[Degradation of nicosulfuron by combination effects of microorganisms and chemical hydrolysis].

A strain which was capable of degrading nicosulfuron in the presence of glucose was isolated from nicosulfuron contaminated wetland soil, and it was identified as Klebsiella sp. based on 16S rDNA gene sequencing analysis. The strain could grow using nicosulfuron as the sole nitrogen source. The optimal temperature was 35 degrees C and the initial pH was neutral to weak acid. Hydrolysis experiments indicated that nicosulfuron remained stably under neutral and alkaline conditions, while in acidic conditions, it hydrolyzed quickly. Based on biodegradation experiments, when the concentration of glucose in culture was 5 g x L(-1), the strain could degrade 99.4% of nicosulfuron after incubation for 10 days at 35 degrees C, initial pH = 7; pH of the solution decreased from initial 7.0 to 4.0 in the meantime. When the concentration of glucose in culture solution was decreased to 500 mg x L(-1) and 100 mg x L(-1), with other conditions unchanged, only 11.7% and 6.6% of nicosulfuron were degraded, respectively, and pH of the solution remained at around 7.0. It was proposed that the degradation of nicosulfuron was caused by hydrolysis under acidic conditions at low pH which was resulted from the biodegradation of glucose by the strain. Therefore, the removal of nicosulfuron was actually caused by combined effects of microorganisms and chemical hydrolysis.