Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Biochimie, UMR 6535, Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille-OSU, Faculté des Sciences de Luminy, Marseille, France.
This work reports a study of interactions between reactions of photooxidation and reactions of bacterial degradation of an alkylated polyaromatic hydrocarbon (2-methylphenanthrene). Bacterial growth was carried out using artificial sunlight as light source. Among the various products detected, the major product was identified as the 2-methylphenanthrene aldehyde. Sunlight allows accelerated elimination of the substrate. This enhancement of the biodegradation rate of 2 methylphenanthrene is due to the use of assimilable photoproducts by the bacterium.