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Kinetics of microbial growth on mixtures of pentachlorophenol and chlorinated aromatic compounds
1Environmental Chemistry Research Laboratory, Dow Chemical U.S.A., 1701 Building, Midland, MI 48674.
Abstract:
Batch experiments were conducted to examine the effects of several substrate analogs on the degradation of pentachlorophenol by an enrichment culture of pentachlorophenol-utilizing bacteria. The presence of substrate analogs which were unable to serve as a carbon source for growth of the culture (e.g., 3,5,6,-trichloro-2-pyridinol, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid) decreased the rate of pentachlorophenol degradation. The presence of a utilizable substrate analog (e.g., phenol, 2,4,5-trichlorophenol) also inhibited the initial rate of pentachlorophenol degradation; however, the overall removal rate was accelerated due to an increase in cell mass concentration as a result of simultaneous growth on both substrates. These effects were shown to be predicted by a mathematical model based on a modified Monod equation. Kinetic parameters obtained from the results of laboratory studies can be used for further process analysis to define the optimal conditions for the biological treatment of complex mixtures of phenolic compounds.
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In a chemical reaction, a relationship exists between the concentration of reactants and the rate at which the reaction proceeds. The study to measure this relationship is known as the kinetics of a chemical reaction. Kinetic studies are used to deduce the rate law of a chemical reaction, which provides information about the species involved during the transition state of the rate-determining step. Thus, kinetic studies help to derive the mechanism of a reaction.
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