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Hydrogen isotope labeling unravels origin of soil-bound organic contaminant residues in biodegradability testing

Author

Listed:
  • Sophie Lennartz

    (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
    Aarhus University)

  • Harriet A. Byrne

    (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
    Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ)

  • Steffen Kümmel

    (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ)

  • Martin Krauss

    (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ)

  • Karolina M. Nowak

    (Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
    Technische Universität Berlin)

Abstract

Biodegradability testing in soil helps to identify safe synthetic organic chemicals but is still obscured by the formation of soil-bound ‘non-extractable’ residues (NERs). Present-day methodologies using radiocarbon or stable (13C, 15N) isotope labeling cannot easily differentiate soil-bound parent chemicals or transformation products (xenoNERs) from harmless soil-bound biomolecules of microbial degraders (bioNERs). Hypothesizing a minimal retention of hydrogen in biomolecules, we here apply stable hydrogen isotope – deuterium (D) – labeling to unravel the origin of NERs. Soil biodegradation tests with D- and 13C-labeled 2,4-D, glyphosate and sulfamethoxazole reveal consistently lower proportions of applied D than 13C in total NERs and in amino acids, a quantitative biomarker for bioNERs. Soil-bound D thus mostly represents xenoNERs and not bioNERs, enabling an efficient quantification of xenoNERs by just measuring the total bound D. D or tritium (T) labeling could thus improve the value of biodegradability testing results for diverse organic chemicals forming soil-bound residues.

Suggested Citation

  • Sophie Lennartz & Harriet A. Byrne & Steffen Kümmel & Martin Krauss & Karolina M. Nowak, 2024. "Hydrogen isotope labeling unravels origin of soil-bound organic contaminant residues in biodegradability testing," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-14, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-53478-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-53478-w
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. J. S. Rowbotham & M. A. Ramirez & O. Lenz & H. A. Reeve & K. A. Vincent, 2020. "Bringing biocatalytic deuteration into the toolbox of asymmetric isotopic labelling techniques," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-7, December.
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