Article Abstract:
A mass-transfer-based biodegradation model is used to describe the bioavailability of a hydrophobic substrate in a micellar phase. The model is based on a hypothesis which considers that the contaminant is transported by filled micelles from the bulk solution to the proximity of the cells, that the exchange of the filled micelle with the hemimicellar layer around the cell delivers the contaminant to the cell, and that the contaminant diffuses into the cell and is biodegraded.
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Article Abstract:
Biodegradation experiments have revealed that mixtures of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the micelle are directly bioavailable in the multicomponent systems. In addition, the bioavailability of naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene in the micellar phase decreased with increasing surfactant concentration. Results also reveal that a compound demonstrate similar bioavailability either as a single solute or in different binary or ternary mixtures.
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Article Abstract:
The kinetics behind the biodegradation of phenanthrene separated into the micellar phase of nonionic surfactants was investigated. The results showed that there was a series of nonionic surfactants which had no effect on phenanthrene degradation. It was shown that part of the micellar-phase phenanthrene was directly bioavailable and that this decreased as the surfactant concentration increased.
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