS by the Serratia marcescens strain DRY6 bacteria. At different mercury concentrations, the bacteria exhibited sigmoidal growth with lag times of 7 to 10 hours, but overall growth was decreased with higher mercury concentrations, with a concentration of 1.0 g/L virtually stopping all growth. A modified Gompertz model was used to calculate growth rates at various mercury concentrations, and these rates were then modeled using five different models: modified Han-Levenspiel, Wang, Liu, modified Andrews, and Amor. Only three of the models (Wang, modified Han-Levenspiel, and Liu) were able to accurately fit the curve, with the Wang model performing the best statistically. The Wang model yielded estimates of 0.216 (95% confidence interval: 0.193 to 0.239) for the critical heavy metal ion concentration, 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 0.938 to 1.167) for the maximum growth rate, and 0.389 (95% confidence interval: 0.148 to 0.636) for the empirical constant , represented by Ccrit, max and m, respectively.

Inhibitory Effect of Copper on the Growth Rate of Serratia marcescens strain DRY6 on SDS

The anionic surfactant known as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) is found in a wide variety of products designed for cleaning and personal hygiene. Because of the combination of its hydrocarbon tail and its polar "headgroup," the molecule possesses the amphiphilic qualities that make it suitable for use as a detergent. Due to this it is a major pollutant in aquatic bodies. One of the most researched types of cleanup is biodegradation by microorganisms, particularly bacteria. Copper has a profound effect in inhibiting the degradation of SDS by the bacteria Serratia marcescens strain DRY6. Under different copper concentrations, the SDS-degrading bacteria grew in a sigmoidal manner with lag times of 7 to 10 hours. Overall growth was decreased when the concentration of copper was raised, with 1.0 g/L virtually completely stopping bacterial growth. Rates of expansion at various copper concentrations were calculated using a modified Gompertz model. Following the modification of the Gompertz model, the growth rates were modeled using the modified Han-Levenspiel, Wang, Liu, modified Andrews, and the Amor models. Only three of the five models (Wang, modified Han-Levenspiel, and the Liu models) were able to match the curve; the modified Andrews and Amor models did not. As for model fit, the Wang and modified Han-Levenspiel models perform admirably, but the Liu model performs poorly. The Wang model performed best statistically, with the lowest RMSE and AICc values, the greatest adjusted correlation coefficient (adR2), and AF and BF values closest to unity. The Wang model yielded estimates of 0.216 (95% confidence interval: 0.193 to 0.239), 1.05 (95% confidence interval: 0.938 to 1.167), and 0.389 (95% confidence interval: 0.148 to 0.636) for the critical heavy metal ion concentration (g/l), maximum growth rate (g/l h), and empirical constant.

Waste-derived iron catalyzed bio-electro-Fenton process for the cathodic degradation of surfactants

The application of waste-derived iron for reuse in wastewater treatment is an effective way of utilizing waste and attaining sustainability in the overall process. In the present investigation, bio-electro-Fenton process was initiated for the cathodic degradation of surfactants using waste-iron catalyzed MFC (WFe-MFC). The waste-iron was derived from spent tonner ink using calcination at 600 °C. Three surfactants namely, sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, and Triton x-100 were selected as target pollutants. The effect of experimental factors like application of catalyst, contact time, external resistance, and anodic substrate concentration on the SDS degradation was investigated. At a neutral pH, the cathodic surfactants removal efficiency in WFe-MFC was above 85% in a contact time of 180 min with the initial surfactant concentration of ∼20 mg L−1 and external resistance of 100 Ω. The long-term operation using secondary treated real wastewater with unchanged cathode proved that the catalyst was still active to produce effluent SDS concentration of less than 1 mg L−1 in 4 h of contact time after 16 cycles. In a way, the present investigation suggests a potential application for spent tonner ink in the form of Fenton catalyst for wastewater treatment via bio-electro-Fenton MFC.

Activation of persulfate for degradation of sodium dodecyl sulfate by a hybrid catalyst hematite/cuprous sulfide with enhanced FeIII/FeII redox cycling

Surfactants are recalcitrant compounds that require advanced treatment for their degradation. Heterogeneous advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) using iron-based catalysts can be a promising method for surfactant degradation. The acceleration of the FeIII/FeII redox cycling is the key to enhance the catalytic degradation. Herein, a hybrid catalyst composed of α-Fe2O3 and Cu2S was synthesized to improve the reduction of FeIII in a heterogeneous persulfate-AOP system. The results of XRD, Raman and TEM demonstrated the successful preparation of the hybrid catalyst. Because of the optimized FeII regeneration, the AOP containing the catalyst FC75 achieved 100.0% removal of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in a neutral aquatic environment, significantly higher than 22.9 ± 2.4% with pure α-Fe2O3 or 39.6 ± 2.5% with pure Cu2S. The catalyst FC75 demonstrated effective SDS removal in the recycling test (82.7 ± 7.0% after six recycling test) and in actual wastewater (84.4 ± 4.5%). The regeneration of FeII was confirmed by the increased proportion of FeII from 39.5% in the fresh catalyst to 42.6% in the used catalyst. The main active species was revealed to be sulfate radicals under an acidic condition and shifted to hydroxyl radicals under a basic condition. In the hybrid catalyst, α-Fe2O3 provided FeII to activate persulfate to radicals, with an oxidation product of FeIII, which was then reduced to FeII by CuI provided by Cu2S, coupling with the oxidation of CuI to CuII. The S element in Cu2S could directly or indirectly facilitate the FeIII/FeII redox cycling as an electron donor. Those results have demonstrated that the developed hybrid catalyst is able to promote FeII regeneration for effective SDS removal.

Nanobioremediation: A sustainable approach towards the degradation of sodium dodecyl sulfate in the environment and simulated conditions.

Nanotechnology has gained huge importance in the field of environmental clean-up today. Due to their remarkable and unique properties, it has shown potential application for the remediation of several pesticides and textile dyes. Recently it has shown positive results for the remediation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). One of the highly exploited surfactants in detergent preparation is anionic surfactants. The SDS selected for the present study is an example of anionic linear alkyl sulfate. It is utilized extensively in industrial washing, which results in the high effluent level of this contaminant and ubiquitously toxic to the environment. The present review is based on the research depicting the adverse effects of SDS in general and possible strategies to minimizing its effects by bacterial degradation which are capable of exploiting the SDS as an only source of carbon. Moreover, it has also highlighted that how nanotechnology can play a role in the remediation of such recalcitrant pesticides.

A novel bio-electro-Fenton process for eliminating sodium dodecyl sulphate from wastewater using dual chamber microbial fuel cell

The frequent occurrence of surfactants in urban wastewaters represents a multifaceted environmental concern. In this investigation, bio-electro-Fenton-microbial fuel cell (BEF-MFC) was developed for the degradation of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) from wastewater. The synthesised cathode catalyst (powdered activated carbon and iron oxide) facilitated the Fenton reaction in the cathodic chamber of the MFC, concurrently generating a maximum power density of 105.67 mW m−2. The overall performance of the BEF-MFC for SDS removal and power generation excelled the control MFC (C-MFC) having carbon black coated cathode under similar operating conditions. Although, the rate of SDS degradation was favourable in acidic pH, under neutral pH, 70.8 ± 6.4% of SDS degradation was achieved in 120 min in BEF-MFC. A comparison of environmental impacts of BEF-MFC with up-flow MFC and electrochemical oxidation using life cycle assessment tool suggests that BEF-MFC can be one of the promising technologies for the tertiary treatment of wastewater.

Removal of sodium dodecyl sulphate from wastewater and its effect on anodic biofilm and performance of microbial fuel cell

This investigation demonstrates that sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) can be biodegraded efficaciously in MFC within a retention time of 12 h. The application of MFC for degradation of SDS and its corresponding effect on the power generation and organic matter removal capacity of MFC was first time quantified in this investigation. This investigation also illustrated the SDS induced microbial diversification of the anodic biofilm and correlates the same with the established SDS degradation pathway. Presence of microbial strains, such as Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Citrobacter, Treponema etc., capable of degrading complex and refractory organics was identified using the next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of the anodic biofilm. Compared to the identical control MFC, the power performance of MFC-SDS reduced by 66%. This was attributed to the inhibitory effect of SDS on the cell membrane as well as the biofilm growth. Furthermore, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) and SDS removal efficiencies exhibited that the microbes preferred L-cysteine over SDS as a substrate due to higher bioavailability of the former. In spite of the preferential choice of L-cysteine over SDS and the inhibitory effect of SDS over the formation of anodic biofilm, a constant SDS removal efficiency of 70% and above was achieved.

Microwave and ultrasound assisted dual oxidant based degradation of sodium dodecyl sulfate: Efficacy of irradiation approaches and oxidants

The present investigation explores application of microwave and ultrasound for degradation of important surfactant as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Understanding into the effects of power dissipation, potassium persulfate (KPS) and/or hydrogen peroxide (HP) loadings on the extent of degradation has been presented along with comparison of efficacy of microwave/ultrasound for activation. Under best treatment conditions of power and KPS loading, 99.7 % degradation of SDS at 80 mg/L as initial loading was obtained in only 18 min using the microwave combined with KPS approach. Keeping all operating parameters at the established best, use of KPS and addition of second oxidant as hydrogen peroxide was investigated and observed to enhance the extent and rate of degradation for the microwave with complete degradation of SDS obtained in 12 min. Ultrasound activation of KPS yielded lower efficacy compared to microwave with 95.4 % degradation of SDS obtained in 120 min under the optimized KPS loading as 2 g/L (molar ratio of KPS to SDS, rox, as 26.6), 150 W as power and 323 K as the temperature. The trials with dual oxidant in the presence of ultrasound showed reduced degradation of SDS compared to KPS alone as an oxidant. The analysis of both approaches clearly revealed that microwave assisted degradation of SDS was effective than ultrasound. The observed enhancement in rate and extent of SDS degradation using two oxidants in the case of microwave assisted approach compared to ultrasound, and demonstrated effectiveness of sulfate radical in deciding degradation are the key outcomes of the study.

Ag3PO4-Red Banyan Fruit Extract (Ficus benjamina. L) Nanocomposite for Degradation of Detergent Waste

Detergents waste containing SDS (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate) still becomes a major environmental problem that must be overcomed. The degradation of SDS by silver phosphate (Ag3PO4)-Red Banyan extract nanocomposite was performed under visible light. This research aimed to determine the percentage decrease in SDS concentration under visible light by using Ag3PO4 facilitated extract of red banyan fruit. The Ag3PO4-Red Banyan extract nanocomposite was prepared by coprecipitation method and facilitated by a red banyan extract solvent. The result showed that the silver composite phosphate (Ag3PO4) facilitated red banyan extract had a percentage of SDS degradation i.e. 85.9% for 2 hours. This result showed that the silver composite phosphate (Ag3PO4)-a red fruit extract becomes a promising ingredient for degrading SDS in aquatic environment environments.

Fabrication of ZnO/FeVO4 heterojunction nanocomposite with high catalytic activity in photo-Fenton-like process

In this study, a novel heterojunction ZnO/FeVO4 nanocatalyst was synthesized through a simple method and used in a photo-Fenton-like oxidation reaction for the removal of an anionic surfactant. The synergistic effect of UV-light induced photocatalysis and Fenton-like process on the removal of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM). Maximum SDS removal efficiency (99.0%) was achieved using 40 mg of the nanocomposite, 1.57 mL of H2O2 at pH 5.5 and 45 min. Compared to the pure FeVO4 and ZnO nanocatalysts, the synthesized nanocomposite exhibited higher catalytic activity in the degradation of SDS. Kinetic studies showed that the process could be described with pseudo-first-order, modified Freundlich and parabolic-diffusion models. The catalyst was also successfully applied for the treatment of real wastewaters containing surfactants. The facile synthesis, high catalytic activity and excellent reusability makes the ZnO/FeVO4 nanocatalyst promising for future applications in environmental remediation.

The enhanced removal and phytodegradation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in wastewater using controllable water hyacinth

Surfactant is an emerging and popular pollutant in both rural and urban areas and its treatment efficacy by phytoremediation is rarely reported. Water hyacinth was utilized to clean anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in water and its growth and physiological activities were regulated with Chromolaena odorata L. extract. SDS was effectively removed from the water and then transferred to both root and aerial part of water hyacinth. Part of SDS was converted into low-molecular weight degradation intermediates by the hydrogen abstraction reactions in water hyacinth. The removal efficiency and the degradation of SDS were evidently strengthened accompanying with enhanced root activity and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity in the presence of Chromolaena odorata L. extract. Meanwhile, the growth of water hyacinth was effectively controlled, exhibiting low-growth rate (≤0.036 g.day−1). Furthermore, the root was considered as the major organ to degrade SDS, which was correlated to the remarkable increase in APX activity and a slight increase in root activity under both SDS and extract stress. In conclusion, water hyacinth managed with Chromolaena odorata L. extract should be proposed as an eco-friendly biotechnical treatment for the surfactant.

Biostimulants application for bacterial metabolic activity promotion and sodium dodecyl sulfate degradation under copper stress

In this study, the metabolic activity (adenosine triphosphate, ATP; electron transfer system, ETS; and dehydrogenase activity, DHA) response of a sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) degrading bacterium Pseudomonas sp. SDS-N2 to copper stress conditions were investigated. Results showed that the ATP content, ETS activity, and DHA activity of strain SDS-N2 were significantly correlated with substrate removal efficiency and bacterial growth under copper stress conditions. Based on the metabolic response patterns of strain SDS-N2, biostimulants citric acid, proline as well as FeSO4 were used to promote the metabolic activity of strain SDS-N2 at 0.8 mg L−1 copper stress condition. Plackett–Burman design and analysis proved that citric acid and FeSO4 were significant factors for enhanced SDS removal; and the optimum biostimulation conditions (FeSO4 72 mg L−1 and citric acid 100 mg L−1) for SDS removal were obtained by using steepest ascent experiment and central composite design. Under the optimum biostimulation conditions, ATP, ETS, DHA activity as well as bacterial growth were 14.1, 45.5, 0.5 and 2.3-fold higher than that of the control (without FeSO4 and citric acid addition) after 12.5 h biodegradation, and the substrate removal efficiency was increase by 37.6%.

Degradation of anionic surfactant in municipal wastewater by UV-H2O2: Process optimization using response surface methodology

This study reports the degradation of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) – an anionic surfactant in wastewater, using a UV based advanced oxidation process. Kinetic experiments were conducted for both municipal wastewater and distilled water-spiked samples containing 100 mg L−1 of SDS. The fluence based, pseudo-first-order reaction rate constant for wastewater sample was found to be 1.5 times lesser than distilled water-spiked sample. The treatment process was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) using central composite designs (CCD) approach. Effects of process parameters like reaction time, hydrogen peroxide dose, initial SDS concentration and UV absorbance of wastewater at 254 nm (UVA254) were studied on degradation of SDS. Results indicate that an increase in reaction time shows an increase in the rate of degradation of SDS; whereas, initial SDS concentration and UVA254 showed a significant decrease. On the other hand, degradation of SDS increased with increase in H2O2 dose and then decreased with further increase in peroxide dose depending upon initial SDS concentration. The maximum SDS degradation was determined by the quadratic model and the predicted degradation percentage of SDS was about 81% for a reaction time of 7 min with initial SDS concentration of 200 mg L-1, H2O2 dose of 2.0 mol of H2O2/mol of SDS and UVA254nm of 0.19. Further, the biodegradability of the SDS-spiked wastewater was evaluated for the UV-H2O2 treated samples.

Remediation of PAH-Contaminated Soil by Combining Surfactant Enhanced Soil Washing and Iron-Activated Persulfate Oxidation Process.

There is increasing concern regarding soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In the present study, the remediation of soil spiked with PAHs was explored by the combination of soil washing with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and subsequent oxidation through persulfate (PS) activated by Fe2+, nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI), and SiO2-coated nZVI (SiO2/nZVI). Results demonstrated that the removal of phenanthrene (PHE), fluoranthene (FLU), and pyrene (PYR) by SDS is an efficient means for soil decontamination. At SDS concentration of 20 g/L, the removal efficiencies of PHE, PYR, and FLU were 37%, 40%, and 44%, respectively. For the degradation of PAHs and SDS in the soil washing effluents, the efficiencies of PS activated with SiO2/nZVI were not significantly different from those of PS activated with nZVI and Fe2+ (p > 0.05). In practice, SiO2/nZVI is more preferable due to the improved antioxidation and dispersibility. At the dosage of 2 g/L (in the amount of iron) of SiO2/nZVI, the removal efficiencies of PHE, FLU, PYR, and SDS within 30 min of treatment were 75%, 85%, 87%, and 34%, respectively. The degradation of SDS was much lower than those of PAHs, which facilitated the recycle of SDS. Our findings suggest that PS activated with SiO2/nZVI is a promising method for the treatment of soil washing effluents containing SDS and PAHs.

LaoABCR, a Novel System for Oxidation of Long-Chain Alcohols Derived from SDS and Alkane Degradation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain PAO1 is able to use a variety of organic pollutants as growth substrates, including the anionic detergent sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and long-chain alkanes. While the enzymes initiating SDS and alkane degradation are well known, the subsequent enzymatic steps for degradation of the derived primary long-chain alcohols have not yet been identified. By evaluating genes specifically induced during growth with SDS, a gene cluster encoding a putative alcohol dehydrogenase (PA0364/LaoA), a probable inner membrane protein (PA0365/LaoB), and a presumable aldehyde dehydrogenase (PA0366/LaoC) was identified and designated the Lao (long-chain-alcohol/aldehyde-oxidation) system. Growth experiments with deletion mutants with SDS, 1-dodecanol, and alkanes revealed that LaoA and LaoB are involved in the degradation of primary long-chain alcohols. Moreover, detection of 1-dodecanol oxidation in cell extracts by activity staining revealed an interdependency of LaoA and LaoB for efficient 1-dodecanol oxidation. An in silico analysis yielded no well-characterized homologue proteins for LaoA and LaoB. Furthermore, a gene adjacent to the lao gene cluster encodes a putative transcriptional regulator (PA0367/LaoR). A laoR deletion mutant exhibited constitutive expression of LaoA and LaoB, indicating that LaoR is a repressor for the expression of laoABC Taken together, these results showed that the proteins LaoA and LaoB constitute a novel oxidation system for long-chain alcohols derived from pollutants.IMPORTANCE The versatile and highly adaptive bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa is able to colonize a variety of habitats, including anthropogenic environments, where it is often challenged with toxic compounds. Its ability to degrade such compounds and to use them as growth substrates can significantly enhance spreading of this opportunistic pathogen in hygienic settings, such as clinics or water distribution systems. Thus, knowledge about the metabolism of P. aeruginosa can contribute to novel approaches for preventing its growth and reducing nosocomial infections. As the Lao system is important for the degradation of two different classes of pollutants, the identification of these novel enzymes can be a useful contribution for developing effective antibacterial strategies.