Increase in biodegradation of dimethyl phthalate by Closterium lunula using inorganic carbon

The effect and mechanism of inorganic carbon (IC) on the biodegradation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) by a green microalga Closterium lunula was investigated. The growth of this microalga and the biodegradation of DMP were significantly enhanced when the initial IC was increased. An intermediate product of DMP biodegradation was identified as phthalic acid (PA) that was accumulated and caused a sharp decrease in pH of microalgal culture medium, which inhibited both the growth of microalga and the biodegradation of DMP. A suggested second-order kinetic equation of organic pollutant biodegradation by microalgae (-dC/dt = kNr) fitted well with the experimental data. The increase of IC caused a decline in biodegradation rate constant for organic carbon (k) and an increase in growth (N) by supplying a favorite carbon source and mitigating the decrease of pH. As the net effect, the overall biodegradation rate of DMP was promoted as IC increased, which was dominated by the increase of microalgal growth.