title: Modelling and simulation of steady-state phenol degradation in a pulsed plate bioreactor with immobilised cells of Nocardia hydrocarbonoxydans.
abstract: A novel bioreactor called pulsed plate bioreactor (PPBR) with cell immobilised glass particles in the interplate spaces was used for continuous aerobic biodegradation of phenol present in wastewater. A mathematical model consisting of mass balance equations and accounting for simultaneous external film mass transfer, internal diffusion and reaction is presented to describe the steady-state degradation of phenol by Nocardia hydrocarbonoxydans (Nch.) in this bioreactor. The growth of Nch. on phenol was found to follow Haldane substrate inhibition model. The biokinetic parameters at a temperature of 30 ± 1 °C and pH at 7.0 ± 0.1 are μ (m) = 0.5397 h(-1), K (S) = 6.445 mg/L and K (I) = 855.7 mg/L. The mathematical model was able to predict the reactor performance, with a maximum error of 2% between the predicted and experimental percentage degradations of phenol. The biofilm internal diffusion rate was found to be the slowest step in biodegradation of phenol in a PPBR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology Karnataka Surathkal, Srinivasnagar Post, Mangalore 575025, Karnataka, India, vidyaks68@yahoo.com
authors.forename: K Vidya
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Shetty
authors.forename: Dheeraj Kumar
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Srinikethan
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018441:Biofilms; D019149:Bioreactors; D018914:Cells, Immobilized; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004058:Diffusion; D007700:Kinetics; D008954:Models, Biological; D009615:Nocardia; D019800:Phenol; D013696:Temperature; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D019800:Phenol