Project description: C2-C5 alkanes, alkenes and alkynes are useful tracers of natural and anthropogenic emissions. With diverse emission sources and moderately short atmospheric lifetimes, non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) exhibit significant latitudinal, seasonal and vertical gradients [1]. They primarily react with the hydroxyl (OH) radical in the atmosphere, although also with ozone, nitrate,...

In the present study, the microbial community and functional gene composition of a long-term active alkane-degrading methanogenic culture was established after two successive enrichment culture transfers and incubated for a total period of 1750 days. Molecular analysis was conducted after the second transfer (incubated for 750 days) for both the active alkanes-degrading methanogenic enrichment ...

introduction persian gulf is a warm, hypersaline, shallow and semi-enclosed sea with low hydrodynamic energy and ideal conditions for deposition of particle materials. qeshm island is the largest island of persian gulf, in the mouth of strategic hormoz strait. every day, many tankers and ships that transport oil production of persian gulf throughout the world, cross near this island. thus, qesh...

Rhodococcus sp. strain BCP1 was initially isolated for its ability to grow on gaseous n-alkanes, which act as inducers for the co-metabolic degradation of low-chlorinated compounds. Here, both molecular and metabolic features of BCP1 cells grown on gaseous and short-chain n-alkanes (up to n-heptane) were examined in detail. We show that propane metabolism generated terminal and sub-terminal oxi...

Branched alkanes including 2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane (pristane) are more resistant to biological degradation than straight-chain alkanes especially under low-temperature conditions, such as 10 degrees C. Two bacterial strains, TMP2 and T12, that are capable of degrading pristane at 10 degrees C were isolated and characterized. Both strains grew optimally at 30 degrees C and were identifi...

Electron diffraction measurements on epitaxially grown crystals of orthorhombic n-hexatriacontane, n-C(36)H(74), give evidence for the chain-defect mechanism for linear chain melting. The derived structural model is also in accord with recent spectroscopic studies of odd-chain n-alkanes, and the diffraction data specifically exclude models based on helices or rigid chain rotors. Stability of a ...

The short chain, gaseous alkanes ethane, propane, n- and iso-butane are released in significant amounts into the atmosphere, where they contribute to tropospheric chemistry and ozone formation. Biodegradation of gaseous alkanes by aerobic microorganisms, mostly bacteria and fungi isolated from terrestrial environments, has been known for several decades. The first indications for short chain al...

We conducted an experiment to quantify the accuracy of methods based on n-alkanes and long-chain fatty alcohols for determining the diet composition of animals grazing complex swards. We cut forage from two indigenous vegetation communities, a Molinia caerulea-dominated grassland and a Calluna vulgaris-dominated dwarf-shrub community, and offered it to mature ewes in different ratios in a zero-...

Plant cuticular n-alkanes have been successfully used as markers to estimate diet composition and intake of grazing herbivores. However, additional markers may be required under grazing conditions in botanically diverse vegetation. This study was conducted to describe the n-alkane profiles and the carbon isotope enrichment of n-alkanes of common plant species from the Mid Rift Valley rangelands...