Aerobic degradation of adamantanes at highly acidic conditions

Abstract

Biodegradation of alkyl-substituted adamantane derivatives (1-methyl, 1,3-dimethyl-, and 1,3,5-trimethyladamantane) by slow-growing bacteria Mycobacterium AG_S10 was studied. The process was carried out under extremely acidic conditions (pH 2.5). Bacterial strain AG_S10 was able to utilize these alicyclic hydrocarbons with a high degree of condensation and diamond-like structure, which are usually resistant to microbial transformation. Efficiency of alkyaldamantane biodegradation by the cells growing with these substrates as the sole carbon and energy sources was affected significantly by their aggregate state, which depended on molecular structure. Compared to the solid 1-methyladamantane, 1,3-dimethyladamantane, which is liquid under normal conditions, was a preferable substrate. Adamantanes in the gas condensate were generally more resistant to bacterial degradation than such markers as normal and isoprenoid alkanes. Moreover, biodegradation had no significant effect on relative distribution of the tested С₁₁–С₁₃ alkyladamantanes.