RESPIROMETRIC MICROBIOREACTORS FOR BIOKINETIC ESTIMATION OF NITRIFICATION ACTIVITY

摘要

Microfluidics based techniques offer great promise to inspect and interrogate bacterialsystems in terms of metabolic processes and kinetics. Herein, the potential for combiningmicrofluidics and respirometry for the estimation of nitrification biokinetics wasevaluated. Ammonia oxidation kinetics were determined in specially designed andfabricated microbioreactors. Using these microbioreactors, the impact of shear rate onthe maximum specific growth rate (μ_(max)) and half-saturation coefficient (K_S) weredetermined. At the shear rates tested (which are higher than those typically employed inengineered wastewater systems), μ_(max) and KS were both nearly invariable suggestingminimal mass transfer limitation. Notably, correlation between μ_(max) and KS was verylow, suggesting a high degree of precision in the parameter estimates obtained.