In general the biodegradation of nonchlorinated aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons is influenced by their bioavailability. Hydrocarbons are very poorly soluble in water. They are easily adsorbed to clay or humus fractions in the soil, and pass very slowly to the aqueous phase, where they are metabolised by microorganisms. Surfactants that increase their solubility and improve their bioavailabi...

This study presents a cross-correlated surface and near surface investigation of two phlogopite polytypes from Kasenyi kamafugitic rocks (SW Uganda) by means of advanced Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), confocal microscopy and Raman micro-spectroscopy. AFM revealed comparable nanomorphology and electrostatic surface potential for the two mica polytypes. A widespread presence of nano-protrusions l...

Ethanol (EtOH) is now produced from fermentation of carbohydrates [1]. Guerbet reaction is a possible way to couple C-C bonds of aliphatic alcohols towards higher carbon skeleton molecules that are suitable for diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel and chemicals [2–4]. When vaporized EtOH is contacted to solids at temperatures near 673.15 K, a lot of different products are obtained containing olefins...

The knowledge of hydrocarbon/water phase equilibria is important in the design and operation of equipment for petroleum transport and refining and petrochemical plants. The presence of water in a hydrocarbon mixture can affect the product quality and damage the operation equipment due to corrosion and formation of gas hydrates. Tracing the concentration of hydrocarbons in aqueous media is also ...

An initial investigation into the mechanism of hydrocarbon biosynthesis in Sarcina lutea was performed by measuring the amounts of (14)C incorporated into the hydrocarbons and fatty acids by use of a combination gas chromatograph and high-temperature gas-flow ionization apparatus. Uniformly labeled l-isoleucine-(14)C was predominantly incorporated into the anteiso-branched chains. Palmitate-16-...

Surfactant enhanced bioremediation (SEB) of oil is an approach adopted to overcome the bioavailability constraints encountered in biotransformation of nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) pollutants. Fuel oils contain n-alkanes and other aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoaromatics, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although hydrocarbon degrading cultures are abundant in nature, complete biodegr...

The biodegradation of aromatic hydrocarbons by fungi has traditionally been considered to be of a cometabolic nature. Recently, however, an increasing number of fungi isolated from air biofilters exposed to hydrocarbon-polluted gas streams have been shown to assimilate volatile aromatic hydrocarbons as the sole source of carbon and energy. The biosystematics, ecology, and metabolism of such fun...

In this work, the volatile fraction of unsmoked and smoked Herreño cheese, a type of soft cheese from the Canary Islands, has been characterized for the first time. In order to evaluate if the position in the smokehouse could influence the volatile profile of the smoked variety, cheeses smoked at two different heights were studied. The volatile components were extracted by Solid Phase Microextr...

The Pale Yellow (PY) Naphthalan is potentially a new treatment modality for some oral mucosal and dermatological diseases. Its chemical composition and physical properties were studied by standard and sophisticated methods. Special attention was paid to steranes and hopanes as favorable components and to aromatics as unfavorable compounds. PY Naphthalan is predominantly composed of saturated al...