Modelling of Phenol Biodegradation in a Complete Mix Activated Sludge

Kenneth K. Dagde; Darlington B. Nwokoma , Derrick O. Njobuenwu Department of Chemical/Petrochemical Engineering, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, PMB 5080, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract The presence of phenol in industrial effluent has been a major concern to environmentalist. Mathematical model for the biodegradation of the phenol in a completely mixed activated sludge bioreactor has been developed. The kinetic parameters for the model half saturation coefficient, substrate (phenol) inhibition constant, maximum specific growth rate, yield coefficient and the decay coefficient using a pure strain pseudomonas putida were obtained from literature. The model equations were integrated numerically using the fourthorder Runge-Kutta method and the reaction and the process functional parameters were simulated using a visual basic program. The model prediction of phenol degradation as

compared to that for a biological treatment unit in a petrochemical plant shows a deviation of 10% Keywords Phenol Biodegradation, Activated Sludge, Bioreactor, Waste Water Treatment, Biomass Introduction Phenol and its derivatives are specific constituents in oil refineries, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, foundry operations, coal refining, photographic developers, plastic factories, glass production and agricultural wastewater. As a pollutant having toxic potentials even at low concentration (Henze et al., 1987) the need for efficient and effective treatment methods is important as to reducing its concentration in discharged wastewater to admissible levels.

The degradation of phenol by micro organism has been studied intensively; such studies have shown that phenol can be degraded aerobically by assorted micro organisms. The works of Schroder et al., (1997), have shown that a pure culture of Burkholderia (Pseudomonas) Cepacia G4 degrade phenols. Pure microbial culture of Pseudomonas putida have been shown by Bettmann and Rehm (1984), Hill and Robinson (1975), Yang and Humphrey (1975), Hinteregger et al., (1992) to degrade phenol. Other pure bacterial cultures that can degrade phenol include Nocardia SPP (Rizzuti et al., 1979), Pseudomanos Pickettil (Fava et al., 1995), Bacilhus Stearothermophilus (Buswell, 1975), Nocarrdiodes SPP (Cho et al., 2000), Allacaligeues entrophus (Hughes and Bayly, 1983) and Ralslonia eutropha (Leonard et al., 1999). It has been shown also that mixed bacterial cultures would degrade phenols (Farrell and Quilty, 1999; Pawlowsky and Howell, 1973; Morsen and Rehm, 1990). Neujahr and Gaal (1973), Spanning and Neujahr (1987) used yeasts like Trichosporous cutaneum to degrade phenols. Neujahr et al, (1974), Hofman and Kruger (1985), Krug and Straubel (1986) have shown in their different investigations that phenols can be degraded by Candida spp. Anselmo et al, (1985) used Fusarium spp to degrade phenol. Phenol is a notorious inhibitor of microbial growth at high and low concentrations. Microbial growth could be inhibited in three ways, (Wayman and Tseng, 1976) o by adding inhibitors such as phenol, chlorine, benzenoid compounds, or antibiotics. o by increasing concentration of substrate to a level such that the microbial growth decreases and ultimately ceases, that is, substrate inhibition o by allowing the metabolite concentration to a toxic level, for example, in alcohol fermentation, that is product inhibition. Sokol (1987) discovered that microorganisms growing on an inhibiting substrate like phenol in a high degradation range, the total active enzymes are split between free enzyme and enzyme-substrate complex which reduces to the product and fresh enzyme. The level of enzyme contained in the microorganisms depends on the substrate concentration, and is higher at higher values of the dilution rate.