title: Model-based design of different fedbatch strategies for phenol degradation in acclimatized activated sludge cultures.
abstract: Microbial degradation of phenol was studied using batch and fedbatch cultures of acclimatized activated sludge under a wide range of phenol (0-793 mg l(-1)) and biomass (0.74-6.7 g l(-1)) initial concentrations. As cell growth continued after total phenol removal, the production and later consumption of a main metabolic intermediate was considered the step governing the biodegradation kinetics. A model that takes explicitly into account the kinetics of the intermediate was developed by introducing a specific growth rate model associated with its consumption and the incorporation of a dual-substrate inhibitory effect on phenol degradation. Biomass growth and phenol removal were adequately predicted in all the cultures. Moreover, the model-based design of the fedbatch feeding strategies allowed driving separately the phenol degradation under substrate-limitation and substrate-inhibition modes. A sensitivity analysis was also performed in order to establish the importance of the parameters in the accuracy of model predictions.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Tecnológico de Cancún, Av. Kabah km 3, 77500 Cancún, Q. Roo, Mexico. cherifby@itcancun.edu.mx
authors.forename: Chérif
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ben-Youssef
authors.forename: Gabriela A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Rodríguez
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D019149:Bioreactors; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D007700:Kinetics; D019800:Phenol / Q000737:chemistry*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012722:Sewage; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D012722:Sewage; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D019800:Phenol