Microbial degradation of quinoline by immobilized cells of Burkholderia pickettii

A quinoline-biodegrading microorganism was isolated from activated sludge of coke-oven wastewater treatment plant using quinoline as sole carbon and nitrogen source. It is a gram negative, rod-shaped and aerobic strain, which was identified as Burkholderia pickettii. The biodegradation of quinoline was carried out with this isolated strain. Analysis by high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrum (GC/MS) revealed that 2-hydroxyquinoline (2-OH-Q) was the first intermediate in the course of quinoline biodegradation. A novel immobilization carrier, that is, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-gauze hybrid carrier, was developed, The isolated strain was immobilized by two different immobilizing techniques and used for the quinoline degradation. It was found that biodegradation rate of quinoline by the microorganisms immobilized on PVA-gauze hybrid carrier was faster than that by the microorganisms immobilized in PVA gel beads. Kinetics of quinoline biodegradation by cells of Burkholderia pickettii immobilized on PVA-gauze hybrid carrier was investigated. The results demonstrate that quinoline degradation could be described by zero-order reaction rate equation when the initial quinoline concentration was in the range of 50-500 mg l(-1). (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.