Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The anaerobic biodegradation of diethanolamine by a nitrate reducing bacterium

  • Article
  • Published:
Biodegradation Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The ability of bacterial cultures to degrade diethanolamine under anoxic conditions with nitrate as an electron acceptor was investigated. A mixed culture capable of anaerobic degradation of diethanolamine was obtained from river sediments by enrichment culture. From this a single bacterial strain was isolated which could use diethanolamine, monoethanolamine, triethanolamine and N-methyl diethanolamine as its sole carbon and energy sources either aerobically or anaerobically. Growth on diethanolamine was faster in the absence of oxygen. The accumulation of possible metabolites in the culture medium was determined as was the ability to grow on certain putative intermediates in the degradation of diethanolamine. A possible pathway for the degradation of ethanolamines by this organism is suggested.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anon (1983) Final report on the safety of triethanolamine, diethanolamine, and monoethanolamine. J. Am. Coll. of Toxicol: 2: 183–235

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbeer C (1965a) The clostridial fermentation of choline and ethanolamine I. J. Biol. Chem. 240: 4669–4674

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradbeer C (1965b) The clostridial fermentation of choline and ethanolamine II. J. Biol. Chem. 240: 4675–4681

    Google Scholar 

  • Calmels S, Ohshima H, Crespi M, Leclerc H, Cattoen C & Bartsch H (1987) N-Nitrosamine formation by microorganisms isolated from human gastric juice and urine; biochemical studies on bacterially-catalysed nitrosation. In: Bartsch H, O'Neill IK & Shulte-Hermann R (Eds) Relevance of N-Nitroso Compounds to Human Cancer: Exposures and Mechanisms. (IARC Scientific Publication 84: pp 391–395). International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang GW & Chang JT (1975) Evidence for the B12-dependent enzyme ethanolamine deaminase in Salmonella. Nature 254: 150–151

    Google Scholar 

  • Cripps RE & Noble AS (1973) The metabolism of nitrilotriacetate by a pseudomonad. Biochem. J. 136: 1059–1068

    Google Scholar 

  • Edens MR & Lochary JF (1991) Alkanolamines. In: Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Vol 2, 4th edn. (pp1–26). Wiley Interscience, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Egli T & Weilenmann H-U (1986) Biodegradation of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) in the absence of oxygen. Experimentia 42: 1061–1062

    Google Scholar 

  • Emtiazi G & Knapp JS (1994) The biodegradation of piperazine and structurally-related linear and cyclic amines. Biodegradation 5: 83–92

    Google Scholar 

  • Enfors S-O & Molin N (1973a) Biodegradation of nitrilotriacete (NTA) by bacteria I. Isolation of bacteria able to grow anaerobically with NTA as sole carbon source. Water Res. 7: 881–888

    Google Scholar 

  • (1973b) Biodegradation of nitrilotriacete (NTA) by bacteria II. Cultivation of an NTA-degradaing bacterium anaerobic medium. Water Res. 7: 889–893

    Google Scholar 

  • Frings J, Wondrak C & Schink B (1994) Fermentative degradation of triethanolamine by a homoacetogenic bacterium. Arch. Microbiol. 162: 103–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Gannon JE, Adams MC & Bennet EO (1978) Microbial degradation of diethanolamine and related compounds. Microbios 23: 7–18

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenkins D & Medsker LL (1964) Brucine method for the determination of nitrate in ocean, estuary and fresh waters. Analytical Chemistry. 36: 610–612

    Google Scholar 

  • Jenal-Wanner U & Egli T (1993) Anaerobic degradation of nitrilotriacetate (NTA) in a denitrifying bacterium: purification and characterisation of the NTA dehydrogenase-nitrate reductase enzyme complex. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59: 3350–3359

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones A & Turner JM (1971) Microbial metabolism of amino alcohols via aldehydes. J. Gen Microbiol. 67: 379–381

    Google Scholar 

  • Jones A & Turner JM (1973) Microbial metabolism of amino alcohols. Biochem J. 134: 167–182

    Google Scholar 

  • Kornberg HL (1966) Anaplerotic sequences and their role in metabolism. Essays in Biochemistry 2: 1–31

    Google Scholar 

  • Large PJ (1971) The oxidative cleavage of alkyl-nitrogen bonds in microorganisms. Xenobiotica 1: 457–467

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach SA, Cook AR, Challis BC, Hill MJ & Thompson MH (1987) Bacterially mediated N-nitrosation reactions and endogenous formation of N-nitroso compounds. In: Bartsch H, O'Neill IK & Shulte-Hermann R (Eds) Relevance of N-Nitroso Compounds to Human Cancer: Exposures and Mechanisms. (IARC Scientific Publication 84: pp 396–399). International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon

    Google Scholar 

  • Lloyd D, Boddy L & Davies KJP (1987) Persistence of bacterial denitrification capacity under aerobic conditions: the rule rather than the exception. FEMS Microbiol Letts. 45: 185–190

    Google Scholar 

  • Patureau D, Davidson J, Bernet N & Moletta R (1994) Denitrification under various aeration conditions in Comamonas sp., strain SGLY12. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 14: 71–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson LA & Kuenen JG (1984) Aerobic denitrification — old wine in new bottles. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 50: 525–544

    Google Scholar 

  • Rothkopf GS & Bartha R (1984) Structure-biodegradability correlations among xenobiotic industrial amines. JAOCS 61: 977–980

    Google Scholar 

  • Scarlett FA & Turner JM (1976) Microbial metabolism of amino alcohols. Ethanolamine catabolism mediated by a coenzyme B12-dependent ethanolamine ammonia-lyase in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella aerogenes. J. Gen Microbiol. 95: 173–176

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith NA, Smith P & Woodruff CA (1992) The role of Bacillus sp. in N-nitrosamine formation during wort production. J. of the Inst. of Brewing 98: 409–414

    Google Scholar 

  • Swain A, Waterhouse KV, Venablese WA, Callely AG & Lowe SE (1991) Biochemical studies of morpholine catabolism by an environmental mycobacterium. Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 35: 110–114

    Google Scholar 

  • Uetz T, Schneider R, Snozzi M & Egli T (1992) Purification and characterisation of a two-component monooxygenase that hydroxylates nitrilotriacetate from “Chelatobacter” strain ATCC29600. J. Bacteriol. 174: 1179–1188

    Google Scholar 

  • Wanner U, Kemmler J, Weilenmann H-U, Egli T, El-Banna T & Auling G (1990) Isolation and growth of a bacterium able to degrade nitrilotriacetic acid under denitrifying conditions. Biodegradation 1: 31–41

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams GR & Callely AG (1982) The biodegradation of diethanolamine and triethanolamine by a yellow gram-negative rod. J. Gen Microbiol. 128: 1203–1209

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    Jeremy S. Knapp & Nicholas D. Jenkey

  2. Technology Centre, Castrol International, Pangbourne, UK

    Colin C. Townsley

Authors
  1. Jeremy S. Knapp
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Nicholas D. Jenkey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Colin C. Townsley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Knapp, J.S., Jenkey, N.D. & Townsley, C.C. The anaerobic biodegradation of diethanolamine by a nitrate reducing bacterium. Biodegradation 7, 183–189 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058178

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00058178

Key words

Search

Navigation