title: Growth kinetics of an indigenous mixed microbial consortium during phenol degradation in a batch reactor.
abstract: Biodegradation of phenol by a mixed microbial culture, isolated from a sewage treatment plant, was investigated in batch shake flasks. A minimum concentration of 100 and a maximum of 800 mg 1(-1) of phenol in the media were adapted in the degradation study. The phenol degradation rate varied largely and was less than 10 mg l(-1)h(-1) at both extremes of the initial concentrations in the media. The degradation rate was maximum 15.7 mg l(-1)h(-1) at 400 mg l(-1) phenol. The culture followed substrate inhibition kinetics and the specific growth rate were fitted to Haldane and Han-Levenspiel models. Between the two models the Han-Levenspiel was found to be a better fit with a root mean square error of 0.0211. The biokinetics constants estimated using these models showed good potential of the mixed microbial culture in phenol degradation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute Technology Guwahati, Assam, India.
authors.forename: Pichiah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saravanan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pakshirajan
authors.forename: Prabirkumar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saha
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D019800:Phenol / Q000378:metabolism*; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants; D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D019800:Phenol