Biodegradation Kinetics of Acenaphthene by Sphingobacterium Sp. Strain RTSB Isolated from a Petroleum-contaminated Soil

Acenaphthene metabolism was previously reported by a Gram-negative Sphingobacterium sp. strain RTSB. The degradation pathway was found to proceed involving the key intermediate 1-naphthoic acid and processed via trans-3-carboxy-2-hydroxybenzylidenepyruvic acid to salicylic acid and catechol. The present article demonstrates the biodegradation kinetics of acenaphthene along with the fate of some of the major metabolites, 1-naphthoic acid, 1-acenaphthenol, 1-acenaphthenone, acenaphthenequinone, salicylic acid, and catechol; where, the maximum accumulated amount of 1-naphthoic acid measured was 302.1 mg l^–1 during the mid-log stage of growth. The degradation of acenaphthene was observed to follow a first order kinetic model with a rate constant 0.528 d^–1 and halflife of 1.31 days.