Departamento de Quimica Fisica, Universidad de Cadiz, Campus Rio San Pedro s/n, 11510 Puerto Real, Cadiz, Spain.
Environ Sci Technol. 2010 Mar 1;44(5):1670-6. doi: 10.1021/es9032887.
Linear alkylbenzene sulfonates (LAS) are among the principal synthetic surfactants used worldwide. Their presence in the environment has been reported in a significant number of studies, and it has been generally assumed that LAS are not biotransformed in the absence of oxygen. However, laboratory experiments performed by our group using anoxic marine sediments have reported LAS degradation percentages that can reach up to 79% in 165 days. Here, we show for the first time the initial reaction metabolites (generated via fumarate addition to the LAS molecules), their biotransformation into sulfophenyl carboxylic acids (SPC), and the progressive degradation of these by successive beta-oxidation reactions. Advanced mass spectrometry has been used to carry out the identification of these compounds. This is the first time that an anaerobic degradation pathway for LAS is described, and these results represent a significant advance in understanding the final fate of these and other similar compounds in anoxic environments.
直链烷基苯磺酸盐（LAS）是全球主要使用的合成表面活性剂之一。在大量研究中都报道了它们在环境中的存在，并且通常假定在没有氧气的情况下 LAS 不会发生生物转化。然而，我们小组使用缺氧海洋沉积物进行的实验室实验报告称，LAS 在 165 天内的降解百分比可高达 79%。在这里，我们首次展示了初始反应代谢物（通过富马酸添加到 LAS 分子中生成），它们转化为磺基苯羧酸（SPC），以及这些通过连续β-氧化反应的逐步降解。高级质谱已用于鉴定这些化合物。这是首次描述 LAS 的厌氧降解途径，这些结果代表了在缺氧环境中理解这些和其他类似化合物最终命运的重大进展。
