KINETICS OF O-CRESOL BIODEGRADATION BY PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA IMMOBILIZED ON CALCIUM ALGINATE MATRIX USING BATCH BIO REACTOR - A THEORETICAL MODEL DEVELOPMENT UNDER STEADY-STATE GROWTH PHASE

摘要

An unstructured mathematical model is proposed to analyse the mass transfer limitations of o-cresol biodegradation using Pseudomonas putida immobilized on calcium alginate matrix. The model takes into consideration the effect of inhibition constant and effectiveness factor for o-cresol degradation, under steady-state growth phase condition. The model is validated with experimental data for o-cresol degradation at an initial o-cresol concentration of 300 mg /1. The degradation time required for o-cresol from the model as well as the experimental data were found to be 5 and 8.5 hours, which is found to be very marginal. From the experimental data, it is observed that 75% of o-cresol was degraded during first 5.5 hours and the remaining 25% was degraded in the next 3 hours. Experimental data are in line with model values during first 4 hours from the start-up, thereafter model values (degradation time) are deviating from the experimental degradation time values. The developed model equation can be reduced to an expression for inhibition free-substrate limiting immobilized cell system under steady-state growth phase condition as well as to free cell system.