Resistance of toxic alkylcyclohexyltetralins to biodegradation by aerobic bacteria

A series of alkylcyclohexyltetralins (ATEs) and an alkylcyclohexylnaphthalene were exposed to the common aerobic bacterium, Pseudomonas fluorescens and separately to a consortium of aerobic bacteria previously shown to rapidly and extensively degrade crude oil hydrocarbons. The ATEs and naphthalene were resistant to biodegradation in laboratory experiments at room temperature for up to 119 days under conditions that led to the rapid oxidation of n-alkanes and the other major resolved components of North Sea crude oil. The higher molecular-weight ATEs, particularly those with branched chain substituents, were resistant to aerobic degradation even under biodegradation conditions defined as ‘heavy’.