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The biodegradation of piperazine and structurally-related linear and cyclic amines

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Abstract

The biodegradability of a range of linear and cyclic amines was assessed. All proved to be biodegradable but there were interesting differences in their susceptibility. The least degradable was piperazine although piperazine-degrading microorganisms were of widespread occurrence in samples of water and activated sludge and, to a lesser extent, soils. Piperazine degraders are only present in very small numbers — on averageca. 0.8/ml of river water. Of six isolates capable of using piperazine as a sole source of carbon, nitrogen and energy in pure culture five were identified asMycobacterium spp. and one asArthrobacter sp., all strains were capable only of slow growth (mean generation time ofca. 30 to 40 hours) on this substrate. Piperidine, pyrrolidine, ethanolamine and diethanolamine were all readily biodegradable. The relationship between structure and degradability of amines is discussed as are the possible reasons for the relative recalcitrance of piperazine.

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

    Giti Emtiazi & Jeremy S. Knapp

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  1. Giti Emtiazi
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  2. Jeremy S. Knapp
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Emtiazi, G., Knapp, J.S. The biodegradation of piperazine and structurally-related linear and cyclic amines. Biodegradation 5, 83–92 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00700633

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