Dynamic and steady state studies of phenol biodegradation in pure and mixed cultures

TLDR

The study examined phenol degradation by pure and mixed cultures of *Pseudomonas putida* in batch, phenol‑stat, and continuous culture systems. Continuous culture experiments, including steady‑state and transient runs, were used to develop a kinetic model and analyze the stability and dynamic behavior of the cultures. The study shows that phenol can be reduced to 1‑2 ppm in a single‑stage system, but substrate inhibition can cause prolonged transients that depend on transient size and organism response rather than just μmax or Ks.

Abstract

Abstract The microbial degradation of phenol by pure and mixed cultures of Pseudomonas putida was studied in batch, phenol‐stat, and continuous culture systems. In the continuous culture runs, both steady state and transient experiments were performed. From these experiments, a model for the kinetic behavior of the organisms was evolved and an analysis performed on the stability and dynamic behavior of pure and mixed cultures. The results indicate that it should be possible to achieve phenol removal from wastewaters down to levels of 1‐2 ppm in a single stage system. However, because of the effects of substrate inhibition on kinetic behavior of the microorganisms, long lasting transients can occur. The transient behavior of such systems cannot be solely determined from μ max or K s , parameters, but must include a consideration of the transient size and response characteristic of the organism.