Anaerobic biodegradation of long-chain n-alkanes under sulfate-reducing conditions

The ability of anaerobic microorganisms to degrade a wide variety of crude oil components was investigated using chronically hydrocarbon-contaminated marine sediments as the source of inoculum. When sulfate reduction was the predominant electron-accepting process, gas chromatographic analysis revealed almost complete n-alkane removal (C(15)-C(34)) from a weathered oil within 201 d of incubation. No alteration of the oil was detected in sterile control incubations or when nitrate served as an alternate electron acceptor. The amount of sulfate reduced in the oil-amended nonsterile incubations was more than enough to account for the complete mineralization of the n-alkane fraction of the oil; no loss of this anion was observed in sterile control incubations, The mineralization of the alkanes was confirmed using (14)C-14,15-octacosane (C(28)H(58)), With 97% of the radioactivity recovered as (14)CO(2). These findings extend the range of hydrocarbons known to be amenable to anaerobic biodegradation. Moreover, the rapid and extensive alteration in the n-alkanes can no longer be considered a defining characteristic of aerobic oil biodegradation processes alone.